Don’t Miss
Camp Fair & Chanukah Family Concert
Camping is transformational in so many ways. Come meet campers and representatives from 11 Jewish overnight camps that will be doing some awesome activities like, using a bike to power a blender, creating a DNA model, and making granola bars, Friday from 5-7 p.m. at Community Synagogue. Questions? Contact rs@comsynrye.org.
Receive a raffle ticket from each camp table to win great prizes. Camp grants up to $1,000 available at most camps for new campers. Visit www.jewishcamp.org for more information.
Following the camp fair, attend the ninth annual Chanukah family concert, featuring Joshua Nelson and the Gospel Singers, at 7:30 p.m.
Rye Rec Winter Program Signup
Resident registration begins December 9 at 9 a.m. and non-resident registration begins December 16 at 9 a.m. For a complete list of programs and costs, visit ryeny.gov/recreation.cfm.
This Weekend
Holiday Artists and Artisans
Shop for the holidays at Wainwright House’s artisan marketplace, The Old Curiosity Shop, featuring limited edition handcrafted works from local artists beginning Friday.
At 7 p.m., enjoy “King George and the Royal Tree,” a marionette performance by Kim Profaci and her class of puppeteers.
From 7-9 p.m. silhouette artist Andrea Peitsch will be on hand to capture your images. Cost is $35 per subject.
At 7:45 p.m., Charles Dickens himself will read “A Christmas Carol.”
On Saturday from 1-5 p.m., enjoy a day of live music and caroling, dancing, and seasonal treats. At 2 p.m., families can learn Victorian folk dancing with live music.
On Sunday from 2-4 p.m., grownups can enjoy a performance of “Unscrooged,” a new adaptation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” presented by The Small Town Theater Company. A reception will follow the show.
For more information, visit wainwright.org or call 967-6080.
Walk With the Animals
Take part in an animal adventure, Saturday from 9:15-10 a.m. at the Rye Nature Center. Cost is $10 for members, $15 non-members.
Ceres-ly Seasonal Wreaths
Swing by the porch of the Square House, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and buy decorated wreaths and arrangements of winter greenery from the Ceres Garden Club of Rye. Homemade baked goods and handcrafted ornaments are for sale inside the museum. The wreaths cost $20 and the basket arrangements of greenery are priced according to size.
Money raised helps cover the cost of the cascading geranium baskets the Club hangs from the lamp posts in downtown Rye each summer.
Om for the Holidays
Learn on-the-go meditation techniques, Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Rye library. Whether you are standing on a long line at the mall, riding a crowded train, or stuck in a tense business meeting, spending just a few moments in meditation will restore your calm and inner peace.
Awesome Adaptations
Meet live animals and learn about their adaptations with naturalist Anthony Cogswell at Read Sanctuary, Saturday at 1 p.m. Call 967-8720.
Meet the Maples
Help thin Marshlands Conservancy Norway maples, Saturday from 1-3 p.m. Bring work gloves; hand tools are provided. Call 835-4466.
A Classical Evening
Gifted young musical artists from Mannes College will perform in a salon series at Wainwright House beginning Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $100 for the series, $30 per event. For reservations, call 967-6080 or visit wainwright.org.
Friday Book Café
Delve into William Faulkner’s “Intruder in the Dust” at the next meeting of the Friday Book Café, Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Call the library at 231-3161 for this meeting’s offsite location.
Classical Holiday Chorale Concert
The Westchester Choral Society, along with soprano Kristina Bachrach and tenor Daniel Molkentin, will perform a holiday concert, Sunday at 3 p.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church. Enjoy selections from Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day,” Ralph Vaughan-Williams’s “Hodie,” Three Settings of James Agee’s “Sure on This Shining Night,” Franz Schubert’s Hebrew setting of Psalm 92, and more. The Music Director is Frank Nemhauser. David Baranowski will accompany the vocalists on piano and organ.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 students. Visit westchesterchoralsociety.org.
A Westchester Christmas
Trinity Presbyterian Church will hold its annual holiday benefit concert, featuring highly acclaimed pianist Ann Schein, Sunday at 4 p.m. at School of the Holy Child. The concert is Trinity Church’s largest single event of the year, attracting over 400 people from throughout the tri-state region.
Schein has thrilled audiences since her celebrated Carnegie Hall debut in 1962, launching a career that earned her praise in major American and European music centers and in more than 50 countries.
Along with Schein’s solo, the program includes jazz, pop, classical, and traditional Christmas music. Additionally, enjoy a string orchestra, congregational singing of carols, and world-renowned multi-Grammy award-winning jazz bassist John Patitucci, a church elder.
