Wednesday April 24, 2024 
A Reading of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Presentation
On December 10, 2022 Evangelical Lutheran Church of Poestenkill, 772 Route 351, Poestenkill, NY will host the Poestenkill Light Reading Company’s presentation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
The night will begin with a homemade soup and bread dinner at 5:00 pm with the production at 6:30 pm. All are welcome to attend. Those who wish to attend the soup and bread dinner are asked to call (518) 283-6045 and leave a message.
Reservations are not mandatory but encouraged so we have enough food. There is no charge, but donations of a non-perishable food item and/or monetary gift to the Bread of Life Food Pantry or the Union Gospel Food Pantry in East Poestenkill will be accepted and appreciated.
Stephentown Lighted Parade
Kick off the holiday season with the Stephentown Lighted Parade and Tree Lighting on Saturday, November 26.
Come watch lighted tractors, side-by-sides, floats, fire trucks, cars, and marching groups as they parade through town from the Stephentown Fire Hall to the Veterans Park. The parade will culminate with the Annual Tree Lighting at the Veterans Park.
Popcorn and hot cocoa will be available at the Stephentown Fire Station on NY-43 where you can also leave donations of unwrapped toys for the annual Toy Drive.
The parade steps off at 5:30 PM with the tree lighting estimated at around 6 PM. The parade route begins at the Stephentown Fire Hall, proceeds down Grange Hall Road and onto Route 43 where it will head east and end at the Veterans Park (just before the intersection of Route 22.)
Winter Craft and Food Festival
Our fourth annual Winter Craft and Food Festival will be held on Saturday, December 10 from 9 AM to 2 PM at First Reformed Church, located at the corner of Main Avenue and Church Street, in Wynantskill.
You will be greeted with free donuts and hot beverages, while supplies last. Browse our beautiful, handcrafted items, our Second Chances (new or gently used) items, and take a chance to win a beautiful, homemade queen-size quilt. We will also feature home-canned pickles, jams, salsas, relish, pickled beets, chili sauce, and more! Our bake sale will feature lots of homemade goodies, specialty royal icing cookies, and platters of Christmas cookies.
Hot soup/chili will be available to eat-in or take home. And let’s not forget our homemade, then frozen, entrees – perfect for quick, microwave meals during the busy holiday season – lasagna, shepherd’s pie, chicken potpie, macaroni and cheese, and complete pork dinners – sized for both families and singles.
Whether you are looking for that special gift or help with holiday meals and baking, we are here to serve you. Check out our Facebook page at frcwcommunity for pictures of featured items. If you have any questions, call 518-283-4420. Thank you for your support.
Celebrate The 40th Annual Troy Victorian Stroll
Troy -The Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome the Capital District and surrounding regions to the 40th Annual Troy Victorian Stroll! Experience the holiday splendor on Sunday, December 4, 2022, from 11am-5pm. Come join us as the streets of historic downtown Troy come alive with Victorian “Gilded Age” magic! This popular event attracts nearly 15,000 visitors from near and far to enjoy a day of fun, food, shopping, and activities for all ages. You will find music, performers, choirs, children’s activities, unique boutiques, and restaurants that Troy is known for.
Returning this year is the popular window decorating contest. Stroll attendees can vote for their favorite. Make sure to add the businesses participating in the window-decorating contest to your list of places to visit during the Stroll; you won’t be disappointed! Enjoy the Tree lighting at 5 p.m. with the Troy High School choir and local officials.
Essential to the long-time history of the Victorian Stroll, The Hart Cluett Museum’s 66th Annual Holiday Green Show’s theme is “The Gilded Age in the Marble House on Second Street”. Using all fresh seasonal greens and gilded age era flowers, the members of the VanRensselaer Garden Club, are decorating 14 rooms of the 1827 Federal Style Town House to showcase the amazing architecture and period rooms of the Gilded Age that belonged to the Hart and Cluett families of Troy, NY. The Greens show runs from Dec 1st through Dec 4th. For further details and ticket information, visit their website at www.hartcluett.org. or call 518-272-7232 x18.
For those with a modern taste, be sure to check out “Troy Glo”, a dazzling new winter light festival managed by the Arts Center of the Capital Region that will open the night of December 4th and continue during the holiday season in downtown Troy. With a series of contemporary light art installations set against the eighteenth-century architecture at six venues, this cutting-edge lighting will illuminate the city, encouraging people to meander between installations and stop to shop and dine along the way.
