Monarch Watch & animal track casting at Minnewaska
Butterflies are practically synonymous with summer, and if you attend Minnewaska State Park Preserve’s Monarch Watch this weekend, it just might make your summer linger a bit longer. On Saturday, August 30 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., learn more about how to help the monarchs and look for evidence of them around the park. You may also find evidence of blueberries around the park, so either way, it’s a win. This program is recommended for children ages 6 to 10 years, accompanied by an adult.
But wait! Get even more nature out of your weekend and come back the following day, Sunday, August 31 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for Wild for Wildlife. Participants will make a plaster cast of an animal track to take home and explore the area for signs of wildlife. Wild for Wildlife is geared for children from 7 to 10 years. Registration is free but required for either program. There is a parking fee of $8 per vehicle, or use your Empire Passport.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve is located at 5281 Route 44/55 in Kerhonkson. To register or for more information, call (845) 255-0752 or visit https://nysparks.com.
Kingston Festival of the Arts
The Kingston Festival of the Arts takes place through August 31, and I’ve highlighted here some activities especially enjoyable for children. For more information, visit https://kingstonfestival.org.
Saturday, August 30:
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Kids Create Kingston, free. Interactive art, music and fun for young people. Located at Forsyth Park, 157 Lucas Avenue.
11 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 2 p.m.: Tiny Tots Inside the Orchestra, $10 per family. Instrument “petting zoo” 20 minutes before each performance, interactive exchange with members of the Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra, music from Fantasia and more. Located at Old Dutch Church Hall, 272 Wall Street.
3 p.m.: Voices for Water, free. A concert in celebration of clean water for our planet and our children. Located at Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31
Black 47 headlines Hooley on the Hudson
“Fiddlee diddlee deidely dee/I was born to play the funky ceili…” sings the New York-based Irish band Black 47, and if we’re lucky, it will be part of their set at this Sunday’s Hooley on the Hudson. Larry Kirwan, lead singer of Black 47, once said, “I suppose the best pint is in the place where your friends are,” and here’s why so many of your friends will be at this annual family-friendly Irish festival: It’s free; Irish dance performances; live music; storytelling; and children’s activities. Plus, it’s one of the last gigs of Black 47, who will disband in November after 25 years.
Hooley on the Hudson takes place on Sunday, August 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at T. R. Gallo Memorial Park on the Rondout in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 338-6622 or visit www.ulsteraoh.com.
Music under the Stars at West Point
A cruelty of Labor Day weekend is the ultimate finality with which one inventories the pleasures of summer: Did you do everything that you had hoped for? Well, the West Point Band’s Music under the Stars event is an outing that’s fabulous on its own, but is also sure to check off a couple of important boxes, in case you missed any of these: visit to iconic Hudson Valley historic site; open-air picnic; live outdoor music; gorgeous river views; and fireworks. And it’s free!
On Sunday, August 31 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., head over to West Point’s Trophy Point Amphitheater with your blanket, family, friends and a picnic. Also bring government-issued identification for anyone in your party over 16 years of age, and patience as you wait your turn for security at the entrance gates. The rain date for this performance is Monday, September 1. For more information, visit https://westpointband.com.
Family art workshop at Storm King Art Center
In her publication Print Me, American artist Chakaia Booker is quoted saying, “Anywhere you travel, you travel with who you are. You become a type of search engine for collected information that you bring through the door.” At the Storm King Art Center, you can’t help but collect information simply by entering this bucolic art escape; and on Sunday, August 31 at 1 p.m., Booker’s children-and-families workshop is a chance to add a hands-on element to it all. The workshop is included in the admission, which costs $15 for adults, $12 for seniors age 65 and over, $8 for children 5 to 18 and is free for children 4 and under.
The Storm King Art Center is located at 1 Museum Road in New Windsor. For more information, call (845) 534-3115 or visit www.stormking.org. To learn more about the artist, visit www.chakaiabooker.com.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Mohonk Preserve offers free passes to Ulster county residents
For any Ulster County residents ages 13 and over interested in a free monthlong pass to the Mohonk Preserve, pickup times are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday, September 2 to 7 at the Preserve Visitor Center, and on Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7 at the Spring Farm Trailhead. Passes must be picked up in person and are good through October 2. Considering that day fees are normally $12 per hiker, this free program is a pretty good incentive to work off some of those deep-fried Oreos that you may or may not have eaten at the fair this month.
The Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center is located at 3197 Route 44/55 in Gardiner; the Spring Farm Trailhead is located off Mountain Rest Road. For more information, call (845) 255-0919 or visit https://mohonkpreserve.org.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
Thomas the Tank Engine visits Catskill Mountain Railroad
Well, bust my buffers! Thomas the Tank Engine is coming to Kingston! Round up your preschoolers for a Day Out with Thomas experience: Take a 25-minute ride on a full-sized Thomas engine; meet railway controller Sir Topham Hatt; enjoy themed storytelling; create arts and crafts; and more.
A Day Out with Thomas takes place at the Catskill Mountain Railroad on September 5, 6 and 7 and September 12, 13 and 14 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are required for ages 2 and up for $19 each, and are reserved for specific times. Score a $2 discount per ticket by using promo code MOMS.
The Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Westbrook Station is located in Kingston Plaza at 149 Aaron Court in Kingston. For tickets or more information, call (845) 688-7480 or (866) 468-7630 or visit https://catskillmtrailroad.com or www.ticketweb.com/dowt.
Kids’ Almanac Writes
Kids’ Almanac thanks Jennifer Castle for supplying writing prompts during the month of August. Jennifer Castle is the author of the Young Adult novels The Beginning of After and You Look Different in Real Life, both from HarperCollins. She lives in New Paltz with her husband, two daughters, two cats and about 20 notebook volumes of the ongoing journal that she has kept since 1985.
Here is her journal prompt for the week. Remember to post your piece on the Almanac Weekly Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/almanac-weekly/287633831270607.
“Journaling is where we really figure out the stories inside and around us, and where we are all writers, for ourselves. I believe everyone can and should do it! These prompts are designed to help you start, get back into or freshen up a habit of regular journaling. But first, some tips: Rather than using a fancy blank journal – way too much pressure for the words to be fancy, too – buy a cheap marbled composition or spiral notebook and make it your own with stickers, collage or drawings on the cover. Set rules for yourself, like you will write for ten minutes straight or fill up an entire page or write on Tuesdays. Keep the pen moving. Resist the urge to cross out. And always: The less you think, the better.” Now:
Look back on your day. What is one thing that you wish you’d done differently – a decision you made or an action you took, turning left instead of right in the car? Write down what might have happened if things had gone another way. Don’t let reality hem you in; let your Parallel Universe Day take you as far and crazy as it wants to.
Erica Chase-Salerno is making the most of this last week of real summer. She and her husband Mike live in New Paltz with their two children: the inspirations behind hudsonvalleyparents.com. She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
