My three brothers, dad and I just finished up a week long timber framing course here at Heartwood…read more It was a pretty good experience. Pros: Michelle - She manages the business end and handles meals. She was incredibly helpful and always very pleasant. Dave - He's one of two instructors and most of what I got out of the course came from working with him one-on-one. He's super talented and all of my encounters with him were positive. I (along with most other people in the course) sought Dave out for any questions and help. The food - Michelle put together a great lunch every day. The skill set - I walked away from this week confident that I could handle basic layouts and build a structure using the skills I learned here (which is the whole point of the course). The safety - The instructors take safety very seriously and quickly react to any questionable behaviors. Cons: Class size - There were 26 people enrolled in the course including four "apprentices" which left two instructors who knew what they were doing to teach all of us. Organization - The first half day was spent sitting in a classroom watching minimally helpful overhead sheets and the second half watching demos. It would have been very easy to integrate hands on exercises on scrap wood and mix this information in over time. Barn raising - Friday was dedicated to assembling the frame we built Tuesday through Thursday. There were too many hands for too little work. Dave said you need a max of fourteen people to raise a structure like the one we built. You had to actively fight to participate. The "apprentices" - Really two of the four were actually pretty good and cared about learning. The other two seemed to cause more problems than they fixed. Ultimately I learned a lot from Dave while I was here (and Brad, another instructor who was there for one day was also great). Will was pretty impatient and not particularly helpful. The mix of people who were taking the course was about 50% carpenters (some with timber framing experience and some without) and 50% from random backgrounds (some teachers, a cobbler, some IT folk, a student, etc). Everyone was able to keep up and a carpentry background really isn't necessary. The group instruction wasn't that helpful but if you take the time to seek out knowledgable staff (or peers who have already done a piece you're working on) you can learn a lot here. It's really what you make of it. If you're looking to get a basic crash course in timber framing this is a good place to get it (despite class size and some other kinks). You can make as many mistakes as you need to (and should, this is a great way to learn) and someone will be able to show you how to correct it before you try this on your own.

From the owner: 2-day to 2-week educational courses in woodworking, homebuilding and timber framing.read more

It's my only source for taking classes. It def has a preference for pottery over paintingread more

My history with IS-183 goes back 23 years with our introduction at the time of my impending…read moredivorce. I was thrilled, to say the least, when I found the Open Sketch group. So many fantastic, working artists and then me; untrained with only a desire to create. I couldn't have been more welcomed receiving suggestions, directions and good old fashioned comradery. All n a serene New England setting. What a wonderful place to send children and young adults for a creative summer! I love IS-183 with is sensational energy. Highly recommended.

Sense and Sensibility was THE worst production I have ever seen in my 52 years of theatre!…read more Atrocious! Shame - always have had marvelous experiences here. Producer/director failure. Only one actor in drag? Confusing half ( almost ) funny; half serious. Two roles per actor! And no scenery changes- apart from the imaginary piano forté. Utter disaster.

First time attending this unique & beautiful outdoor theatre. And maybe my last time too…read more Though I haven't read or attended any Shakespeare plays since 12th grade I am fairly certain Shakespeare would be rolling over in his grave had he witnessed the butchering of this Classic! What the He** was that? This director turned a classic into garbage by inserting his view of modernizing the story, the costumes, the music - everything. I can tell you it was difficult to not walk out before the end of this performance. With respect to the hard working professional actors we did not until 3-5 minutes left in the show when it further fell apart and we just said NO MAS! I would to try this again but it will have to be a non Shakespeare play. Oh and BTW, the ticket seller said that this play was really good & funny. Really? Maybe if your CBD was laced with something. Overall not an enjoyable evening and surely a waste of $90. Too bad. You win some & you lose some. I put this one in the loss column.

This place is fantastic! I've been obsessed with reading about woodworking of all sorts whether it…read morebe magazines, books, you tube videos, etc. I have had a harder time time actually committing any of this newfound book knowledge to use because of the lack of tools. Unfortunately woodworking is one of those hobbies that by and large require a large assortment of tools to do various projects. While many of these tools can be useful for even the regular homeowner into DIY (router, band saw, table saw, palm sander, various hand tools) several other tools are needed depending on the project. While I own most of the tools mentioned above one I don't have is the lathe. It's also one of those tools that I couldn't justify buying without trying because a) Wood spinning at 1000rpm is a little scary b) I would prefer to have some instruction prior to purchase c) Why spend the money on a machine for it to collect dust because I'm just not that into it. Enter Easthampton School of Woodworking/The Workbench. Aside from offering an intensive 6 month cabinet building program they also offer several weeknight and weekend classes that cover various topics. I perused through their list of available classes and saw an introductory lathe class for $80 which accounted for the material for the mallet you would make and also the 6 hours of instruction. Not too shabby. Location/Amenities: This place is pretty flipping stellar Its housed in an old factory building with several different rooms setup with various workbenches for use with hand tools, large woodworking power machinery, and in the back is a room with their lathes available for classes and open shop time. Instructor: Our class was taught by Brian who attended the North Bennet Street School of Woodworking (pretty esteemed school). He did a great job of giving our class of 5 individual instruction when necessary and also partitioning out the group instruction in manageable pieces so as not to inundate us with information. Open Shop Time: While I haven't used this resource I can see where it would be amazing. Aside from having the wood necessary for the project, the amount of machines necessary to dimension rough cut lumber can be quite expensive and take up a lot of space in your workshop area. Many people can't justify the space or the expense to own these machines, or perhaps they're reluctant to buy any of the big power tools because of cost or safety hazards of the machines. The great thing about this place is on Thursdays from 6:30-9:30PM they have open shop where once you demonstrate you can safely use their machines you can log in to a computer that tracks your hours (~$10/hr), and use their machinery. Not only do you have access to their machines but you also can use the staff that is overseeing open shop to ask for help if you run into an issue. I personally don't own a jointer/planer (needed for dimensioning lumber), but I would certainly use theirs and save quite a bit of money buying the wood rough cut vice s4s (smooth on all sides) and finishing it myself. Overall: It was an awesome experience and I'm currently searching Craigslist and auctions for a quality vintage lathe (I'm a sucker for anything old). It's pretty amazing turning a straight piece of wood into a useable tool in the course of an hour. Highly recommended if you have an interest for woodworking, or would like access to larger tools that you may not own. This would also be a good gift for a spouse, sign them up for a class, who doesn't like a guy/girl that can create something with their own two hands.

