Ezra's Bachelor Weekend

May 16th - 18th, 2025
Swan Lake, New York

Be there or be brined.

This weekend is all about Ezra. Celebrating him, his upcoming marriage, and the absolute briner he is. We’re heading to the Catskills for a few days of good food, light chaos, heavy pickles, and time well spent with great people. Come ready to celebrate Ezra properly: with laughs, memories, and maybe a few questionable pickle-related decisions (not those decisions, sicko). Let’s send him off into married life the right way!

📍 Location

167 Ferndale Loomis Road, Liberty, NY 12754

🕰️ Weekend Schedule

Friday

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM – Arrival
Mosy in. If you come early, I may ask for your help to set up. If you've volunteered to help with dinner on Friday, 6PM arrival is ideal.
8:00 PM – Shabbat Dinner + Brine Breaker
We’ll start the weekend with Shabbat dinner at the house, followed by a Brine Breaker (like an icebreaker, but tangier). It’s nothing formal, just a way for everyone to ease in and meet each other. There may be drinks. There may be pickles. Probably both.

Saturday

Morning – Breakfast at the House
We’ll make breakfast: eggs, toast, coffee, the usual breakfast stuff. A supply list will go out in advance, and we’ll ask people to sign up to bring the basics. Don’t worry, there will be no bacon.
Late Morning / Early Afternoon – Sporting Clays
If you haven’t done this before, it's where you yell “Pull!”, a bright orange clay disc (a “pigeon”) launches into the air, and you try to shoot it with a shotgun. No birds, no feathers, nothing alive. Just flying terracotta dinnerware and the mild thrill of pretending to know what you’re doing. It’s fun, safe, and there’s usually at least one person who turns out to be weirdly good at it.
Afternoon – Brunch TBD / Mood-Based
Lunch will be low-key, most likely sandwiches or pizza. We’ve already got a few local places shortlisted, so we can decide day of whether to eat out or bring something back to the house.
Later Afternoon – Optional Hike or Time at the House
If the weather’s decent and people are up for it, there are a few nearby trails worth checking out. If not, we’ll head back, the house has plenty of space and ways to unwind.
Evening – Dinner (Still Being Finalized)
A few options are in the works, depending on what makes the most sense:
- A sushi chef and sushi boat setup at the house
- A mobile hibachi: one guy, one grill, full show (flames, flying food, etc.)
- Or dinner out at a nice local restaurant
These are all price-dependent, and I’m still working out the details. Either way, the aim is something memorable.
Later Evening – Unofficial Programming
There may be pickles. But there will be heavy machinery. That’s all we can say right now.

Sunday

Morning – Slow Start & Breakfast
Nothing scheduled. Just breakfast, coffee, and time to hang out before heading out. Checkout is at 11:00 AM, but I’m working on a slight extension. Light help tidying up will be appreciated.

🧳 What to Bring

Comfortable clothes, including a bathing suit (if you'd like to go in the hot tub)
Hiking-friendly shoes (optional)
Food/supplies you signed up for (more on this later)
Your Ezra Pickle (see next section)
Anything strange, fermented, or very Ezra

🥒 The Ezra Pickle 🥒

This is not optional! There’s one very important pickle-related task that each of you needs to complete in advance: You must make or prepare a pickle that somehow represents Ezra. That could mean it tastes like him, smells like him, embodies his personality, gives off his vibe... whatever you want.

There are a few rules though:

It must be made or prepared by you. It cannot be 100% store-bought. Effort counts.
No meat. No dairy. Let’s make sure that even those with dietary restrictions can eat your weird concoctions.
It must be edible. That doesn’t mean good. But you need to be willing to eat it. This is not a prank pickle.
It must fit in a normal-ish mason jar. No massive jars, no novelty containers.
It must look like a pickle. You can get creative, but it must look like something plausibly pickled in a jar. No sculptures. No snack medleys.
No duplicates. But here's the twist: you’re not allowed to talk to anyone about your pickle. No coordinating. No revealing what you’re bringing. Your job is to make something so specific and strange that there's no chance of overlap.
No labeling or fancy jars. Every pickle must arrive in a nondescript jar. If someone looks at your jar, they shouldn't immediately know it’s yours— or what the hell is in it.
No temperature dependence. Your pickle should be fine at room temp. No hot pickles. No frozen pickles. No “but it’s only good when heated up.” If it melts, it doesn’t count.
You must be able to explain it. You should have a reason. It doesn’t have to be deep. But “this is Ezra in pickle form because…” is a sentence you should be able to complete.

An example pickle: Let’s say you want to represent Ezra as someone sweet, but also a little sour. Don’t just bring a sweet-and-sour pickle from the store. Instead, get a cucumber and brine it in Coca-Cola for the sweetness, with lemon juice for the sour. Is that disgusting? Possibly. Is it edible? Arguably. Is anyone else going to bring a Coca-Cola–lemon–brined pickle? Almost definitely not. And that’s the point.

If you’re wondering whether something is off limits, the answer is probably not (if you follow the rules).

❓ FAQs

Click it and find out.

Right here.

There are some rooms with single beds reserved for VIPs (very inconvenient people), and other rooms with multiple beds, including bunk beds. That said, even if you're in a room with bunks, you likely won’t have a bunk-mate, given our headcount (12–13 people) and the number of beds available. Unless you want to bunk with someone... If needed, there are also couches throughout the house, including one in the basement for extra privacy. Perfect for snorers, farters, or light sleepers seeking a little distance.

Plenty of space on the property. Carpooling is encouraged.

Yes, of course! No pressure to drink at all. There will be plenty of pickleback shots where you can skip the whiskey and just take a shot of brine.

You don’t have to do anything you don't want to do, but you might miss out on a weirdly delicious moment.

A shared supply list will be circulated ahead of time for basics like breakfast foods (eggs, cereal, coffee, etc.), paper towels, disposable plates, utensils, and other essentials. You’ll have the opportunity to volunteer to bring items if you’d like, no assignments. It's just a way to make sure we’re stocked without bringing tubs of cream cheese and no bagels.

Some alcohol will be provided, and alcohol options will also be included in the supply list for anyone who wants to contribute. If you don’t drink, there’s no expectation to supply or consume anything. There will be plenty for everyone either way.

Meals will be covered collectively. You don’t need to bring your own food unless previously discussed (for example, through the supply list). Dietary restrictions and preferences will absolutely be respected, nobody’s going hungry on our watch. If you want to brings your own food or snacks, go ahead. Just no granola bars in bed (you may wake up feeling crummy).

Our target cost for the weekend is $350 per person, inclusive of lodging, supplies, and group activities. We’re currently pacing to be just a hair over that. Under no circumstance will the total cost exceed $500 per person, and at this point, it seems very unlikely we’ll come even close to this cap. All costs and expenses will be fully transparent and we'll settle up at the end of the weekend. Venmo/Zelle will be preferred- no need to bring any cash. This weekend should't break the bank. If cost is an issue, please talk to me (Ephraim) in private and we'll make it work.

No.

Because you people don't frequently ask questions and I had to guess.
But if you do have any questions call/text Ephraim at 212-203-3188