Sharon Springs revisited

Last weekend's camping trip to Cooperstown was planned in part by its proximity to the village of Sharon Springs. During our trip to Howe Caverns in October of 2011, we drove through Sharon Springs and were immediately enchanted by the faded resort village. We strolled around a bit but didn't take the time to explore most of the downtown. Then earlier this year, we came across a show on the Cooking Channel called The Fabulous Beekman Boys and the village of Sharon Springs was mentioned. James and I looked at each other and said, "Our Sharon Springs?" It turned out that yes, they were talking about the Sharon Springs we had visited.

The "Beekman Boys" are Josh Purcell-Ridge and Dr. Brent Ridge, who left their lives in New York City to buy the Beekman mansion just outside of Sharon Springs to become gentlemen farmers and to launch their lifestyle brand. Although their reality show- sometimes known as the "gay Green Acres" - is no longer being filmed, we have watched almost every past episode on Netflix and have become quite fond of Josh, Brent, Farmer John (the goat farmer who lives on the farm), Farmer John's goats and Polka Spot, the drama llama. I enjoy visiting their web site to read about their adventures and to salivate over the recipes they post; Josh's "Even Lazier Than No-Knead" bread has become one of our favorite bread recipes. For my birthday, I received a Team Beekman t-shirt, a jar of Rosemary Creamed Honey and a jar of Cajeta Caramel sauce.

Enough of the back story. Late Saturday morning we made the very short drive from the campground to Sharon Springs. Our first stop was lunch at The Black Cat Cafe & Bakery, which was familiar to us from watching the television show. While our sandwiches were very good, they were overpriced and the service was incredibly slow.

We then strolled around the little downtown, looking in the various shops until we came to the - TA DA! - the Beekman 1802 Mercantile, Josh and Brent's store:

Josh and Brent recently bought this building and remodeled it, and it is a lovely store. I was thrilled, of course, when Brent came through the front door and he graciously posed for a photo with me:

Brent looks great and I look like I have been camping. In muggy July. He chatted with us for several minutes - we talked about the various honey products and how they can be used, and I asked about Faintly, the tiny little goat born this spring. She is still quite petite and was getting picked on by the other goats - Brent called them the mean girls and I said they were bully goats - so she went to live on another farm. Presumably a farm with other tiny goats. There were many other customers vying for his attention so we wrapped up our conversation, but Brent was very genuine and pleasant.

Almost across the street from the mercantile is the American Hotel, a beautiful hotel and restaurant:

Built in 1847, the American Hotel was empty and decrepit when owners Doug Plummer and Garth Roberts bought it in 1996 and completely renovated it. We wanted to have a drink at the bar but it does not open until 5 pm. The lobby and bar area are beautiful, as are the grounds, so I can only imagine how luxurious the rooms are.

On down Main Street, Aidan made a new friend:

 

Max is the shop dog at Orchard Rose, a consignment boutique, and he loved the attention that Aidan lavished on him.

We love seeing Sharon Springs working hard to revitalize its downtown and reclaim its past as a tourist town, but there are still many falling down relics of its past:

If you ever visit the lovely Schoharie valley, make a point to stop in Sharon Springs. Say hello to Brent for me, will you?