“Deep in their roots,
all flowers keep the light.”
– Theodore Roethke
Easter standouts
Many communities have egg hunts and related events, but here are some unique and special offerings in celebration of the holiday.
• The Easter Bunny Express train ride is scheduled for Saturdays, March 24 and 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $16 for seniors/ military/veteran, $12 for children ages 2 to 12 years; admission free for toddlers under 2. Westbrook Lane Station, 149 Aaron Court, Kingston; (845) 338-0400, www.catskillmountainrailroad.com/excursions/easter-bunny-express.
• Ice Skate with the Easter Bunny on Saturday, March 24 from 2 to 4 p.m.; $15 admission for admission and cocoa, plus additional fee for skate rentals. Mid-Hudson Civic Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie; (845) 454-5800, www.midhudsonciviccenter.org/event-listing.php#.Wq9kYBmGNhH.
• Red Hook’s Egg Scramble on Saturday, March 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. has an adaptive element for kids ages 13 and under with special needs. Middle School lawn, Linden Avenue, Red Hook; (845) 758-3241 to register, http://redhooklibrary.org.
• Wheelchair-Accessible and Visually Impaired-Inclusive Egg Scramble takes place on Saturday, March 24 at 10 a.m.; Traditional Egg Hunt from 11 a.m. to noon; Sensory-Friendly from 1 to 3 p.m.; all free. Tymor Park, 8 Tymor Road, LaGrangeville; (845) 724-5691, https://unionvaleny.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?programid=29905.
Staycation options
What is a “staycation,” anyway? A chance to do something you haven’t done before? A place to visit that you haven’t seen before? An opportunity to relax without the stressful preparations of a trip? Yes, yes, yes! Here are some fun staycation activities for your crew during spring break this week:
Michael Heizer, North East South West, 1967/2002, installation view at Dia:Beacon. (photo by Tom Vinetz)
• Free admission for Hudson Valley residents on Sunday, March 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including tours and family activities. Dia:Beacon, 3 Beekman Street in Beacon; (845) 440-0100, www.diaart.org/visit/visit/diabeacon-beacon-united-states.
• Farm Spring Break Day Camp for ages 5 to 12 years includes seeds and sprouts, cooking, plants, Native American skills, arts activities from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seed Song Farm and Center, 160 Esopus Avenue, Kingston; (845) 902-8154, www.seedsongfarm.org/farm-camp.html.
• Mary and the Witch’s Flower anime PG movie shows, March 24 and 31 at 2 p.m., March 26 and 29 at 1 p.m. and March 30 at 4 p.m.; $8 adults, $6 kids and members. Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main Street, Rosendale; (845) 658-8989, www.rosendaletheatre.org/2018/01/26/mary-and-the-witchs-flower.
• Teen Photo Contest for eighth-through-12th-graders; submissions due Friday, April 6. Elting Memorial Library, 93 Main Street, New Paltz; (845) 255-5030.
• “Wind and Solar: The Renewable Energy Revolution” is ongoing through August, and your kids will have a blast at this hands-on exhibit. MiSci Museum of Innovation and Science, 15 Nott Terrace Heights, Schenectady; (518) 382-7890, http://misci.org.
Maple mapping
Which is your favorite form of maple? Syrup? Sugar? Candy? Cream? All of the above? Here are some local spots this Maple Weekend to get your seasonal sugaring on!
• Fleischmann’s Maple Festival 2018 takes place on Saturday, March 24 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pancake breakfast, maple bakeoff, wagon rides, sugaring demos. Main Street, Fleischmanns.
• Maple Leaf Sugaring Maple Weekend offers tours of their operation and free samples of syrup, maple cotton candy and maple cream. Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 93 Dupier Road, Ghent; (518) 929-0484, www.facebook.com/mapleleafsugaring.
