The Hoosick Falls Country Club is offering a six week junior golf program. The program will begin Monday, July 7, and run through Thursday, August 14. Players ages 10-17 are eligible. Meeting days are Mondays and Thursdays from 9 am to 12 pm. It is open to members for free and non-members for $40 per participant. The course will be taught by coach Mike Baratto and consist of a range of topics from the fundamentals of grip, alignment and posture to course management. One hour of instruction will be given followed by on course play for those who are ready. Each player should have his/her own equipment. If interested, please email coach at mpb416@gmail.com or call 686-5916 with contact information of name, age and email or phone number.
Sports Outdoors
Hubbard Hall’s Annual Garden Tour
The Hubbard Hall Center for the Arts’ annual Garden Tour: Beauty from the Earth, Two Ways, will take place on Saturday, July 12. The tour will be held from 3 to 7 pm, rain or shine. Participants will tour a diversity of fascinating Cambridge area gardens.
This year’s tour features a new twist – each of our talented gardeners has been paired with an equally talented local ceramic artist. You get two tours for the price of one.
Featured Gardens and Ceramic Artists include:
• the ceramic sculpture of Teru Simon;
• the wood fired ceramic sculptures of Jordan Becker in a native garden;
• the sculpture of Leslie Ferst in an Italianate garden, and
• the ceramic birds of Hanni Varosy in a woodland garden.
Admission costs $15. Reserve tickets online at www.hubbardhall.org or by phone at 518-677-2495. Tickets will also be available at the Cambridge Community Garden, on Washington Street, on the day of the tour starting at 2 pm.
There will be a Bonus Event For Garden Lovers – a Garden Yoga Workshop on Sunday, July 13.
Hubbard Hall is located at 25 East Main Street in Cambridge. For more information on this and all Hubbard Hall programs, please call 518-677-2495 or visit our website at www.hubbardhall.org.
Music Under The Trees With The Hill Hollow Band
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is holding a Music Under the Trees event featuring the Hill Hollow Band on Wednesday, July 9, at 7 pm. One of the emerging bright lights in the Capital Region’s grass roots music scene, The Hill Hollow Band performs with a rambling energy that must be seen to be appreciated. Armed with a multitude of instruments, eclectic arrangements and musical influences that span a century, this band has a well earned reputation as local live performance favorites. Get ready to enjoy richly textured arrangements including accordion, mandolin, fiddle, guitars, pedal steel, bass and full harmony vocals. This free concert will be held outdoors. Bring a lawn chair. Light snacks will be available for purchase.
This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Dyken Pond Center and made possible with funding by EP&M, Portable and Custom Exhibits. The rain date is July 10. Come early to explore the Center. The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville. Contact us at 518-658-2055 or dykenpond@fairpoint.net for more information.
July Mid-Week Hike Series At Dyken Pond
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a Mid-Week Hike Series on July 8 and 17 from 2 to 4 pm. These hikes are fun, easy and guided. You can attend one or more of these hikes, so come join us this summer for some outdoor adventures! The mid-week hike series will run all summer long and a complete list of programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org.
Wetland Ecology, Jr. Naturalist Program At Dyken Pond
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a Junior Naturalist Program on July 9 from 1 to 3 pm. This program will teach Jr. Naturalists all about the different wetland ecosystems located at Dyken Pond Center and include a short hike through the trails. Students will learn about the different plants and animals that inhabit these wetlands as well. A $1 per child donation covers material costs. A complete list of programs can be found at: www.dykenpond.org. Pre-registration is encouraged to help with planning but not required and can be done by contacting the Center at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or 658-2055.
July Twilight Paddles At The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering Twilight Paddles in July on the 12th and 15th from 7 to 9 pm. The July 15 twilight paddle will be held during a full moon. Paddles are limited to 15 people and pre-registration is required. Boats can be rented for $10. Please call 518-658-2055 or email us at dykenpond@fairpoint.net to register or find out more information. A complete list of programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org.
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for hiking, fishing and non-motor boating. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent each day from 9 am until 3 pm.
Local State Parks To Take Part In Free Fishing Weekend
Grafton Lakes State Park and Cherry Plain State Park will offer free fishing without a license on June 28 and 29 as part of the NYS DEC’s Free Fishing Weekend. Grafton Lakes State Park is also offering a free fishing program for park patrons.
