Your Environmental Road Trip film at Rosendale Theatre
Later on Saturday, April 20 at 7:15 p.m., the Rosendale Theatre presents the movie YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip): 50 States. 1 Year. Zero Garbage? This year long eco-expedition of three friends driving across the country to find the most environmentally innovative individuals in the US encounters a range of experiences and emotions, all captured on film.
Ben Evans, one of the filmmakers, shares: “I grew up about two hours south of Rosendale in northern New Jersey, so I’m excited to share our film with a Hudson Valley audience, especially on the weekend before Earth Day in a great historic space like the Rosendale Theatre. There are so many wonderful sustainability efforts going on in New York State, we were thrilled to be able to cover even the tiniest fraction of them during our 50-state, yearlong adventure. And, of course, it’s always exciting to hear about all the new endeavors all over the country that have sprung up since then: a great side benefit of making a personal visit to screenings like this one in Rosendale. I’m really looking forward to an evening of mutual inspiration.”
The film will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the director, as well as Rosendale Environmental Commission chair Jennifer Metzger and Paul E. McGinniss of the New York Green Advocate and columnist for EcoWatch. Suitable for ages 9 years and up, this could be a fun and quirky part of your environmentally conscious weekend. Tickets cost $7 general admission, $5 for members.
The Rosendale Theatre is located at 408 Main Street in Rosendale. For more information, call (845) 658-8989 or visit https://rosendaletheatre.org. To learn more about the film, visit www.yert.com.
Wild Earth Family Outing in High Falls
On Sunday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., head outside for the Wild Earth Family Outing. Families with children of all ages are invited to spend “a day filled with awareness-expanding games, traditional friction fire, Earth-based crafts, storytelling, wildlife tracking, singing and exploration for all ages!” Whether you’re already a fan of Wild Earth, or you’ve been curious to try out its programs, this sounds like a fun way to get out of our heads and cultivate a fun and enjoyable experience with Mother Earth.
The Wild Earth Family Outing takes place at Outback Farm along the Shawangunk Ridge in High Falls. The cost for the program is $65 for an individual (adult or child), $120 for a family of two, $170 for a family of three and $220 for families of four or more. For reservations or for more information, call (845) 256-9830 or visit https://wildearth.org.
Northern Dutchess Rod & Gun Club Trout Derby in Rhinebeck
Right across the river, your family can participate in an all-ages activity that blends the physical with a different kind of storytelling from Wild Earth: the language arts passed down from the older generation of their valuable tall-tale fish stories about “the one that got away,” at the Northern Dutchess Rod & Gun Club Trout Derby. The Derby takes place on Sunday, April 21, beginning with registration at 7 a.m., fishing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and awards at 3 p.m. Refreshments are available for purchase. Admission costs $20 for adults and $5 for children age 12 and under.
The Northern Dutchess Rod & Gun Club is located at 140 Enterprise Road in Rhinebeck. For more information, call (845) 876-3711 or visit www.ndrgc.com.
Free park admission during National Park Week
National Park Week lasts from April 20 through 28. Parks are hosting special events, such as National Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, April 20, which is a badge-earning program for young people at the park. I love the free admission days of National Park Week: From Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26, pay no entry fees for the national parks!
Franklin Roosevelt’s home, Eleanor Roosevelt’s Val-Kill retreat and the Vanderbilt Mansion are among the national parks in our area. For more information, visit www.nps.gov.
Jimmy Holbert Antique Tractor Pull at Farmers’ Museum in Montgomery
Sunday, April 21 is the date for the Jimmy Holbert Antique Tractor Pull. If you’ve never gone to a tractor pull, I recommend it. It’s unique to rural America; but in a way, don’t you think there’s some tractor pull in all of us? Whenever I watch two-year-old Carl determinedly move a heavy box down the hall, or each time I stubbornly decide to carry all of the groceries in a single trip from the car to the house, it’s kind of like a personal tractor pull, right? And tractor pulls are the only sport where you can win without crossing the finish line!
Jimmy Holbert passed away unexpectedly in March. He was 18 years old. Passionate about the outdoors, Jimmy also loved doing tractor pulls. I asked his aunt Amy Sullivan how he got started in it: “James – I never called him Jimmy – has been participating for years and years. He started tractor-pulling with my father (his grandfather) with a lawnmower, and progressed from there.”
Tractor pulls happen during the warmer months in our area, usually between April and October: “This is a first pull for the Jimmy Holbert Scholarship Fund. He has a lot of friends on the pulling circuit, and they came together to get this one started.”
Tractor pulls hold appeal for all ages, as they have across the ages. Sullivan explained: “It’s a good time! There’s a lot to see at these events. Kids can usually look at, touch and sit on participants’ tractors. Tractor-pulling is a wholesome family event. It’s healthy competition that’s full of good spirit. My family all have trophies, and we even had ‘Holbert Pulling Team’ shirts in the late 1990s.”
The Jimmy Holbert Antique Tractor Pull takes place all day at the Orange County Farmers’ Museum, located at 850 Route 17K in Montgomery. Proceeds benefit the Jimmy Holbert Scholarship Fund. For more information, call (845) 457-2959 or visit https://ocfarmersmuseum.org. To donate directly to the fund, checks may be sent to the Jimmy Holbert Memorial Fund, c/o Walden Savings Bank, 2 Bank Street, Walden, NY 12586.
Lincoln Ghost Train Night at Hyde Park Station
One of the cool aspects of living around here is that if you aren’t really up on your history, it slowly works its way into you anyway. We just can’t help it; so much has happened here in the Hudson Valley over the centuries.
Here’s one example: Hyde Park Station hosts Lincoln Ghost Train Night on Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. The evening commemorates the Lincoln funeral train that passed through the Hyde Park Station on April 25, 1865 on its way up to Albany and on to the rest of the cities where Lincoln would be mourned by the population. With so much Lincoln cinema lately, this is a wonderful real-life tie-in. Previous Lincoln Ghost Train evenings have included anecdotal stories about the train ride that have been passed down, a Zouaves war reenactment, songs, a craft and refreshments.
This event is free and open to the public of all ages, although donations are always welcomed. Hyde Park Station is located at 34 River Road in Hyde Park. For more information, visit www.hydeparkstation.com.
The Gruffalo onstage at the Bardavon
This production sounds so charming, I had to include it in this week’s Kids’ Almanac. The Gruffalo is a story about a mouse who scares away hungry animals by telling stories about an imaginary Gruffalo, but then the mouse meets the Gruffalo in person!
Told with humor and fun, this one sounds great for the younger set, ages 3 years and up. Shows take place on Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m. and 12 noon. Tickets cost $10 each, $6 for members.
The Bardavon is located at 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie. For tickets or more information, call (845) 473-5288, extension 106, or visit www.bardavon.org. To learn more about the performers, visit www.tallstories.org/uk.
Erica Chase-Salerno dances to “Thrift Shop” in New Paltz with her husband Mike and their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
