Arts and leisure digest

Monroe brary hosts African jewelry sale today Monroe - The Monroe Free Library be selling handmade African jewelry on behalf of international nonprofit, BeadForLife, Friday afternoon, Aug. 5., beginning at 2 p.m. BeadForLife has a simple model. They partner with Ugandan women living in poverty, and encourage them to make handmade bead jewelry, which is then sold in the United States. BeadForLife paid nearly $1 million to the jewelry makers in , dramatically increasing the income of the artists. There are several types of jewelry available, and a wide variety of prices. The least expensive items cost less than $5, and the most expensive necklaces cost $25. For more information about the organization, visit www.beadforlife.org. 'The Hobbit’ performances are Aug. 5 and 6 Sugar Loaf — The Kings Youth Theater summer workshop is presenting its own production of J. R. R. Tolkien’s, “The Hobbit” on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5 and 6 ,at 8 p.m. at the Lycian Centre in Sugar Loaf. “The Hobbit” is the first of the Middle Earth stories penned by Tolkien and follows the quest of home-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins to win a share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. The Kings Youth Theater Summer Production Workshop has been working in movement, vocals technique, rhythm and text to develop this version of The Hobbit. Paul Ellis, director of the Kings Youth Theatre conducts the Summer Workshop and is directing The Hobbit. The cast includes: Siobhan Hill, Sarah Wilson, Isaac Kiernan, Anna Salas, Sean O’Brien, Maylin Morales, Chris Jones, Kawani Waynick, Nikki Alessandrino, Mackenzie Martin, Marcella Martinez, Erica Pikul, Morgan Gray, Paige Dillon, Austin Brock, Thomas Driscoll, Kevin Raleigh, Marissa Reuter, Georgia Mottola, Karina Volk and Andrew Tejedor. The project began last winter with a group of eight students and the director. The group spent the winter and early spring assembling pieces for inclusion in a script. That resulted in a finished draft which was used this summer as a guide for the twenty student actors that will be performing the finished piece. Performances are at Aug. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. “on the Wharf” Theatre by the Lake at the Lycian Centre. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased by calling 469-2287. Black and Blues Weekend on tap at winery Warwick — The Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery will host a Black and Blues Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6 and 7. The festivities start on Saturday with Docs Blues and BBQ. Performers include The Midnight St. Shakers, The Petey Hop Band, The Reddan Brothers Band and The Michael Packer Blues Band. Expertly prepared barbecued chicken, pork and oysters will be available for purchase. Music and barbecue will start at noon. Aug. 7, Black Sunday, is the winery’s tribute to the music of Johnny Cash. Black Sunday started six years ago to pay tribute to Johnny Cash and celebrate his life and music. Performers include PEU$ CASH, Marty Koppel, Tim O’Donohue, The Dave McKeon Band and The Whiskey Sinners. The winery’s bakery and café, Pané will be open serving sandwiches and pizzas. The outdoor grill and BBQ will also be open. (No coolers.) Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information visit www.wvwinery.com or call the tasting room at 258-4858. Rabbi to speak at Congregation Eitz Chaim MONROE — Rabbi Shalom Hammer will present a lecture called, “Israel: Struggle for Survival. Vision of Continuity,” on Sunday. Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. at Congregation Eitz Chaim in Monroe. The lecture will deal with the aftermath of the war in Gaza. Hammer served with the Rabbinate of the Israel Defence Forces. He is the author of three books, and has lectured throughout the Diaspora regarding Israel, Jewish Education, and the challenges facing the Jewish world and Israel today. He currently serves as one of eight lecturers who help to motivate the soldiers in the IDF. He is also a contributing writer for the Jerusalem Post. There will be a question and answer period after the lecture. To learn more, call Edith Barlow at 269-3791 'Music Under the Stars’ concert series continues Aug. 7 West Point - The West Point Concert Band will continue its “Music Under the Stars” series on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at West Point’s Trophy Point Amphitheatre. Entitled “A Night at the Movies,” the performance will feature a collection of well-known music from cinema. This concert is free and open to the public. Call 938-2617 to learn more. Chester Historical Society hosts ''high tea’ at on Sunday, Aug. 7 CHESTER — The Chester Historical Society will hold a “high tea” on the terrace of its 1915 Erie Railroad Station Museum at Winkler Place in Chester on Sunday, Aug. 