Mohawk. British. Dutch. Italian.
Hispanic. Polish. The peoples of Montgomery County are as distinct as its landscape, and its cultures have merged into an intricate crazy quilt pattern where there is unity but also individualism and authenticity everywhere we look.

We see it in the beautiful handpainted eggs at the Ukrainian Festival. We hear it in the rhythms of the annual Latin American & Caribbean Cultural Arts Festival. We taste it in the wonderful pierogis handmade by the thousands in church basements. We feel it whenever we stop by the shop of the traditional Mohawk tribal community re-established next to the river. And we experience it, with a slight lilting of the heart, when we happen on an Amish barnraising.

Attractions
While you're out and about, visit country stores, Amish craftspeople, farm markets, and take in the local color. The following is not meant to be a complete list­just a start!

Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery
A nationally known collection of 350 paintings and sculpture by American artists including 21 oils and watercolors by Winslow Homer. Also, important works by Hopper, Whistler, Sargent, Eakins, N.C. and Andrew Wyeth, O'Keeffe, Remington, St. Gaudens, and others. Church Street and Erie Boulevard, Canajoharie, 673-2314, M-Tu-W-F 10 am-4:45 pm; Th 1-8 pm; Sat 10 am-1:30 pm; Sun (seasonal) 1-3:45 pm.

Charleston Historical Society
Displays of local interest and an oral record of community history, narrated by residents. Polin Point (off Route 30A), Esperance, 875-6533, Memorial Day-August, weekends 1-4 pm.

Fort Plain Museum
Greek Revival building houses exhibits spanning the history of the Mohawk Valley. Canal Street, Route 5S, Fort Plain, 993-2527, May-September, W-Sun, noon-5 pm, or call for appointment

Latin-American and Caribbean Cultural Arts Festival
Annual August celebration of Latino folkways, arts, music, food and flair. Outdoors at Lock 11, Guy Park Manor, Amsterdam. Call 843-8153.

Margaret Reaney Memorial Library and Museum
Fine genealogical resources, artwork and exhibits. 19 Kingsbury Avenue, St. Johnsville, 568-7822, year round, call for hours.

Noteworthy Indian Museum
Fine collection of Native American artifacts. An illustrated timeline and three rooms of exhibits tell the story of life in the Mohawk Valley before the Revolutionary War. Poetry and paintings by contemporary artists add a human voice and modern perspective.100 Church Street, Amsterdam, 843-4761, Open July & August and year-round by appointment;
call for hours.

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and Visitors Center
Exhibits trace the history of the canal and its influence on New York State. Includes Yankee Hill Lock, a restored canal store with exhibits of the making of the Erie Canal. Public boat launch. 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, 829-7516, May 15-last weekend in October, call for hours.

St. Johnsville Community Hall
Town offices housed in an Italianate high-Victorian residence with Austrian crystal chandeliers and original period rooms. 19 Washington Street, St. Johnsville. Open weekdays, year round.

Stone Arabia Churches
Two 18th-century churches still stand in the hamlet of Stone Arabia: The Dutch Reformed Church, a stone structure, erected in 1788, and Trinity Lutheran Church, constructed of wood, built in 1792. An 18th-century burial ground lies a short distance from the churches. Route 10, Stone Arabia, 993-2709, Sundays and by appointment.

Van Alstyne Homestead Society
Fortified 1745 homestead, typical of 18th-century Dutch architecture. Early colonial artifacts, furnishings, and 19th-century images of historic sites by artist Rufus Grider. Moyer Street, Canajoharie, 673-3317, by appointment.

Walter Elwood Museum
One of only two public school-operated museums in New York. Exhibits on life in the Mohawk Valley, with special emphasis on the activities of children. 300 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam, 843-5151, year round, call for hours.