GRAHAMSVILLE  — On a sunny autumn day, veterans, their families and other community members turned out at the Grahamsville Fairgrounds in the Town of Neversink for Sullivan County’s very first Vet Fest. 

Organized by Action Toward Independence (ATI), Vet2Vet and the YIT Foundation, the day brought together dozens of local organizations for a Saturday of live music, food, activities and demonstrations. 

ATI Assistant Executive Director Vanessa Sotelo said the mission was to get information out there in order to connect veterans with the services they may need.

“We’re really hoping that veterans can find a community of other veterans to connect with for support and services,” Sotelo explained. “We find that, especially in this area, there are veterans who are struggling. We have a lot of veterans who are dealing with PTSD and mental health issues and they’re not always ready to come out and say that ‘I need a little help.’ We hope that by having events like this they can connect with people who have been through it, lean on each other for support and get to know the services and supports that are available to them so they can have a better quality of life.” 

Veteran Advocate Ryan Fuller said the day’s event offered veterans resources, education resources and career resources, as well as demonstrations like blacksmithing and woodworking.

“That’s the whole purpose of today,” Fuller said. “To show our thanks to our veterans and get them connected to resources or career paths that can help them better their lives in multiple ways.”

Live music was performed  by retired U.S Army Green Beret and musician Derek Stoner. Based out of Nashville, Tennessee, Stoner tours the country performing country/southern rock music with a uniquely veteran focus. 

Visitors at Vet Fest also participated in archery and axe throwing activities provided by navy veteran and owner of the Catskill Outdoorsman, Ryan Terracciano.

The mantra at the Catskill Outdoorsman is “find your peace outdoors.”

Terracciano spoke about the therapeutic value of archery and other outdoor activities not only for veterans but also for law enforcement, first responders, dispatchers and anyone else looking for a healthy outlet. 

“Archery is the art of doing and less thinking … it’s amazing how much it has helped me personally and we’ve had so many people who come in and are finding their peace outdoors,” Terracciano said.  “That’s what this is for me … it’s access to being able to take a deep breath and not worry about what else is going on.”

Through Catskill Outdoorsman, Terracciano said he met some of the people from Vet2Vet and now hosts regular archery time on the range with them. 

Fuller thanked the Town of Neversink for helping to make the day’s event possible and said they hope Vet Fest becomes an annual event every year.