Poughkeepsie Day School hosts Mini Maker Faire
I keep hearing about these Maker Faires, and I am excited to report that we have a Mini Maker Faire happening right here in the mid-Hudson Valley! On Saturday, November 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Poughkeepsie Day School, creativity abounds through activities for all ages, displays and demonstrations. I have got to try the 3Doodler Pen that turns your scrawl into a 3-D design as you write. You don’t even have to pack a lunch, since food trucks will be on-site, including Yum Yum, Soul Dog, Forget Me Not Cupcake and Truck Pizza.
Admission at the door costs $10 for ages 5 and up; a family pass costs $40 for two adults and up to three children ages 5 to 18. Save $2 per ticket by purchasing in advance. Maker Faire Supporter tickets cost $50 for two individuals ages 5 and up and include recognition on the Supporters’ section of the website. Plan to ride your bike to and from Maker Faire? Preregister with [email protected] for your discount code, and you can save 20 percent on entry tickets, free valet parking and a free chain degrease and lube with all-natural products.
The Poughkeepsie Day School is located at 260 Boardman Road in Poughkeepsie. For more information, call (845) 462-7600, extension 110, or visit https://makerfairepoughkeepsie.com.
Red Hook Library hosts Comicomania Month
Comicomania has hit at the Red Hook Library, and they want you to be part of the action! Throughout the month of November, you’ll see events posted there for anime movies, a graphic novel book discussion and much more, including this Saturday’s International Game Day for all ages, where Bard College’s Board Games Club will be joining in.
The Red Hook Library is located at 7444 South Broadway in Red Hook. For more information, call (845) 758-3241 or visit https://redhooklibrary.org.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Hudson Highlands Nature Museum’s Grasshopper Grove
Last call for playtime in Grasshopper Grove at the Outdoor Discovery Center at Hudson Highlands! This fantastic naturescape for young ages of all temperaments is closing for the season. The $3 admission covers the afternoon and free play, giving you access to the naturescape, a program with live animals and a simple craft.
The Hudson Highlands Nature Museum is located on Muser Drive across from 174 Angola Road in Cornwall. For more information, call (845) 534-5506 or visit https://hhnaturemuseum.org.
Mohonk Preserve offers Reptile Encounters
Speaking of last chances, this weekend’s Reptile Encounters at Mohonk Preserve give you and your family a final glimpse of creatures who typically hibernate in the winter months: a Northern copperhead, an alligator and a python. Even if you aren’t that into snakes, this presentation is a fantastic, safe and engaging way for the family to connect with these cold-blooded friends.
Reptile Encounters take place on Sunday, November 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. Admission is $10 per person aged 13 years and older; children 12 and under get in free. Prepaid registration is required. For more information or reservations, call (845) 255-0919 or visit https://mohonkpreserve.org.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Rosendale Theatre screens locally shot Lincoln biopic The Better Angels
I normally celebrate places where “History happened here,” but this time, I have to modify that by saying, “A movie about history happened here!” Three of my favorite organizations, the Mohonk Preserve, the Rosendale Theatre and the Ashokan Center, team up to present The Better Angels, A. J. Edwards’ story about the childhood and early life of Abraham Lincoln. Not only did they shoot scenes on the Preserve, but they also involved some local youth. I can’t wait to see it!
Here’s the quote that inspired the title, spoken by Lincoln on March 4, 1861: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
Screenings take place at the Rosendale Theatre on Tuesday, November 18 at 7:15 p.m., with a talk with Jon Ross of the Mohonk Preserve and Jay Ungar of the Ashokan Center about hosting the cast and crew, and on Wednesday, November 19 at 1 p.m. Tickets cost $7, $5 for members, and may be purchased at the Rosendale Theatre box office.
The Rosendale Theatre is located at 408 Main Street in Rosendale. For more information, call (845) 658-8989 or visit https://rosendaletheatre.org.
Family Book Club in Walden
If you happened to read a terrific book lately about an old lady who swallows all kinds of Thanksgiving dishes, you could be one of the families participating in the Family Book Club at the Josephine-Louise Public Library. I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson is a charming book filled with rhythmic phrasing and delightful illustrations, and it not only makes for terrific group discussion and activities, but it would also be a great gift to present at Thanksgiving to read together between dinner and dessert.
The Family Book Club meets on Tuesday, November 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and registration is required. The Josephine-Louise Public Library is located at 5 Scofield Street in Walden. To register or for more information, call (845) 778-7621 or visit www.waldenlibrary.org.
Family-friendly activities at Hudson Library
Libraries are the place to be all week long, and the Hudson Area Library spices things up for youth at every Tuesday from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. with all-ages activities such as music, poetry, crafts and more. The Hudson Area Library is located at 400 State Street in Hudson. For more information, call (518) 828-1792 or visit https://hudsonarealibrary.org.
Rivertown Kids perform at documentary premiere at Beacon’s Howland Cultural Center
Be sure to check out the premiere screening of We Sing Out on Tuesday, November 18 at the Howland Cultural Center. This short documentary features the children’s environmental choral group the Rivertown Kids Singers, singing with renowned musician and environmentalist Pete Seeger. After the film, the Rivertown Kids Singers will answer questions and perform a short concert.
The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main Street in Beacon. For more information, call (845) 831-4988 or visit www.clearwater.org.
Bard Math Circle hosts American Mathematics Competition for kids
What if there were a way to inspire your middle school and upper elementary children in the area of math? How could things be different if your child experienced a deeper level of richness of mathematics? On Tuesday, November 18 from 4 to 7 p.m., the Bard Math Circle invites your family to the Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Center at Bard College to participate in the American Mathematics Competition, consisting of 25 questions to be completed in 40 minutes. After the math contest, there will be a talk on the mathematical theory of games. The competition is free and open to the public, but preregistration is required.
To learn more about the math competition, visit www.maa.org. To learn more about math programs, visit www.bardmathcircle.org. To learn more about the AMC 8 at Bard, contact Japheth Wood at [email protected] or the Math Circle at [email protected].
Erica Chase-Salerno says, “Don’t drive like my brother.” She and her husband Mike live in New Paltz with their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
