The Time of Our Lives: The Rise & Fall of the Borscht Belt

Bart Charlow, 3rd generation “Hotel Brat” lifts the curtain on a rollicking era taking you behind the scenes of the defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains, where life was tough, turbulent, and alternately warm. His is a different kind of love story – how one insider went from ambivalence to appreciation to passion over the course of his life. “We were carnies – carnival people – only we didn’t move the tents. That’s the Borscht Belt in a nutshell, and we were the chief nuts.” This is the real Borscht Belt, not Dirty Dancing or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Bart details the golden era when it flourished and faltered, how he felt watching the life he knew and his family’s livelihood fall apart, and how he picked it all up again in new ways.  

Whether you’re a fan of comedy, history, or simply yearn for a taste of that golden age, these stories will leave you laughing, reminiscing, and longing for the magic of the Borscht Belt.  

Catch our matinee movie screening of Dirty Dancing on September 19 at 1:00 pm to get pumped for Bart’s amazing story.   

Born into the carnival life of a Borscht Belt Catskills hotel family, Bart A. Charlow has never let the ordinary constrain him. From professional photography to painting, he set his creativity free. His first book, A Catskill Carnival: My Borscht Belt Life Lived, Lost and Loved, is a memoir of his early years in a unique setting, coming to terms with it and cherishing its life lessons. His second book, Pickle Barrel Tales: More Borscht Belt BS is the companion collection of over 50 wry vignettes from several “mountain rats.” 

Originally trained in the sciences, Bart holds an M.A.Ed. in Counseling and a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from Wake Forest University. Retiring from over 50 years as a career CEO, a licensed family therapist and an educator, Bart shares the wisdom gained by acting as a coach and mentor to nonprofit executives. Bart is rated as an excellent public speaker and has been featured on television, radio, and in newspapers, and has been quoted in Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. Among the honors he holds is the Jefferson Award for community leadership and he has been noted in the United States Congressional Record for his service. For pleasure he pursues plein air painting and regularly leads an artist’s group. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, children and grandchildren.