The GWL Public Library host 'Red Apple Rest' author on Oct. 11

GREENWOOD LAKE — The Greenwood Lake Public Library welcomes author Elaine Lindenblatt on Thursday, Oct. 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., to tell the story of the Red Apple Rest Stop.
Lindenblatt, daughter of proprietor and creator Reuben Freed, chronicles its history in her book, “Stop at the Red Apple: The Restaurant on Route 17.”
The book reflects on her father’s life and on the roadside landmark in Tuxedo that he ran for half a century and what she calls her “strange fraternal twin.”
Freed, a Russian immigrant, worked in the garment industry as a coat-maker in the 1920s until the Great Depression hit in 1929. It was then that Freed lost his business, but a drive upstate with his cousin would be the beginning of a new venture.
In 1931, the cafeteria-style restaurant was opened, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, on New York State Route 17 in Tuxedo. It provided a stop point for travelers, legendary entertainers, “Borscht Belt” comedians and professional athletes headed to the hotels of the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.
Once the New York State Thruway was built in 1953, traffic would bypass the restaurant.
The restaurant, however, would still remain very busy until 1970s.
After 53 years under the Freed family management, the Red Apple Rest Stop was sold in 1984 to a Greek businessman who ran it for another 21 years, closing in 2006.
In the upcoming program, Lindenblatt will take patrons on her father’s journey, sharing some of the most precious memories, enhanced with photos and memorabilia, as she recreates what it was like to be raised in the fishbowl of a round-the-clock family operation in small-town America.
Essentials
To register: online at www.gwllibrary.org, by phone at 845-477-8377 ext. 101, or in person at the front desk.
Greenwood Lake Public Library is located 79 Waterstone Road in the Village of Greenwood Lake.