This Weekend’s Best Events

This Weekend’s Best Events: Here’s a dozen what to do’s this weekend. Plus 15 more that are playing all summer long!

Jerry Douglas & The Earls of Leicester, Ridgefield Playhouse – Thurs, 8/2: 8pm: Grammy Award-winning Bluegrass group led by Jerry Douglas, presents the music of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and their band the Foggy Mountain Boys to a contemporary audience.(80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Free Jazz! Lyndhurst’s Sunset Jazz Concerts, John Marshall Quintet feat. Grant Stewart, Thurs, 8/2: 6pm: Vocalist, trumpeter and flugelhornist, John Marshall played with the WDR Big Band and has released eight CDs. Tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart has released sixteen recordings and was voted a “rising star on the tenor” in the Downbeat Critic’s Poll.  (635 South Broadway, Tarrytown: www.lyndhurst.org)

CTA, featuring Bill Champlin and Danny Seraphine from Chicago, Paramount Hudson Valley – Fri, 8/3: 8pm: Former Chicago alums perform the band’s greatest hits including “25 or 6 to 4”, “Feelin’ Stronger Everyday” and “Saturday in the Park”. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.com)

Jay Mohr, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri, 8/3: 8pm: Comedian, actor, radio host and best-selling author, Jay Mohr has been performing stand-up comedy since he was sixteen years old. After landing his dream job of Saturday Night Live, and launching his career with Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, he appeared in over 200 episodes of network television and over 25 feature films working with a plethora of Academy Award-winning actors, including Christopher Walken, Rene Zellwegger, Al Pacino, Angelina Jolie, Cuba Gooding Jr, Ellen Burstyn, Kim Bassinger, Matt Damon, and Clint Eastwood. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Randy Rainbow, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sun, 8/5: 8pm: Political satirist and internet sensation, Randy Rainbow is best known for his musical tribute to the first presidential debate of 2016, Braggadocious, that received 28 million views on YouTube in its first two days. He has performed in NYC’s Birdland, 54 Below, XL Nightclub and at Therapy NYC where his weekly show ran for two years. (13 Main St, Tarrytown;  www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Anything Goes, Westchester Broadway Theatre – Thurs, 7/5- Sun, 9/9: Anything Goes,winner of three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival is considered one of the greatest Tap Dancing musicals of all time. There’s romance and laughter in this story about a nightclub singer, a stowaway and Public Enemy No. 13 on a transatlantic luxury liner. With an incomparable musical score from Cole Porter featuring timeless classics such as “It’s De-Lovely”, “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “You’re the Top”, “Friendship”, and “All Through The Night”. (One Broadway Plaza, Elmsford; www.broadwaytheatre.com)

The Taming of the Shrew,Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Boscobel – Thurs, 6/7 – Fri, 8/24: check dates & times: With its breathtaking views of the Hudson River, Boscobel provides a world-class setting for summer Shakespeare and picnicking. Here their a critically acclaimed troupe, takes on William Shakespeare’s comedy about the shrewish Kate, her sister Bianca and Petruchio the gold-digger. Bianca would be an easy match for Petruchio but Dad, the wealthiest man in Padua has ordained that Kate must marry first! Good luck Petruchio.(Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

Richard II, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Boscobel – Sat, 6/9 – Sun, 8/26: check dates & times: Here Artistic Director Davis McCallum assembles a huge cast of HVSF’s finest for their first ever production of Shakespeare’s historic drama of the absolute ruler Richard and how he splits his kingdom in two by banishing his cousins Henry Bolingbroke. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

Sand Castle Contest, Glen Island Beach – Sat, 8/4: 12-4pm: 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. Rain Date: 8/5. (Glen Island Park, Weyman Ave., New Rochelle; www.parks-westchestergov.com)

Sheffield Island Haunted Lighthouse, Sat-Sun, 8/4-5: 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)

The Heart of Robin Hood, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Boscobel – Fri, 6/8 – Sat, 8/25: check dates & times: HVSF takes on David Farr’s reimagined adaptation of Robin Hood, commissioned in 2011 by The Royal Shakespeare Company. In Farr’s telling, Maid Marion bands with Robin Hood to escape an impending marriage to Prince John and his evil plan to betray the king. Only to discover a roguish band of hoods whose pilfering of the wealth never quite makes it to the poor. Marion has some work to do on the heart of Robin before she can save the kingdom. (Boscobel, 1601 Rt. 9D, Garrison; www.hvsf.org) 

Pirate Quest, Philipsburg Manor, Sat-Sun, 7/7-8/25: 10am-12pm: Kids can play our mobile game while hunting through the site’s grounds, loading precious cargo onto their digital pirate ships. They’ll explore the manor house, barn, and mill to discover what was considered “treasure” in the 18th century. Make sure to keep watch for pirates and sword fights along the way! Perfect for ages 5-8 (381 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow; www.hudsonvalley.org)

