Starr Library in Rhinebeck screens Little Women this Saturday
Little Women was one of my favorite books growing up. I absolutely idolized Jo from my reading, but I’ve never seen the movie. Watching the film with our kids sounds like a great way to experience this beloved story together.
The 1994 version of Little Women starring Susan Sarandon will be shown on Saturday, October 27 at 2 p.m. at the Starr Library, located at 68 West Market Street in Rhinebeck. For more information, call (845) 876-4030 or visit https://starrlibrary.org.
Halloween Hurrah this Saturday at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum in Poughkeepsie
Looking for festive family Halloween fun without the spooky scare factor? Then put on your costumes and head over to the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum for its Halloween Hurrah! Check out the Halloween themes at the exhibits, enjoy fun games and activities such as pumpkin-decorating, nibble on some Halloween-themed snacks and trick-or-treat right in the Museum.
Halloween Hurrah takes place on Saturday, October 27 at 6 p.m. The cost includes Museum admission: $12 per child; $8 per adult; members get in for $4 less. The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is located at 75 North Water Street in Poughkeepsie. For more information, call (845) 471-0589 or visit https://mhcm.org.
Community Trick-or-Treat at SUNY-New Paltz dorms this Sunday
SUNY-New Paltz’s annual Community Trick-or-Treat is one of our family’s top events of the year. We love this tradition. SUNY opens every residence hall to area families with children ages 12 and under to do activities in the common areas, such as face-painting, coloring, dancing, crafting, snacking, crawling through a maze and more. The students also give guided tours of the dorm for trick-or-treating.
There is just so much I get excited about with this experience. It is a fantastic way to test out the kids’ costumes before Halloween. The dorms are climate-controlled, so the weather doesn’t affect the trick-or-treating experience. And since the dorm rooms are fairly close together, you can get a lot of candy collecting done in a relatively short time. Each dorm creates its own activities, and you never know what you’ll find as you enter into each one.
Our children enjoy interacting with the college students, and they like seeing all of the costumes. Visiting the inside of the campus like this helps to demystify this place that we drive by so frequently, and I think that it helps our local kids appreciate the college more. If your family prefers events with easy exit opportunities, this is a great one to consider, because you can come and go at any time. Thank you so much to SUNY-New Paltz for offering such a great gift to our kids!
The annual Community Trick-or-Treat is free and open to the public, and takes place on Sunday, October 28 from 3 to 5 p.m. at every dormitory on campus. Here’s another insider tip: If you want to give the kids an extra treat, visit the campus’ Hasbrouck Dining Hall, which is open to the public for brunch on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It can get a little crowded after 1 p.m., but the price is right, and our kids love the novelty and variety of the college cafeteria experience. You do not need to be a SUNY student to dine there.
SUNY-New Paltz is located at 1 Hawk Drive in New Paltz. For more information, visit www.newpaltz.edu.
Black Violin plays the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie this Sunday
When performers connect with the audience, I can feel the entire energy of the room rising, pulling all of us together. From the moment when Black Violin takes the stage, I think people just sense something important happening. I wonder if it’s because it’s not possible to conceive of what violist Wil B, violinist Kev Marcus and DJ TK do until they do it.
These highly talented, well-skilled, classically trained musicians have created their own genre of music, and it’s such a rush to listen to it. They play with power, sensitivity, dexterity and fun. They tease each other, they joke with the audience, but their music speaks for itself: Combining a daunting array of musical styles and influences to produce a signature sound that is not quite maestro, not quite emcee, this group of two classically trained violinists and their deejay is redefining the music world – one string at a time. With influences ranging from Shostakovich and Bach to Nas and Jay-Z, Black Violin breaks all the rules, blending the classical with the modern to create something rare: a sound that nobody has ever heard, but that everybody wants to feel.
I also think that it’s important to take our children to as many performances as we can at our local historic and cultural venues like the Bardavon. Go see Black Violin at the Bardavon this Sunday, October 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for general admission seating. Since this concert can get loud, I suggest carrying a set of earplugs just in case.
The Bardavon is located at 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie. For tickets or more information, call (845) 473-2072 or visit www.bardavon.org. To learn more about the musicians, visit www.blackviolin.net.
Halloween Ghost Train Night at Hyde Park Station this Monday
Calling all train-lovers! Halloween Ghost Train Night comes to the Hyde Park Station this Monday, October 29 at 7 p.m. This family-friendly evening includes an overview of the history of the station and tours, as well as storytime, crafts, food and games. There are also model train displays.
While you’re there, see if you can identify any similarities between Hyde Park Station and Grand Central Station in New York City, since the same architects designed both! Just to clarify, the entire event takes place right at the station; it is not a train ride.
The Hyde Park Station is located at 34 River Road in Hyde Park. For more information, call (845) 229-2338 or visit www.hydeparkstation.com.