Circle Theatre Players Presents “Fools” by Neil Simon at Sand Lake Center for the Arts
SAND LAKE – Get your tickets today for the final weekend of “Fools” by Neil Simon, directed by Adam Coons. “The brightest, freshest, funniest, wittiest, warmest and happiest to do on Broadway in many a day.” – CBS-TV
Leon Tolchinsky is ecstatic. He’s landed a terrific teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives, he finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people milking cows upside down to get more cream. The town has been cursed with Chronic Stupidity for two hundred years, and Leon’s job is to break the curse.
Come and join the fun with Adam, in his directorial debut at SLCA, along with many veteran SLCA actors. Shows are November 18 and 19 at 8pm and November 20 at 2:30 at Sand Lake Center for the Arts, 2880 NY 43, Averill Park.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at slca-ctp.org or by calling the box office at 518-674-2007.
St. Nicholas Day Celebration at Crailo State Historic Site!
On Saturday, December 3, 2022, Crailo State Historic Site invites you to celebrate St. Nicholas Day with us, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This medieval saint’s day was brought by the Dutch colonists to the Hudson River Valley and was traditionally celebrated on December 6. Festivities included a visit by St. Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas by the Dutch, gift giving, baked holiday treats, and family revelry. This event is open to all and free of charge.
To celebrate, the entire museum will be open for your exploration, including Crailo’s famous cellar kitchen, in which you will find interpreters preparing traditional seasonal treats, using 17th and 18th century recipes. There will be numerous crafts for children, mulled cider and refreshments, live music, and of course – a visit from St. Nicholas (hopefully you’ve been good this past year)!
Crailo’s Marketplace Museum Shop will be open, where you will find unique gifts for everyone on your list. Whether it be books about history, reproduction colonial items, 17th century reproduction glassware and pottery, or delightful toys and souvenirs for the kids, you will certainly find something special for under the tree – and support Crailo at the same time.
Once part of the Van Rensselaer family’s vast landholdings, today Crailo tells the story of the early Dutch inhabitants of Albany and the upper Hudson River Valley. Located at 9 ½ Riverside Ave in historic Rensselaer,the museum is open for guided tours, Wednesday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through October 30th and by appointment Nov – Apr. For further information about this and other site programs and events, please call (518) 463-8738, visit www.parks.ny.gov, or find us on Facebook.
Greenbush Historical Society Presents History of Brewing Beer in Rensselaer County
The Greenbush Historical Society invites you to its scheduled program on Sunday, November 20, 2 PM, at the East Greenbush Community Library.
Join Rensselaer County and Troy City Historian, Kathy Sheehan, for an illustrated lecture on the history of Brewing Beer in Rensselaer County. From the early Dutch brewers to the craft brewers in Troy, Nassau and Hoosick, beer has played a vital role in the development of Rensselaer County. Kathy will also share some of the more colorful stories of the 19th century temperance movement and the prohibition period in the 1920’s.
The program is free and open to the public. Because seating is limited, please call the library at 518-477-7476 to register.
Troy’s Horeshoe King
The Esquatak Historical Society invites you to hear about “Troy’s Horseshoe King” on Friday, November 18.
Join local Gilded Age expert Michael P. Barrett as he tells the tale of how the Burden Iron Works perfected the production of horse shoes to the point where over 1,000,000 were produced weekly, a legendary contribution to the federal war effort and making the Burden family astonishingly wealthy.
The presentation takes place at 7 pm at the Castleton Fire House, Green Avenue. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
Town of North Greenbush Christmas Parade & Starry Night Tree Lighting
Santa called to let us know he is coming to North Greenbush and he’s excited to see his little friends get ready for our big parade on Saturday, December 3rd.
The parade will line up at St. Jude’s parking lot and will kick-off at 6pm, heading down Brookside, to Main Ave and ending at Town Hall. Following the parade, we will all gather in the field next to town hall under the evening stars where the 2nd Annual Starry Night Memorial Christmas Tree Lighting will be held.
This moving ceremony will begin with special guest singers, celebrating the joy of the season while remembering our loved ones. It’s breathtaking to see all of the beautiful Starry Night Trees lit all at once and decorated so nicely by their families.
Then, we will get the children ready to meet Santa, share their wish list, get a picture and enjoy some cookies and hot chocolate. We are looking to make this years parade even BIGGER than last year with even more colorfully lit floats and characters.