Historical Military Vehicle Show, Lasdon Park – Sat, 8/4: 1am-4pm & Sun, 8/5: 10am-3:30pm: Walk through a timeline of various conflicts in our nations history as you view a number of exhibits and vehicles from each time period. Vehicles will be exhibited from WWI to Desert Storm and the Westchester County Veterans Museum will feature a new display. Your entry fee also includes entry to the Lasdon Conservatory where you can stroll through it’s flowers of The Rain Forest exhibit. (2610 Amawalk Rd., Katonah; www.lasdonpark.org)

Renaissance Faire, Tuxedo Park – Sat-Sun & Labor Day, 8/4-9/30: 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)

What To Do Bucket List

If this list of 25 (mostly) local events doesn’t light you up, then check out our Bucket List for more stuff to do- carefully curated for townies, foodies, culture-vultures, nature lovers and weekend warriors. You will find river-view dining, a museum on steroids, a house-tour on steroids, a hike and art adventure, Westchester’s best park, the new Glass House Conservatory at Lasdon Park – Westchester’s first new attraction constructed on a county park in years and more. What to know where you can get donuts like these? Click here. 

All Summer Long

Jones Beach Theatre Summer Concerts: For those looking to tie in outdoor music with the salty air of the Atlantic Ocean, (and maybe even tie in some tasty waves on a day at the beach) Jones Beach theatre offers a lineup fo big name acts from classic rock to contemporary pop, country and hip-hop. Including: Jimmy Buffett: Thurs, 8/2: 8pm; Chicago & REO Speedwagon: Fri, 8/3: 7:30pm; Lady Antebellum: Sat, 8/4: tba; Brad Paisley w/ Dan Tyminsky & Kane Brown: Fri, 8/10: 7:30pm; Lindsey Stirling & Evanescence: Sat, 8/11: 7pm; Billboard Hot 100 Festival with DJ Snake, Future, Rae Sremmurd & 40 more up & comers: Sat-Sun 8/18-19: 12pm. (895 Bay Pkwy, Wantagh; www.jonesbeach.com)

Local! Summer Solstice Yoga Celebration, John Jay Homestead – Sat, 8/4-25: 10am: Do the downward facing dog with the Katonah Village Improvement Society everySaturday in August on the lawn at John Jay Homestead. Check out the Farmer’s Market while you are there. (400 Jay Street, Katonah; www.johnjayhomestead.org) 

Public Sails on the Schooner Soundwaters – Fri-Sun, 6/30 – 8/5: check times: Board the 80’ Tall Schooner Soundwaters, the ship that Pete Seeger made famous, for a two-hour afternoon journey on the Long Island Sound. The Schooner Soundwaters, seats 40 and sails from Boccuzzi Park in Stamford. Sunset sails are also offered on Friday and Saturday nights and Fireworks Sails on Wed, 7/4 & Sat, 7/7. (Bocuzzi Park at Southfield, 166 Southfield Ave., Stamford CT; www.soundwaters.org)

Brand-New & Terrific: Alex Katz in the 1950s, Neuberger Museum – Wed – Sun, 7/1-10/14: This exhibit organized by Colby College presents 60 works from Alex Katz, whose  brightly colored, flat, recognizable, figurative works of everyday scenes of middle class life was a response to the Abstract Expressionism that dominated the art scene in the 1950s. By reintroducing and reinterpreting the figure, Katz opened the door for the subsequent Pop Art movement. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase College;  www.neuberger.org)

Editor’s Choice? Andy Warhol: Subject and Seriality, Neuberger Museum, Pens Sun, 7/22, runs Wed – Sun through 12/23: This new exhibit, organized by The Neuberger Museum, examines Warhol’s method of repeating images of his subjects in various and multiple ways – concurrently and across time, and in diverse media.  Included are the artist’s prints, photographs, and multiples, created between the 1960s and 1980s, that come from the Neuberger Museum of Art’s own collection and those of four other Hudson Valley museums, and various galleries and foundations.

