Family Calendar

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun
NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

BOOKS


WONDERFUL BOOKS Children’s book creators gather for a festive celebration. Participants are the illustrator of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (Harper-Collins), Steven Kellogg; “Eloise” creator Hilary Knight, who presents “A Firefly in a Fir Tree” (Katherine Tegen); the illustrator of “O Holy Night” (Amistad), Faith Ringgold, who is also a well known quilt artist, and the illustrator of “The Book of Fairy Poetry” (HarperCollins), Michael Hague. Saturday, noon-2 p.m., Books of Wonder, 18 W. 18th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-989-3270, free.


DANCE


THANK YOU VERY MUCH The weekly dance party Family Disco gives parents and children the chance to get down together. This week, djembe drumming accompanies a West African dance traditionally done to give thanks to one’s parents. Saturday, 3-4:30 p.m., Club Babalu, 327 W. 44th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-586-7425, $12.


HOLIDAYS


HUDSON HOLIDAY The long holiday weekend offers several family festivals at public country estates in the Hudson Valley. At Washington Irving’s former home, Sunnyside, in Tarrytown, costumed guides lead Christmas-themed tours focusing on historic traditions. Hands-on workshops for children add to the festivities (Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., West Sunnyside Lane at Route 9, Tarrytown, N.Y, 914-631-8200 ext. 618, $9 general, $8 seniors, $5 children ages 5 to 17, free for children under 5, registration suggested). At Van Cordlandt Manor, the holidays kick off with period decorations and family craft workshops (Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Van Cortlandt Manor, South Riverside Avenue off Route 9, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., 914-271-8981, $9 general, $8 seniors, $5 children ages 5 to 17, free for children under 5). At Montgomery Place, children can create Victorian-style ornaments to decorate the mansion’s Christmas tree and listen to a reading of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (Saturday, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Montgomery Place, Route 9G, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., 845-758-5461, $15 general, $13 members, registration suggested).


CHRISTMAS BALLET George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker,” which celebrates its 50th year, opens this week for another holiday season of sugar plum fairies and marching mice. Friday through January 2, days and times vary, Lincoln Center, New York State Theater, Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street, 212-870-5570, $20-$96.


NEW NUTCRACKER “Clara’s Christmas Dreams” is a new adaptation of “The Nutcracker” that is told all in verse accompanied by music and dancing. E. Thomalen’s interpretation sets the story in Hamburg against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and follows Clara as she sinks into a high fever she caught when she brought presents to a nearby soldier’s hospital. The StageRight Productions show is intended for children between the ages of 4 and 14. Opens: Friday, 7 p.m. Runs: Wednesday through Friday, December 31, Friday, 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, 1, 4, and 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 and 5 p.m., Monday, 7 p.m., occasional additional performances, the Theatre at Saint Clements Church, 423 W. 46th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 212-352-3101, $50.


TURKEY TIME Composer Bruce Adolphe and the PollyRhythm Players present “Tough Turkey in the Big City,” a musical fairy tale for children ages 4 and above. Tom Turkey leaves the farm for the big city, and his silly adventures – including a romance with a pigeon – garner plenty of laughs. Saturday, 11 a.m., Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 537 Broadway at 95th Street, 212-864-5400, $18 general, $15 members, $11 children.


YUMMY TUMMIES A family storytelling program focuses on apples and pumpkins. Saturday, 4 p.m., Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway at Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000, free with admission, $6 general, $3 students, free for children under 12.


MUSIC


BRASS CLASS The Kids Classics series of family concerts kicks off with a recital focusing on brass instruments. Host Jim Blanton and his orchestra lead audience members through the different parts of the symphony, and introduce musical ideas such as rhythm, pitch, and dynamics. At a preconcert activity sessions, children can make their own instruments (2 p.m.). Upcoming Sunday sessions focus on woodwinds (December 19), strings (January 16), percussion (April 17), and “tutti” (May 15). Sunday, 3 p.m., Queens College, LeFrak Concert Hall, Kissena Boulevard at 64th Avenue, Queens, 718-793-8080, $50 for all five concerts.


TOY TUNES The Symphony of Toys concert asks that audience members bring a new unwrapped toy for New York Cares. The program includes “Winter” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,”Tchaikovsky’s “Children’s Album,” Aaron Copland’s “Hoe Down,” and, fittingly, Mozart’s “Toy Symphony.” Sunday, 3:30 p.m., Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street, 212-875-5030, free with a new, unwrapped toy.


PARENTING


SCHOOL ADVICE An advocacy center for disabled children, Resources for Children with Special Needs, presents an information workshop on educational options. Tomorrow, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Jefferson Market Branch Library, 425 Sixth Ave., between 9th and 10th avenues, 212-677-4650, free.


SHOPPING


TOYS FOR TOTS Child magazines hosts a viewing party to unveil its picks for the best toys of the year. A raffle benefits the pediatric department at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Tuesday, November 30, 5:30-6:30 p.m., the Greenhouse Spa, 127 E. 57th St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 212-499-1627, free.


THEATER


PUPPET PERFORMANCES The Cashore Marionette theater performs two family programs in Queens. Friday and Saturday, 1 p.m., Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718-760-0064, $16.


PIRATE PLAY A new 50-minute version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” includes updated dialogue and pop-rock musical arrangements. The musical is presented by the children’s theater company Inside Broadway. Saturdays, November 27-December 18, 10:30 a.m., Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St., between Hudson and Bleecker streets, 212-279-4200, $15.


WORKSHOPS


COMPUTER HOW-TO An afternoon class teaches both parents and children ages 3 to 5 basic computer skills. Tomorrow, 2 p.m., New York Public Library, Kips Bay branch, 446 Third Ave. at 31st Street, 212-683-2520, free, registration required.



To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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