“Learning how to do something in your hometown is the most important thing.”
– Pete Seeger
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24
Indian Cooking class at Olana
Wish you had the culinary confidence to get your raita to turn out just right? Well, you can “do the needful” (Indian idiom) and make it happen by attending this weekend’s Armchair Travel Series at the Olana State Historic Site: Indian Cooking with Chef Julie Gale. Open to all ages 10 and up, the class takes place on Saturday, January 24 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Participants will learn how to make lamb meatballs with almonds in curry, vegetable biryani rice and cucumber yogurt raita. The cost is $30 per person, or $50 for two. Space is limited, and registration is required by Thursday, January 22.
Olana is located at 5720 State Route 9G in Hudson. For more information or to register, call (518) 828-1872 or visit www.olana.org. To learn more about the instructor, visit www.atthekitchentablecookingschool.com.
Kit’s Interactive Theatre performs Mother Nature at DCC
Our Earth mother takes center stage in this weekend’s performance of Mother Nature by Kit’s Interactive Theatre at SUNY-Dutchess. This free event takes place in the James & Betty Hall Theatre on Saturday, January 24 at 11 a.m. and is geared to children and youth from 4 to 12 years of age.
SUNY-Dutchess is located at 53 Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie. For more information, call (845) 431-8000 or visit https://sunydutchess.edu/studentlife/studentactivities/famfest.html. To learn more about the performers, visit www.kitsinteractivetheatre.com. After the show, you can catch some of the college’s women’s basketball game in Falcon Hall, which begins at 12 noon.
Stella, Queen of the Snow performed by Mermaid Theatre
Puppets bring to life Marie-Louise Gay’s delightful book, Stella, Queen of the Snow, with a new performance by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia at the Egg. Those of you who have seen the Theatre’s Eric Carle and Leo Lionni productions know how enchanting these shows are, and my family adores them. Tickets cost $15, and adults are admitted free when accompanied by a child (one adult per child).
The Egg is located in Empire State Plaza in Albany. For tickets or more information, call (518) 473-1845 or visit www.theegg.org/event/stella-queen-of-snow. To learn more about the performers, visit https://mermaidtheatre.ca, and look for a behind-the-scenes production video of the show online.
Hudson Valley Youth Chorale gives concert in Kingston
As Alison Croggon says in The Naming, “all meet in singing, which braids together the different knowings into a wide and subtle music, the music of living. ” You can hear an example of that braiding this weekend at the Hudson Valley Youth Chorale concert, It’s a Small World. This celebration of holiday and winter songs from around the globe is sung by youth from third through eighth grade and takes place on Saturday, January 24 at 7 p.m. at the Kingston Maennerchor and Damenchor Hall, located at 37 Greenkill Avenue in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 338-6362 or visit www.hvyc.org.
Festival of Frost winter carnival at Beacon’s Memorial Park
Beacon resident Melissa DePaolo fought cancer for eight years and launched the fundraising organization Forget-U-Cancer to provide education, support and financial assistance to people who have any form of cancer. She passed away in March of 2012, but events like this weekend’s first annual Festival of Frost winter carnival at Memorial Park are carried on in her name, raising awareness about cervical and other gynecological cancers, and Festival proceeds will be donated to establish a fund for local cancer patients.
This Saturday, January 24, families can enjoy live music and entertainment as well as carnival games and a bouncy house, and visit with Frozen’s Elsa and Olaf! And anyone 13 years of age and older can participate in the ten-element, one-mile-long obstacle course with features such as Sled Down the Hill, 100-Yard Log-Carry Dash and Hay Wall. Carnival entry costs $15 for adults, $7 for children age 12 and under and free for kids age 5 and under. Obstacle course registration includes carnival admission and costs $30 prior to the day of the event, $40 on the day of the event. Volunteers who work for two hours or more receive discounted admission. Obstacle check-in begins at 11 a.m., with the first heat at 11:30 a.m.
Memorial Park is located on Robert Cahill Drive in Beacon. For more information or to volunteer, call (845) 590-2758 or visit www.forgetucancer.org or www.facebook.com/forgetucancer.
Maple syrup workshop at Red Hook Public Library
My family is about a month away from setting up the taps for our tiny backyard maple sugaring endeavor, and now’s a great time to learn more about this sweet tradition if you’re curious to try it yourself. On Saturday, January 24 from 1 to 2 p.m., the Red Hook Public Library presents “Tree to Table: Making Maple Syrup” by Pete LaValle, co-owner of Platte Creek Maple Farm in Saugerties. And a few folks will go home with a free tap!
The Red Hook Public Library is located at 7444 South Broadway in Red Hook. For more information, call (845) 758-3241 or visit https://redhooklibrary.org. To learn more about the presenter, call (845) 246-9413 or visit his page on Facebook.
Join the family! 
