Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana – Winter Around the World!

Free Community Event

Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana – Winter Around the World!  

Saturday, December 16 | 1:00 – 5:00pm

Celebrate the changing of the seasons during this special community day from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 16th. Join us at Olana State Historic Site for a series of free opportunities to experience the Hudson Valley‘s beautiful winter landscape and explore some of the cultures and countries that inspired the artist Frederic Church and his family!

Did you know Church was deeply inspired by winters in Mexico, his travels to Jamaica and South America, and visits he and his family made to countries in the Middle East? Welcome the winter season and learn more about Olana’s global influence during this special community celebration!

    – Enjoy free access to Olana’s historic interiors (2:00pm -4:00pm).

    – Watch the sunset and purchase refreshments from Frankie’s nomadic bar and coffee shop (1:00pm – 5:00pm).

    – Bonfire

    – Drop in for free activities and games led by Olana educators and partners.

    – Listen to live music by Heard World Jazz.

    – Games and activities (1:00pm – 5:00pm).

    – Holiday Shopping at the OLANA Museum Store – double discount day for members (10:00am – 5:00pm).

    – Visit with everyone’s favorite miniature donkey, Hank, back by popular demand (1:00pm – 4:00pm)!

This event is sponsored by Columbia County Tourism and Price Chopper/Market 32.

http://www.olana.org/SOLSTICE

HUDSON, NY – The Olana Partnership invites the community to join in celebrating the changing season during its annual free Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana State Historic Site. Visit the site on Saturday, December 16, from 1-5pm for a series of free opportunities to experience the Hudson Valley‘s beautiful winter landscape and explore some of the countries that inspired the artist Frederic Church and his family!

The Winter Solstice Celebration will include free access to the historic interiors, a bonfire, drop-in activities and games, seasonal refreshments by Frankie’s nomadic bar and coffee shop, a special visit from everyone’s favorite miniature donkey, Hank, back by popular demand, and much more! Special events will take place throughout the afternoon.

Beginning at 1pm, Heard World Jazz will provide special live short performances inside the Main House at Olana giving visitors a special opportunity to listen to music inside the house’s Court Hall. Heard World’s vibrant sound incorporates influences from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and beyond. Due to space constraints, each performance will be limited to 12 people and will include 2-3 songs. This FREE performance is offered every 15 minutes between 1-2pm and registration is required as space is extremely limited. Heard World Jazz will move outside at 3:00pm to perform for all attendees on Olana’s East Lawn.

Sonia Cintron, who leads the Hudson Area Library’s weekly Bilingual Storytime for kids and their families, will begin a bilingual story hour around the bonfire at 1:30pm. Join Sonia for lively tales of the season in English and Spanish and learn more about winter traditions throughout the world.

The Olana Partnership is looking for volunteers to help with the Winter Solstice event. If you are interested please contact, Lauren Miller, Membership and Volunteer Coordinator at 518-751-6857 or by emailing volunteers@olana.org.

House entry will be available on a first come first served basis beginning at 2:00pm. Last house entry will be at 4:00pm. Outdoor bonfire until 5pm provided by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This free community event is generously sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Price Chopper/Market 32. To learn more visit, OLANA.org/solstice.