August Events 2017
August Events 2017: Here’s a couple dozen local events that can keep you busy through Labor Day. There’s more stuff to do in August on our All Summer Long guide and our Summer Music guide.
August
Dunkirk in IMAX, Norwalk Aquarium – Mon-Thurs: 7pm & Fri-Sun 7 & 9:30pm: Christopher Nolan shot his hit new movie Dunkirk with IMAX cameras. You can see it in IMAX at the Norwalk Aquarium. Dunkirk tells the true story of the heroic evacuation in May 1940 of some 338,000 Allied soldiers trapped on the English Channel shoreline by an advancing German army. PG-13. (10 N. Water St., Norwalk, www.maritimeaquarium.org)
World Premiere, Pride & Prejudice, HVSF at Boscobel – Sat, 6/10- Mon, 9/4: In this co-production with Primary Stages, The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival debuts Kate Hamill’s playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic romance on the rolling grounds of Regency-era Boscobel! Austen’s saga of manners, marriage and money in early 19th century England maintains its relevance today as love saves the unlikely romance between the outspoken and independent Elizabeth Bennet and the impossibly aristocratic Mr. Darcy. Ms. Hamill previously adapated Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility for NYC’s Bedlam Theatre. Ben Brantley of the NYT’s called it “a delicious whirlwind of gossip.” (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison: www.hvshakespeare.org)
Twelfth Night, HVSF at Boscobel – Thurs, 6/8-Sun, 8/27: “If music be the food of love, play on.” Orsino loves Olivia. Olivia loves Cesario. Cesario’s a woman and in love with Orsino, disguised as a man…And Malvolio loves Olivia, too! HVSF is at it’s best with the Bard’s comedies. We look forward to seeing what Tony-nominated Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Broadway’s Hand to God and Present Laughter) does with this music-filled ensemble production of Shakespeare’s story of mistaken identities, tangled letters of love, and gender-bending hijinks. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvshakespeare.org)
Local! Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce Summer Concerts – Wed, 8/2: 7pm: Davis Knobloch conducts the Chappaqua Orchestra in an evening of American classics at this final CMCC concert of the season at The Gazebo on Recreation Field. (Recreation Field, Chappaqua: 200 S. Greeley Ave. Chappaqua-millwoodchamber)
Free! Sunset Jazz at Lyndhurst, Thursday, 8/3-24: 6:30pm: FREE picnic friendly concerts on the Lyndhurst bowling alley. The musical line-up cuts a broad swath of musical genres from contemporary jazz to swing and Latin jazz. DOMI Quartet, 8/3: Willie Martinez La Familia Sextet, 8/10: Veronica Swift Quartet, 8/17: Ayako Shirasaki Quartet, 8/24: Bill Warfield & Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra.(Lyndhurst Mansion, 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; www.lyndhurst.org)
Movie Nights with Professor Valerie Franco, NCPL – Fri, 8/4-18 & Sun, 8/27: 7pm: LIU Professor Valerie Franco has a keen eye for great flicks – classics, independents & foreign. Here she screens: Win Win: Bart Giamatti, a struggling family lawyer and wrestling coach in a sticky situation – 8/4; French Kiss: Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline in a twisted romcom on the coast of France – 8/11: To Catch a Thief: Cary Grant, as a cat burglar and Grace Kelly who steal his heart via Hitchcock: – 8/18; The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: One of the Top 500 Movies of All Time with Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo caught up in a comic jewelry caper – Aug 27. (North Castle Public Library, 1 Kent Place, Armonk; www.ncpl.org)
Loving, Chappaqua Library – Fri, 8/4: 7:30pm: This 2016 historical drama tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 US Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia that invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. Carol Durst’s new film series features Oscar also-rans focusing on the changing definition of family. 195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)
