Feb. 1-11: Ali Stroker, an actress, singer and activist who was the first wheelchair-bound performer to star in a Broadway production and has also appeared in Glee, will give a recital at Modfest, followed by “Making Your Limitations Your Opportunities,” a moderated talk discussing her work onstage and off.
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 2-4: Local food, beer, wine, music, dancing, blacksmithing, film, art and nature activities for all ages are among the weekend’s offerings. Musical acts will include resident bands Jay Ungar & Molly Mason and the Mammals featuring Mike + Ruthy, as well as Spirit Family Reunion, Anna & Elizabeth, Connor Kennedy, Tracy Bonham, Radio Jarocho, the Wiyos, Little Leatherwood, Megan Downes, Uncle Rock and Joakim Lartey.
Saturday, Feb. 3: Showcasing Master Sergeant MaryKay Messenger, the premier vocalist for the US Military Academy Band at West Point, the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra will perform a collection of Hollywood scores at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park. The CIA will open the Caterina de’ Medici restaurant for a special $39 pre-performance dining experience.
Opening Saturday, Feb. 10: Each year, the Barrett Art Center has organized a national juried photography exhibition, curated by a known quantity in the field. This year’s curator is E. Jason Wambsgans of the Chicago Tribune, winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography.
Feb. 5- David Miller, former superintendent at Eastern New York Correctional Facility in Napanoch, will talk about the infamous Attica riot, the hostage stand-off at Sing-Sing and escapes from several facilities, including Eastern.
Feb. 4: Professor Glen Geher and his students will speak about the new book The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World — and Us by Richard Prum (which is on the NY Times top ten books of 2017 list). The book revives interest in Darwin’s other major work The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, also known as Darwin’s “really dangerous idea.”
The torch will make brief stops in New Paltz, Kingston, Saugerties and on the Walkway.
Comedian Kevin Hart announced 100 new dates for ‘The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour,’ including a July 15 show at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Sullivan County.
Friday, Feb. 16: Stage and screen actor, comedian and now author Eddie Izzard has emerged as one of the most transcendent and unclassifiable comedic talents of his generation.
Thursday, Jan. 25: Learn how to make drinks with master mixologist Paul Maloney of the Stockade Tavern.