Recap of the ConnectHV Meetup in New Paltz

Nearly 300 people joined ConnectHV's first outdoor meetup at Water Street Market in New Paltz for food, drinks, and Hudson Valley community connections.

The weather held for ConnectHV’s first-ever outdoor gathering!

Almost 300 of you RSVP’d for the meetup at Water Street Market in New Paltz, and we had a great time. There was sangria from Jar’d Wine Pub and charcuterie from Grazery. Bonticou Brewing was on-site providing samples of their lovely new beers (I tried the low-ABV lager and thought it was excellent). There was even a rock-the-vote style voting drive to help one young community member get her submission for the 2026 Ulster County “I Voted” sticker over the finish line.

New Paltz has always been my favorite town in the Hudson Valley, and I was thrilled to finally have a proper meetup there. The fine folks at Annex Agency and The Cronin Gallery really put this all together — without them, it never would've happened!

I reconnected with old friends and met so many interesting people yesterday, including:

🏆 Someone who's won an Emmy

🎭 Someone from the cast of Succession

💼 Realtors, lawyers, healers, and other professionals

🎨 Artists of all kinds

🛠️ Designers of all kinds (interior, graphic, software, etc)

And tons of people inventing, creating, building, making, and helping to make the world a more beautiful place.

I want to give a special shout-out to Trek Trio, who sponsored the food and drink. They're a Star Trek fan group on TikTok (and now Instagram), and you can follow them at their respective TikTok handles: @scottyktho, @krysten_lost, and @heatherinorbit.

The next meetup is coming up fast. Make sure you don’t miss it by signing up for the email newsletter below.