The General From America, HVSF at Boscoble – Fri, 8/4-Sun, 9/3: HVSF launches its new series HVStories that focuses on the history, people and culture of the Hudson Valley, Tony, OBIE and Drama Desk-award winning Director Penny Metropulos’s production of Richard Nelson’s The General From America. The play retells the story of Benedict Arnold’s famous defection and flight from West Point. Nelson also wrote the screenplay for Hyde Park on Hudson starring Bill Murray. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvshakespeare.org)
Love’s Labours Lost, HVSF at Boscobel – Fri, 8/4 – Sun, 9/3: The King of Navarre and his lords have sworn off the pleasures of life to pursue their studies, but can their oaths hold up when a princess and her ladies come to town? In this co-production with New York’s The Acting Company, Ian Belknap, will direct Shakespeare’s comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost featuring HVSF’s Conservatory Company, an intensive training program for early-career actors. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvshakespeare.org)
Local! Chappaqua Chamber of Commerce Movies in Millwood Park – Fri, 8/4-25: 8:30pm: The Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce, with major support by Drug Mart, present movies in the park on four Friday nights in August. Moana: Fri, 8/4: 8:30pm; Sing: Fri, 8/11: 8:30pm, The LEGO Batman Movie, Fri, 8/18: 8:30pm & The Jungle Book, Fri, 8/25: 8:30pm. (Millwood Park, 235 Saw Mill River Rd., (Rt. 100) Millwood; chappaqua-millwoodchamber)
Cash & Country Music Festival + NY Whiskey Weekend – Sat-Sun, 8/5-6: 12-5pm: Sample spirits from 17 NY craft distillers (Brooklyn Gin, Black Dirt Distillery) at this Johnny Cash & Country Music Festival at the Warwick Valley Winery. (114 Little York Rd., Warwick, NY; www.market.wvwinery.com)
Local! Muscoot Farm Hike – Sat, 8/5: 10am-12pm: Join a guided intermediate hike through the Muscoot Farm outback. (Route 100, Somers; www.muscootfarm.org)
Local! Broadway Review, Summer Concerts at Wampus Brook Park – Sat, 8/5: 8pm. Musical theatre vets from Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional Theatres sing your favorite show tunes in this Broadway Review from Armonk’s Small Town Theatre Company. (Maple Ave., Armonk: www.smalltowntheatre.com)
Scottish Tattoo Party, Schoolhouse Theater – Sat, 8/5: 5-9pm: Okay, so there’s no real mention of tattoos at this event other than it commemorates opening day of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo that has run annually since 1950, somehow involves Hollywood producer Michael Todd (Elizabeth Taylor’s fourth husband) and is seen on TV by over 100 million people every year. But there’s music, standup comedy, dancing, bagpipes, food and flights of whiskey – so what the heck! (3 Owens Rd., North Salem (Croton Falls); www.schoolhousetheater.org)
Paul Virzi with Bill Burr & Pete Davidson, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sun, 8/13: 7 & 9:30pm: Virzi’s debut comedy album Night At The Stand was #1 on iTunes and reached #4 on the Billboard Top 100. Here he tapes his first comedy special with special guest Bill Burr who he has toured with in some of the country’s top theatres incleuding Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)
Local! Third Thursday Celebration, Downtown Armonk – Thurs, 8/17: 5-9pm: The Armonk Chamber of Commerce’s Third Thursday Celebrations conclude with an evening of street circus performances and hands on demonstrations where kids can learn how to walk the tightrope, spin plates, stilt-walk, juggle and hula hoop. There will be live music by the School of Rock House Band and Vinyl Countdown and special promotions and discounts from retailers and eateries all around town. www.armonkchamberofcommerce
Hudson Valley Rib Fest, New Paltz –Fri-Sun, 8/18-20: check times: 60 rib masters compete for the NY State BBQ Championship while you sample ribs and sides and listen to the sounds of Indie rockers, boogie & blues, sassy country rockers, classic rock, singer/songwriters and the “ultimate hair band tribute” from Bedrock. (Ulster County Fairgrounds, 249 Libertyville Rd., New Paltz: www.hudsonvalleyribfest.org)
