Sale of last iconic Catskills resort signals the end of an era

Movies such as Dirty Dancing, gave us everlasting memories of the once affluent getaway spot.

Now, the last of the iconic Catskills resorts has been sold to a company that plans to turn the property into a healthy living resort. 

Sullivan County economic development officials said the sale of Kutscher's Country Club was finalized Wednesday.

The Catskills used to be the 'place to be' in the summers and winters for generations of vacationers.

Through-out the decades, major performers would flock to the tourist destination which was known for it's lavish hotels and getaways.

In the winter, The Concord, The Pines, Kutschers, Browns and many more hotels in the area is where families would stay to go skiing in the close-by mountain ranges or to watch famous acts such as Neil Diamond and Frankie Avalon, before the area's once unimaginable decline.

In the summer the area had great hiking, mountain climbing, camping and much more.

Families looking to get away for the summer would head there in the thousands each year; and parents would send their kids to the area's many sleep away camps like Kutscher's Sports Academy and Camp Anawana, made famous by the popular Nickelodeon show of the same name. 

Stars such as Sammy Davis jr. Jackie Mason, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and many more graced the billboards of the now dilapidated area.

Efforts to bring gambling to the area, notably to revive the Concord hotel with a casino, have so far not been successful.

The most recent attempt to revitalize the area, a casino called Monticello raceway, has met with only limited success, and the area still remains vastly neglected.