UPCOMING CALENDAR

CREATE YOUTH ART EXPOSITION: CREATE Council on the Arts is thrilled to announce the 40th year of its annual youth exhibition “Outside The Lines,” featuring artwork by pre-K through Grade 12 students invited from Greene, Columbia and Schoharie County public and homeschools. This collection is the culmination of a year of study in which area youth learn and develop life skills such as concentration, problem solving, understanding and working with materials, translating ideas into art, and aesthetic appreciation. CREATE’s extraordinary annual exhibit is made possible by the participation of numerous teachers, administrators, students and their families. CREATE plans to celebrate this momentous occasion with a special preview of the show at Gallery@CREATE to coincide with Catskill’s First Fridays on June 2nd from 4-8pm. Party favors will include art goodie bags for kids and “Face Painting by Crystal” from 5:307:30pm. An opening reception will also be held on Saturday, June 3rd from 2-4pm. “Outside the Lines” 2023 will be on view June 2nd to July 2nd. Gallery@CREATE is located at 398 Main Street in Catskill and is open Fridays, 4pm-7pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-6pm. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit: www.CREATEcouncil.org.

BLACK FILM FESTIVAL: The Palace Theatre in Albany announces its first annual Renaissance Black Film Festival, June 22—25 at the historic Palace Theatre and the opulent Renaissance Hotel, both within walking distance from one another. RBFF will show films from a plethora of Black filmmakers across the country, with awards and cash prizes going to Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best First Project. The festival’s curators are accepting submissions up until June 7.

For more on the Renaissance Black Film Festival, including show and event schedules, volunteer opportunities, and, most importantly, how filmmakers can submit their work for viewing, please visit palacealbany.org and filmfreeway. com/blackfilmfestny.

DANCE LESSONS: Capital Region Social Happenings & Singles Outreach Services Events. 435 New Karner Road (Hanover Square Building) at “Hill” door entrance. Wednesdays, 7 pm. $10 for all. Public welcome. Call 518-4526883 for information.

PHOTO EXHIBIT: PHOTO EXHIBIT: Amateur Photographers are invited to take some photos and submit them to the Photography Exhibit at the Schuylerville Garden Club’s Annual Standard Flower Show. The show entitled “Road Trip, New York” will be held on July 22 and July 23 at the Town Hall in Schuylerville, NY. The photography section is entitled “Oh, What a View”. The classes are as follows: Class 1 “Make Memories” —My favorite place to visit in NYS; Class 2 “Discovering Nature” — Showing a natural wonder in NYS; Class 3 “Inside Looking Out” — Seen through the window in NYS. All photos should be the work of the exhibitor and be scenes of New York State in keeping with the flower show theme. Photos should be 8 x 10 inches with a white 11×14 inch mat. Photos must be pre-registered. For details and an entry form, visit www.schuylervillegardenclub.org or call Nancy Derway, Photography Consultant at 518-796-4797 campderway@yahoo.com.

ART SHOW: D’Arcy Simpson Art Works, 409 Warren Street, Hudson. “Chromatic Scale” by Michael Simpson on display until June 1. “Megacosm” by Joseph Stabilito on display June 3-July 19. Museum hours: noon to 5 pm every Thursday- Monday.

ESYO AUDITIONS: Auditions for the Empire State Youth Orchestra are open until June 9. Solo recordings from as early as January 1, 2023 can be used for your upcoming ESYO audition. If you are preparing for a recital or a state solo and ensemble festival, capture/record a video and save it for your ESYO audition. Visit https://esyo.org/ join for full details.

EARLY ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT & EDUCATION: EASE is an eight-week interactive learning program for people with early stage memory loss and their care partners. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, as well as current research and treatment plans. Other topics covered during the 8 weeks include legal and financial preparation, communication and compensatory strategies, home safety, and community resources. A support group is also offered at the end of each session. The program will be hosted every Monday April 17 to June 12 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Alzheimer’s Association Northeastern New York Chapter Office at 1003 New Loudon Rd. in Colonie. This program is free but registration is required. Please call or email Tony Rivera at 518.675.7214 or tarivera@alz. org, so he can connect you with your local dementia care specialist for a pre-screening.

USS SLATER: USS SLATER, the last Destroyer Escort afloat in America, is open to the public for her 26th season in Albany! No reservations are required, and guided tours start every 30 minutes. Admission is charged. Adults: $10, Seniors & Veterans: $9, Children under 18: $8.00, and children under 5 years old are admitted for free. We are currently booking Group Tours, for 10 or more people, for Spring and Summer, call the Ship’s Store to schedule your visit! USS SLATER is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through 26 November 2023. The ship is located in Downtown Albany on the Hudson River at the intersection of Broadway and Quay Street. USS SLATER is owned, maintained, and operated by the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, a private, non-profit, charitable organization that receives no regular government support.

