A great staycation destination
August 6, 2010
by Christine Yeres
Get ready for high tech at the Old Dutch! To celebrate its 325th anniversary, the Old Dutch is using the Apple’s iPad for an engaging walking tour of the historic church and burying ground. The tours start on Saturday, August 7. The actual iPad app was created by Lyle Anderson, an Apple developer and for years head of information technology at Aetna, Bankers Trust and News Corporation. Anderson, a longtime resident of New Castle, is also the creator of the town’s and library’s websites, and for many years a volunteer resident-expert for NCCTV.
Elinor Griffith and Janie Couch Allen, both former Reader’s Digest editors and partners with Anderson in AAG Associates, a Westchester-based media team, used their story-telling expertise to script memorable vignettes from early church history. Their partnership started while curating “Reader’s Digest: The Local Magazine That Conquered the World,” an exhibit currently on display at the New Castle Historical Society.
“The iPad is perfect to convey our story, and it is Apple’s first tour ‘app,’” says Jeffrey Gargano, pastor of the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns, which holds Sunday services at the Old Dutch throughout the summer and early fall. “This is the oldest church in New York State, and the first house of worship in this area. By using Apple’s newest technology we can showcase our important role in colonial Dutch religious life, as well as our place in American history, literature and art.”
Elinor Griffith, Lyle Anderson and Janie Couch Allen
iPads are available for rental. The application guides visitors on a half-hour tour of the historic church and graves, chosen for their inhabitants’ unique contributions to village life in early days. “The new iPad tour is fast-paced and fun,” says Aubrey Hawes, head of the Friends of the Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground. “We’re ready to welcome lots of visitors.”
Indeed, the multi-touch, multi-media tour is the newest way to bring the Old Dutch’s storied history to life: the church’s creation in 1685, the same year Bach was born; the lively characters from Washington Irving’s 1819 ghost story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” including the Headless Horseman whose hoof beats echo nearby; the Revolutionary years when General George Washington stopped by the churchyard and some of the more colorful church members took up their goose guns to fight. There’s more, of course: stories about the richest man in New York and a patriotic “witch”….
Weekend Tours: Saturdays and Sundays, now through October, from noon - 4 pm. Admission: $10 for iPad rental. (Tour app is downloadable this fall.)
Old Dutch Gala: Sunday, October 3 at 5:00 p.m. Organist Kent Tritle and Philipsburg Manor reception; call 914 497-2159 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Legend Readings:
October 15-16, 29-30. Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk recounts the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” along with live organ music. Four performances nightly on the hour, beginning at 6. Visit www.hudsonvalley.org for advance tickets.
Copyright 2012 NewCastleNOW.org