UPCOMING CALENDAR

This calendar is being regularly updated to reflect all event cancellations and postponements. However, it is recommended that readers contact event organizers before they attend. For the most updated version of the calendar, please visit or troyrecord.com.

DINING WITH DIABETES: Mondays, January 24, 31, February 7 and 28, 2022 at 6:30pm — Virtual Program via Zoom. Adults with type 2 diabetes (or those who are at risk of type 2 diabetes) and their family members, caregivers, and support persons are invited to participate in Dining with Diabetes. This free virtual program will help you learn the skills needed to promote good health while living with diabetes. Dining with Diabetes is an Extension program taught locally by Karen Roberts Mort, MS of Cornell Cooperative Extension Albany County. Participants will learn how to read the new food labels, count carbohydrates and plan meals using the Plate Method. There will also be time to discuss ways to stay motivated to eat healthy and stay active during the current health crisis. This class offers opportunities to connect with others who are dealing with diabetes. Healthy recipes, cooking techniques and even ideas for making healthier choices at restaurants and grocery stores will be shared with the group. A Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist has been invited to attend one of the sessions. Please register online at https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErf-ygqD4jH9f5xxKk0V3Il8E0bFtmCbCc in order to get the Zoom link for the series. For help with registering or any questions, contact Karen from CCE Albany at kem18@cornell.edu or leave a message at 518-765-3552.

CHRISTMAS TREE & LIGHT RECYCLING: Officials with the City’s Department of Public Works announced crews will be collecting Christmas trees during weekly curbside collection beginning this week. Real Christmas trees can be turned into mulch, or will naturally break down over time. Keeping real Christmas trees out of the landfill allows them to be used to build stronger soil in Troy. Please note: only “real” trees will be accepted. No artificial trees will be picked up. Residents are asked to follow the below instructions to ensure their Christmas tree can be collected for recycling: 1. Take all ornaments, lights and decorations off the tree, and remove the tree stand. 2. Place the Christmas tree next to your recycling and garbage on your normal collection day. 3. City Sanitation crews will pick up the tree. Collection will continue through January 31st, 2022. For more info, contact the Department of Public Works dispatcher at (518) 270-4579. For more info on the City’s recycling and sustainability efforts, or to sign up to receive the “Recycling Matters” newsletter, visit www. troyny.gov/recycling.

UNDERSTANDING SHAKESPEARE: Join us at the Troy Public Library on Thursdays, January 27th — February 24th from 6:30PM — 7:30PM for our Understanding Shakespeare workshop. This will be a five-session program on how to understand Shakespeare’s plays. In each of the five weeks we will discuss Shakespeare’s play one act at a time. In this session we will be discussing, Cymbeline. This program will allow the participants to put the play in a variety of contexts, such as its relationship to his other works and to the modern world. Tom Bulger, Shakespeare Scholar and former professor at Siena College will lead this workshop. Copies of Cymbeline will be available at the circulation desk. This program is free and open to the public. This is a hybrid program, you may attend in person or through zoom depending on your preference. Registration is necessary. The Troy Public Library is located at 100 Second St., Troy. For more information and to register, call the library at 274-7071 or online at www.thetroylibrary.org.

BEEKEEPING CLASSES: The Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA) announces dates for new beekeeping classes. A six-week Beginner Beekeeping Class starts on January 24, 2022, and a four-week Intermediate Beekeeping Class starts on March 7, 2022. Due to COVID restrictions, each course is a combination of guided study with weekly live interaction with experienced SABA beekeepers via Zoom. For detailed information and to register, visit the club website at www.sababees.org. The Southern Adirondack Beekeepers Association (SABA), located in eastern New York, promotes and supports the interests of beekeepers, both hobbyists and commercial, with educational and social activities. Counties served include Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington.

GOALS & INTERNATIONAL MINI-CLASS: Three Tuesdays, beginning January 18, 6:30-7:30 p.m. In this three-week class, students explore the meaning of Intention, its role in manifestation, and how to connect to it. Through exercises and discussion, they will also clarify their vision for their lives in 2022 and set some goals. Suggested donation per class session: $20. Fill out the Contact Us form on the website for registration info. Hosted by Albany-Saratoga Spiritual Adventures via Zoom. For more information, visit our meetup.com group AlbanySaratoga Spiritual Adventures, call (518) 366-9918, or visit www.newthoughtnewyork.org.