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. The Bygone Hats exhibit will be on display. Tickets are $ 20 each. Call 820-2318 or 469-4674. Purple Heart Appreciation Day is Aug. 7 New Windsor — The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and the New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Sites are honoring Purple Heart recipients on Purple Heart Appreciation Day Sunday, Aug. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event includes a presentation on “Why We Are Here Today: The Significance Of Purple Heart Appreciation Day” followed by a cake cutting and singing by Song of the Valley Chorus, Sweet Adelines International. The New Windsor Cantonment staff will interpret the life of the Continental soldier with demonstrations on blacksmithing, 18th century medicine and surgery and musket firing. Admission is free. Call 561-1765 to learn more. 'Making the Boys’ to screen at Downing Newburgh — “Making the Boys” will have two screenings at the Downing Film Center starting on Sunday, Aug. 7. “Making the Boys is at once political and personal. It is a history lesson, a sociological study and a memoir. It is a tale told with warmth and humor. And it is irresistible,” wrote Pam Grady in her Box Office Magazine review. In 1968, “The Boys in the Band” began as a ground-breaking play that earned historical significance by being the first successful work to authentically depict gay characters. “The Boys in the Band” became a film directed by William Friedkin in 1970. Simultaneously praised for being a landmark moment in gay visibility, and yet often condemned for reinforcing stereotypes, the film version of The Boys in the Band became Hollywood’s first about gays and sparked a controversy that still exists four decades later. Featuring anecdotes from the surviving cast and filmmakers, as well as perspectives by legendary figures from stage and screen, “Making the Boys” traces the behind-the-scenes drama and lasting legacy of this cultural milestone. Barry Plaxen, managing editor of the Delaware and Hudson Canvas, will speak and entertain a talk-back following the 7:30 p.m. screening on Monday, Aug. 8. Plaxen was the administrative director of “The Boys in the Band” when it ran in New York City. Screenings will take place on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m. and on Monday, Aug. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Regular admission prices will be in effect. A portion of the box office gross will be donated to: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. For more information and tickets, call 845-561-3686 or 800-974-8592 or visit the Web site at www.downingfilmcenter.com. Shakespeare in less than two hours: 'That it should come to this’ Sugar Loaf — The Lycian Centre’s “On the Wharf” Theatre by the Lake will present “The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare (Abridged).” a comedy where three guys set out to present all of Shakespeare’s plays in one evening. In under two hours, guests are treated to a “roast” of The Bard that includes Titus Andronicus as a cooking show; Othello as a rap song; all 16 comedies rolled into one; the history plays as a football game; and Hamlet — fast, faster and backwards for a total of 37 plays in 97 minutes. Performances are Aug. 12 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21. Friday and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased by calling 469-2287. Note bene: “That it should come to this” comes from Hamlet (Act I, Scene II). Bethel Woods to hold harvest fest Bethel — The Harvest Festival at Bethel Woods will kick off its 13th season on Sunday, Sept. 4, and continue Sundays through Columbus Day weekend on Oct. 9. The festival is a community program of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and blends a traditional farmers’ market with a diverse craft village, offering music and educational programming. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The festival has activities and entertainment for the entire family. The event will feature a farmers’ market, craft area, various foods from local vendors, live music, corn and hay mazes, and educational programming for children. Each week, various special events will be featured, offering a diverse line-up of activities for festival-goers. Admission to the festival is free, however some activities have a charge and parking is $2. Pets are not permitted on festival grounds. Season-long support of the children’s area is provided by ShopRite Supermarkets. Visit www.BethelWoodsCenter.org for more information.