Trinity Church began in June 1995 as a daughter church of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan (which began in 1989 under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Tim Keller). They began with six couples and have grown to be a congregation of over 300 members and regular attendees.
Childcare for toddlers and a craft program for school-age children will be provided. There is no admission fee. For more information, visit trinitychurch.cc or call 967-6247.
Bonfire Sing-A-Long
Rye Rec will hold its Holiday Show & Sing-A-Long, Sunday in Rye Rec Park. The show begins at 4 p.m. followed by a bonfire and sing-a-long at 5 p.m. For more details, call 967-2535.
From the Good Hands People
All hands are invited to the Helping Hands for the Homeless and Hungry Holiday Party, which this year will be held at the home of a board member, Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. Enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and good company. Tickets are $50. Guests are asked to bring disposable diapers for families in need. Email helpinghandsrye@gmail.com.
Musical Transport to Another Time
The Jay Heritage Center presents a concert featuring Grant Herreid, Andrew Rutherford, and Daniel Swenberg, who will perform a pastiche of 18th and early 19th century arrangements that would have been enjoyed by generations of residents of the Jay Estate, Sunday from 6-8 p.m.
Enjoy historic works by European and American composers performed on English and Spanish guitars, theorbo, and lute.
Light refreshments will be served following the concert. Cost is $15 per person, free for members. For reservations, call 698-9275 or email jayheritagecenter@gmail.com.
Arts and Entertainment
Rye Teens Rock
Think you know all about Rye? You would be surprised at what local teens have learned about the factual tidbits, fashions, fables, mystery, myths and milestones that have made Rye what it is today. Come look at the Hometown History Week exhibit that is hanging at the Rye library through December 23.
Hudson Hues
“Art within Nature,” an exhibit of photography by Robert Uricchio, will be on display at the Rye library through January 4. Uricchio spends his time hiking and photographing the many different landscapes of the Hudson Valley. His images have been exhibited in area libraries as well as galleries in Hudson Valley towns and New York City.
Talks and Workshops
Streaming Session
The Rye library will offer a free computer workshop on Accessing Media, December 12 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Learn how to use the Windows Media Player to view video, listen to music CDs, and access Internet radio stations from around the world.
Cover-to-Cover
The Current Events Book Group, moderated by John Dolan, will meet at the Rye library December 17 from 6:30-8 p.m. to discuss “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
Health Care Talk, Unexpurgated Version
SPRYE presents a talk by Maureen Adams on the recent and ongoing changes in the health care system, December 18 from 3-4:30 p.m. at Wainwright House. Adams is Director of Clinical Operations at WESTMED.
Kids Corner
Ecology Club for Families with Special Needs
Children with special needs and a family center can enjoy animal programs, hikes, and other science and sensory adventures, December 14 at 10 a.m. at the Rye Nature Center. There is no fee but pre-registration is required. For more information, email christinesiller@ryenaturecenter.org.
Elves Are Here to Help
Let the Rye Nature Center elves help you prepare for the holidays. Drop your children off for a very special festive workshop while you finish your holiday errands and complete last minute holiday prep, December 21 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Half-day or full day programs are available. Children staying the whole day should pack a lunch.
Teen Times
Holiday Ornament Workshop
Celebrate the library’s ongoing centennial by learning how Rye residents decorated their homes for the holidays in 1913. Jennifer Plick, education curator at the Square House, will lead a workshop on December 14 at 2 p.m. at the Rye library. Learn how to make the sort of pretty ornaments that were in vogue one hundred years ago.
To register, call 231-3172.
Oh, Christmas Tree
Watch “The House Without a Christmas Tree” December 19 at 3:30 p.m. at the Rye library. The film, which stars Jason Robards as a widowed father, is about his daughter Addie’s attempts to have a Christmas tree despite her father’s refusal due to events from the past. The story takes place in Nebraska in 1946.
To Your Health
Gentle Yoga, Healthy Back
Tight hamstrings? Pain in the neck? Explore and practice gentle movements to help achieve and maintain a healthy back, December 9 and 16 from 2-3 p.m. at the Rye Y. The class is taught by Diane Negvesky, is a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher and exercise instructor who teaches for the Y at the Wainwright Yoga Center. Free for members. Great for ages 16 and up.
Exercise Both Brain and Body!