Local! New Rochelle Opera, Summer Concerts at Wampus Brook Park – Sat, 8/19: 8pm.Armonk’s Small Town Theatre Company presents opera classics at the gazebo at Wampus Brook Park from the New Rochelle Opera. (28 Maple Ave., Armonk; www.smalltowntheatre.com)
“Goin’ where the water tastes like wine…” Grateful Dead Tribute Concert at the Warwick Valley Winery – Sat- Sun, 8/19-20: 12-5pm: A $12 ticket ($15 at the door) will get you into this Dead Fest at the Warwick Valley Winery & Black Dirt Distillery. Try the Black Dirt Red or Blush or their Doe’s Draft Ciders. Black Dirt distills Bourbon and Apple Jack. (114 Little York Rd., Warwick, NY; www.market.wvwinery.com)
Local! Sparkle for a Cause to Benefit NCHS at Crabtree’s Kittle House – Tues, 8/22: 6-9pm: Drop by Amy’s Garden at Crabtree’s Kittle House any time between 6-9pm for a menu of small bites, sparkling wine and martinis at a special price to benefit the North Castle Historical Society. Crabtree’s will donate 30% of the proceeds from the evening. Reservations suggested. Mention Sparkle when you do. (11 Kittle Rd., Chappaqua; 914.666.8044)
What To Do with the Kids
Annie, Westchester Broadway Theatre – Thurs, 6/29- Sun, 9/10: One of the world’s best-loved musicals and winner of seven Tony Awards returns to WBT! Annie is a spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents, who abandoned her to a NYC orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Watch as Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil plots, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finds a new family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his secretary Grace Farrell, and a dog named Sandy. Featuring: “It’s the Hard-Knock Life”, “Easy Street”, “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and “Tomorrow.” (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford; www.broadwaytheatre.com)
Local! Chappaqua Chamber of Commerce Movies in Millwood Park – Fri, 8/4, 11, 18 & 25: 7:30pm: Food trucks, pre-show entertainment, popcorn & kids flicks under the stars. Check back for this year’s movie titles. (200 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; chappaqua-millwoodchamber)
Renaissance Faire, Tuxedo Park – Sat-Sun & Labor Day, 8/5-10/1: 10am-7pm: A romp through Elizabethan England complete with 16th Century games, rides, arts, crafts, food, music and dance in Tuxedo Park. There’s mime, magic, music, comedy and storytellers, pirates, fairies, pole dancing, piping, acrobats, aerialists, a fire circus, birds of prey, sword fighting, knife throwing and the big one … jousting. Check for theme weekends & special events. (600 Rt. 17A, Tuxedo Park; www.renfair.com)
Muscoot Farm Hike – Sat, 8/5: 10am-12pm: Join a guided intermediate hike through the Muscoot Farm outback. (Route 100, Somers; www.muscootfarm.org)
Sand Castle Contest, Glen Island Beach – Sat, 8/5: 11am-4pm: Get your team of sand architects, engineers and contractors together and start building. Or just stop by to get some sand between your toes and watch all the Type A Beach Personalities construct their watchtowers, moats and flanking towers. Plus deejay music and beach games. (Glen Island Park, Weyman Ave., New Rochelle; www.parks-westchestergov.com)
Local! The Princess Bride, Bedford Hills Memorial Park – Thurs, 8/10: 8pm: Movies under the stars with this 1987 romantic comedy listed on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years—100 Passions list of the 100 greatest film love stories of all time. (60 Haines Rd., Bedford Hills)
The Secret Society of Souptown, Jacob Burns – Sat-Sun, 8/12-13: 12pm & Thurs, 8/17: 3pm: Four friends form a secret society dedicated to solving mysteries in their small Estonian town. These young detectives are put to the test when a strange illness strikes their community—suddenly the adults are acting like kids! For kids ages 8 and up. (364 Manville Road, Pleasantville: www.burnsfilmcenter.org)
