Don a costume for Saugerties Comic Con, drum & dance at “A day in Africa” or paint a mural in Woodstock
“Contact light.”
– Buzz Aldrin, first words uttered from the surface of the Moon, July 20, 1969
Check out these camps
Do you know any cool teens who would be interested in some offbeat learning experiences this summer? Check out these three camps!
All the World’s a Stage Improv Acting Camp, grades 8 to 12, July 25 to July 29, 1 to 3 p.m., free. Red Hook Public Library, 7444 South Broadway, Red Hook; (845) 758-3241, https://redhooklibrary.org.
Teen Art Labs, ages 12 to 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: “Documentary Filmmaking,” July 18 to July 21, “Geographic Personal Storytelling,” July 25 to July 28, free. Kingston Library, 55 Franklin Street, Kingston; (845) 331-0507, www.kingstonlibrary.org.
Two-Week Summer Arts Intensive, ages 6 to 17, dance/drumming/spoken word/computer music production/creative writing, August 8 to August 19, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., $125 for one week, $200 for both weeks. Center for Creative Education, 15 Railroad Avenue, Kingston; (845) 338-7664, https://cce4me.org.
THURSDAY, JULY 14
“Ratboy, Jr. Meets Ratboy” concert at Water Street Market in New Paltz
Do you believe that we are all “Falling Up”? When you hear “Pretend Your Hand’s a Puppet,” do you automatically respond, “La la la la la”? Then you must be fans of Ratboy and Ratboy, Jr., two rock bands headed up by Tim Sutton on vocals and guitar and Matt Senzatimore on drums and backup vocals. The “Ratboy, Jr. Meets Ratboy” concert takes place this Thursday, July 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Water Street Market. Bring your whole crew to dance and frolic at this free and family-friendly live music show in the open-air plaza.
The Water Street Market is located at 10 Main Street in New Paltz. For more information, call (845) 255-1403 or visit https://waterstreetmarket.com. To learn more about the musicians, visit www.ratboyjr.com.
FRIDAY, JULY 15
Artz Dayz in Red Hook
If you enjoy live music and author meet-and-greets and art showings but wish that the events happened closer together, you are really going to appreciate Artz Dayz, taking place at St. Margaret’s in Red Hook during the weekends of July 15 through 17 and 23 through 24. This weekend is back-to-back music, beginning Friday, July 15, when you can hear live music from 5 to 7 p.m. at the opening reception at St. Margaret’s, as well as attend tours or see the art exhibit. Entertainment on Saturday, July 16 runs from 12 noon to 5 p.m. with James Burke, the Hotsie-Totsie Klezmer Orkester of Red Hook and more.
Sunday, July 17 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. is Local History Day, including a performance that I’m especially excited about: live music by Maggie Rothwell at 2 p.m., followed by an interactive theater piece from 3 to 5 p.m. about the founding of the St. Margaret’s Orphanage by Margaret Armstrong Astor in 1853.
The following weekend, Saturday, July 23 is Family Day! Come for Iza Trapani’s storytelling and book-signing from her new release, Gabe and Goon, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., and stay for the rest of the festivities, including Irish dance, improv family music-making and astronomy crafts. Sunday, July 24 is filled with more music, poetry and drama.
St. Margaret’s is located at 7260 South Broadway in Red Hook. For more information, call (845) 758-6575 or visit www.rhcan.com.
Kids sing Broadway hits in Wappingers Falls
Wouldn’t it be great to hear some Broadway classics performed by kids? Well, here you go! This weekend, the County Players present Broadway’s Kids: A Musical Revue taking place at the Falls Theatre on Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 17 at 2 p.m. The youth will sing and dance hits from Les Misérables, The Sound of Music, Bye, Bye Birdie, Beauty and the Beast, Oliver! Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy and more! Tickets cost $10.
The Falls Theatre is located at 2681 West Main Street in Wappingers Falls. For tickets or more information, call (845) 298-1491 or visit https://countyplayers.org/shows/broadways-kids-a-musical-revue.
SATURDAY, JULY 16
Help make a mural in Woodstock
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony-winning creator of the musical Hamilton, suggests, “You can fume at the world if you like. You can also use your words, art and gifts to let us in. Build us a bridge to where you are.”
The Woodstock Artists Association and Museum (WAAM) invites you to use your art and build a bridge through the Community Color Mural in the Youth Exhibition Space from Saturday, July 16 to Monday, August 29. Different materials will be available each week for participants to use to add to the giant color wheel, enabling you to make some art while visiting the summer exhibitions. Color-themed interactive gallery guides and art kits are also available.
Families are welcome to stop by anytime during gallery hours: Sunday, Monday and Thursday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 noon to 6 p.m. WAAM is located at 28 Tinker Street in Woodstock. For more information, call (845) 679-2940 or visit www.woodstockart.org.
Tour Olana’s treescapes
What did the tree wear to the pool party? Swimming trunks! You and your crew can immerse yourselves in the world of arboreal knowledge at “Tree-torial: Species Tour of Olana” this Saturday, July 16 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Olana State Historic Site’s Wagon House Education Center. Learn about some of the thousands of trees planted by Frederic Church as he developed the Olana landscape by taking a guided walk along the estate’s carriage roads. The cost is $15 per person.
The Olana State Historic Site is located at 5720 Route 9G in Hudson. For tickets or more information, call (518) 828-0135 or visit www.olana.org.
