From Tank:

Halloweenies! Come out come out where ever you are..
I am planning some group party games. The tunes will be on theme. There will be follow along line dances and a spooky shim sham.

SPECIAL TREAT ALERT, No tricks! I am so excited to announce that my dear dear friend is coming to give therapeutic Tarot readings at $10 each. What are the cards trying to tell you?

Vegan treats from Lagusta's and Little Loaf as prizes!

Friday, October 23rd from 7:00 to 10:00pm. (Community Center)

 Join Maria Pari-Keener, MS RDN CDN for a discussion on “Navigating Perimenopause, Menopause, and Beyond.” 

Maria, a registered dietitian with over 25 years of experience, specializes in women’s health from pregnancy to menopause. She uses functional nutrition principles to address root causes. She practices at Allara Health (telehealth for women) and runs her private practice, 5dRD, here in New Paltz. Reflecting on her own journey, she deeply values the importance of perimenopause and menopause education—empowering every woman to understand her body and confidently manage her health.

Disclaimer: This program is provided for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or nutritional advice; the Town of New Paltz does not endorse or assume responsibility for individual reliance on information presented, and participants should consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding their individual needs.

Thursday, November 5th from 6:15 to 7:15pm (Community Center)

Chef Cynthia of Apex Kitchen is hosting two meal prep sessions for Thanksgiving. She will guide you through making side dishes and a dessert that you can freeze until Thanksgiving Day. Food included in the series will be enough to feed eight.

For more information and to register, click here.

Saturday, November 8th and November 22nd from 1:00 to 3:00pm. (Community Center)

Thank you, Eva, for another wonderful workshop!

Ulster County Waste and Recover Agency (UCRRA) educator Eva Barnett is back by popular demand for this fascinating class on Bokashi composting. She will also answer questions for people who have been doing Bokashi since her last workshop in the spring.

Register here. Space is limited.

Saturday, October 3rd from 12:00 to 2:00pm. (Community Center)

We have been enjoying so much Melanie's incredible photographic art on our walls. The print sale will be a great opportunity to purchase unframed prints and see more of her beautiful photographs that didn't make it into this exhibition due to space.

From Melanie:

What to Expect: Participants of the Garden-Spruce Up Hour will be able to help NPCC's garden for an hour at 3PM. From 4-7PM, original framed and signed prints, bazaar-style pricing, artist meet-and-greet. 

Melanie Gonzalez is an Ulster County based photographic artist. Her photography has a concentration on vibrant double exposures of architectural landscapes and flora. Her sewing combines photographic studio skills with textile printing, patchwork quilting, including upcycled garments and accessories. She is also a recipient of the 2022-23 Creatives Rebuild NY Grant.

As a New York-based artist Melanie’s mission is to mesh the worlds of high art and daily living. She produces photo art under “Melanie Gonzalez Art” | Professional International Photo, Video and Sound established in 2014, and “Piedra y Sombra Designs” as part of Suzanna Productions (Photo | Sewing | Admin), est. 2019.

Full flyer here.

Thursday, September 3rd from 3:00 to 7:00pm. (Community Center)

Huge "thank you" to the Incredible teens from the Hudson Valley Bridge Builders Camp! They are kids from local churches, hosted by The Mount Academy. Last Friday was their final day of camp. and they worked on our little overgrown, weedy Pollinator Paradise garden. They completely turned it around! Please do visit and walk on the freshly manicured pathways. It looks stunning! We all had fun and agreed to do it again in 2027!

Some pictures from the day... here, here, here here.

The charming signs and mason bee hotel were made by Lenape students through Lisa Morganstein-Perl's Cornell Cooperative after school class.

Melanie Gonzalez:

"This collection is a deeply personal exploration of photography as a fine art medium with themes of New York State and architectural landscapes over a wide range of locations. My double exposures, created in-camera (Rock and Shadow/Piedra y Sombra series) are like a living archeology of urban decay, floral and pastoral glee, and experimentation with scale, color, analog processes and print outputs.

Local landscapes will take your viewership through New Paltz, Hyde Park, Wallkill, and various other places that make the Mid-Hudson Valley region a sparkling gem in the 11th state it resides in. Distinct tropical landscapes celebrate my exploration of Hispanic Caribbean heritage, mixed with photographic assignments in Brazil, Italy, Egypt, the West Coast, and beyond.

My 18 years as a practicing photographer has brought you this exhibition today, an exhibit that I hope sparks joy, pieces together inspirations, and reflects on shared history."

Join us for photographer Melanie Gonzalez's garden spruce-up community event and photography print sale on September 3rd. Thank you, Melanie, for adding so much beauty to our Center this summer!

Thursday, September 3rd from 3:00 to 7:00pm (Community Center).

We just completed the installation of a new pollinator rock garden at the Field of Dreams!

A group of volunteers planted around 260 seedlings endemic to our specific area. Some of them host endangered pollinators that need one specific plant to survive. This garden will not make a big impact to pollinators on its own, but will serve as a visual demonstration of the plants, so people will be inspired to plant them in their own gardens. Framing the plants are four Eastern Redbud trees that were planted last fall with a grant from NYSERDA, thanks to Neil Bettez. See pictures of Installation Day here and here.

This garden is one of several garden projects in our region organized by The Understory, formerly Partners for Climate Action (PCA). These projects were funded by a Monsanto settlement with the New York State.

A huge thank you to our volunteers from the New Paltz Garden Club, Wild Ones Mid Hudson, Gardens for Nutrition, and Little Logan's Veganic and Biocyclic Farm. Also huge thank you to former supervisor Amanda Gotto, who helped launch this PCA grant project, and landscape designers Ashley Gammel and Marvin Warren. Special thanks to Angela Sisson of Wild Ones for her endless wisdom along the way.

From Ashley: 

If you would like to help maintain the garden, please contact Joanna at recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov.

This years Recovery Festival was planned to be at Historic Huguenot, but because of the rain forecasted, Phoenix has moved it to the Community Center. Thank you to our West African Drumming and Dance teachers Assane and Mohammad for giving up their Sundays classes to accommodate this wonderful event. 

More information about the event here.