Arts and leisure digest

Temple Beth Shalom host Hanukkah celebration, beginning tonight Florida — Hanukkah will be celebrated all weekend long at Temple Beth Shalom, as the congregation extends an open invitation to the community to join them on Friday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. for a latke dinner and shabbat service with 101 menorahs. Everyone will bring their personal menorah to light the candles together and dine under their glow. Shabbat services will be part of the evening program. On Saturday, Dec. 4, at 9 a.m., the congregation will hold its Tot Shabbat program geared especially to the youngsters. And, then, on Sunday, Dec. 5 starting at 10 a.m. the religious school will hold its Chanukah Family Learning Extravaganza. Temple Beth Shalom is located at 13 Roosevelt Ave., Florida. For information call 845-651-7817 or visit www.tbsny.org. Library does the holiday hop tonight Warwick — The Albert Wisner Public Library Foundation will host a Holiday Hop as part of its first anniversary festivities on Friday, Dec. 3. from 7 to 9 p.m. The Rebel Red Band will perform a concert of seasonal favorites and familiar tunes. This is a family-friendly concert for folks of all ages who enjoy live musical performance. Lyrics will be provided for a sing-a-long and a space will be provided for dancing in its community room. Admission is free but concertgoers are encouraged to bring a non- perishable food items for donation to the Warwick Ecumenical Council Food Pantry. Call Kathleen Georgalas at 987-1047 or e-mail to kgeorgal@rcls.org for more information. Scrooge finds himself at the Lycian Centre Sugar Loaf — Kings Theatre Company will bring a new interpretation of Dickens’ classic tale of Scrooge to the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts in Sugar Loaf on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. Dickens’ spirited tale of a miser’s redemption at Christmas gets a musical remaking in New York Stage Originals’ production. As Scrooge renounces his quest for gold and announces his zest for life, the cast sing and dance to the joyous message of the season; that humanity can triumph over money, and goodness can cheer even the sourest soul. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Lycian Centre Box Office at 469-2287, Tuesday through Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. or on-line at www.LycianCentre.com. “The Nutcracker’ dances this weekend in Central Valley Central Valley — The Orange County Ballet Theater will present its 43rd annual production of the full length version of The Nutcracker on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2:30 p.m. at Monroe-Woodbury High School. All seats are $15. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.theocbt.com, at the Darlene Wilson Institute of Dance - 136 Lakeside Plaza, Newburgh, or by mail at: Orange County Ballet Theatre ,P.O. Box 3051, Newburgh, NY 12550 (enclose self-addressed, stamped envelope). For more information visit www.theocbt.com or call 562-6750 after 3:30 p.m. Warwick Historical Society hosts Wassail party on Dec. 5 Warwick - The Warwick Historical Society is having the annual Wassail Party on Sunday, Dec. 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. in Baird’s Tavern. Wassail is an alcoholic punch made with wine, sometimes cider, spices and most of the time is served chilled. It has been a tradition for the Warwick Historical Society for many years as a beginning of the holiday season. Music, hors d’oeuvres, other beverages and conviviality is what makes this party so successful. The rooms at Baird’s Tavern, located at 105 Main St. in the village, are decorated and the candles lit for the occasion. Call 845 986-3236 or send an e-mail to: whs@warwick.net for more information and to RSVP. Memorial concert planned Sunday for activist Beacon — Blues-folksinger Guy Davis and Rep. John Hall will join the lineup with Pete Seeger, David Amram and a host of other Hudson Valley musicians who will perform in a memorial concert in Beacon on Sunday, Dec. 5, from 2 to 5 p.m., at St. Luke’s Annex in Beacon. The concert will celebrate the life of local social justice activist Art Kamell, who died on Nov. 4, and comes a day after what would have been Kamell’s 82nd birthday. Kamell, of Dutchess Junction, was a retired labor lawyer who worked closely with his wife Connie Hogarth in local politics, and the peace movement, civil rights and environmental movements. A $20 contribution will be requested at the door, though no one will be turned away. The memorial concert will benefit Doctors Without Borders, Pastors for Peace, School of the Americas Watch and the United Farmworkers Union, four of Kamell’s favorite organizations. Harness Racing Museum host holiday concert on Dec. 7 Goshen - The Harness Racing Museum’s 35 Annual Holiday Concert will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature Goshen High School’s Varsity Choir and Jazz Voices and the After Hours Quartet of the Evergreen Chapter of Sweet Adelines International. Admission is $3, or $2 if you bring a Toys for Tots gift. Museum members, free. Refreshments will be served. For reservations call 294-6330. For more information visit www.harnessmuseum.com. The museum is located at 240 Main St., in Goshen. ‘Trees of Orange County’ on exhibit GOSHEN — The Executive Suite Gallery in the Orange County Government Center is hosting the Orange County Citizens Foundation’s 2010 Cultural Exhibit focusing on the Trees of Orange County through Jan. 6, 2011. The exhibit includes an interesting array of work by notable local artists such as Pat Mohr, Nick Zungoli and Catherine DeMaio and informational pieces that represent regional trees and their uses. “Over the past several decades, Orange County and the nation have lost a number of tree species due to disease, changes in the environment and development,” said Nancy Proyect, president of the Orange County Citizens Foundation. “By developing relationships with trees in their local communities, we hope large numbers of people will begin to recognize the importance of healthy trees and responsible development to our future.” The exhibit is located in the Orange County Government Center on the third floor at 255 Main St. in Goshen, and is open to the public during business hours. Artists living in Orange County who are interested in exhibiting in the Executive Suite Gallery should call 615-3860 for more information.