Around Town — Virtual and Live
Compiled by Janice Llanes Fabry
<<The Rye Free Reading Room and Rye Historical Society>>
All are invited to a community screening and discussion of Ava DuVernay’s documentary, “13TH”, on June 25 at 7. Providing historical context for the systemic racism within the criminal legal system, the film is available on Netflix and discussion participants are asked to view it ahead of time.
Panelists guiding the discussion are Anti-Bias/Anti-Racist Educator Kristy Leader and Courageous Conversations leader Nicole Hines.
For more information and to register, visit ryelibrary.org/13th. Registrants will receive a Zoom link for the discussion.
Curbside services continue at <<The Rye library>>. Visit ryelibrary.org, place a hold, schedule an appointment, and pick up a summer read. Activity kits for kids are also available for pickup.
For online services — reference, readers advisory, technology assistance, as well as virtual programs — visit ryelibrary.org.
<<Rye Nature Center>>
Summer camps will be up and running June 29-August 21. Visit ryenaturecenter.org for the Center’s Camp safety plan and protocols as it follows CDC guidelines. Email lisabarbera@ryenaturecenter.org for additional registration information and allisonrogers@ryenaturecenter.org for safety protocols in place.
Explorer camps for kids entering pre-K or K will be held from 9-1; Discoverers for K-grade 5 (grouped by age) from 9-3; Naturalists in Training for grades 6 and 7 Mondays-Wednesdays and Fridays from 9-3, Thursdays from 9-7.
Themes include Raptor That, Surprise Scientists, Hometown Habitats, Out of This World Engineers, I Will Survive, Dinosaur Discovery, All About the Elements, and Micro Worlds.
There will be a Paddle Adventure Camp for grades 8, 9, and 10.
<<The Rye Arts Center>>
Sign up for virtual summer classes that include drawing, painting, ceramics, coding, robotics, and more. An Online Resource web page for kids’ activities, as well as museum and art project videos, is also available
<Fryeday Not Live> episodes featuring community performers and the Ladies Comedy Night are available for streaming at ryeartscenter.org.
<<The Rye YMCA>>
The Y has made the difficult decision to cancel summer camp, however, it is offering childcare for age 5-12 from June 29–August 12 for a limited number of families. The program will feature arts and crafts, games, sports, STEAM, and more. Visit ryeymca.org for more details.
Plenty of online resources will continue, including fitness and meditation classes for youth and adults. Visit the Rye Y at Home YouTube Channel as well.
<<Bird Homestead & Meeting House Conservancy>>
An online screening of the documentary “The Life and Gardens of Beatrix Farrand” will be available for viewing July 11 and 12 at any time of day. The only female founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Farrand (1872-1959) designed more than 200 landscape commissions in her 50-year career. The film features her most celebrated works, including Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C.; the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the New York Botanical Garden; and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Farrand, the niece of Edith Wharton, had to fight through the challenges of working in a male-dominated profession. Many of her gardens are being rediscovered and restored. Filmmaker Karyl Evans, a six-time Emmy Award winner, visited more than 50 sites from Maine to California.
The Conservancy presents this program in honor of Alice Bird Erikson (1903-1994) of the Bird Homestead. She was educated at Lowthorpe, a leading professional school for landscape architecture and horticulture in the early 20th century, and the first to train women.
To obtain a link for viewing, email a request to birdhomestead.meetinghouse@gmail.com.
<<Wainwright House>>
Visit wainwright.org for online yoga, movement, and meditation classes. Participants may register and set up a Zoom account for Therapeutic, Yin, and Energy Flow yoga; Mindfulness Meditation; Tai Chi; and QiGong.
<<Rye Youth Council>>
Visit ryeyouthcouncil.org for programming that connects kids, teens, families, and seniors. Middle School and High School Grandfriend programs, as well as a Tech Leadership Club, encourage intergenerational engagement through virtual interactions between tweens/teens and senior citizens living at The Osborn.
Becoming a Leader Through Sports is a five-week interactive learning experience that empowers middle schoolers with the life skills they need on and off the field.
KidCast is a group of Rye High School teens who entertain kids, ages 3-5 and 6-8, virtually and free of charge, every Monday and Wednesday.
A comprehensive list of Covid-19 Resources is also available.
<<Rye Recreation>>
As more social distance programs become available, they will be listed at https://www.ryeny.gov/government/recreation-department/programs-activities. Currently, tennis lessons for grades 1 through adult are available Tuesdays through Thursdays. Golf camps for ages 5-14 run from July 6-August 31.
In addition, Dance/Movement/Music and STEAM/Robotics camps are available.
Virtual programs are posted daily on Facebook, @RyeRecreation, and Instagram, Rye_Recreation.
<<Jay Heritage Center>>
The Center will present a series of conversations about race and social justice throughout the summer. On July 14 at 6, join Brent Leggs, the executive director of the African-American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for a virtual discussion “Saving African American Historic Places.” The event will be moderated by Jorge Otero-Pailos, Director and Professor of Historic Preservation at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture.
For over a decade, Leggs has worked tirelessly to preserve African-American cultural landmarks. He was featured in a New Yorker profile this year.
<<Read Sanctuary>>
The grounds of the 179-acre wildlife sanctuary remain open for park users wearing masks and maintaining a distance of six feet. Take a stroll through the shoreline on Long Island Sound, Manursing Lake, marsh wetland, forest trails, a bamboo groove, and flowering fields.
<<Westchester Children’s Museum>>
The Museum continues to provide access to virtual activities and experiments, curated by its educators. Visit discoverwcm.org for weekly STEAM-based activities for the whole family.
Kids ages 2-5 can join Early Childhood Manager Jeannette on Zoom every first and third Wednesday at 11, and more Story times every second and fourth Wednesday. In addition, follow the museum on Facebook and Instagram for musical mornings.
<<The Carver Center>>
The Center’s Market continues to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1-5 or until supplies last. Pre-packaged food and meals are distributed from the playground behind the building. The Center is working closely with community partners and the staff is working hard to adhere to strict safety and self-distancing measures.
Donations to support the Center’s response to the COVID-19 crisis can be made through carvercenter.org/donate/