Nyack’s Earth Week Events

by Marianne Olive

All those who have committed to either a booth, a lecture, a workshop, nature walks, wild edible workshops, beekeeping, gardening, knitting and spinning circles, river rowing, EMS or entertainment, please confirm with me by Monday evening. Include phone numbers and all information pertaining to your event. Thank you in advance for making this wonderful Green Event possible. I want to carefully schedule dates, times, locations of workshops and booth spots. All participants are responsible for their own tables, chairs, tents, and everything needed for their scheduled event, vending, food or workshop etc.

The following is the itinerary for the weeks events:

Saturday April 17th:

• An annual “Brunch Celebrating Women of Leadership and Vision” will be held at the Nyack Community Center from 10am to 12 noon honoring:
• Dr Joan Gussow; a food producer, former Columbia University educator, a writer and author and Trustee in Pierment.
• Barbara Kohlhausen; CEO and President of Meals on Wheels
• Orial A Redd; Retired assistant Westchester County Executive of Human Rights and a civil rights activist
• Trudi Feiner; Community activist who helped organize Head Start and served on the Board
• Barbara Brecht
• Guest speaker will be Marina Marchese, author of “Honeybee” and owner of Red Bee Apiaries.

Sunday, April 18

Nyack Springfest from 9 to 5pm. A booth space, provided by the Chamber of Commerce will be an information center for the weeks events for Earth Week. Volunteers will man the booth as well as pass out flyers and information about the weeks events.

Monday, April 19

• Historical Society volunteer, Leontine Temsky will conduct a walking tour of the historical commercial buildings of Nyack. The meeting place will be on the corner of Broadway and Hudson Street. Meet Leontine at the Post Office at 2pm. The walking tour will be from 2-4p.
• Christina Daly, choreogrpaher, writer, and storyteller, will narrate one of her childrens stories, conduct an interactive dance class, and present a short performance for the children at the Head Start on Depew from 10-11a.

Tuesday, April 20

Christina Daly, choreographer, writer, and storyteller, will narrate one of her childrens stories, conduct an interactive dance class, and present a short performance for the children at the Montessori School on North Broadway from 10 till 11:00am

Wednesday, April 21

Sparrow Dance Productions will conduct a Dance-A-Thon at “Olive’s” from 6pm till 10 pm. Lessons in Swing, Modern, Structured Improvisation and an Introductory Ballet Class. All are welcome for free. Please register by contacting Marianne Olive at

Thursday, April 22: EARTH DAY! 40th Anniversary

• Nyack merchants will clean up there storefronts and have inviting Spring Window displays.
• Paul Tappenden, an active forager and mural artist will conduct a “Wild Edibles Workshop” from 5 to 6pm. Meet at Memorial Park.
• The Butterfly Garden at Memorial Park will be cleaned and planted by the Garden Club with the help of Blue Rock School.
• Costume Making Workshop at the Nyack Library on April 22 at 6pm> Linda Fassa, from Green Babies will be helping to make costumes. She will also donate lots of organic cotton fabric for the project. All are welcome to participate. Volunteers welcome!

Friday, April 23

The Shakespearian Troupe called “Shakespeare For Fun”will honor Shakespeare by doing an earth friendly Shakespearean reading on Olive’s stage from 7-8p.

Saturday, April 24

• Keep Rockland Beautiful will host a “Clean Up Nyack” event. Meet at the Nyack Center to between 9 and 10:30 to meet, greet and pick up supplies. Please volunteer an hour to “Clean Up Nyack”!
• Paul Tappenden, an active forager, will conduct a “Wild Edibles Workshop” from 2-4p. He will teach sustainable ways of selecting, gathering and preparing wild edible food. Meet him at Hook Mountain at 2p.
• Join Daniel Bieber, Director of Rockland Country Day School and the Nature Place Day Camp’s Summer Studios, a new day camp rooted in the arts and nature, for a walk above Nyack Beach as we explore Spring through our senses. Meet him at Hook Mountain at 10a (2 hours).

