(Photo by Dion Ogust)
“The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we’ve come to need Halloween.”
– Paula Curan
Farewell to Daylight Savings
As a reminder, you get extra time to munch on your Krause’s caramel apples this weekend! Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 2 at 2 a.m., at which point we set our clocks to “fall back” by one hour.
Mother/daughter talk sessions at Rosendale’s Creative Co-op
Maybe you are comfortable talking with your fourth-grade daughter about body changes and maybe you are not; but either way, I see it as an ongoing conversation, and she’s going to talk about it with somebody. How about doing your own girls’ night out by joining a group to discuss these topics with other Moms and daughters? Linda Showers, RN presents a three-part weekly series at the Creative Co-op, “Mom, We Need to Talk!” The group takes place on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. on November 6, 13 and 20 at a cost of $75 per mother/daughter duo and includes worksheets, journal and the book The Care and Keeping of You.
The Creative Co-op is located at 402 Main Street in Rosendale, behind the Big Cheese. For more information or to register, call (845) 527-5672 or visit www.facebook.com/creativebcrosendale.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30
Open House at Birch School in Rock Tavern
The Birch School is a resource for homeschoolers interested in individual classes for elementary age through teens, as well as families exploring full-time alternative learning environments for their children. If you are curious to learn more, visit one of the school’s Open Houses on Thursday, October 30 from 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, November 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; or Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
The Birch School is located at 9 Vance Road in Rock Tavern. For more information, call (845) 361-2267 or visit www.resourcecenter.watershedlearningcenter.org.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31
Monster Mash Halloween Teen Dance in Kingston
Youth ages 14 to 18 can make a fun Halloween even better by dancing the night away at the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center’s Monster Mash Halloween Teen Dance. The Monster Mash takes place on Friday, October 31 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Apuzzo Hall at the Center. Uptown Kingston has a curfew on Halloween, so parent or guardian dropoff and pickup are necessary. Pizza, candy and soft drinks will be available, and remember to bring your song requests for deejay Jason Stryker, valid photo identification and your contest-winning costume.
The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center is located at 300 Wall Street in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 331-5300 or visit https://lgbtqcenter.org.
Lots of towns have it going on for Halloween. Here’s what’s happening in two of them:
In Woodstock, stop by the Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW) between 3 and 6 p.m. with your favorite goblins for a photo shoot by Almanac Weekly staff photographer Dion Ogust. Say Boo! takes place right on the Center’s front porch, and you’ll receive an eight-by-ten-inch color archival pigment print for a $20 tax-deductible donation supporting CPW’s youth programs. No reservations are needed; you can even do this during the parade! The Center for Photography is located at 59 Tinker Street in Woodstock. For more information or to see some of the awesome Halloween portraits from previous years, call (845) 679-9957 or visit www.cpw.org.
After the Woodstock parade, pick a direction: Head up the street to the Woodstock Library between 6 and 7 p.m. for a whimsical, non-scary Halloween Story Journey infused with wood elves and fairies, with storytellers Jill Olesker, Jean Druffner, Grian MacGregor, Kathy Price, Jo Schwartz and Wendy Weinrich. The Woodstock Library is located at 5 Library Lane in Woodstock. For more information, call (845) 679-2213 or visit ulsterpub.staging.wpengine.org.
Or head the other direction to the grounds of the Woodstock Playhouse from 6 to 6:20 p.m., where the New York Conservatory for the Arts troupe members and students present a free ghoulish performance of dancing skeletons, ghouls and pumpkins, as well as treats. The Woodstock Playhouse is located at 103 Mill Hill Road in Woodstock. For more information, call (845) 679-6900 or visit ulsterpub.staging.wpengineplayhouse.org. To learn more about the New York Conservatory for the Arts, visit www.nyca.org.
In New Paltz, children are welcome to trick-or-treat at the historic houses on Huguenot Street from 4 to 6 p.m. Costumed interpreters at the homes include Colonial Era women, Revolutionary War soldiers, a Victorian Era socialite and her housemaid, flappers from the Roaring Twenties and more. Complimentary cider and donuts will be available at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, located at 81 Huguenot Street in New Paltz. Want to delve even deeper? Get your tickets for a Haunted Huguenot Street tour during the weekend, or just come to the free campfire in front of the Visitor Center for ghost stories, folktales and music-making. For more information, call (845) 255-1660 or visit www.huguenotstreet.org.
Got a baby? Head over to the Baby-Friendly Halloween Party at New Baby New Paltz at 4 p.m. Come at 5 p.m. to join the baby group going to the annual Halloween parade. And remember to submit your costume photos to the contest: See New Baby’s Facebook page for more information at www.facebook.com/newbabynewpaltz. New Baby New Paltz is located at 15 Plattekill Avenue in New Paltz. For more information, call (845) 255-0624 or visit https://newbabynewpaltz.com.
After the parade, get your complimentary cocoa, hot cider and pumpkin bread at the Bakery and check out the fantastic collection of Jack o’Lanterns on display. Painted and carved pumpkin submissions by all ages are accepted on Thursday, October 30, and you’ll receive a free cookie! The Bakery is located at 13A North Front Street in New Paltz. For more information, call (845) 255-8840 or visit https://ilovethebakery.com.
For more Halloween-related events, take a look at the listings we ran in our last edition of Almanac Weekly: https://ulsterpub.wpengine.com/2014/10/24/a-whole-week-of-halloween/2/.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Halloween candy givebacks for military personnel
So what happens after you’ve had your fill rifling through your children’s Halloween haul for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? My daughter is very interested in her friend Lily’s arrangement with the Pumpkin Fairy, where the child leaves out candy overnight and receives a small gift in return. Did you know about some of these other candy exchanges in our area? Children donate a pound of candy at a participating business or organization and the child receives some sort of token in return, with chances to win additional prizes if the candy is accompanied by a friendly card or letter to a soldier. All of the treats get delivered to US troops overseas.
There seem to be two umbrellas of exchanges: The Great Halloween Candy Exchange, which is a local initiative and takes place on Saturday, November 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at a variety of area venues; and Halloween Candy Buyback, a national effort hosted by participating dentist offices. Find the Halloween Candy Buyback sites closest to you by visiting www.halloweencandybuyback.com and calling to verify before stopping by. One confirmed office is Dentists of the Hudson Valley, located at 1733 Ulster Avenue in Lake Katrine, accepting candy during regular business hours on Tuesday, November 4.
Here are some names and addresses for the Great Halloween Candy Exchange in 2014: AllSport Health and Fitness at 17 Old Main Street in Fishkill; Learning Insights at 20 Milton Avenue in Highland; the Children’s Medical Group at 4252 Albany Post Road in Hyde Park; and the Children’s Medical Group at 104 Fulton Avenue in Poughkeepsie. For more information, find the Great Halloween Candy Exchange at www.facebook.com or call (845) 896-2193.