Dr. Jordan Metzl will be sharing the latest research on exercise from his new book “The Exercise Cure” December 17 at 7 p.m. at the Rye Y. Dr. Metzl will explain the benefits of fitness as it relates to each system of the body and discuss the keys to unlock your own exercise potential.
The lecture will be followed by his Ironstrength workout featured on RunnersWorld.com and viewed by millions all over the world, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. This is a plyometrics based, functional strength training class that utilizes your body weight and is great for all ages and levels. Children ages 8 and up are welcome with parents.
Metzl is a sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery. He has been voted among New York’s top sports medicine doctors by New York magazine and regularly appears on media programs including “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America.”
Ho, Ho, Ho!
Santa Calling
Rye Rec has made special arrangements to have Santa telephone your child at home. Registration is ongoing. Calls will be made December 9 and 10 from 6-8 p.m. For residents only. Call 967-2535.
Dear Santa
Through December 10, letters will be taken directly to Santa Claus at the North Pole before Christmas. Santa will answer as many letters as possible. The Rye Rec mailbox is located on the corner of Elm Place and Purchase Streets. No stamps are necessary, however, a return address is required.
Seasonal Story Hour
Ages 5 and up can listen to festive stories and make a fun holiday craft, December 13 at 3:30 p.m. at the Rye library.
Ready Your Lists, Kids
All ages are welcome to drop by and say hello to Santa just in time to give him their Christmas list, December 13 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Rye Y. Have your picture taken and make an ornament to take home.
Refreshments will be served. No registration is required.
Pancakes with the Man in Red
Ages 2-7 can enjoy breakfast and get their picture taken with Santa, December 14 at 10:30 a.m. at Rye Rec. Fee is $14 per person, $16 non-residents. Registration is required, as space is limited to 90 participants.
Santa requests that parents supply gifts, under $20 for him to distribute, and drop them off by December 11.
The program is sponsored by Corner Stone, Henri’s Bagel and Burrito Cafe, TD Bank, and Rye Seniors.
Nutcracker Create-a-Craft!
Ages 7-10 can celebrate the season with the beloved classic “The Nutcracker,” December 14 from 1:30-3 p.m. at the Rye Arts Center. Participants will read the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffman and create a three-dimensional scene from the story, while listening to the beautiful classical ballet score by Tchaikovsky.
The fee is $15. To register, call 967-0700.
Coming Full Circle with Wreaths
Families can learn how to use recycled materials and those from their backyard to create wonderful wreaths and holiday decorations, December 14 at 3 p.m. at the Rye Nature Center. Cost is $5 for member, $8 non-members.
Square House by Candlelight
Step back in time and experience a colonial Christmas at the Square House, December 14 from 7-9 p.m. Costumed docents will guide visitors through the tavern room, kitchen and second floor rooms by candlelight – battery-operated of course. One will be able to imagine the likes of John Adams and George Washington sitting at a table discussing current events with curious residents, and Widow Haviland preparing a fine meal for her guests.
Mulled cider and holiday cookies will be available during this free event. For more information, call 967-7588.
School Vacation Camps
Rye Nature Center
Pre-school and elementary school students can take a nature break, December 23, 26, 27, 30, and 31 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Bring lunch and spend some time learning about nature in the winter and habits of local wildlife as the days grow colder.
Per child cost is $60 for members, $70 non-members. Pre-registration is required; call 967-5150 or visit ryenaturecenter.org.
Rec Rec
Children in grades K-8 can practice their swing and improve their game at Golf Camp, December 27 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Osborn gym. Cost is $60 for residents, $70 non-residents.
At Mad Science, grades K-4 will create a special snowball that will never melt. Explore and harness the form of energy called heat and use it to create chemical changes in sugar crystals to make a cotton candy treat, December 27 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Cost is $55 for residents, $60 non-residents.
For more information, visit ryeny.gov/recreation.cfm or call 967-2535.
Rye Y
At Basketball Camp, ages 5-11 can review the fundamentals of basketball, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. or 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Participants will be grouped according to age and skill level.
Ages 5 and up can spend a half-or full-day at Gymnastics Camp learning skills through drills, tumbling, and open workouts, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. or 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
For both camps: half-day fee is $50 for family members, $60 youth members, and $95 non-members. Full day fee is $70 for family members, $80 youth members, and $110 non-members.
Grades K-6 can participate in a variety of activities at Fun Club including sports, games, swimming, arts & crafts, science projects, field trips, and special events, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Per day cost is $65 for members, $80 non-members.
Camp dates are December 23, 26, 27, 30, 31, and January 2-3. For more information, visit ryeymca.org or call 967-6363.