Arts and leisure digest

St. Stephen’s to host seventh annual Taste of the Town on May 15 Warwick - Organizers have planned something different for St. Stephen’s seventh annual Taste of the Town: Instead of a weekday dinner with friends, a leisurely Sunday afternoon that will be spent sampling and sipping has been planned for Sunday, May 15. The tents will open at 1 p.m. and provide food, beverages, live entertainment, and children’s activities until 6 p.m. At least 25 local restaurants and beverage vendors will be showing off their wares. Taste of the Town benefits St. Stephen’s School and Parish and is a convenient way to sample some of the specialities from neighborhood restaurants. Patrons pay one price for admission ($4 in advance or $5 at the door) and will buy “taste tickets” once inside. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The food and beverage vendors will treat “taste tickets” as currency and charge anywhere from 1 to 3 tickets, depending on what they are serving. Tickets are available at the parish and school offices at 75 Sanfordville Road in Warwick or at Frazzleberries at 24 Main St., Warwick. To view participating restaurants and for more information, visit www.tasteofthetownonline.com or call 845-325-4638. Hudson Valley Fair returns to Dutchess Stadium Fishkill — The Hudson Valley Fair will open on weekends at the Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, from Friday, May 6, through Sunday, May 22. Fair gates open to the public on Fridays at 5 p.m. until midnight and Saturdays and Sundays from noon until midnight. Fair admission is $8. Buy one, get one free admission coupons are available at www.HudsonValleyFair.com. For a schedule of events, directions and for vendor information, visit www.HudsonValleyFair.com or call 631-920-2738. Chamber Winds presents 'Classics on May 7 Washingtonville — The Hudson Valley Chamber Winds will present its second concert of the season, “Classics for Winds,” on Saturday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Washingtonville. The program, is comprised of three masterpieces for winds: the overture to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera, “The Magic Flute”; Igor Stravinsky’s neo-classic “Octet for Wind Instruments”; and Antonin Dvorak’s “Serenade in d minor for Winds, Op. 44.” Visit www.hvchamberwinds.org or call 629-5681 to learn more. Juilliard Trombone Choir concert scheduled for May 8 at West Point West Point — The Juilliard Trombone Choir will perform a concert of modern masterpieces and transcriptions of traditional favorites for the sound of trombone ensemble in the Cadet Chapel at West Point on Sunday, May 8, at 3 p.m. The Juilliard Trombone Choir will join the forces of the USMA Band Trombone Ensemble and Craig Williams, USMA organist/choirmaster, who plays the chapel pipe organ - the world’s largest pipe organ in a house of worship. The concert is free and open to the public. Visit www.westpoint.edu/special to learn more. Nature museum hosts wildflowers and heirloom veggies set sale fro May 14 Cornwall — The Hudson Highlands Nature Museum will host a wildflower and heirloom vegetable sale on Saturday, May 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center There will be a large selection of native wildflowers that are beautiful and assist wildlife in many ways. Also for purchase will be heirloom vegetable seedlings which are a variety of garden delights that are not genetically engineered. Visitors will learn about composting with red worms and can take some home, and meet gardeners from the area, ask questions and get some gardening tips. The event includes two presentations: at 9:30 a.m., Hummingbirds in Your Garden and at 11 a.m., How to Get Started with Worm Composting. For more information visit www.hhnaturemuseum.org or call 534-5506, ext. 204. Hudson Opera to present 'Cavalleria Rusticana’ and 'Gianni Schicchi’ beginning May 21 Middletown — The Hudson Opera Theatre will present Giovanni Verga’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Giacomo Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” on Sunday, May 15, Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22, at The United Presbyterian Church of Middletown. All performances are at 7 p.m. Casts for the two shows include soprano Victoria Tralongo, as Santuzza in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” and tenor Kevin Courtemanche as Turiddu, with Middletown baritone, Gustavo Morales, as Alfio. Kathryn Tate of Warwick sings Mamma Lucia and New York City Opera soprano, Charlotte Detrick, sings Lola. Detrick returns in “Gianni Schicchi” to portray Nella, one of the avaricious relatives along with Kevin Courtemanche and Gustavo Morales. They are joined by soprano Jeanai La Vita as Lauretta and young Middletown tenor, Justin Randolph, as Rinuccio. In a rare tour de force, artistic director, Ron De Fesi, will conduct “Cavalleria Rusticana” and then sing the title role in “Gianni Schicchi.” General admission is $30. Seniors, $27 and students, $20. Children under 13, free. For tickets and information call 661-0544 or visit www.hotopera.com. Alzheimer’s socialization program is May 13 Vails Gate — A free socialization gathering for those with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia and their family caregivers will be held Friday, May 13, beginning at 2 p.m., as part of the Orange County Socialization Program at the New Harvest Christian Church on Route 94 in Vails Gate. This program provides an opportunity to socialize in a safe environment, according to officials. Pre-registration is required. Call the Alzheimer’s Association at 695-2247 for more information.