In 1997 on a lovely Memorial Day weekend, film production designer Roswell Hamrick who hails from South Carolina decided to come up to Sullivan County to attend a meditation retreat.

During his retreat he came upon a real estate guide that featured a glossy photo of a Congregational Church built in 1835 on a hillside in Barryville which was for sale. Roswell told me the church abandoned for over 20years “was about the same price as a used car so for some reason I just decided to buy it- and he never looked back. I didn't even realize that it overlooked the Delaware River at the time” he mused but had noticed that the village of Barryville was a very lovely place to be.

Some twenty three years later Roswell and his partner and husband, business developer and Director of an international fashion company Johnny Pizzolato from Chicago still live in the church along with their pup Lamonte amidst the original pump organ, church bell in the belfry and its own graveyard with over one hundred graves some dating back as far as the revolutionary war. And yes, Roswell told me, there are moments when they are at home where he has the distinct feeling that they “aren't alone.”

In 2010 Johnny and Roswell bought a long derelict canal house adjacent to their church. “There weren't many places to stay in the Barryville area, so we were thinking about the need for an Inn. We thought the original building of the canal house was in such bad shape that it was best to just demolish it. Once we started, we found the actual structure was in much better condition than we thought, and it turned out to be cheaper to renovate it than tear it down,” Roswell told me.

In 2012 the small boutique hotel which they named the Stickett Inn was open for business featuring four suites and a two-bedroom cabin with a hot tub. The Inn's accommodations are an extremely comfortable mix of industrial chic meets country comfort which quickly became a huge hit winning rave reviews and a large devoted following of guests.

These two very hard-working successful businessmen weren't quite done. Next their eyes turned to a small vacant butcher shop in front of the Inn. Johnny explained that the guests staying at the Inn needed easy access to food and drinks so two years ago, once again sledgehammers in hand they set about renovating the shop and turned it into the Bang Bang Bar and Restaurant.

Roswell explained that under New York State Law the Bar holds a NYS Cidery license-which means that in addition to the Stickett Inn's own brand cider, the Bar can only sell liquor and spirits made in New York State. This specialization lends itself to some highly creative and delicious drinks: the Barryville Butterfly, Delaware River Rum and the Yulan Teatime Toddy.

The Bar's extensive menu is Mexican inspired which features a delicious gigantic Breakfast Burrito, Lobster Quesadillas, Low Ride Nachos, Mexican Pizza, Cantina Bowls and the very marvelous Hangover Chicken Soup. The hours for the Bang Bang Bar and Restaurant are Thursdays 12 - 7 p.m., Fridays 12 - 8 p.m., Saturday 8 - 8 p.m., Sunday 9 - 8 pm and Mondays 12 - 7 p.m. You can visit them on Facebook or call (845) 557-0913.

During the virus pandemic, the restaurant has been doing their regular menu as take out using the top part of a window. “Business has been good, and we are very thankful that people have been so supportive of us and our staff.” Johnny said.

Since that impulse purchase of a church back in 1997, both Johnny and Roswell have worked tirelessly in the local community on projects to beautify and protect our natural resources, help founding the Barryville Farmers Market, working with the Barryville Chamber of Commerce, The Eldred School Backpack Food Program and proved themselves as bona fide “solid citizens” showing up and helping wherever its needed.

When asked what they feel the summer season may hold Johnny told me he felt it was “a huge opportunity for people who don't want or cannot travel internationally and want to stay closer to home to come up and explore the area and our incredible natural resources which are our saving grace. For years we heard about the casinos saving us but after millions of our tax dollar investments that hasn't worked out at all. It's our lakes, State parks, recreational areas, hiking trails, historic sites, biking and cycling, rivers, eagle watching, fishing, hunting, boating and mountains that are our greatest long-term assets. We have it all right here and it's a great opportunity for our small river communities and businesses to finally shine and I think that will happen.”

Still hard at work, Roswell Hamrick is now the President of the Barryville Chamber of Commerce and John Pizzolato is the President elect of the Delaware Scenic Byway Committee that promotes the uniqueness of the river shed communities and develops the towns along Route 97 Scenic Byway from Port Jervis to Hancock.

Knowing that these two hardworking and creative businessmen have stepped up in a major way into leadership positions during these unsettled times I for one feel more optimistic about our chances for recovery and a much brighter future to come.

Contributed Photos