Sunday, April 25

• “The Parade of All Beings” will begin at 11a. Participants will meet at Riverspace parking lot. The parade will go down Main St and right on Broadway, left on Depew and into Memorial Park for the festivities.
• The Sierra Club will be doing a “Cycling for Recycling” that will end in Nyack just in time to follow the parade down Main St and into Memorial Park.
• River Rowing will provide lessons on how to row using an ergine machine.
• Eastern Mountain Sports will provide eight kayaks with instructors for rides in the Hudson.
• The Amazing Grace Circus will be performing from 12 to 2pm. They will teach the kids how to juggle and use a hula hoop. they will also build a human pyramid.
• Jake Vonghoul from Opednews will be doing a demonstration on making ” fizzies” a healthy soda out of fresh juice and club soda. He will also discuss healthy school lunches.
• Knitting Nation; Nyacks source for beautiful yarns for knitters and crocheters want to share our love for fiber arts with the community at the Earth Day celebration. They will be demonstrating knitting, crocheting and spinning. They also will be displaying hand knit items and offering some projects for sale.
• Holistic Mom’s Network will have a booth and workshop on connecting parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. We encourage moms to trust their instincts, parent from the heart, live in balance with the earth and information on the pros and cons of health care and parent options.
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s master gardeners will do workshops on the following:

Rain Barrels- Angel Lopez
Vermecomposting: Janet Fenton
Composting- Janet Cooper Wetherly (only till 12 noon)
“Green Babies”; Linda Fassa will be doing a workshop on making rag dolls with both children and adults.

There are still available booth space so if you are interested please call or email Marianne.

• Sparrow Dance Productions will perform choreography by Christina Daly with audience participation.
• Marina Marchese: owner of “Red Bee Apiaries” and author of “Honey Bee” will give a workshop on beekeeping, demonstrate and have products from her apiary.
• Ron Breland, my beekeeping mentor and master gardener, will do a workshop on organic beekeeping capturing honey bee swarms and rehiving them. Ron has made great strides in how to save the honey bees.
• Poetry and Essay Contests about Earth Day will be conducted in the local schools and the winners will read their poem or essay in the Gazebo at Memorail Park.
• Games, contests and races will be organized by the Nyack College kids and high school seniors.
• A number of local politicians such as Connie Coker, Ellen Jaffee, Harriet Cornell, Chris St Lawrence, Mayor Richard Kavash and Nancy Lowe Hogan will speak on what they will do this coming year to support green initiatives.
• Marianne Olive, a beekeeper and organic raised bed gardener,will speak about my life being raised with goats, pigs, chickens and honey bees and how I came to love them. I will also speak about the importance of back yard gardening.
• OPed News and Rockland Progressives; Jake will talk about school food and high fructose corn syrup. They will also do a workshop on making soda out of fresh juice and seltzer.
• We have a list of bands who will be featured all afternoon. They are as follows:

International Generation
International Mighty Lockdown
Rustico Accoustico
The 4th Best cover Band
Frankie D and the Boyz
Vox Lumina and the River Gypsy Medicine Show
PJ Blues

• We will have some local restaurants with a booth making wonderful food and desserts and home made soda.
• The days events will end with a Beekeepers Ball which will be moved to “Olive”s” along with all the bands and dancers,at 118 Main St, where there will be a costume contest and a big jam with all the bands. The dancers will also perform at this event.

All those who are are part of this event PLEASE contact Parks Commissioner Marianne Olive by Monday night to arrange order of events. Thank you all for your amazing support and participation in the 40th Anniversary of Earth Week. Any businesses, organizations, community groups involved in recycling, alternative energy and energy conservation, organic food, water conservation. recycled products and clothing who are interested in participating, or for more information please contact oliveboss@aol.com or call (845) 596-2985 or (845) 358-8540.