Thank you, Wallkill View Farm, for your generous donation of summer flowers and winter foliage at our Community Center entrance!

We are a community of beekeepers in the New York Hudson Valley.

Are you interested in beekeeping? Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced beekeeper, we welcome all ages and skill levels!

What We Offer:

• A friendly and supportive group
• Educational speakers, hands-on workshops, and demonstrations
• Open Q&A sessions for beekeepers of all experience levels

Come connect with fellow beekeepers and grow your knowledge in a warm, welcoming environment.

Learn more on our website:
www.ulsterbees.org

Every fourth Monday from 7:00 to 8:30pm. (Community Center)

Want to help our community lower our carbon footprint? Join our volunteer crew and two SUNY New Paltz interns to help maintain the Community Center's compost bins. The bins are turned weekly to help create ideal conditions for microbes, speeding up the decomposition process, and resulting in odor-free and rich compost. If interested, please contact Joanna at recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov and she will give further instructions.

Thank you to UCRRA for providing our compost bin signage!

Update: SUNY New Paltz Volunteers Ben and Aiden will be finishing up their internship soon. They've done an incredible job keeping the compost turning. Give a thanks if you see them!

We are welcoming ideas for these free crafting sessions at the Community Center. Please contact Joanna at recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov for more information.

Pollinator Paradise Garden needs new signs. Original signs were made by the New Paltz Middle School students and art teacher Mary Jane Nusbaum in 2021. Sadly, they have faded and weathered over time. Wood and paints can be provided, if needed. Please email Joanna at recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov for more information.

Update: Lisa of Cornell Cooperative Extension will be facilitating sign making with 4-H Lenape kids!

Help maintain and beautify the Community Center pollinator garden! Activities can include mulching pathways, cutting back perennials for layered blooming, or weed identifying and pulling. If interested, contact Joanna at recreation@townofnewpaltzny.gov, and she will give more details.

The Pollinator Paradise Garden was installed in 2021 by the New Paltz Middle School Climate Club. Using only native plants, landscape designer Liz Elkin created the initial design. High schooler Nikola Salvestrini painted the mural. New Paltz Middle School art teacher Mary Jane Nusbaum assisted the students in making the original signs.

Stay tuned for a native pollinator garden planting party at the Field of Dreams this spring, funded by Partners for Climate Action. Details to come.

On September 4th, Mike Murphy of Cornell Cooperative came to our Community Center compost bins to advise new SUNY student interns Aiden and Ben on compost maintenance. SUNY professor Eric Keeling will advise them on a research exercise pertaining to the compost. The interns will also be helping to aerate and maintain the compost system on Thursday afternoons. You are welcome to say hi!

Here is a picture of Mike explaining to Aiden, Ben, Eric, and community volunteer Steven that the compost should reach 130 degrees or more for peak decomposition activity.

Here the decomposing material is laid out on a tarp to search for the organisms that do that work.

Here is an example of one such organism.

Here a participant adds her kitchen scraps while the guys shovel the compost from one bin to another. The larger the pile, the more efficiently it will decompose, the faster it will turn to ready compost.

Here they are adding moisture to the pile with buckets of water. Water is important for keeping the microbial activity alive.

Here is a picture of the ready compost. Please take! Bring your gloves so you can sift out the plastic bits.

Dive into the culture of West Africa every Sunday afternoon at the Community Center!

Assane Badji Sylla and Momadouba Camara, both originally from Guinea, teach drumming and dance, a practice they say “is healing to the mind and body. When you embrace these activities, it will fill your mind, body, and heart with freedom and blessings.”

Sylla has been playing drums since he was four. He went on to perform with his uncle on the djembe, dundun, kenkeni, and sangban drums, as well as the 21-key balafon, a type of xylophone made with gourds. He also traveled the world as the Director of the Senegalese-based Ballet Bougarabou. Camara is a Grandmaster of the djembe, but also plays many other African drums and instruments. Together they have taught and performed throughout the Hudson Valley for over two decades.

See flyer here.

For more information, see their Facebook page. $15 per class ($25 for both), $10 for students. No one turned away.

Every Sunday from 3:00 to 5:30pm. (Community Center)

Since 1995, the New Paltz Baseball and Softball Association has been the official softball and baseball recreation program for New Paltz and Gardiner children, ages 4 to 15, as recognized by the Town and Village of New Paltz, and the Town of Gardiner. We are chartered through Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth. These affiliations enable the New Paltz Baseball and Softball Association to have full access and use of the softball and baseball fields owned by the Village and Town of New Paltz.

The NPBSA offers a variety of divisions for players of all ages and ability levels, ranging from Tee-Ball to Senior League. The Association is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment in which young people can develop their skills, learn teamwork, and make friends. The NPBSA also strives to promote good sportsmanship and provide a strong sense of community involvement among its players and families.

View website here.