If your business is interested in participating, please contact Deputy Supervisor Kelly Hoffman or Councilwoman Jessica Merola at the supervisors office at (518) 283-5313, x10. Tis the season and our residents are the reason for this beautiful tradition to continue so mark your calendar for Saturday, December 3rd at 6pm.
Sand Lake Historical Society Opens Exhibit
“Home for the Holidays”, an exhibit by the Sand Lake Historical Society, has opened in the Gallery at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts, 2880 NY 43, Averill Park.
The exhibit features items from the Society’s and the Town of Sand Lake’s collections. Also prominent is “Wish You Were Home Tree” which honors area residents currently serving in the military, as submitted by friends and family members. Please keep these and all men and women of the military (and their families!) in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season. Other display items include a “Sand Lake Then and Now” photo wall, military artifacts, and other memorabilia donated over the years by current and former Sand Lake residents.
The exhibit gallery is open Saturdays, from noon to 3:00 PM through December 17th and anytime the Center for the Arts is open for events and performances in November and December. Don’t miss it!
2022 Wynantskill Veterans Toy Drive Party
The American Legion’s annual Veterans Toy Drive party will be held on Sunday, November 27th from 1PM to 5PM at the post located at 111 Main Ave. in Wynantskill, NY. There will be food, music, raffles, and even a visit from Santa Claus around 2:30PM. Admission will be $10, or you may bring a new, uwrapped toy to donate.
If you are unable to make the party but still wish to donate, along with the Legion post there are drop boxes in the following locations: Ace Hardware, Hannaford, LaBellas and MJ Barbershop all in Wynantskill, Grimm Building Materials in Green Island, Carol’s Eatery in Troy, and the Italian Charitable Foundation also in Troy.
All toys donated remain here in our local communities. We hope to see you there, and thank you for your support!
Sincerely, the Veterans Toy Committee
2nd Annual North Greenbush Starry Night Memorial Tree Lighting
Town Supervisor Joe Bott along with Deputy Town Supervisor Kelly Hoffman are proud to announce the Town of North Greenbush 2nd Annual Starry Night Memorial Christmas Tree Lighting.
This is an opportunity for town residents to remember your loved ones by ordering a starry night tree. The field next to town hall will be filled with beautiful fresh cut trees provided by the town and you will decorate your tree in honor of your loved one that has passed. $50 includes fresh cut tree and electricity.
You decorate your tree with lights (LED only) and your very own special decorations to make the tree personal to you and your family. Last year, we saw pink lights, red and white lights, tress decorated with laminated photos of family members and very special decorations. You will also get to write a personal message how you would like your family member remembered.
Please email Kelly at: kelly.hoffman.ngtrees@nullgmail.com. for more information. We look forward to this heartfelt ceremony again this year.
Sand Lake Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting
The Town of Sand Lake will be holding its Annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting Friday, December 2nd at 7:00 pm.
For more information and Parade entry Form go to the Town’s website: townofsandlake.us. You can also contact Councilman Glasser: pglasser@nullsand-lake.us or call Barbara Hansen, Town Clerk at 518-674-2026 Ext. 122
Hudson-Mohawk Weavers’ Guild 44th Annual Show & Sale
The Hudson-Mohawk Weavers’ Guild invites the public to its 44th Annual Show & Sale, held Saturday, November 26 through Monday, November 28. New for 2022 will be an exhibit of handwoven items inspired by a trip Guild members took to Scotland to learn about the rich textile history of that country.
The Guild is thrilled to return to Pat’s Barn for a second year. The Show & Sale has expanded into this new venue which offers both a historic setting and more room for displays and demonstrations. More than 40 handweavers will exhibit and sell their work at the Show & Sale, making it the largest display of handweaving in the Northeast. Admission and off-street parking are free.
The Show & Sale will have two full floors of exhibits, including: housewares such as rugs, blankets and table linens, garments such as scarves, shawls and jackets, as well as holiday gifts. The event features a wide range of options suitable for everyone’s holiday shopping list. Guild members work all year to prepare over 2500 items for sale.
A special exhibit will highlight a trip by 14 members of the Guild to Scotland in May. They traveled over 1100 miles by road and more by ferry to explore the Borders, Highlands and Inner and Outer Hebrides. The rich textile history of this country is still alive and well, and Guild members were inspired to create not only by the historic and contemporary weaving they saw, but also by the stunning landscapes of rolling hills, forested mountains and picture-perfect beaches.
More information at www.hmwg.org/show