SQUASH HUNGER: Capital Roots’ Squash Hunger program is a food donation initiative that collects and distributes more than 40 tons of fresh produce to our region’s food pantries and shelters each year. Since 2004 Capital Roots has involved thousands of community members in our effort to increase the presence of fresh food on communal tables. We rely on generous gardeners, farmers and grocery shoppers to donate fresh produce to our collection bins and on volunteers to deliver it to food pantries and shelters, some of which feed more than 100 people three meals a day, every day. Our Squash Hunger donation bins are located at markets and grocery stores throughout the region, so it’s convenient for you to make a food donation while you shop. We rely on a broad network of volunteers to collect and deliver donations to pantries and shelters in their communities. If you are a volunteer, shelter, pantry or store manager who would like to participate, please contact us at 518-274-8685 or squashhunger@capitalroots.org. More information about the Squash Hunger program, including a full list of donation locations, is available online at https://www.capitalroots. org/squash-hunger/.

URBAN GREENING: Urban greening refers to public landscaping and urban forestry projects that create mutually beneficial relationships between city dwellers and their environments. Since the creation of its Urban Greening program in 1989, Capital Roots has planted thousands of trees and implemented many public landscaping projects throughout New York’s Capital Region. Every spring and fall we involve dozens of volunteers, many of whom are high school students, in city-wide tree planting projects. Committed community members take pride in caring for the trees as they continue to grow in our region’s neighborhoods. Vibrant green spaces improve aesthetic appeal,increase property value and decrease energy consumption. Our Urban Greening projects are grant funded. This makes it possible for Capital Roots to provide property owners with trees at no cost. If you are a property owner interested in having a tree planted on your land contact 518-2748685 or Tara at gardens1@ capitalroots.org.

COMMUNITY GARDENS: Community Gardens by local nonprofit Capital Roots offer plots around the Capital Region to anyone interested in growing their own produce. Gardeners receive nutritional, recreational, social and physical benefits from tending plots. Get the space, sunshine and support you need to grow your own food. More information about how to sign up for a community garden plot is available online at https:// www.capitalroots.org/community-gardens/ or by calling 518-274-8685. Orientations are held throughout March and into April for new participants at various locations throughout the Capital Region. In order to register for a garden plot, attendance at orientation is required. Orientation sessions are being held via conference calls this year. There is a suggested $30 donation to sign up for a plot. Donations are greatly appreciated and help support this program. The average cost to operate each plot is over $200 per year. If you have expendable income and garden with us, please consider giving more to support the continuation of the program for everyone. We take into consideration personal financial experience and will not turn anyone away from getting a plot due to a lack of funds. If paying the full suggested donation causes you to be less secure in meeting your basic needs, we will work with you.

SNOW EMERGENCY

PLAN: Mayor Patrick Madden is reminding Collar City residents and families to review the city’s Snow Emergency policies and procedures ahead of the winter season. The plan includes street-level parking restrictions and expanded off-street parking options, and is designed to assist city crews in clearing snow and ice from roads across Troy during and after heavy snowfall events. Under a snow emergency, normal parking rules and regulations are temporarily suspended on designated snow emergency streets only. To review the city’s Snow Emergency plan, and to view a full list of designated streets, visit www. troyny.gov/snow-emergency

SINGLES OUTREACH SERVICES: Bringing people together to enjoy a common experience of performances and more in the Capital Region of New York, Capital Region Social Happenings is a registered name of Singles Outreach Services, Inc. and is a New York state non-profit organization. More information about the group and its upcoming events is available online at www.facebook. com/CapitalRegionSocial/.

ROCHMON RECORD CLUB: Join us at an upcoming Rochmon event for an evening of music and community. Each show our host Rochmon Chuck Vosganian takes the room on a high fidelity journey through classic albums spanning many genres and decades. More information about this series, including a schedule of upcoming events, is available online at www.rochmon.com.