• Sugar Maple Celebration at the Sharpe Reservation is set for Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free for all ages: maple demos, live animal show, historical characters, maple syrup-judging contest. 436 Van Wyck Lake Road, Fishkill; (845) 897-4320, extension 10, www.freshair.org/maple-celebration.
THURSDAY, MARCH 22
Check out the Middle Way in Saugerties
Looking for a new educational experience for your child? Introducing the new school in town: the Middle Way. This school is built on the Buddhist tradition and offers three upcoming gatherings for interested families: Thursday, March 22, 6 to 8 p.m., Parent Information Evening; Thursday, April 26, 6 to 8 p.m., Discussion on Compassion in Education; and Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to noon, Open House for Children and Families. The Middle Way School is located at 268 West Saugerties Road in Saugerties; call (845) 272-0141 or visit http://middlewayschool.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 24
Microtonal Festival at SUNY-Ulster
To borrow from composer Claude Debussy’s famous quote, “Music is the space between the notes,” microtonal music is the notes between the notes. Intrigued? Head over to the Microtonal Festival this Saturday, March 24 at SUNY-Ulster from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Musicians and not-yet-musicians and non-musicians alike of all ages will enjoy hearing sounds and combinations like never before. This event is free and open to the public, but for the instrument-building workshops, the cost is $10 and preregistration is required. The festival includes hands-on activities, performances and lectures throughout the day.
SUNY-Ulster is located at 491 Cottekill Road in Stone Ridge. For more information, call (845) 688-1949 or visit https://apps.sunyulster.edu/events/4131.
Math & science fun for girls at SUNY-Dutchess
We know physicist and mathematician Katherine Johnson from the Hidden Figures movie (because she sure wasn’t in my textbook – how about yours?), and I learned from the show Drunk History that the Wright Brothers were only able to build a successful plane thanks to their brilliant sister! There are countless women who contributed important work to the fields of math and science with no credit whatsoever. Times are slowly changing, and this weekend’s event is one example: On Saturday, March 24 at SUNY-Dutchess, fifth-through-eighth-grade girls are invited to join “Math & Science Matter…Especially for Young Women.”
The day runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon, and the cost to attend is $10. With 20 workshops, including “Fun with Chemistry” and “Adventures in Biotechnology,” participants are sure to experience a lot of discovery, learning and fun!
SUNY-Dutchess is located at 53 Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie. For more information or to register, call (845) 431-8546 or visit http://sunydutchess.edu/news/#/?i=1.
Build beetle dioramas at Yonkers’ Hudson River Museum
“On being asked what one could conclude as to the nature of the Creator from a study of his creation, [J. B. S.] Haldane is said to have answered, ‘An inordinate fondness for beetles.’”
– footnote in American Naturalist, 1959
Here’s something you don’t see every day: a chance to build dioramas with preserved rhinoceros beetles! This Saturday, March 24 from 1 to 4 p.m., youth ages 11 and up are invited to join “A Fondness for Beetles: Victorian Diorama Workshop” at the Hudson River Museum. Bring your own miniatures from home for inspiration. The cost is $20, and advance registration is required.
The Hudson River Museum is located at 511 Warburton Avenue in Yonkers. For more information or to register, call (914) 963-4550 or visit www.hrm.org/programs.html.
SUNDAY, MARCH 25
Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals in Beacon
“Be quiet, please, for here begins / His salute to feathers, furs and fins.” Ogden Nash’s verses are just as entertaining today as they were decades ago, as a narration accompanying Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. Come see and hear this concert for kids, by kids at the Howland Cultural Center this Sunday, March 25 at 4 p.m. Children are admitted free and adults pay $10.
The Howland Cultural Center is located at 477 Main Street in Beacon. For more information, call (845) 765-3012 or visit www.facebook.com/howlandchambermusiccircle or www.howlandmusic.org/classicsforkids.html. To learn more about the performers, visit http://lyramusic.org.
Erica Chase-Salerno has an inordinate fondness for SweeTart sour jellybeans. She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