Absolutely best school in the area. Here is a school where you can tell the teachers care. The…read morestudents seem to love it and the plays they put on are amazing. The cosmetology shop does an amazing job and afterwards going to the resturant is a wonderful treat the sweets are great and the meal is done very well. Everyone at this school works hard and does a great job!

I just passed my test and became a licensed driver after taking the ten lesson package here. Thank…read moreyou so much to Bill, and also Jim and Sam- the excellent instructors who made me much less nervous behind the wheel by being so calm and knowledgeable- and funny guys too. they are all just exactly the type of person you'd want as a driving teacher. I am in my thirties and definitely used to think I'd never be able to drive, but thanks to American driving school it was actually such a fun process and I PASSED! Woo hoo! Forever grateful.

From the owner: We specialize in teaching nervous drivers. We teach the…read moremandatory NY State 5 HourPreLicensing course in our Green County office located at 444 Main Street in Catskill. Classes in Catskill are held every Thursday from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and our Ulster County Office located at 1774 Rte 9 W in Lake Katrine, NY every Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. No pre registration, seating is limited in theLake Katrine office. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to class to guarantee a seat. $45.00 in cash or check only. We also hold a Defensive Driving Course for Point Reduction and 10% off Car Insurance once a month. The dates may vary and pre registration for this class is required. The cost is $40.00 We offer one on one instruction. Perfect for the beginning driver or if you need to brush up on your skills. We also offer a package deal. Call or visit our website at www.americandrivingschool.us for more information.

You get out of it what you put into it. I put my all into it. I was there every day, and I studied…read morehard. Thus, I got alot out of it. I went through the Audi Training Program afterwards, and have seen reward from this. The teachers (for the most part) are excellent, and very well trained. They know what they're talking about, and a genuinely interested in your education. The other staff are very friendly and helpful. On the downside, the facility is run down. Alit of equipment needs to be repaired. Alit of the training aids need to be updated. Also, the staff are poor at communicating. It's hard to find information and figure out what is going on sometimes. Also the school doesn't like to give snow days. Often I've had to drive through terrible conditions to get to school. And even when there are snow days,vthey don't tell you the day before, like everyone else. They call you at 5 or 6 AM that day. School starts at 7AM, so if you live farther away, you might not find out until too late. The dorms are horrendous, so don't even consider them. They are rampant with drugs, alcohol, fights, and prostitutes. They don't even get a 1 star. Don't live in the dorms. To be honest, I'd give the Lincoln Tech experience a 3.8 star out if 5. It's a good school, but there's also alot of room for improvement. The career services department is excellent as well. Jenn Nunes has found me excellent job opportunities. Also to note, the Student Supervisor Aaron Oates is very good at his job. I go to him whenever I have a question is misunderstanding, and he's very helpful.

Every teacher in this this school goes above and beyond to make sure you know everything you need…read moreto about whatever trade you're interested in. Bryan got me in and idk about any other REP. But he truly cares about you doing your best. Mr. Papagna is seriously the best teacher I ever had! This guy multitasks like nobody i have ever met! He'll teach 3 classes at the same time! But seriously, if you're looking for the perfect trade school, this is perfect for ANYONE!!!!

They no longer have the lounge but the Friday night $5 shows remain the best deal around if you…read morewant to see a range of performers.

Re: performance: So funny. They often include audience participation, which makes the performance…read moreway more fun. And they don't resort to "dirty jokes " to get a laugh.

Did a 35 year old VHS to DVD conversion. Came out excellent…read more Priced reasonable. Fast service. Highly recommended.

I was directing a series of television commercials and was using the production facilities here…read more The staff is highly knowledgeable and helpful, offering suggestions on various shots since this was my first time using this studio, and was unfamiliar with how various angles looked on camera. They made my work much easier. It was amazing to see such a fine facility hidden in the suburbs of Connecticut. Modern equipment and sets, a world-class lighting system and a great staff made what could have been a tedious job into a joy. I wish I could work out of this facility more often!