What’s going on in the Mid-Hudson Valley on March 20, 2023?

• On Saturday, April 8, at 7 p.m., the Mescal Hornbeck Community Center, 56 Rock City Road, the Historical Society of Woodstock will hold a benefit concert. The Marc Black Band and Sabrina & the Gems with Rennie Cantine will perform at the concert. 

• On Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m., the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra will perform a free chamber concert at Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall St., Kingston. Classical ensembles will be featured, as well as jazz bass with piano and solo timpani and percussion. Following the performance, refreshments will be served. For more information, go to woodstocksymphony.org or call (845) 266-3517.

• The Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale, will show two new environmental documentaries, “Windshipped” and “One Dam at a Time,” on March 29 at 7 p.m. Following the screening, there will be an after-film discussion with film director Jon Bowermaster and biologist George Jackman, Riverkeeper’s Senior Habitat Restoration Manager and star of “One Dam at a Time.” Matt Kovner, a member of the Town of Olive Environmental Conservation Council and a 3rd Thursday Environmental Series organizer, will moderate the discussion. Adult tickets are $10, while Rosendale Theatre members pay $6. Visit https://www.rosendaletheatre.org/calendar/ for more information.

• The Hurley Heritage Society’s next free online lecture, “Imagining Colonial Women in the Hudson Valley,” will be led by SUNY New Paltz History and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Professor Emerita Susan Ingalls Lewis on Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m. To sign up, go to www.hurleyheritagesociety.org.

• The Hudson Valley On Saturday, April 1, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., English Country Dance will perform at the Reformed Church of Port Ewen, 160 Salem St., Port Ewen. A workshop will be held prior to the program at 7 p.m. Margaret Bary will be instructing and calling English Country dances. Bring friends or come alone. Put on some comfortable shoes and a mask. Vaccination documentation is required. At the break, potluck refreshments will be served. The 7 p.m. workshop is essential for newcomers to better understand the vocabulary of English country dance. The band Tiddely Pom will provide live music. The fee is $10 for full-time students and $5 for part-time students. If the weather is questionable, call Lindsay at (845) 475-2530.

• On Saturday, April 1, from 3:30 to 4 p.m., St. James United Methodist Church, 35 Pearl St., Kingston, will host a children’s Easter egg hunt. The event is free and open to children aged two to twelve. To register, call (845) 331-3030.

• On Saturday, April 1, from 2 to 3 p.m., the Gardiner Library, 133 Farmer’s Turnpike, will host a program on beekeeping and honeybees with Robert Rawluck. Participants will learn about the history of beekeeping, as well as the methods and equipment used in the past and present. They will also witness and comprehend the honey collection process, as well as why it is healthier to consume locally produced honey. They can also observe live honeybees at work in a safe environment. The Ulster County Beekeeper Association is led by Rawluck. For more information, go to gardinerlibrary.org.

• “Hello, Dolly!” the critically acclaimed Broadway musical comedy and winner of ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, will be presented by Up In One Productions from May 5 to 28 at The Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, 661 state Route 308, Rhinebeck. Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $29 and are available at centerforperformingarts.org or by calling (845) 876-3080.

• Beginning Thursday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m., the comedy play “The Cake” will be performed at Rosendale Theatre, 408 Main St., Rosendale. Additional showings are scheduled for Friday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 25, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 26, at 4 p.m. Della owns a well-known bakery in North Carolina. When her best friend’s daughter returns from New York to marry and asks Della to make her wedding cake, she is overjoyed. Della, a sweet-natured Christian, is forced to re-examine her deeply held beliefs as well as her own marriage when she discovers there are two brides. Faith, family, and frosting collide in Bekah Brunstetter’s timely new play. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $18 for theatre members. It is strongly advised to purchase tickets in advance at rosendaletheatre.org or the box office.

• On Saturday, April 1, from noon to 3 p.m., St. James United Methodist Church, 35 Pearl St., Kingston, will hold an open house with free tours of its building.

• On Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m., the West Point Choir will perform at the St. James United Methodist Church, 35 Pearl St., Kingston. Adult tickets are $15, while student tickets are $10. Children under the age of 11 are free.

• “Once Upon a Mattress” will be performed at Rhinebeck High School’s Joseph L. Phelen Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, March 24 and 25, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 26, at 2 p.m. The musical version of “The Princess and the Pea” was first performed on Broadway in 1960. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students, seniors, and children under the age of ten, and are available online at rhsdramaclub.org or at the box office (cash or check) one hour before the show time. Make checks payable to the Rhinebeck Extra Classroom Fund.

• The Spring Boutique at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 22 Livingston St., Kingston, will be held on Friday, March 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, March 25, from noon to 4 p.m. The event will include home and garden items. Fused glass, home decor, lightweight hand-knitted and crocheted items, jewelry, hand-beaded jewelry, needle-felted spring ornaments and figurines, handmade gift tags, cards, and quilled work will all be available. There will also be homemade potpourri, outdoor garden statues, fountains, birdfeeders, and other decorations. All purchases come with free gift wrapping. Indoors, masks are required.

• The next Esopus Repair Cafe will be held on March 25 at the Ascension Church, 1585 US Route 9W, West Park, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteer coaches will repair participants’ beloved but broken items while they watch this free event. Bring in a clean t-shirt to be remade into a reusable bag with a new design by silk screener Aurora Bush. DJ Dan will provide the music. No gas-powered items, please. The event is not a drop-off service; participants must remain with their items. Volunteers are always welcome. Contact us at (845) 340-1293 or esopusrepaircafe@gmail.com.