East Coast National Baseball Card Show, County Center – Thurs-Sun, 8/17-20: check times: 300 tables, new Hobby Box series, Sports Card Singles and thousands of autographed baseballs, memorabilia, modern and vintage sports cards, on-site authentication, and live signings from 100 of your favorite sports stars. (198 Central Ave., White Plains; www.countycenter.biz)
Dutchess County Fair, Rhinebeck – Tues-Sun, 8/22-27: check times: 144 acres of bucolic fairgrounds play host to half a million patrons and thousands of farm animals, agricultural exhibits, horticultural displays and carnival rides. Grandstand concerts feature The Marshall Tucker Band, 3 Doors Down (“Kryptonite”), 2016 Country Music Award-winners Brothers Osborne and Grammy-winner Old Crow Medicine Show. Plus, racing pigs, diving dogs, horse show, petting zoo, pony rides, jugglers, crafts vendors, food and country fair competitions like goat milking, chicken clucking, and horse shoeing. (6626 Route 9, Rhinebeck; www.dutchessfair.com)
Living History: Military Reenactment Day at Boscobel – Sun, 8/27: Military re-enactors set up encampments from the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. They demonstrate camp life with inspections, formations, musket firings, artillery demonstrations, and drills. See General George Washington inspect his troops, President Abraham Lincoln address his army, and more on the Boscobel grounds overlooking the Hudson River and West Point. (Boscobel, 1601 Route 9D (Bear Mountain Highway) in Garrison; www.boscobel.org)
Sheffield Island Haunted Lighthouse, TBD: Ghosts, ghouls and goblins greet visitors to the historic Sheffield Island Lighthouse decorated to provide thrills and chills for kids of all ages (only two rooms are kept dark). (Norwalk Seaport Association Dock, 4 N. Water Streets, Norwalk, CT.; www.seaport.org)
September
Lime Rock Park Historic Festival, Lakeville, CT – Fri-Mon: 9/1-4: check times: The east coast’s premier vintage racing and concours event presents three days of on-track racing. With over 250 cars and drivers, parading and racing everything from pre-WWI racers to the best competition machines from the 1920s to the 1970s. (60 White Hollow Rd., Lakeville CT: www.limerock.com)
CORNucopia at Philipsburg Manor – Sat-Mon, 9/2-4: 10am-5pm: This novel corn festival offers an inspired bounty of corn-centric delicacies (corn bread, salsa, chips, chili, ice cream and popcorn) demonstrations (corn grinding & cooking) games and crafts (Konk-a-Crow, Ring-a Cob) corn-shucking races and a mini maize-maze. Plus house tours, bluegrass and folk music and English country dancing in the barn. (381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow; www.hudsonvalley.org)
Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival, Fri-Sun: 9/8-10: check times: Three days of entertainment, carnival rides and games and OYSTERS, OYSTERS, OYSTERS. Featuring a 65 foot Ferris Wheel, an Arts & Crafts Show with 100 vendors, New England Seaport Village, Kids’ Cove with games, rides & activities under a circus tent, International Food Court, headline musical acts, harbor tour cruises, vessel tours and a Celebrity Oyster Slurp-off. (Norwalk Veterans Park, 42 Seaview Ave., Norwalk; www.seaport.org)
Local! Community Family Camp Out, Katonah Memorial Park – Sat-Sun, 9/9-10: 3pm-10: 30am: Bedford Recreation provides tent set-up assistance, campfire, grills for cooking, picnic tables, S’mores, hot chocolate, coffee and tea, ghost stories, breakfast bagels, donuts, and beverages, clean rest rooms, supervision, and a Sunday morning swim at the Katonah pool. Campsite registration begins 5/1. Contact the recreation office at 666.7004)
Boscobel Big Band Concert & Sunset Picnic – Sun, 9/10: 6-8pm: Celebrate the last days of summer on Boscobel’s great lawn overlooking the Hudson River. Enjoy a picnic supper or purchase food on and dance to the swinging sounds of the 20-piece Big Band Sound orchestra as they take on Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and more. Swing dance and jitterbug demonstrations by the Fred Astaire Dance Studio. (1601 Route 9D, Bear Mountain Highway, Garrison; www.boscobel.org)
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