Arts and leisure digest

Irish Center boasts Halfway to St. Pat’s Day party Monroe — The Monroe Irish Center will host a Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 8 to 11 p.m. The event will include music and dancing, along with traditional Irish fare and beverages. There will be a special performance by the Orange County AOH Pipes and Drums. The cost is $15 per person and $25 per couple. The center is located at 10 North Main St. in Monroe. For more information, call 978-8483 or 325-1255. Open house and pot luck church brunch Sunday in Highland Mills Highland Mills - The Highland Mills United Methodist Church recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and will hold an open house and pot luck brunch on Sunday, Sept. 19 starting with its Sunday Worship service at 9:15 a.m. The church has become known in Woodbury as “the church with the sign,” with messages of inspiration and good cheer shown regularly. All Mozart concert Sunday at Pacem in Terris Warwick — Pacem in Terris again welcomes Krista Bennion Feeney and Owen Dalby, violins, and John Feeney, bass, with friends David Cerutti, viola, R.J. Kelley, horn, and Alexandra Cook, horn, for an all Mozart concert on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 19, at 5 p.m. The program will include selections from “Twelve Duos for Horns,” Adagio and Menuetto in B flat Major K. 266 for two violins and bass, Duo for violin and viola in B flat Major K. 424, and Divertimento no. 17 in D Major K. 334 for two violins, viola, bass, and two horns. The music will be played using historic instruments (gut strings, classical bows and natural horns) with the original instrumentation specified by Mozart. Pacem in Terris is located at 96 Covered Bridge Road in Warwick. Tickets go on sale at 4 p.m., rain or shine. The suggested donation is $10. No reservations are possible. Auditions to be held for murder mystery Washingtonville — Auditions for “The Fall of the House of Kutsher,” a murder mystery performance being presented as part of Orange Library Association’s Big Read, will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, at Moffat Library. The murder mystery is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24, at the Middletown Senior Center. Several rehearsals will take place before the performance. Needed are these characters: Edgar Allan, a male in his 40s with a dry sense of humor; maid, young female with a French accent; lawyer, an older male; and the library representative’s assistant, a good-looking younger male. Previous theater or improv experience is helpful. The show is being written and directed by Keith Dougherty of Murder Mystery Manhattan and he will be assisted by Janet Droll of Monroe. Moffat Library is located at 6 West Main St. (corner of routes 94 and 208) in Washingtonville. For more information, call Lisa Hewel at 496-5483, ext. 326. Musical ‘Recycled Grease’ will feature senior citizens Middletown — The Orange County Arts Council will sponsor a production of “Recycled Grease,” featuring senior citizen actors, at Southwinds Retirement Home, on Sept. 24, 25, Oct. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. John Michel will direct, with choreography by Shawn Schorno. Alice Shane is the musical director and Danielle Tornone is the stage manager. General admission is $20. Senior citizens are $15. Group rates are available. Southwinds is located at 70 Fulton St. in Middletown. For more information, call 733-5869. Concert will pay tribute to Dominican Sisters of Hope Newburgh — The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra with the Classic Choral Society, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church Choir and Newburgh Symphonic Chorale will perform In Tribute to the Dominican Sisters of Hope on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. in Aquinas Hall at Mount St. Mary College. The tribute to the Dominican Sisters, who founded the college, is for over 125 years of contributions to the communities of Greater Newburgh. The guest soloists are soprano Suzanne Clune, mezzo-soprano Eunjoo Lee, tenor Robert Hughes and baritone Goonshik Yang. The music is Schubert’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Mozart’s Laudate Dominium from Vesperae solennes de confessore and Haydn’s Missa solemnis No. 14 in B-flat Major, “Harmoniemesse.” Ticket prices are $25 for reserved seating, $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors, $10 for students, and children under 7 are admitted free of charge. Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved at 913-7157 or www.newburghsymphony.org. Take a lighthouse cruise on the Hudson in October Haverstraw — Spend an evening aboard the historic M.V. Commander for a two hour cruise along the Hudson River on Saturday, Oct. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. While on board, learn about the history surrounding Haverstraw Bay, the Lower Highlands, and the 1826 Stony Point Lighthouse as told by local history narrator, Scott Craven. The illuminated Stony Point Lighthouse will be viewed en route. Advanced reservations required; call the site office at 786-2521. Admission: $30 adults, $25 seniors (62+) and $15 children (5-12). The evening program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Stony Point Battlefield & Lighthouse and Hudson Highland Cruises, Inc. The evening’s proceeds will directly benefit the Friends’ Lighthouse Lens Fund.