Crazy Race Festival in Tannersville
In what kind of world can you design, fabricate and race your own motorless car? At this weekend’s eighth annual Tannersville Crazy Race Festival! On Saturday, July 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., head over to Main Street in Tannersville and enjoy live music while browsing vendors, and watch the racers compete at 2 p.m. For more information, call (518) 628-4424.
Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck hosts Sky Hunters with Brian Bradley
An indoor falconry presentation! An outdoor flight demonstration, with hunting dogs! It can only mean one thing: Sky Hunters are in town. On Saturday, July 26 at 11 a.m., the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck presents Sky Hunters with Brian Bradley. Tickets cost $7 for children, $9 for adults and seniors.
The Center is located at 661 Route 308 in Rhinebeck. For tickets or more information, call (845) 876-3080 or visit www.centerforperformingarts.org. To learn more about the program, visit www.skyhuntersinflight.com.
Farmers’ Museum marks National Day of the American Cowboy
If you’ve got any cowboys and cowgirls who are passionate about horses, or you have a horse and want to come play cowboy yourself, come on out to this weekend’s celebration of National Day of the American Cowboy. On Saturday, July 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Orange County Farmers’ Museum, you and your horse can be part of the three-county cowboy challenge.
The Orange County Farmers’ Museum is located at 850 Route 17K in Montgomery. For more information, call (845) 220-7857 or visit https://ocfarmersmuseum.org.
SUNDAY, JULY 27
Family Fun & Fishing Day at Wilson State Park
Family Fun & Fishing Day at Wilson State Park is back! That means that you’re busy from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. doing things like fishing with your family, eating barbecue, learning about fish identification and aquatic ecology and doing arts and crafts. No fishing gear or license is required. Registration for free admittance to the park was due by July 24, but maybe if you tell them that you read about it here in Kids’ Almanac, they could put you on the free list.
Wilson State Park is located at 859 Wittenberg Road in Mount Tremper. For more information, call (845) 688-3047, extension 3, e-mail [email protected]or visit www.ashokanstreams.org.
“Ferdinand & Friends” concert at Mountain Top Arboretum
For those looking for a musical element to your weekend, head over to the Mountain Top Arboretum for “Ferdinand and Friends: A Musical Menagerie”! This free family concert takes place at the Woodland Walk Amphitheater on Sunday, July 27 at 11:30 a.m. and includes music by Saint-Saëns, Prokofiev and more.
The Mountain Top Arboretum is located at 4 Maude Adams Road in Tannersville. For more information, call (518) 589-3903 or visit www.mtarboretum.org.
“Forest Ramble” program at Storm King Art Center
Storm King has two treats for families this week! On Sunday, July 27 at 1 p.m., the Children & Families activity theme is “Forest Ramble,” where participants will explore life on the forest floor and the border between woods and fields. This program is included in admission, which costs $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $8 for ages 5 to 18 and is free for children age 4 and under, as well as members.
Here’s the other good news: On Thursday, July 31, admission is free to everyone! Go both days! The Storm King Art Center is located at 1 Museum Road in New Windsor. For more information, call (845) 534-3115 or visit www.stormking.org.
TUESDAY, JULY 29
TMI presents “Voices in Action” in Rosendale
TMI calls this performance “Voices in Action.” I call it, “You and your teens have really got to see this one!” With readers from the Mental Health Association of Ulster County, Ulster BOCES Regional High School, the Highland Residential Center and the Living Well program, this experience left me with a deeper awareness of how our community is woven together, and how invisible the pain can be that we carry.
“Voices in Action” takes place on Tuesday, July 29 at 7 p.m. at the Rosendale Theatre. Tickets cost $15. The Rosendale Theatre is located at 408 Main Street in Rosendale. For more information, visit www.tmiproject.org.
“Farms & Food: Teaching the Hudson Valley from the Ground Up”
In the Hudson Valley, we appreciate farms and value that critical connection with our food and regional culture. So this conference may be of interest to many of you, educators, home educators and the general public alike: “Farms & Food: Teaching the Hudson Valley from the Ground Up.” Farms & Food takes place from Tuesday to Thursday, July 29 to 31 at the Henry A. Wallace Education and Visitors’ Center on the grounds of the FDR estate and Presidential Library. The conference includes feature presentations and more than 15 workshops on topics such as school gardens and teaching food equality. Day 2 consists of field visits, such as the Cropsey Community Farm or Food Arts in Albany.
Registration costs $115 for all three days, $80 for two days and $40 for a single day. There is a supplemental charge for some field experiences.
The FDR estate is located at 4097 Albany Post Road (Route 9) in Hyde Park. For more information or to register, (845) 229-9116, extension 2035, or visit www.teachingthehudsonvalley.org.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30
Toddler blueberry walk at Minnewaska State Park
It’s like Blueberries for Sal, (probably) without the bears! On Wednesday, July 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, join with other families with toddlers and preschoolers for a blueberrying walk together at the Minnewaska State Park Preserve. Bring a clean baggie for picking berries, along with water and snacks. Only sturdy strollers work for this bumpy terrain. Meet at the informational kiosk in the upper Minnewaska parking lot.
Registration is required. There is no fee for the program, but parking costs $8 per vehicle unless you have a current Empire Pass. The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is located at 5281 Route 44/55 in Kerhonkson. For more information or to register, call (845) 255-0752 or visit https://nysparks.com. While you’re on the website, check out the other programs this week for older children and adults!
Kids’ Almanac Writes!
Kids’ Almanac thanks Nancy Graham for supplying writing prompts during the month of July. Nancy scribbles, doodles, playacts and lollygags with her teenage kids in and around Kingston. Here is her prompt for the week. Remember to post your piece on the Almanac Weekly Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/almanac-weekly/287633831270607.
Prompt: It started out such a nice day!
Pick a weather condition and write a simple sentence that includes it, for example: “While I stood at the bus stop it began to rain.” Now write a dozen more sentences, each of which describes that weather condition becoming more and more extreme. Keep going until the weather subsides.
Erica Chase-Salerno will see you at the Ulster County Fair! She lives in New Paltz with her husband Mike and their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