• On Saturday, March 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Coxsackie United Methodist Church, 103 Mansion St., Coxsackie, will host a Spring Fair. There will be crafts and Easter gifts available. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., breakfast sandwiches will be served. The church is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call (518) 731-6515 ext. 1.

• “Murder Once Removed” will be performed at Coach House Players, 12 Augusta St., Kingston, on Fridays and Saturdays, April 14, 15, 21, and 22, at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, April 16 and 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets can be reserved at www.coachhouseplayers.org.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 62 and up, and $10 for children 18 and under. All ticket prices will include a credit card processing fee. With assistance, the theater is handicapped accessible.

• Professor Louie and the Crowmatix will perform a benefit show for the Hurley Heritage Society on March 31 at 7 p.m. at the Hurley Reformed Church, 11 Main St., Hurley. Tickets are available for $25 in advance online or $30 at the door. The doors will open at 7 p.m. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. There will be food and beverages for sale. Visit hurleyheritagesociety.org for tickets and more information.

• The United Reformed Church, 11 Church St., Bloomington, will hold a $3 bag sale for women’s winter clothing on March 31 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and April 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To learn more, call (845) 331-7099.

• On Friday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the United Reformed Church, 11 Church St., Bloomington, will hold a Women’s Clothing Winter Clearance $3 Bag Sale.

• Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox’s Life in the Past Lane returns to the Bardavon on Thursday, March 30, at 8 p.m., 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie. Tickets begin at $49. Members receive a $5 discount. To purchase tickets, call (845) 473-2072 or the Ulster Performing Arts Center at (845) 339-6088, or email boxoffice@bardavon.org. Tickets can also be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, but there are fees involved.

• Avant-Garde-Arama, a festival of short works of dance, music, performance art, and video, will be held at the Lace Mill Gallery, 165 Cornell Street, Kingston, on Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1, at 6 p.m. The event was founded in 1980 in Manhattan’s East Village by performance artist Charles Dennis, co-founder of P.S. 122, and musician/visual artist Jeffrey Issac. Tickets are available at the door and online at https://bit.ly/42aYJu8. Call (917) 673-9023 or email charles@charlesdennis.net for more information.

• On April 1, 2, and 8, the Easter Bunny will ride the Catskill Mountain Railroad along the tracks of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad. During the one-hour train ride, passengers can meet the Easter Bunny and participate in an Easter egg hunt. All trains depart from Kingston Plaza’s Westbrook Lane Station. Departures are at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. daily. Adult tickets are $22, $20 for seniors/military/veterans, and $16 for children ages 2 to 12. Toddlers under the age of two ride free on their parents’ laps. More information and tickets are available at https://catskillmountainrailroad.com/.

• On April 4, at 1 p.m., the Catskill Watershed Corporation will hold its annual meeting for member towns at its offices at 669 County Road 38 Suite 1, Arkville. A brief history of the CWC’s formation and evolution, as well as a video of its 2022 program activities, will be presented. The board of directors for Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster counties will be announced, and officers will be elected. The board and staff will be available to answer any questions from the public.

• On Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m., comedian Jim Breuer will perform at the Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston. Tickets begin at $31. They are available at the UPAC and Bardavon box offices, 35 Market St., Poughkeepsie, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays, or by phone by calling UPAC at (845) 339-6088 or the Bardavon at (845) 473-5288. Purchasers can also email boxoffice@bardavon.org or go to www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will incur fees.

• The Friends of the Hurley Library will hold a fundraiser called “Mystery at the Tavern” on Saturday, April 29, at 7 p.m. at the Venue at the Best Western, 503 Washington Ave., Kingston. Participants will meet owner John Elemendorf, his wife Ellen, Gov. Levi Morton and his daughter Mary, and a college law professor at the Half Moon Tavern. They will also encounter a devoted butler and a fortune-seeking maid, as well as a Kingston Freeman reporter who witnesses a murder. Tickets are $75 per person and include a three-course meal, a performance, prizes, and a raffle. Visit hurleylibrary.org or call (845) 338-2092 for tickets and more information.

• The Rosendale Street Festival will be held on Main Street in Rosendale on July 15 and 16. Meetings for planning have begun, and interested volunteers should contact Dana at rsf.volunteers@gmail.com for meeting dates and times.

• Every Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m., People’s Place, in collaboration with the Institute for Animal Happiness, has brought back the Happy Cart to the parking lot at 17 Saint James St., Kingston. The Happy Cart provides free plant-based food to the community. For more information, go to happyvegancart.org.

• The monthly Evening Of Holistic Health collaboration with the Holistic Health Community continues on the first Wednesday evening of each month from 3 to 7 p.m. at 775 Broadway, Kingston. Visit https://peoplesplacewec.simplybook.me/v2 for more information. for additional information.

• People’s Place Wellness Empowerment Center provides free weekly workshops on topics such as wellness classes, health screenings, nutritional counseling, alternative health modalities, and financial education. Kingston’s address is 775 Broadway. Visit www.peoplesplace.org/wellness-empowerment-center/ or call (845) 338-4030 for more information and to register for workshops.

• People’s Place Food Pantry is located at 17 St. James St., Kingston, and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday evenings from 5 to 7 p.m. Fresh and shelf-stable food donations are welcome. Call (845) 338-4030.

• The People’s Place Bounty Table, just outside the doors, provides free produce, breads, baked goods, dairy products, and proteins. The items change daily and are available on a first-come, first-served basis during business hours of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information can be obtained by calling (845) 338-4030.