Celebrate Earth Day weekend in Nyack with song, sustainability…and salsa. The Rockland County Jazz and Blues Society presents Brazilian Jazz at the Union Arts Center on Friday. Then there’s salsa and merengue to dance to, folk-rock to, well, two-step to, a little bit of country, opera, modern jazz and cello music. Film buffs have two screenings to choose from, theater lovers get Macbeth and art aficionados have an exhibit opening to peruse.
Friday
Go to Rio without leaving Rockland with the legendary Rio born trumpet and flugelhorn player, Claudio Roditi for An Evening of Brazilian Jazz. Roditi will be joined by Richard Sussman on piano, Itaiguara Brandao on bass and Gordon Lane on drums. Presented by the Rockland County Jazz and Blues Society. Tickets are available online, $25 Adults/$20 Members & Seniors/$10 Students. 8p, Union Arts Center, 2 Union St. Sparkill.
- Deceit, fabricated political events, government cover-ups, scheming masterminds… no, it’s not the headlines, it’s Equivocation, a modern-language telling of the story of Shakespeare’s acting company and the writing of Macbeth. 7p, The Tappan Manse Barn, 32 Old Tappan Rd, Tappan.
- Salsa and merengue the night away with the EV Band at Maura’s Kitchen. 9p, 81-83 S Broadway, Nyack.
- Folk-rock duo, Aztec Two-Step perform at The Turning Point. 8p, 468 Piermont Ave, Piermont.
- Feeling a little bit country? Country Fresh will take you there. 9p, Nyack Pour House, 102 Main St, Nyack.
Saturday
- It’s Earth Day and here are several ways to celebrate or give back to Mother Earth:
- ISO Green Volunteers: Desperately Seeking Shovelers! If you want to make Nyack a greener place, volunteers are needed to get 19 trees into the ground. If you can spare a few hours to help, email Marcy Denker who is coordinating the on behalf of Nyack village.
- Participate in the Great American Cleanup and help clean up your community. In Nyack meet at 15 Cedar St and in Central Nyack meet at 58 Waldron Ave. Cleanup will be from 9a – 12p.
After the clean up, stay for Nyack’s Earth Day Celebration and Music Fest, a fantastic day of live music, food vendors, used battery drop, local artisans, craft projects and unique hands-on activities. Cedar and Main St, Nyack.
- Celebrate the conservation of more than 30 acres of land surrounding the beautiful Hook Mountain at Marydell Faith and Life Center where the dense woodland and meadow overlooking the Hudson River will remain undeveloped and accessible to all. Please RSVP to Lauren Lawson. 11a-2p, 640 N Midland Ave, Nyack.
- Reduce, reuse, recycle at an Earth Day Tag Sale. You can also bring your batteries, eye glasses, prescription medications, and ink jet cartridges to be recycled. 9a-3p, Sat and Sun, Palisades Community Center, 675 Oak Tree Rd, Palisades.
Be the first to see Jamey Jackson’s Surfacing Art Exhibition at an Opening Reception. Surfacing is a visual testimony to the effects of nature and the passage of time on our world and on us. Layers of weathered, distressed and cracked textures give each piece complexity and a bit of mystery. 7p-10p, Bell-ans Volition Gallery, 103 S Greenbush Rd, Orangeburg. The exhibit will run through May 28.
- Garner Arts Center screens Jim Jarmusch’s latest film, Paterson, which was partially shot in the Garner Historic District. Sit back and enjoy this acclaimed independent film in the 19th century dyeing warehouse, Dye Works. 7:30p, 55 W Railroad Ave, Garnerville.
Sunday
Grace Music presents the ESSB Jazz Orchestra, an ensemble of 18 musicians who perform a unique blend of modern jazz and classical crossover music. Their intricate arrangements and compositions create new sounds and sensations. 4p, Grace Episcopal Church, 130 First Ave, Nyack.- Nyack College Opera Workshop presents Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. Proceeds from the performance will go to the victims of the devastating tornado that struck Ottawa, IL, the hometown of vocal/choral professor, Joel Jameson. 3p, Pardington Hall, 45 South Blvd, Nyack.
- Don’t miss Cello-mania, some of the world’s most beautiful music for cello and orchestra as performed by the Rockland Symphony Orchestra. 4p, Green Meadow Waldorf School Rose Concert Hall, 307 Hungry Hollow Road, Chestnut Ridge.
Next Week
Wednesday
Screening of In Defense of Food, a film based on Michael Pollan’s 2008 book which explores the risks of diet-related diseases, and the value of eating healthy foods. Joan Gussow, a noted nutritionist and author, will introduce the film, which is sponsored by Rivertown Film Society, and participate in a panel after the film, along with RFA president, John McDowell, and Cropsey Community Farm manager Pearl Wetherall. 7p, Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave, Nyack.
