GS Race at Plattekill Mountain on Saturday

The Plattekill Mountain Cup GS Race takes place on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m. This event is for all ages and all abilities and is separated by age groups. The entry fee is $15 plus a lift ticket, and participants may register upon arrival. The event is open to both skiers and snowboarders, and everyone under 16 receives a ribbon.

Plattekill is definitely worth checking out for the real-deal terrain. We love the cozy fire ring in the lodge, not to mention two floors of space for après-ski fun. Plattekill Mountain is located at 469 Plattekill Mountain Road in Roxbury. For more information, call (607) 326-3500 or visit https://plattekill.com.

Dance!

Two epic local annual dance events that you want to know about:

DanceFest at SUNY-New Paltz on Saturday

The 22nd annual DanceFest at SUNY-New Paltz features ten area dance schools: the Vanaver Caravan Kids; Figures in Flight; Ballet Arts Studio; the D’amby Project; Barefoot Dance Center; Gina Marie’z Academy of Performing Arts; New York Academy of Ballet; Saugerties Ballet Center; New Paltz Ballet Theatre; and Rhinebeck Dance Centre.

DanceFest takes place on Saturday, March 1 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. at McKenna Theatre at SUNY-New Paltz. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. For tickets or more event or pricing information, call (845) 256-9300 or visit https://vanavercaravan.org.

Vassar Rep Gala at the Bardavon on Saturday

Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre’s 32nd annual Gala at the Bardavon takes place on Saturday, March 1 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $11 for adult general admission seating and $9 for students, seniors and members of the Vassar community with ID.

The Bardavon is located at 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie. For tickets or more information, call (845) 473-2072 or visit www.bardavon.org.

Parent notes

Cinderella’s Closet in Kingston provides free promwear, seeks donations

The Junior League of Kingston is collecting gently used prom dresses, jewelry and shoes for its third annual Cinderella’s Closet, an event where these items are given to area high school students for free for their prom. Cinderella’s Closet takes place on Friday, March 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hudson Valley Mall. Donations may be dropped off from now through the 28th at the Dietz Stadium Diner at 127 North Front Street in Kingston; Rhinebeck Savings Bank at 27 Main Street in Kingston; or the DeForest Group at 120 Wood Road, off Sawkill Road in Kingston. For more information, contact jlkny1@gmail.com.

Free vision screening for tots in Accord

Free vision screenings for children ages 1 to 5 years will be offered at Little Ones Learning Center on Tuesday, March 4 and Saturday, March 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Prior scheduling is required, and parents must sign a consent form: “Screening is non-invasive, child does not need to be verbal, and takes approximately a minute to complete.”

Little Ones Learning Center is located at 5142 Route 209 in Accord, in the Rochester Reformed Church Building. For more information, call (845) 626-2114 or Don Lee at (845) 626-7249, or visit www.littleoneslearningcenter.org.

“Getting Ready for the Teen Years”

The “Getting Ready for the Teen Years” program is a four-session series designed to support parents of children ages 9 to 14. Topics include: Who is this stranger? (teen development); Parent-teen communication; Keeping teens safe; Social networking; and Cyber-bullying. The series takes place on Tuesdays, March 4 through 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $40 per family.

The program takes place at the Greenwood Lake Middle School, located at 1247 Lakes Road in Monroe. To register or for more information, call (845) 344-1234 or visit https://counties.cce.cornell.edu/orange.

Anti-Bullying Workshop in Wappingers Falls

A free Anti-Bullying Workshop for parents will be hosted by the Knights of Columbus and St. Mary’s School on Thursday, March 6 for interested parents from the surrounding communities. The workshop will meet in the gym at St. Mary’s School, located at 2 Convent Avenue in Wappingers Falls at 7 p.m. Every parent from every school is welcome. For more information, call (845) 489-7250.

“How’s the Hudson River Doing?” workshop at SUNY-New Paltz

There will be a free workshop for middle and high school math, science and art educators, titled “How’s the Hudson River Doing?” This three-hour workshop leads educators to make comparisons and observe trends related to the health of the Hudson River using classroom-friendly data sets. Participants will build confidence in their data graphing, interpretation and analysis skills, and learn tips and tricks for introducing real (sometimes messy!) data to students. Participants will also learn how their students can enter this year’s Hudson Data Jam competition: a challenge for students to use their creativity and artistic talents to tell a data-based story about the Hudson River, with cash incentives for teachers and student winners.

The workshop takes place on Tuesday, March 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at SUNY-New Paltz’s Lecture Center, located at 1 Hawk Drive in New Paltz. To register or for more information, contact Samantha Root at (845) 677-7600, extension 179, e-mail caryeducation@caryinstitute.org or visit www.caryinstitute.org.

Women’s Writing Event & Workshops in New Paltz

On Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m., join the authors of A Slant of Light, a collection of prose and poetry by women writers from New York’s Hudson Valley, to meet and discuss their writing and their work. Tickets will be sold at the door for $8 general admission and $5 for seniors. “A Slant of Light” will be held at Deyo Hall at 6 Broadhead Avenue in New Paltz.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9, an assortment of women’s writing workshops is offered for writers of all levels and all schedules – because they are all single sessions, so if you’ve been wanting to cultivate your writing but don’t have time for an ongoing series, this is for you! Workshops include “Getting Your Words into the World” with Nava Atlas; “What’s Your Story? A Workshop for Writers and Dreamers” with Patty Kane-Horrigan; “The Corset Controversy, or How Women Altered Their Natural Figures in the Name of Fashion” with Susan Stessin-Cohn; “Prom Gowns and Hiking Boots: Women’s Clothing as Source for Poems” with Suzanne Cleary; “The Angst-Free Writing Workshop” with Laura Shaine Cunningham; “Writing for Change: Opinion Essays and Blogging” with Heather Hewitt; “From My Pen and Power: Journals as History, Art and Self-Recovery” with Kim Ellis and Susan Stessin-Cohn; “Memoir Writing: Silencing, Anger, and Resistance with Judy Dorney and Jan Zlotnick Schmidt; Writing Begins Where You Are: Claim Your Voice” with Kate Flanagan; “Telling Stories: Creative Nonfiction Writing” with Pauline Uchmanowicz; “Soul Journaling: Bringing Our Writing Alive by Trusting Our Words” with Catharine Clarke; and “Traditional Stories and Popular Culture: Inspiration for Your Poems” with Lynn Domina.

For pricing information, complete course descriptions or to enroll in any workshops, call (845) 255-1660 or visit www.huguenotstreet.org.

Erica Chase-Salerno says, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” She and her husband Mike live in New Paltz with their two children: the inspirations behind www.hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.