Colorful, intriguing, large-scale figures appear throughout the Rondout Valley, New York. Each playful roadside giant embodies fascinating stories of local history, lore and character, delightfully reintroducing our community to its cultural and natural resources. Collectively, the giants transform the valley to an enticing land of wonder and inspiration.
Washington Irving, local author of such classic tales as Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, said that with his writing, he sought to "clothe home scenes and places...with those imaginative and whimsical associations so seldom met with in our new country, but which live like charms and spells about the cities of the old world, binding the heart of the native inhabitant to his home."
This is our mission with Valley of the Giants--to give our beautiful valley magic and our residents an affection for our local enterprises, to help them see the people and history behind every effort, and also to attract interested visitors from beyond our borders to invigorate our economy and culture. It's a sustainable way to counter the tidal wave of corporate culture and big business and to stay strong and vital in the 21st century and beyond.
