“Snow in April is abominable,” said Anne. “Like a slap in the face when you expected a kiss.”
– Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Ingleside
FRIDAY, APRIL 6
Solve a mystery at the Maritime Museum
Are you thrilled like I am to see so much action lately at the Hudson River Maritime Museum? Well, check out what’s happening there this weekend! This Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7, the Museum offers two family or young-adult experiences. “Escape HRMM: Time-Traveling Detectives” challenges participants to find clues to stop time-traveling thieves from stealing the Mary Powell steamboat bell. “Escape HRMM” is 50 minutes long and is not recommended for children under age 8. Reservation times are 5, 6:05 and 7:10 p.m., with a limit of six people per time slot. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for youth aged 17 and under.
HRMM also offers “Scavenger Hunt: Lost Ticket,” a race against time to locate your missing ticket from the Mary Powell steamboat ride that you’re about to take. You have 30 minutes to find it! Reservation times are 5, 5:45, 6:30 and 7:15 p.m., with a maximum of eight people per time slot. The pricing is $20 for adults and $15 for youth aged 17 and under.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located at 50 Rondout Landing in Kingston. For reservations or more information, call (845) 338-0071 or visit https://bit.ly/2GzMgpO.
“Through the Lens of Autism” opens at Ulster Savings in Kingston
“Wanting to be free. Wanting to be me. Trying to make people see. And accept the real me,” shares Scott Lentine about his autism. Jeanette Purkis explains, “Autistic people are individuals. We are not all math geniuses; we don’t all like trains. I am hopeless with technology and much prefer painting. There is no ‘typical autistic.’ But I think we probably all like being respected and validated.”
What are your experiences with autism? Make plans to attend “Through the Lens of Autism: A Photo Exhibition,” taking place at the Ulster Savings Bank’s Wall Street branch, with photos by students with autism studying at the Center for Spectrum Services. All are invited to attend the opening reception on Friday, April 6 from 3 to 5 p.m., where more than 30 works are on display. The exhibit opens on April 3 and continues through the end of the month.
The Ulster Savings Bank is located at 280 Wall Street in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 336-2616 or visit https://bit.ly/2uGo3wu.
SATURDAY, APRIL 7
Magic show at Hudson’s FASNY Museum of Firefighting
What could be better than being surrounded by firetrucks and hands-on fire safety exhibits? How about adding a little magic into the mix? This Saturday, April 7 at 10:30 a.m., round up your rookie firefighters for a performance of Abracadabra: It’s Melvin the Magnificent and his fire safety magic show at the FASNY Museum of Firefighting. The whole family will be amazed by this interactive show, and kids can make their own magic wands to take home afterwards! Admission to the museum, which includes the performance, costs $10 for adults, $5 for children aged 3 and older, $10 for a family of two adults and two children and is free for children under age 3 and museum and FASNY members.
The FASNY Museum of Firefighting is located at 117 Harry Howard Avenue in Hudson. For more information, call (518) 822-1875 or visit https://bit.ly/2xixQbU. To learn more about the performer, visit www.facebook.com/melvinthemagnificent.
Signs of Spring Walk at Mohonk Preserve
To me, it’s just not spring until I spy one of my favorite people, naturalist Ann Guenther, seeking out (and helping the rest of us find) special treasures in nature popping up all around us. The Mohonk Preserve’s annual Signs of Spring Walk takes place on Saturday, April 7 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., departing from the Spring Farm Trailhead, and includes a two-mile relaxed ramble. This free program is open to the public of all ages.
Spring Farm is located on Upper 27 Knolls Road in High Falls. For more information, call (845) 255-0919 or visit https://bit.ly/2H8y5sK.
Maple sugaring at Kingston’s Senate House
Been meaning to get your sweeties to a sugaring event before sap season ends? Head over to “Sugaring Off: 18th-Century Style” this Saturday, April 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Senate House State Historic Site. Activities include boiling sap into syrup, making jack-wax candy, baking molasses cornbread and waffles over an open fire and traditional woodworking: hewing out a log and making wooden sap buckets and spiles. You’ll also hear great live 18th-century music by Mark Rust and see the First Ulster Militia reenact a raid on the sugarbush. “Sugaring Off: 18th-Century Style” is a free event and open to the public of all ages. The Senate House is located at 396 Fair Street in Kingston. For more information, call (845) 338-2786 or visit www.facebook.com/senatehousekingston or http://senatehousekingston.org.
NY Ballet Theatre presents Goose! at Kaatsbaan in Tivoli
Here’s a fantastic way to connect your crew with dance: ballet that they can relate to, with familiar nursery-rhyme characters such as Jack and Jill, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, Little Miss Muffet and more! Goose! (as in Mother Goose) takes place on Saturday, April 7 from 11 a.m. to noon at the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. Performed by the New York Theatre Ballet, Goose! is one hour long and open to the public of all ages. Tickets cost $5 for children and students, $10 for adults.
The Kaatsbaan International Dance Center is located at 33 Kaatsbaan Road in Tivoli. For tickets or more information, call (845) 757-5106, extension 10, or visit https://bit.ly/2JhoHUD. To learn more about the troupe, visit http://nytb.org.
SUNDAY, APRIL 8
Stringendo at Bard, Cappella Festiva in Poughkeepsie
How’s this for music to your ears? Two not-to-miss concerts performed by young musicians this weekend: Choose one, or go to both!
• Stringendo annual Gala Concert on Sunday, April 8 at 3 p.m. at Fisher Center, Sosnoff Theater, at Bard College, 30 Campus Road, Annandale-on-Hudson (or set your GPS for 51 Ravine Road, Red Hook); www.bard.edu/visiting/directions. The performance features the world premiere of Conni Ellisor’s The Hudson Valley Suite, and tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for seniors 62 and over and $15 for student tickets. For tickets or more information, visit http://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/stringendo-annual-gala-concert.
• Dream Variations with the Cappella Festiva Chamber and Treble Choirs and Cor Capriccio on Sunday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. at Christ Church, 20 Carroll Street in Poughkeepsie. Music includes pieces by Andrea Clearfield, Bob Chilcott, John Rutter, Stephen Hatfield and the poetry of Langston Hughes. Tickets cost $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors (or save $5 and preorder online); students cost $5. For tickets or more information, call (845) 853-7765 or visit www.cappellafestiva.org or https://bit.ly/2IsYr8t.
Pirate School at New Paltz High
Summoning all ye scalawags! Git yer swashbucklin’ on at Pirate School with David Engel this Sunday, April 8 from 1 to 2 p.m. at New Paltz High School. You and your mateys of all ages will enjoy a show full of slapstick, humor, magic and a whole lot of audience participation. In addition to having a great time, each attendee makes a difference, since every ticket supports the New Paltz Amphitheater project!
General admission costs $10. Come wearin’ yer seafarin’ finery and take selfies with the pile of props! My kids have seen this show twice, and they loved it each time.
New Paltz High School is located at 130 South Putt Corners Road in New Paltz. For tickets or more information, visit https://bit.ly/2uJqTB7 or https://bit.ly/2H99LXU. To learn more about the performance, check out www.mypirateschool.com.
– Erica Chase-Salerno
Erica Chase-Salerno greatly enjoyed Ready Player 1. What did you think about it? She can be reached at kidsalmanac@ulsterpublishing.com.
Join the family! 
