ROSCOE – Saturday marked the 65th anniversary of the Two-Headed Trout and Other Fantastic Fish Stories Roundtable at the legendary Rockland House in Roscoe. The yearly dinner, hosted by the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce, welcomed a sold-out crowd to celebrate the start of the 2026 trout fishing season.

Guests gathered early in the evening, mingling and participating in raffle tickets before settling into their seats for the program. Emcees Wendy and Terry from the Roscoe Party Farm kept the mood light and the crowd engaged as they introduced the speakers on the program.

First up, Christine Routledge, the Roscoe Chamber President. She thanked Aaron Blakely, her co-chair for the event, as well as Sonya Wurster, Misty Hackworth and Siobhan Bennett for their sub-committee work to bring the dinner together.

“We have so much appreciation for our local businesses. Without them and their amazing donations, the dinner would not be half of what it is now,” Routledge explained.

Next to the podium was the other half of the dynamic duo that brought the dinner together, co-chair Aaron Blakely. He welcomed the attendees before introducing the night’s keynote speaker, Jesse Vadala.

Vadala, an independent creative writer and community-focused outdoor enthusiast, currently serves as an Engagement Manager for Trout Unlimited’s Eastern Conservation Staff.

From his early days on the

rivers near his home in Newburgh, to the present, Vadala emphasized his love of the outdoors, specifically the Beaverkill River and Willowemoc Creek in Roscoe that have become a home away from home for many anglers. The two legendary trout streams bring fishermen from all over to cast their lines.

“The Junction Pool is a perfect home for great big trout like Beamoc, the two-headed trout,” Vadala said. “But it’s also a home for people like you and me. Many of us came from somewhere else, we found our way to the Catskills and stayed in love with it and have no reason to leave. That’s the real story of the Beamoc: Staying here, falling in love with a thing and never wanting to leave it.”

From there, Vadala emphasized the importance of conserving trout streams, keeping water shaded with greenery along the shoreline. He then invited attendees to join the new Beamoc chapter of Trout Unlimited in their first event Sunday morning, planting over 200 shrubs and bushes along the edge of the water in Riverside Park in Roscoe.

Dinner followed shortly after Vadala’s speech concluded. Afterwards, the Joan Wulff Award recipients were announced for 2026. Tom and Martha Mason, who were unable to attend the dinner, were honored as lifelong stewards of fly fishing. The pair have traveled the country in pursuit of trout waters, but would always return to the Catskills, and now they reside in Livingston Manor. Together, the two embody a quiet dedication to fly fishing, through mentorship, preservation and service, leaving a lasting impact on the Catskills and beyond.

After the award, attendees were treated to a live auction courtesy of Pete Horger, a fishing guide who was invited to the dinner by Matt Hackett, who knew Horger would enjoy it. Pat Cook, who donated his time to tie flies for the dinner, donated a case of 12 hand-tied flies as the first auction item of the night. The final auction item of the night was a guided trip from Horger through Tailwind Outfitters.

The Two-Headed Trout Dinner was a great way to cap off a weekend full of trout fishing events and activities, and the Roscoe Chamber’s event continues to be a big draw.