“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
– Charles Schulz
Saturday Arts Lab for kids at SUNY-New Paltz
This is your last week before SUNY-New Paltz’s Saturday Arts Lab classes begin, with offerings for youth from kindergarten to 12th grade. Classes include: Adventures in Art for kindergarten through second grade; Stop-Motion Animation for second through eighth grade; Music Therapy for Children with Special Needs for all ages; Photograph Your World for eighth through 12th grade and more.
SUNY-New Paltz is located at 1 Hawk Drive in New Paltz. To register or for more information about the Saturday Arts Lab, call (845) 257-3850 or visit www.newpaltz.edu/sal.
Autism Sibling Group in Highland
Sisters and brothers of children with autism now have an opportunity to share experiences, learn how to express their emotions and develop strategies for dealing with challenging behaviors while creating their own support network, with Hudson Valley Behavioral Solutions’ monthly Sibling Group in Highland on Mondays, February 23 and March 23 from 5 to 6 p.m. The cost is $25 per session.
Hudson Valley Behavioral Solutions is located at 550 Route 299, Suite 100 B-2, in Highland. For reservations or more information, call (845) 834-3722.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
Volunteer Day at Olana
The only thing better than touring our area’s best historic sites is to get behind the scenes and be the tour guide, and this weekend there are two historic artists’ homes looking for volunteers: the Olana State Historic Site and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. On Thursday, February 12 from 2 to 4 p.m., Olana hosts Volunteer Day for folks interested in working with the Frederic Church estate.
Olana is located at 5720 Route 9G in Hudson. For more information, call (518) 828-0135 or visit www.olana.org.
Valentine Cookie-Making at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum
The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum offers some special activities for your kids this week: On Thursday, February 12 at 3:30 p.m., it’s Valentine Cookie-Making. The cost is $5 per child. On Thursday, February 19 at 3:30 p.m., children can make Chinese New Year lanterns for $2 per child.
The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is located at 75 North Water Street in Poughkeepsie. For more information, call (845) 471-0589 or visit www.mhcm.org.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13
Valentine’s Day Ball at LGBTQ Center in Kingston
LGBTQ and allied youth ages 14 to 18 are invited to attend the Valentine’s Day Ball this weekend at Apuzzo Hall at the LGBTQ Center in Kingston. On Friday, February 13 from 6 to 10 p.m., youth with photo ID may be dropped off for an evening of dancing and glitter. admission is free, but donations of nonperishable food items are encouraged.
The LGBTQ Center is located at 300 Wall Street in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 331-5300 or visit https://lgbtqcenter.org/valentines-day-ball.
Comic book art show at Arts Mid-Hudson in Poughkeepsie
Here’s an art show for even the most reluctant gallery-goers: “Komic Kreators of the Mid-Hudson Valley” at Arts Mid-Hudson. The exhibition features nine local comic book inkers, artists, writers and creators, including the work of Joe Sinnott, inker of The Amazing Spider-Man Sunday comic strip; Liza Donnelly, New Yorker cartoonist and author; and many more! Costumes are encouraged for the preview party, which takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 13, and the show runs through Saturday, March 7. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and admission is free.
Arts Mid-Hudson is located at 696 Dutchess Turnpike in Poughkeepsie. For more information, call (845) 454-3222 or visit www.artsmidhudson.org.
One Billion Rising gathering at Kingston’s Old Dutch Church
“How do you think change can happen? What does your revolution look like? How will you create a radical shift in consciousness?” These are some of the questions posed on the One Billion Rising website.
Join our area’s own One Billion Rising event at Bethany Hall at the Old Dutch Church this Friday, February 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. And check out this amazing lineup: Gwen Wright, executive director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence; speakers from the TMI Project: Changing the World One Story at a Time; and musical guest Shana Falana! The suggested minimum donation is $10, and all proceeds will benefit the Washbourne House, Ulster County’s domestic violence shelter.
The Old Dutch Church is located at 272 Wall Street in Kingston. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/obrulster.
Join the Great Backyard Bird Count!
Turn 15 minutes of delightful birdfeeder observations into data by participating in the 2015 Great Backyard Bird Count. Register for the count, and then from Friday to Monday, February 13 to 16, simply count and identify the birds you see in one 15-minute block, then submit your findings online.
Prefer to be a part of a counting group? Then bring your binoculars to the Ooms Conservation Area from 9 to 11 a.m. so you can observe the feeders there. Ooms is located at 480 Rock City Road in Chatham.
For more information, visit https://clctrust.org. To learn more about the GBBC, visit https://gbbc.birdcount.org.
Join the family! 