VISIONING CLASS: 8 Class sessions on Tuesdays beginning on April 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Visioning is a method developed by Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith for tuning into divine guidance. The purpose of this course is to awaken to the transformational nature of Visioning, to learn the Visioning process, to understand the organic nature of how the vision unfolds, and how to implement the Visioning process throughout our lives. When practiced regularly, Visioning can transform every aspect of our lives from clarity about our life purpose, to our interpersonal relationships, to the organization to which we belong, and the societies in which we live. Suggested donation: $20 per class session. For more information or to sign up, fill out the Contact Us form at www. newthoughtnewyork.org.

ART SHOW: The Clifton Park Senior Community Center Gallery, 6 Clifton Commons Ct., Tel. #: 518-3831343 and Southern Saratoga Art Society will be hosting an exhibit in the Gallery during the months of April and May featuring seven photographers and members of SSAS. Artists include Cheryl Jenks, Rebecca Jenkins, Denise Kornak, Meda Rigatti, Brian Skanes, Anup Sood and Bill Staudinger. Please visit the venue and support the arts in Southern Saratoga County. For further information about SSAS visit our website: southernsaratogaartist.com or check us out on Facebook.

KNIT & CROCHET GROUP: Join the Troy Public Library for a bi-weekly stitching group from 10 to 11 a.m. every first and third Friday of the month. Whether you have experience knitting or crocheting or you want to start learning a new skill, this group is for you! Participants will work together to stitch blankets and other needed items to donate to local homeless shelters and outreach groups. Participants are also welcome to work on their own personal projects. Bring your own knitting needles and crochet hooks or use what we have available. This in-person event is free and open to the public. No registration required. The Troy Public Library is located at 100 Second Street, Troy.

TUTORS NEEDED: Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County helps more than 160 adults each year to gain the skills they need to be employed, participate in community life, and become U.S. citizens. LVORC needs volunteer tutors to do this work, and you can help! As a tutor you can develop new skills, make friends, and see how your efforts make a difference in your community. Would you like to help someone to read and write, or to speak English as a new language? We can train you. Contact mhellerlvorc@aol.com to register. Visit the website for more information: www.lvorc.org.

READING MENTORS NEEDED: Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County needs volunteer reading mentors for the Everybody WINS! Power Lunch program at School 14 in Troy. Power Lunch increases children’s chances for success in school and in life through positive reading experiences with caring adults. Elementary school children are paired one-to-one with volunteer mentors from local businesses, colleges and the community. Volunteers read aloud to their reading partner once a week during lunchtime. Everybody WINS! mentors meet with students at School 14 and School 2 in Troy, and at Van Rensselaer Elementary in Rensselaer. For more information about EW Power Lunch! and LVORC’s other programs and services, visit www.lvorc.org or call (518) 244-4650.

THE CIRCLE OF MOTHERS: Do you have a teen who is struggling? Come find peace and support with other mothers. What is said in the circle stays in the circle. Email us for details: TheCircleOfMothers@gmail.com.

STORYTIME LEARN & PLAY: Thursdays at 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. at the Troy Public Library, located at 100 Second St., Troy. We will share stories, songs, movements and more! Masks are optional but are not required. For children ages 0-5 with a caregiver. Registration is not necessary.

STORYTIME LEARN & PLAY: Fridays at 9 a.m. at the Lansingburgh Branch of the Troy Public Library, located at 27 114th St., Troy. We will share stories, songs, movements and more! Masks are optional but are not required. For children ages 0-5 with a caregiver. Registration is not necessary. Please note: this program occurs before the library opens for the day. Please enter through the side door on 4th Avenue.

COMMUNITY MEAL: YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, Inc., located at 21 First St. in Troy, serves a weekly community meal from 5 to 6 p.m. each Tuesday. It is a free-of-charge, to-go dinner provided for YWCA residents as well as anyone in the community. All are welcome to join us each week for a free, nutritious cooked meal. Meals are prepared by a variety of volunteers including but not limited to YWCA-GCR staff, residents, community members and students. Residents are encouraged to participate in preparation of the meals and will be assisted by staff in menu planning, shopping and time management. We serve an average of 75 people per week. The YWCA-GCR also partners with community organizations to set up booths at weekly Community Meal to advertise, promote and engage guests in services. Residents and community members can call the YWCA-GCR at (518) 274-7100 to find out Tuesday’s menu. More information about this program is available online at www. ywca-gcr.org.