Pride of the Hudson River Cruise, Newburg – Through 10/28: 1 & 4pm: See the majestic beauty of the Hudson River on this 2-hour narrated river adventure from Newburgh to West Point taking in the sights of Washington’s Headquarters, World’s End, Mt. Beacon, Bannerman Island, Constitution Island, Breakneck Mountain, and the town of Cold Spring. (Blu Pointe Landing, 100 Front St., Newburgh; www.prideofthehudson.com)

Sheffield Island Lighthouse Cruises, Norwalk Harbor – Through 9/28: 11am, 2 & 3:30pm: Board the 45-foot C.J. Toth catamaran for a cruise to Sheffield Island on the Long Island Sound for a lighthouse tour, a hike through Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and a picnic and beach front activities. Sails run on weekends & holidays in June and September and daily in July & August. (Norwalk Seaport Association Dock, 4 North Water St., Norwalk, Ct.; www.seaport.org)

Yoga with Alexander Calder at Storm King Art Center – Thurs, 7/14- 10/6: 10:15am: Relax outdoors with a Yoga class before you check out the sculptures of Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, Henry Moore, Mark Di Suvero, and many more at the 500 acre sculpture garden at Storm King. A top pick on WTD’s Bucket List you can read more about Day Tripping: Storm King Art Center here. (1 Museum Rd., New Windsor; www.stormking.org)    

Essex Steam Train & Riverboat Ride, Daily 6/17-8/27, Weekends 9/1-10/22: Take a 2 ½ hour narrated train and riverboat ride through what the Nature Conservancy calls “one of the last great places on earth,” the Connecticut River Valley. The train passes farms, waterfalls, and wetland habitats with blue heron and egrets. The riverboat cruise on the Connecticut River passes the historic Gillette Castle, Goodspeed Opera House and Haddam Swing Bridge. Check out their special Dinner Train, Riverboat Lunch and Sunset Excursions. (1 Railroad Ave., Essex, CT; www.essexsteamtrain.com)

Lyndhurst Mansion Tours, Tarrytown – Thurs-Mon, 5/4-9/24: 10am-4pm: Take a one-hour guided tour of the historic Lyndhurst mansion overlooking the Hudson River. The Gothic Revival mansion has been used as a movie set for six major motion pictures including House of Dark Shadows (1970), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Cradle Will Rock (1999) and Winter’s Tale (2013). It was built in 1938 by William Paulding, a former NYC Mayor, and purchased by Union Pacific Railroad tycoon Jay Gould in 1880 as a summer home. (635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; www.lyndhurst.org

Cool! Marine Life Study Cruises, Maritime Aquarium Norwalk – Weekends in Jun & Sept & most days Jul-Aug: 1:15pm – check dates: Study the biodiversity of Long Island Sound’s interdependent marine life. Participants utilize such sampling techniques as a plankton tow, biodredge, mud grab and otter trawl that may bring up fish, crabs, lobsters, sea stars and more. A video microscope and touch tank on board enhance observations. Check dates. (10 N. Water St., Norwalk; www.maritimeaquarium.org)

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Air Shows, Sat-Sun 6/92, 9/16: 2-4pm: This “living” museum of antique aviation, offers one of the largest collections of early aero-planes (1909 to 1939) in the world plus weekend airshows and bi-plane rides (shown here). The museum displays aircraft from the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Lindbergh Barnstorming era. Museum hours are 10am-5pm daily. Air shows 2-4pm Sat & Sun. (9 Norton Rd, Red Hook; www.oldrhinebeck.org)

Planetarium Shows, Hudson River Museum, Sat-Sun: 12:30, 2 & 3:30pm in June: HRM presents three star shows every weekend, for kids 5+ and 8+, from a repertory of ten feature shows. The age appropriate shows range from One World, One Sky produced by Sesame Workshop and the Liberty Science Center for 5+ and featuring Big Bird and Elmo to We Are Aliens a 360° digital planetarium show narrated by Rupert Grint (from Harry Potter films) that takes an epic ride in search of evidence of alien life for 8+. (511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers; www.hrm.org)

Backyard Wilderness, IMAX Movies, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk – Daily: 3/24 – 9/3: 11am, 1 & 3pm: This new Imax movie was filmed outside the Croton on Hudson home of the Academy Award-nominated (Children of Fate) filmmakers Andrew Young and Susan Todd. “With input from our science advisors, we worked on filming scenes of the animals that actually live in our backyard, which is part of the eastern forest ecosystem,” Young told Westchester Magazine. Featuring local blue jays, raccoons and (you guessed it) coyotes! (10 N. Water St., Norwalk, www.maritimeaquarium.org)

Rye Playland – Daily except Mondays 6/1-9/9: check times: There’s 42 carnival rides, entertainment in Kiddyland and the Music Tower Stage every day at Rye Playland – except Mondays! Plus a beach nearby. There are kiddy rides like the Kiddy Coaster, Carousel and Whip and family rides like the Gondola Wheel, Family Flyer and Bumper Cars. Plus thrill rides like the Sky Flyer, Dragon Coaster and the Playland Plunge. And fireworks every Friday at 9:15pm from 7/1-9/1. Gotta go once! www.ryeplayland.org

Check out more stuff to do this summer! 

Check out What To Do’s Bucket List

You’ll like our What To Eat: Restaurant Guide

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