Hudson River Day at Maritime Museum
If you love the Hudson River, you are really going to appreciate the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Hudson River Day! Hudson River Day takes place on Saturday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Activities include model boat-building and –floating, demonstrations, deck tours of the Clearwater, first-come/first-served steamboat rides and more. Performances take place throughout the day by Ben Rounds and the Percussion Orchestra of Kingston (POOK), and at 2 p.m., Arm-of-the-Sea Theatre presents Hook, Line & Sinker.
Two guided tours to the Rondout Lighthouse are available at $25 per person. Festivities are free, and museum admission is discounted during Hudson River Day. And in honor of the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s 35th anniversary and the Rondout Lighthouse’s 100th anniversary, I heard that there are going to be cupcakes!
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located at 50 Rondout Landing in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 338-0071 or visit www.hrmm.org.
NEXUS performs Young People’s Concert at Maverick
I think that taking our kids to the Young People’s Concerts hosted by Maverick Concerts is a wonderful way to share with them the joy of live music in an abbreviated presentation, and given Maverick’s rustic setting, to honor the natural link between music and nature. It’s also fiscally responsible: Children under 16 get in free, and adult admission costs only $5. This Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m., families will enjoy a performance by NEXUS, a master percussion ensemble that is sure to have wide appeal, from children who just like to see other people banging on stuff to fellow musicians who appreciate some of the finer textures and sounds melding together.
Maverick Concerts are America’s oldest continuous summer chamber music series, located at 120 Maverick Road in Woodstock. For more information, call (845) 679-8217 or visit www.maverickconcerts.org.
Open House at Slabsides
What do you, Theodore Roosevelt, Walt Whitman, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison all have in common? Yes, you are large and You contain multitudes! But these guys have all visited American naturalist John Burroughs’s 1895 Slabsides cabin! Have you?
Well, here’s your chance. This Saturday, June 27 from 12 noon to 4 p.m., “Summer at Slabsides” means that you can get an interesting, informative and free tour of this local legacy’s tiny handbuilt retreat. Bring a water bottle and a snack, because after the tour, I encourage you to stay awhile and take a hike with your crew around one of the beautiful wooded trails.
Can’t come this weekend? No problem: You can hike the grounds for free anytime from dawn until dusk, and additional July and August “Summer at Slabsides” Open House dates are listed on the website.
Slabsides is located at 261 Floyd Ackert Road in West Park. For more information, visit https://johnburroughsassociation.org.
Superhero Training Academy at Kingston Library
My children and I thoroughly enjoyed David Engel’s Pirate School at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, so I’m sure that his Superhero Training Academy is just as hilarious and engaging, and not just for little kids! This Saturday, June 27 from 1 to 3:30 p.m., come dressed as your favorite superhero, sign up for other summer library program, and have a blast together! And it’s all free!
The Kingston Library is located at 55 Franklin Street in Kingston. For more information or to register for the Superhero Training Academy, call (845) 331-0507, extension 7, or visit www.kingstonlibrary.org.
Independence Day Celebration at Kingston’s Senate House
Our nation’s birthday is right around the corner, and what could be more fitting than celebrating right in Kingston, where the New York State Constitution was ratified and our state’s first governor was sworn in? On Saturday, June 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Senate House hosts a free Independence Day Celebration on its grounds. Enjoy a Patriotic Ceremony with dramatic readings and period music; the Third Ulster Militia will perform demonstrations of 18th-century camp life; George Washington will chat with guests; try your hand at an 18th-century game; and you can refuel with a free hot dog, lemonade and iced tea. While you’re there, I hope that you go on a guided tour of the Senate House, which costs $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and children.
The Senate House and Museum is located at 396 Fair Street in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 338-2786 or visit https://nysparks.com or www.facebook.com/senatehousekingston.
SUNDAY, JUNE 28
Mermaid Parade in Rosendale
When a community raises funds for a pool, it makes perfect sense to tie in a mermaid event. On Sunday, June 28, Rosendale will be doing just that! From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Rosendale Farmers’ Market hosts children’s ocean-themed activities, puppetmaking and even some reptiles. Around 1 p.m., the Rosendale Improvement Association Brass Band leads the way with songs about water for mermaid and seahorse puppets, and walking mermaids, to parade around the Farmers’ Market parking lot to Main Street. Mermen are welcome, too! Come in costume or not, or carry an umbrella strung with streamers like a jellyfish or another undersea creature.
The Farmers’ Market is located at 408 Main Street in Rosendale. For more information or to make a donation to the Rosendale Pool fund, visit https://rosendalevictorian.wix.com/mermaid-parade.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1
“Tango at the Pavilion” at Mohonk Preserve
Is learning the tango dance on your bucket list? Are you looking for something completely different to do with your family? “Tango at the Pavilion” is one of the latest offerings by the Mohonk Preserve. On Wednesdays in July, beginning July 1, all ages can come out and dance. A group tango lesson takes place from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by one hour of open dance.
Each weekly lesson costs $12 and is registered as an individual session, and the open dance portion from 7 to 8 p.m. is available to anyone, for a suggested donation of $5. Payment is due at registration, and space is limited.
Bring water and comfortable shoes for dancing. Children are welcome and must be accompanied by an adult. And if you stay late enough, the fireflies are incredible out here! Parking for the pavilion is at the Spring Farm lot, located at Upper 27 Knolls Road, off Mountain Rest Road in High Falls. For more information or to register, call (845) 255-0919 or visit https://mohonkpreserve.org.
Personal history workshop at Olana
You know all of those old photographs, keepsakes, objects, letters and other ephemera that you wish you could just do something with? Well, pull them all together and grab a bag lunch, and head over to the Olana State Historic Site this Wednesday, July 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for “Excavating History.” For a fraction of what it has cost you to talk about these people in therapy, you can create a meaningful, historic art piece under the tutelage of Art Institute of Chicago art professor/artist/writer/museum educator Rebecca Keller. Through lecture and discussion, participants will explore “What Is History?” particularly personal history, and through a variety of exercises and techniques, turn personal histories into writing and artworks. The cost for the workshop is $70 per person, and is open to the public ages 15 and up. Preregistration is encouraged by June 25. The Olana State Historic Site is located at 5720 State Route 9G in Hudson. For more information or to register, call (518) 828-0135 or visit www.olana.org.
Erica Chase-Salerno plays among the stars with her husband, Michael, to whom she sends big anniversary love. She can be reached at [email protected].
