Thursday April 25, 2024 
A Northern Lights Noel
Capital Community Voices will present “A Northern Lights Noel,” a program of classical carols and popular holiday songs on Sunday, December 18th at 3:00 pm at Genet Elementary School, Route 4, East Greenbush, NY.
The program will feature carols from places from which the aurora borealis can be experienced including Norway, Sweden, and Russia and the state of Alaska. Popular holiday selections will include the Polar Express medley, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, and White Christmas. The audience will have an opportunity to sing along with traditional carols.
The chorus is directed by Julie Panke and will be accompanied by Malcolm Kogut, piano, Randy Jennings, bass, and James Iacketta, percussion.
Ticket prices for the concert are $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students.
Town of East Greenbush Emergency Services Parade
THE TOWN OF EAST GREENBUSH EMERGENCY SERVICES invites you to join us for the 5TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE!
Saturday, December 3, 2022, step off at 5:30 PM.
Parade route: Start at The Soccer Fields on Phillips Road, traveling north on Phillips, left onto Columbia Turnpike and ending at Becker’s Farm for a meet and greet with SANTA and FIREWORKS!
Highlight Acting Troupe Presents A Christmas Ornament
Highlight Acting Troupe is pleased to invite you to our upcoming holiday performance of “A Christmas Ornament”; an original comedy written by Ron Levan. Directed by Robin Dickinson with special guest Musical Director and Accompanist Marietta Mitchell.
Enjoy traditional songs of the season in this funny family friendly story set in NYC Christmas 1975. Performances will take place at the Brunswick Grange, 7 Grange Road, Troy.
Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd at 7:30pm as well as Sunday, December 4th at 2pm. To reserve at seat please call Ethel @ 518-237-6936.
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.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Santa will be visiting the Best-Luther Firehouse at 303 Old Best Road on Saturday, December 3rd at 1:00pm.
Santa will have a gift for each child that shares their Christmas wish. Refreshments will be available for children.
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.
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.
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!
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