Young People’s Concert with Horszowksi Trio at Woodstock’s Maverick
Have you been to Maverick Concerts yet this summer? Tanglewood’s got nothing on us! The Horszowksi Trio performs for the Young People’s Concerts series this Saturday, July 16 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon at the Maverick Concert Hall. Give your kids an up-close-and-personal experience by sitting at the base of the stage on the floor cushions, while you take in the gorgeous sounds of violin, cello and piano. Kids aged 16 and under are admitted free; adults pay $5. Then come back without the kids for Horszowski’s full program of Schumann, Joan Tower and Beethoven on Sunday, July 17 at 4 p.m.
The Maverick Concert Hall is located at 120 Maverick Road in Woodstock. For more information, call (845) 679-8217 or visit https://maverickconcerts.org. To learn more about the musicians, visit www.horszowskitrio.com.
Saugerties Comic Con
Wish you could get more use out of your kids’ pretend-play clothes? You can get extra mileage out of their outfits (and a leg up on Halloween) by taking them to the Saugerties Public Library Comic Con, where all ages will want to dress up like their favorite characters! Bring your Princess Leias and Captain Americas to the Saugerties Senior Citizens’ Center this Saturday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You’ll meet local artists and authors, watch a Wayfinder sword demonstration at 10:30 a.m., check out a comic-creating panel at 11 a.m., test your memory at the Super Geeked-Up trivia challenge at noon, hear the Words Out Loud/Mike Spring author reading at 1 p.m. and make crafts and play games all day! Plus, you could win a costume contest at 1:30 p.m. for your age group: children, teen and adult. And entry is free!
The Saugerties Senior Citizens’ Center is located at 207 Market Street in Saugerties. For more information, call (845) 246-4317 or visit https://saugertiespubliclibrary.org.
Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck presents Unhappily Ever After
Don’t you just delight in familiar stories that suddenly catch you off guard with a fresh new twist? That’s the delight of Unhappily Ever After, taking place this Saturday, July 16 at 11 a.m. at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. Performed by the Center’s teen summer campers, you’ve never seen Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince or Cinderella portrayed this way before! 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 tickets or more information, call (845) 876-3080 or visit www.centerforperformingarts.org.
Family drum circle at Tivoli Free Library
One love. A family drum circle can be like therapy without all of the talking. Bring your crew together for a family drum circle with Otha Day this Saturday, July 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Tivoli Free Library. This fun and free event incorporates a variety of rhythms, songs and chants from West African, Native American, South American and Asian cultures.
The Tivoli Free Library is located at 86 Broadway in Tivoli. For more information or to register, call (845) 757-3771 or visit https://tivolilibrary.org.
SUNDAY, JULY 17
Drum & dance at Marbletown Multi-Arts’ “A Day in Africa”
What if your child’s travel dreams begin with local exposure to the tastes, sights and sounds of other lands far across the ocean? That’s exactly what might happen at “A Day in Africa,” a fundraiser for the children and family of the late African dancer Jean Mailly, taking place this Sunday, July 17 from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Marbletown Multi-Arts (MaMA). A variety of dance and drum classes are offered throughout the day at $20 each, followed by a slideshow about Sub-Saharan Africa at 4:45 p.m., concluding with an open-floor dance party at 5:30 p.m. An African marketplace and African cuisine will be available, as well as a donation box for unwanted electronics and clothing.
MaMA is located at 3588 Main Street in Stone Ridge. For more information or to make a donation, call (585) 615-5592 or visit www.facebook.com/africandancedrumhudsonvalley.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 20
Bad Day sock puppet workshop at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum
“I think I’ll move to Australia,” decides the main character in the popular children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. This is a book with staying power: Published since 1972 and made into a movie in 2014, it’s still going strong!
On Wednesday, July 20 at 2:30 p.m. and again on Wednesday, August 3 at the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum, kids can make Bad Day sock puppets to keep, and hear a reading of the book during the workshops. The cost is $5 per child plus regular museum admission. The puppets are a special way for kids to express themselves when they’re experiencing tough, angry emotions like Alexander does in the book.
Then, bring the puppets, along with a chair or blanket for yourselves, to the free Movie Night under the Walkway next to the Children’s Museum on Friday, August 5, with a pre-show music performance at 7 p.m. followed by a reading of Alexander by mayor Rob Rolison and a screening of the Alexander movie at 8 p.m.
The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum is located at 75 North Water Street in Poughkeepsie. For more information or to register for a sock workshop, call (845) 471-0589 or visit www.mhcm.org.
American Girl Doll Tea Party at Highland Public Library
Not able to get down to the American Girl Doll store in New York City, or just looking for AG activities that might be lighter on the wallet? Here’s the event for you! This Wednesday, July 20 from 3 to 4 p.m., join the Highland Public Library for an American Girl Doll Tea Party. Designed for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, the gathering includes an exploration and discussion of American history through the doll collection. Young people are encouraged to dress up and bring their dolls, although dolls are not required. Call early to save your spot!
The Highland Public Library is located at 30 Church Street in Highland. For more information or to register, call (845) 691-2275, extension 16, or visit https://highlandlibrary.org.
THURSDAY, JULY 21
Animal Embassy in Wappingers Falls
Calling all fans of Doc McStuffins, Wild Kratts or even David Attenborough: The Grinnell Library’s Animal Embassy takes place this week just for you! On Thursday, July 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, animal-lovers can see and learn about amazing critters firsthand, such as a veiled chameleon, an Argentine black-and-white tegu, gray tree frogs, a rabbit, a carpet python, a Eurasian eagle owl and a lovebird.
The First Presbyterian Church is located at 2560 South Avenue in Wappingers Falls. For more information or to register, call (845) 297-3428 or visit https://grinnell-library.org.
Erica Chase-Salerno is obsessively listening to “Love Make the World Go Round.” She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
