“Irish Landscapes” at the Rondout’s Storefront Gallery
Have kids and want to expose them to quality art, but have a hard time navigating galleries while they’re still young? Or are they older and disinterested in art field trips? Here’s a fantastic way to engage kids and get your art fix at the same time: Just “happen” to walk by the Storefront Gallery and take a look at the “Irish Landscapes” show – Storefront Gallery shows can be viewed any time through the front windows!
“Irish Landscapes” opens with a reception on Saturday, March 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. and will be displayed until March 28. The Storefront Gallery is located at 93 Broadway in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 338-8473 or visit www.thestorefrontgallery.com.
Kids’ art on view at Greene County Council on the Arts in Catskill
Next time you hear people lament about “kids these days,” help to change their hearts by sending them to “Outside the Lines,” the Greene County annual youth arts exhibition. The exhibition takes place at the Greene County Council on the Arts gallery from Saturday, March 7 to Saturday, April 18, with a reception on Saturday, March 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. “Outside the Lines” includes work by artists from preschool age to 12th grade, and may be viewed Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 12 noon to 5 p.m.
The Greene County Council on the Arts gallery is located at 398 Main Street in Catskill. For more information, call (518) 943-3400 or visit www.greenearts.org.
Learn tracking & survival skills in Woodstock
Enjoy some free outdoor fun with the family this winter, beyond shoveling and snowballs, by attending the all-ages outing, “Tracking and Basic Survival Skills.” This hands-on program includes animal-tracking, basic survival skills and tips for keeping warm in the woods with simple, effective exercises and debris shelters. Leader Matt Helffrich will also discuss what animals are doing this time of year during the transition to spring, and explore uses of different area plants.
Preregistration is required for this free event, and remember to dress warmly! “Tracking and Basic Survival Skills” takes place at the Thorn Preserve’s Catskill Center on John Joy Road in Woodstock. For more information or to register, e-mail virginia.wlc@gmail.com or visit ulsterpub.staging.wpenginelandconservancy.org.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10
Oregon Trail tales at Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck
At this time of year in 1843, the first wave of families began preparations for departure along the Oregon Trail, a 2,000-mile journey that took around six to seven months to complete. Give your family or kindergarten-through-fifth-grade students a first-person sharing of this covered-wagon journey, complete with surviving deadly snakebites and other hazards of this passage that was filled with risk as well as opportunity.
On Wednesday, March 10 at 10 a.m., the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck presents Pioneer Travel on the Oregon Trail. Tickets cost $8 per student, and advance reservations are required. Prefer a weekend show? Check out the Celtic Heels Irish dance performance on Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $7 for children, $9 for adults and seniors.
The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck is located at 661 Route 308 in Rhinebeck. For reservations or more information, call (845) 876-3080 or visit https://centerforperformingarts.org.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
Special needs kids’ advocacy workshop in Kingston
“Advocating for Your Child” is a free informational workshop for parents, foster parents and caregivers with a child who has a delay or disability. The event is for adults only and takes place on Wednesday, March 11 at the George Washington Elementary School cafeteria from 6 to 8 p.m. Topics include four areas of advocacy: education, medical, family and community; strategies for planning, preparing and presenting information; parent rights; laws and regulations governing special education; acronyms; and resources.
The George Washington Elementary School is located at 67 Wall Street in Kingston. For more information or to register, sign up before March 6 by calling (845) 565-1162, extension 240, or e-mailing lboykins@myindependentliving.org. For more information about upcoming events, visit https://myindependentliving.org.
Film on Nokken education at Mountaintop School in Saugerties
If you are pregnant or have children between the ages of 1 and 7 years, you may want to attend this film screening of Nokken: Shaping Everyday Life around the Needs of Children. The film-and-discussion event takes place at the Mountaintop School on Wednesday, March 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The movie demonstrates Nokken, a model of Waldorf-based child care in Copenhagen, Denmark that features a focus on time spent outdoors, using action to communicate with children more than words and singing as a way to talk with children. A post-film discussion will be led by Wendy Weinrich of the Mountaintop School, along with special guest Motria Shuhan from the Acorn School: both certified Waldorf early childhood educators. Childcare is available during the evening for $10 per child.
The Mountaintop School is located at 68 Band Camp Road in Saugerties. For more information, call (845) 389-7322 or visit https://mountaintopschool.com.
Coming up
Kingston’s Shamrock Run takes aim at kilted runners world record
An event where folks of all ages can spend time outside is always a plus in my book. And it cracks me up to envision a large number of people running in kilts. But the best part is that some of the proceeds will benefit the Caring Hands Soup Kitchen in Kingston!
Register your family now at $25 per person for the annual Shamrock Run, taking place on Sunday, March 15 at 12:50 p.m. at the Academy Green in Kingston, across from the Governor Clinton Apartments at 1 Albany Avenue. This “flat, fast and first-class” two-mile run is not timed and is open to all ages. After the run, participants can join the post-race party at 1:30 p.m. for green cookies and bagels at the Rondout Neighborhood Center, located at 105 Broadway.
Race registrants are encouraged to help set a new Guinness Book World Record for the number of runners in kilts. Runners are not required to wear a kilt to participate in the race, but those interested may don their own kilts or order a running kilt for a deeply discounted price of $30 at https://kiltrunner.net. For more information or to register, visit www.shamrockrun.org.
National Park Week free admission days
Good news for all fourth-graders: Beginning with the 2015/16 school year, fourth-graders and their families can have free admission to all national parks and other federal lands and waters. This “living classrooms” initiative is timed with the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, and fourth grade is the age when many schools study national, state and local history. Stay tuned to order your fourth-grader’s Every Kid in a Park pass at www.nationalparks.org/ook/every-kid-in-a-park.
In the meantime, the National Park Service’s next free public free days are April 18 and 19, the opening of National Park Week. National parks located here in the Hudson Valley include the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, all in Hyde Park. For more information, visit www.nps.gov.
Computer makerspace for kids at Gardiner Library
Calling all industry experts, crafters, garage tinkerers and even rank-beginner hobbyists! The Gardiner Library is looking for volunteers to lead and help with Makerspace programs. A makerspace is a place for people to come together and pool ideas, equipment and knowledge, and the first event is scheduled for children on Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m.: “Have You Ever Wondered What’s inside a Computer and How It Works?”
The Makerspace at the Gardiner Library is located at 133 Farmers’ Turnpike in Gardiner. For more information or to volunteer, call (845) 255-1255, e-mail makerspacegardiner@gmail.com or visit www.facebook.com/makerspacegardiner.
Erica Chase-Salerno wishes her amazing, sparkly daughter a special birthday week and a great new year ahead! Erica can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
