The holiday season kicks into high gear with a downtown visit by Santa, tree lightings and an indoor street fair and affordable art and pottery sale for holiday shopping. The Nyack Art Collective kicks off the weekend with a special First Friday, Hopper House features their artist of the month and there are new art and historic exhibits to peruse. Also: a Pink Floyd tribute and an un-in-Mansionable estate sale.
Friday
On the First Friday of each month, local businesses host art and music events.
- This month the Nyack Art Collective artists invite you to help them help animals waiting for forever homes. Come to Casa del Sol for a silent auction of animal themed art. Make a donation or drop off supplies for the Hudson Valley Humane Society, Hi-Tor Animal Shelter, or Community Cat Initiative. Donations will be collected at Casa del Sol through December 14. Live music from Down the Mountain with special guest Michelle French. 8p, 104 Main St, Nyack.
- Reception for Collette Fournier, the First Friday Artist of the Month from 6-7p and a gallery talk on Collette Fournier’s Retrospective: Spirit of a People, a a historic embodiment of four decades of her photography archives from 7-8p at Edward Hopper House, 82 N Broadway, Nyack.
- The Peter Furlan Quintet is back at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar with their smooth jazz sounds. 8 & 9:30p, 2 N Broadway, Nyack.
Saturday
- Take part in a Dutch tradition at the Saint Nicholas Day Family Program at the Jacob Blauvelt House. See shoes magically filled with goodies, hear wondrous and joyful stories, enjoy holiday refreshments and meet Saint Nicholas and his beautiful horse. The program is 45 minutes beginning at 10:30a with the last one at 3p on Sat & Sun, 20 Zukor Rd, New City.
Visit the Historical Society of the Nyacks’ new exhibit Marydell – Over Ninety Years – Serving – Mentoring – Caring!, a nostalgic glimpse of timeless moments in the lives of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine from 1924 to now. 1-4p, Depew House, 50 Piermont Ave, Nyack. Exhibit is open every Sat from 1-4p through February 24, 2018.
- Collette V. Fournier presents and discusses her photography in a historic embodiment of four decades of her photography archives entitled Retrospective: Spirit of a People. This hour and a half presentation with a Q & A takes the viewer from black and white to color imagery and from film to digital capture. Free to the public. 1:30p, Martin Luther King Multi Purpose Center, 110 Bethune Blvd, Spring Valley.
Vogue Mansion Estate Sale: If you are one of those nosy neighbors who likes to peek inside Open Houses to see how the 1% live the life you wish you lived, you can up your game on Sat & Sun in Stony Point. Described as a place where “the glamour of a Newport mansion meets Broadway & the Arts,” the one time home of brick baron James Garner is steeped in history, including a 1920’s show business connection and the art director for Vogue Magazine. You can do more than just gawk; it’s also a chance to buy some of the “hidden treasures.” Sat & Sun from 9a-4p, 168 Filors Ln, Stony Point.
- Celebrate the Lighting of the Tree of Peace and Light at Marydell Faith & Life Center and honor or memorialize a loved one with a light on the tree. 4p, 640 N Midland Ave, Upper Nyack.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Start it off at the Holiday Lights of Nyack where the Bossy Frog Band and the Sunrise Choir entertain you as you wait for the tree lighting and Santa to arrive on his special sleigh. Enjoy free refreshments from Nyack’s own, Didier Dumas. Bring a coat to benefit the Nyack Homeless Project. 4-6p, Veterans Park Gazebo, Main and Cedar St, Nyack.
- Music and images come together as Dark Side of the Hudson performs Pink Floyd’s Animals and Dark Side of the Moon with many of the iconic British band’s original film projections. This is a special show, not to be missed, presented by Rivertown Film. 8p, Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave, Nyack.
Looking for the perfect Christmas tree? Why drive hours to that tree farm? Shop local and support your fire company. The Nyack Fire Department Empire Hook & Ladder Co. has plenty of beautiful Christmas trees right in your neighborhood. Pack up your family and go pick your very own tree. Open every day, N Broadway and Castle Heights Ave, Nyack.
Sunday
- Need a gift for someone who has everything? Head to the annual Nyack Indoor Street Fair and Gift Gallery. Find unique “one of a kind” gifts from your favorite Nyack merchants all under one roof offered at special holiday discounts. Find hand-made art, jewelry, fashions, sweets and so much more. There will be great entertainment all day to put you in a holiday mood. 10a-5p, Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave, Nyack.
Rockland Center for the Arts is holding an Affordable Art & Pottery Sale, just in time for holiday gift giving. Items include: functional ceramics, original 2-D & 3-D art, ceramics, jewelry and a collection of ceramics from the estate of Rosemary Aiello, a beloved RoCA teacher. Every day through December 21, 11a-4p, 27 S Greenbush Rd, West Nyack.
- Opening reception for local Nyack artist Lotte Petricone’s Scattered Moments: Mixed Media Works at the Valley Cottage Library. These recent works begin as collages on wood, using parts of evocative images cut or torn from various print publications. The found images are combined with acrylic paint and the layers of various transparencies build and form rich colors. The exhibit runs through December 27. 1-3p, 110 NY-303, Valley Cottage.
Next Week
Wednesday
Join family, neighbors and friends at the first Heritage of West Nyack Tree Lighting and Holiday Open House at historic Traphagen. Enjoy live music, a visit from St. Nick, hot chocolate, cider and other treats. 6:30-8:30p, 131 Germonds Rd, West Nyack.
Thursday
The Nyack Farmers’ Market goes “under cover” for the winter. Enjoy your favorite local farmers’ market in the warm and cozy Nyack Center. Every Thursday through March, 8a-2p, 58 Depew Ave, Nyack.
Looking Ahead … Saturday, December 9
To celebrate 15 years of keeping the lights shining while delivering a nature-connected curriculum, Strawtown Studios presents Illuminations, a make and take gift making benefit. Strawtown instructors will guide you through creating gifts inspired by and crafted from nature. Tickets include instruction and all craft materials for abundant gift-making, light refreshments, fireside music and a few surprises. Space is limited. Tickets are available online, $25 (discounts on 3 or more), age 4 and under free. 2-5p, Marydell Faith & Life Center, 640 N Midland Ave, Upper Nyack.To get the Nyack Weekender delivered to your mailbox auto-magically every Friday morning, add your name to our mail list. Visit our online sign-up sheet to subscribe.
