Thanksgiving is on Thursday! Will you watch the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV? Will you host family and friends to celebrate the day? Will you serve dinner to those who are less fortunate? Do you feel fine just doing NOTHING and get annoyed with friends who insist you come to their house?! Tell me what kind of side dishes you will cook; do you have a pasta dish, a specific cultural dish or multiple courses of food. I’d love to know what your Thanksgiving Day table looks like—will you share pictures with me next week.
Have you had a chance to enjoy FALL? I have raked way too many leaves at this juncture but love the exercise. I thank the DSNY for their speedy pick up! More photos of the FALL!
Did you participate in National Take a Hike Day/Leaf Craft Program at Greenbelt Nature Center or attend the Living with Deer Information Session or ran the Fall Flat 5K Trail Race at Willowbrook Park? Did you go to any Holiday/Christmas Fairs this weekend? Below are photos from The Annual Spaghetti and Marshmallow Building Contest hosted by the Staten Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Following are photos from the inaugural sold-out performance of Puccini’s “La Boheme” presented by The New York Concert Opera at Christ Church New Brighton. You could feel the anticipation and excitement from the audience beforehand to have the privilege of attending and being a part of this performance. What a spectacular evening and champagne reception afterwards where we met and mingled with the performers! Visit their Facebook page for more information and hopefully, there will be many more performances by this professional Opera Company on Staten Island.
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Attend the Family Finger Painting: Turkey on Wednesday 11/21 at 4 at the South Beach Library, 21-25 Robin Rd. This new sensory art program is for the little ones, the older ones, the ENTIRE family! Finger painting is a simple activity that is designed to inspire participants to think about and respond creatively to art and the world around them. Join us once every month for a new design project!
Sing and shake the turkey away during a fun-filled, family-friendly concert—Music with Patrick on Friday, 11/23 at 1:30 at Greenbelt Nature Center, 700 Rockland Ave. Find fun in the forest as you sing about animals, the outdoors, and the beginning of the winter holiday season. Visit www.musicwithpatrick.com. Registration recommended; call 718- 351-3450 or e-mail: naturecenter@sigreenbelt.org
Small Business Saturday will be held on Saturday, 11/24 this year. People all across the country are encouraged to shop and support small, local businesses. Small Business Saturday was deemed a national shopping holiday in 2011 and is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving during the busiest holiday shopping weekends of the year. The Chamber of Commerce has signed up to be this year’s Staten Island Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champion. For info on Small Business Saturday, visit www.americanexpress.com/shopsmall. For info on how to participate and which small businesses are participating, visit www.sichamber.com or call 718-727-1900.
Run, run, run as fast as you can to this FREE hands-on holiday workshop where you and your child can assemble a gingerbread picture frame that doubles as a Christmas ornament at Kids DIY Gingerbread Man Ornament, Saturday from 9-12 at Home Depot. Perfect for gifting or adding to the family’s heirloom holiday decor. Once the picture frame is built, your child can decorate it with paint and holiday stickers. All Kids Workshop attendees must be accompanied by a parent or adult at all times. All kids get to keep their craft, receive a FREE certificate of achievement, a Workshop Apron and a commemorative pin while supplies last. Visit their website for locations: https://www.homedepot.com/workshops/
Sing, dance, and reveal your inner musician at Music & Movement, for children ages 1-5 on Saturday at 11 at the New Dorp Library, 309 New Dorp Ln. The music time is dynamic and interactive, so come ready to participate in the fun.
The Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle for Animal of the Month Club: Turkey Vulture on Saturday from 11-12:30 at High Rock Park, 200 Nevada Ave. This program features the Turkey Vulture, one of New York City’s scavenger species. To enhance your experience, bring binoculars and field guides, or ask a park ranger to borrow a pair.
For families with children ages 5-7, participate in the Sounds of Science on Saturday at 11:30 at the Greenbelt Nature Center, 700 Rockland Ave. We are introducing a new quarterly program that will connect families with younger children to the wonders of hands-on science. To complete each experiment, participants must work within their family unit with parents/guardians assisting and guiding their children. FREE and fun! Registration is required; call 718-351-3450 or email at: naturecenter@sigreenbelt.org
Visitors are invited on a self-guided tour to explore the story of the 1860s origins of the Thanksgiving holiday and the foodways reflected in the menu during Thanksgiving Kitchen Tours on Saturday from 1-5 at Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave. You will learn of the history and diversity of harvest celebrations through New York and experience two unique historic cooking demonstrations of rural 18th and 19th century families in the Guyon-Lake-Tysen Farmhouse and Basketmaker’s House. Tour participants will also have a chance to sample the food when the demonstrations are completed! Share in the traditions that shaped the American past and create memories that will last a lifetime. Tickets available at the door: Adults: $8, Seniors/Students: $6, Children: $5.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on this FREE hike—Fall Wetlands, to explore wetlands during the fall season on Sunday, 11/25 from 11-12:30 at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 1000 Richmond Terr. Urban wetlands provide a variety of benefits, including improved water quality and storm water retention. They also serve as critical habitat for native wildlife. Call 718-967-3542 for info and meeting place.
The Annadale Christmas Tree Lighting takes place on Sunday from 5-7 at Annadale Park (Next to Richmond County Savings Bank). The event will feature a train ride for the kids, bouncy houses, DJ, live performance by Miss Caroline’s Dance Elite, face painting and of course the arrival of Santa Claus! The event is FREE to the community.
Holiday/Christmas Fairs
Saturday, 11/24
- Alice Austen House Holiday Fair, 2 Hylan Blvd., 11-5
- All Saints Episcopal Church Holiday Fair, 2329 Victory Blvd., 10-5
- PLUTO Rescue’s Holiday Fair, Castleton Hill Moravian Church • 1657 Victory Blvd., 10-4
Sunday, 11/25
- Alice Austen House Holiday Fair, 2 Hylan Blvd., 11-5
- Clove Lakes Health Care & Rehab Center Holiday Fair, 25 Fanning St. 10-4
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