Hello fellow Coxsackie Owl lovers!
The Hoot of the Owl Committee has, just like you, been watching and worrying as the COVID-19 virus has wreaked havoc on our world. Realizing that the safety of the community and visitors must be our primary concern, we carefully considered the risks of moving ahead with the scheduled gala and auction, and the monumental effort it would take to keep everyone as safe as humanly possible. After thoughtful discussion, the committee members voted to cancel the event planned for October 3, and re-schedule it for a date in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2021.
The 2020 owls will be taken off their perches at the approximate time they would have been removed for this year’s auction date, and they will be re-installed in those same locations in the Spring of 2021, and a new gala and auction will be scheduled.
It is our hope that many people will tour the owls in 2021 either for the first time, or for the second or third, thereby bringing folks back to the area to support businesses and shops that were adversely impacted this year. We also hope that the owls will bring in higher bids in 2021 so that our efforts to raise money for local charities will be much more impactful.
We would like to send a big shout-out to our sponsors for sticking with us, and to the many talented artists for their time and talents. We are happy to share the owls with the public for many more months to come. Here's to a safe, successful owl auction in 2021!
Thank you ALL for your support!
Our brochures have been printed, and we will be distributing them throughout town in weatherproof cases as well as with some of our sponsors. If you'd like to download a PDF of the brochure and map, click below:
Download 2020 Brochure
We now have miniature owls for you to order and decorate for yourselves! A part of the proceeds from the sale of these owls goes to the What a Hoot! committee to be used toward expenses and donations to charity at the end of the festival. The miniature owls are approximately 7" tall, by about 4" wide at the base. We've shown a sample here with Ellen De Lucia's owl "Liberty" from 2018. Click below to order your own! They are $39 each plus shipping.
Order mini owl here!
Our winner for 2019's raffle owl The Owl and the Chickadee was Joseph B. Ellis. He was awarded the owl at Coxsackie's Christmas by the River on Sunday, December 1, 2019, when his winning ticket was pulled. The Owl and the Chickadee (by Sharon Lalor Askew) now happily resides at Joe's home in Coxsackie! We would like to thank all who purchased raffle tickets throughout the year. Your support has directly helped get this year's What a Hoot! Festival off the ground. We look forward to helping many local charities in October from the auction of all of our new owls. Be looking for the owls around town for Memorial Day!
Please keep visiting this website and our Facebook page for updates for 2020, including all pertinent dates and info!