REALITY CHECK: Reality Check is a youth-led movement in New York State that empowers youth to become leaders in their communities in exposing what they see as the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. The organization’s members produce change in their communities through grassroots mobilization and education. More information about Reality check and how to join the movement can be found online at www.realitycheckofny.com or www.facebook. com/realitycheckofny.

DROP IN TECH HELP: Beginning Thursday January 6, 2022, one-on-one assistance with technology will be available through the Troy Public Library’s “Drop-In Tech Help” program. An ongoing program, TPL librarians will be on-hand to help with laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other common devices brought in by patrons. Librarians will also explain and help navigate common apps, such as Gmail and Instagram, and library resources like OverDrive/ Libby and Hoopla. Assistance will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. This program is provided weekly on Thursdays from 10AM to 11AM, in the first-floor Troy Room of the Main Library. This program is free and open to the public. No registration is necessary. For more information, call the library at 274-7071. The Troy Public Library is located at 100 Second Street, Troy.

RAISE A PSALM: Festival Celebration Choir invites you to sing with us this spring. Our Spring concert, RAISE A PSALM, features a variety of biblical Psalms set to music by classical and contemporary composers and arrangers. Rehearsals are Mondays from 7:00 pm to 8:15pm at First Lutheran Church, 181 Western Avenue, Albany beginning Monday, January 24th, 2022. Vaccinations and masks are required. The Spring concert will take place at 3:00pm on May 15, 2022 at First Lutheran Church, Albany. Email Albert Yasus at contact@festivalcelebrationchoir.org or Julie Panke, Director at kirkechor@ earthlink.net for more information or visit our website (festivalcelebrationchoir.org) to download order/registration form.

HIGH AND MIGHTY WINTER PROGRAM: High and Mighty Therapeutic Riding and Driving Center in Ghent is accepting new students for our Winter Session beginning on January 3rd. All sessions will be weather permitting. Volunteers are also needed to assist with mounted and unmounted activities. Even a couple of hours a week would be a great help to our participants. High and Mighty is a not for profit that serves people of all abilities, veterans, and seniors. For information on lessons or volunteering ,please contact Rachel@high-n-mighty. org or call us at 518-6724202.

APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITY: The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) for Tri-City Electricians, Local Union #236, will conduct a recruitment from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 for 60 Electrician apprentices. Applications are available online at any time, during the recruitment period, at www.tricityjatc.org. Applicants can visit Tri-City Electricians JATC, Local Union #236 at 428 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, NY, for assistance with completing applications. A computer is available at the union’s office lobby for applicants who do not have access to a computer. Applicants may also be able to access computers at their local library. Please note that the 60 openings listed for apprentices represent the total number for four recruitment regions — the Capital District, Mohawk and North Country regions of the state. For further information, applicants should contact TriCity Electricians JATC at (518) 785-5167. Additional job search assistance can be obtained at your local New York State Department of Labor Career Center (see: dol.ny.gov/careercenters).

COHOES ROTARY ORNAMENT & MUG SALE: In 2004 The Rotary Club of Cohoes started a collectible series of Christmas ornaments featuring historic landmarks in the City of Cohoes. This year’s ornament depicts St. Agnes Church. A portion of the proceeds for the sale of the 2021 ornament will go to support the programs at the Connect Center for Youth, currently operating in the former St. Agnes Church. Following are previous ornament designs in the series: 2004-the Cohoes Falls; 2005-the Harmony Mills; 2006-the Cohoes Music Hall; 2007-the Cohoes Mastodon; 2008-Cohoes City Hall; 2009-the Half Moon; 2010-Silliman Memorial Church; 2011the Van Schaick Mansion; 2012-Keveny Memorial Academy; 2013-Cohoes High School; 2014-Cohoes Library; 2015-the former Cohoes Movie Theatre; 2016-Carlson’s Ice Rink; 2017-Erie Canal Locks; 2018 Cohoes Armory; 2019-Matton Shipyard; 2020-Cohoes 150th Anniversary logo. Coffee mugs with the St. Agnes design are also available for purchase. Cost for ornaments is $20. Mugs are $10. To purchase ornaments or mugs go to http:// www.rotaryclubofcohoes. org for further information. Ornaments and mugs are also available for purchase at Marra’s Pharmacy, 217 Remsen Street, Cohoes.