On June 28, DEC Fisheries Educators will offer “Go Fish! An Intro to Fishing for Families” from 9 am to 1 pm. Meet by the boathouse on Long Pond in Grafton Lakes State Park. Children and parents will learn the basics of fishing and identification, with fishing poles provided by DEC for this free class. First time fishermen are likely to encounter bluegill, pumpkinseeds and rock bass, as well as large and small mouth bass.
Grafton Lakes State Park is open for swimming daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Cherry Plain State Park is currently open on weekends only but will expand to offer swimming and camping daily starting July 4 through Labor Day. To make reservations, visit www.reserveamerica.com. Both parks open at 8 am for picnicking and all other day use activities and close at 8:30 pm. Parking fees are $8 per car at Grafton Lakes State Park and $7 per car at Cherry Plain State Park.
For more information about these and our other summer program offerings, please contact the Park Naturalist at 279-1155 or visit our website at www.nysparks.com/parks.
Upcoming Events At GLSP, Cherry Plain State Park And The Bennington Battlefield Historic Site
Saturday, June 28 – Go Fish! an introduction to fishing clinic from 9 am to 1 pm just past the docks by Long Pond Beach at GLSP. Instruction and fishing poles will be provided.
July
The Beach Nature Center will be open six days a week starting July 1. Meet local critters, discover some wild wonders and talk with our environmental education volunteers.
• July 4, Friday – 4th of July Sculpture Contest – registration at 12 pm, judging at 3 pm. This contest is free with prizes for all participants, but extra points will be awarded for originality. Join us on Long Pond beach at the Grafton Lakes State Park.
• July 5, Saturday – Treasure Hunt at GLSP – an introduction to geocaching at 3 pm. Learn about the fun and hugely popular outdoor activity of geocaching. Saratoga-Capital Region Parks have a region-wide Geocache Passport adventure awaiting you! Free to sign up, and you can explore parks and historic sites throughout the region and find hidden “geocaches” using a hand held GPS or an App on your Smart phone. Call for information and to pre-register at 279-1155.
• July 5, Saturday – Cherry Plain State Park Summer Program Series kicks off with “Time Travel Hike.” Ancient rocks, old homesteads and waterfalls will be explored along this two mile hike.
• July 7, Monday – Yoga in the Park Series Begins on Mondays through August 18 at GLSP. Deep stretch and relaxing yoga from 12 to 1 pm at the Deerfield pavilion or 6:30 to 7:30 pm at Long Pond Beach. The cost is $12 per class. All levels are welcome. For more information, please contact Kat Abrams at katyoga@hotmail.com.
• July 8, Tuesday – Pull Invasive Garlic Mustard and Make Pesto at 10 am at GLSP. Learn about this invasive plant and help us eradicate its small population from the Park. Celebrate our efforts afterwards with some freshly made pesto. Bring some bread and work gloves. Meet at the far end of main parking lot. Please sign-in at gate as volunteer. For more information, call the Park Naturalist at 279-1155.
• July 9, Wednesday – Yoga in the Park Series begins on Wednesdays through August 20. A strengthening yoga class will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 pm on Long Pond Beach at GLSP. The cost is $12 per class at the Beach every Wednesday.
• July 10, Thursday – Summer Outdoor Fun for Toddlers at 10:30 am at GLSP. Explore the Park in this program series for toddlers and pre-k-aged children. This event is free. Please pre-register at 279-1155.
• July 12, Saturday – Old Fashioned Field Day at the Bennington Battlefield from 1 to 2:30 pm. Have you ever taken the Pig to Market or played other colonial games? This is a free afternoon of fun for the kids. The Bennington Battlefield is located off of Route 67 in Hoosick.
Nature Survival – Junior Naturalist Program
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center kicks off its summer Junior Naturalist Series on July 2 from 1 to 3 pm. This program will teach Junior Naturalists basic outdoor survival skills. Students will learn how to build survival shelters and how to identify some common edible plants found here at the Dyken Pond Center. A $1 per child donation covers material costs. Junior Naturalist programs will run each Wednesday from 1 to 3 pm and are open to kids of all ages. A complete list of programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org. Pre-registration is encouraged to help with planning but not required and can be done by contacting the Center at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or 658-2055.
Dyken Pond is a Rensselaer County park open daily.
Sampling The Black Brook With The RLT
Sample the Waters at Ingalls Preserve’s Black Brook on Sunday, July 13, from 1 to 3 pm. Join the Rensselaer Land Trust as it hosts this citizen science opportunity – sampling the waters of native brook trout at their Ingalls Preserve’s Black Brook. [Read more…] about Sampling The Black Brook With The RLT