Nyack Weekender: First Friday of Merry May

Take a peek at the Inner Worlds of artists for Nyack’s First Friday group arts show, Pull With Purpose for The Nyack Center, lend a hand at a Keep Rockland Beautiful event, see some standup or enjoy Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor. Here’s your Fri-Sun list of what to do and where to do it, brought to you by The Arts Council of Rockland and the Union Arts Center.

Friday

It’s the First Friday of May and Nyack’s monthly one-night downtown arts festival begins at the Gazebo at Cedar and Main with a performance by the Children’s Shakespeare Theater at 6p. Check out a group show at Prohibition River at 7p, 82 Main St. Head to Casa del Sol at 8p, 104 Main St, to see a themed exhibit titled Inner Worlds. Presented by the Nyack Art Collective at various venues throughout downtown from 6-8p.

• Reception for the Edward Hopper House’s artist of the month, Lynn Stein and a screening of See Memory by Viviane Silvera, a stop-motion film made out of 15,000 painting stills. 6p at Edward Hopper House Art Center, 82 N. Broadway, Nyack.
• There’s an open house for the Gedney Street Project (aka TZ Vista), a proposed 120 condo development on the Hudson River in Nyack. DCAK-MSA architects, 4-9p, 53 Hudson Ave, Nyack.
• Enjoy some classic whodunits with Alfred Hitchcock Presents 2 One Acts where macabre murder mysteries are performed live on stage, directed by Richard Quinn. Fri & Sat at 8-10p at the Nyack Village Theatre, 94 Main St, Nyack.
• Pablo Francisco is one of those comics in the classic mold. Think of him as a Dangerfield for the modern era; a Don Rickles who does crystal meth jokes. See him Fri-Sun at Levity Live in the Palisades Center.

Saturday

• Big and little folks grab a grabber, and give your park some love at Riverkeeper’s annual Nyack Memorial Park Cleanup. Register to be a part of a cleanup that has removed 115 tons of debris from the Hudson River. 7 – 11a at Memorial Park, Nyack.
• Lace up your hiking boots and take a trek on the Long Path/Hook Mountain 6 Mile Loop. BYO H2O and lunch. Meet at 9a at the Nyack YMCA, 35 S Broadway. The carpool returns to the Y around 1p.
• The River Rowing Association hosts its annual Pull With Purpose Row-a-thon to benefit the Nyack Center. The race is open to 5-person teams competing for most meters rowed on indoor rowing machines. Winning teams receive prizes. Newbies don’t need to know how to row – coaches give demonstrations during the registration period. Registration at 8a, race from 9-11a at Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave.
• Celebrate I Love My Park Day, a statewide event with a local twist. Volunteers aged 10+ can help clean up the historic tunnels from 10a – noon at Blauvelt State Park, register for specific locations.
• Children’s Shakespeare Theatre stages The Merry Wives of Windsor at 7p at Palisades Presbyterian Church, 117 Washington Spring Rd.
• Pianist Lisa Yui presents Dedication, a program of music that includes Schumann, Fantasie, Op. 17, and Liszt, Sonata in B minor at Sparkill Salon in the Union Arts Center. 8p, 2 Union Street, Sparkill.
• Last chance to check out Where We Are Standing: Contemporary Women Artists from Iran. Three artists who grew up in Iran before moving to North America share a strong cultural identity and a common focus on issues of gender and displacement shaped by the complex political and social landscape of their homeland. Featuring the work of Golnar Adili, Roya Farassat, and Shabnam K. Ghazi. Exhibit runs through April 24.  Wed-Sun 12-6p at the Hopper House Art Center, 82 N Broadway, Nyack.

Sunday

• Opening reception for an exhibition of recent work by local artist Marisol Diaz from 2-4p at the Nyack Library, 59 S. Broadway.
• Praised for her ability to capture hearts, Georgian pianist Ana Gligvashvili performs classical piano at 1:30p at Valley Cottage Library, 110 NY-303.
• Nyack Business: Long Before the Malls at The Historical Society of the Nyacks Museum features photographs and memorabilia from local businesses in the Time Before The Malls. Open Sundays through May 29. 1p at Depew House, 50 Piermont Ave.
• Learn about the Hudson Valley’s Dutch origins dating back to the 1600’s at the Dutchtown and Major Andre: Highlights of Haverstraw History exhibit, presented by the Historical Society of Rockland and the Town of Haverstraw. Exhibit runs Wed–Fri and Sun from 12-4p until May 15. Exhibit reception: 12-4p at HSRC History Center, 20 Zukor Rd, New City.

Next Week

Monday

• A night of laughter at Comedy Open Mic. 8p at Olive’s, 118 Main St, Nyack.
• Race to Autobahn Indoor Speedway for the Grand Opening Celebration from 11a to 7p at the Palisades Mall, 2272 Palisades Center Dr, W. Nyack.

Wednesday

• Rivertown Film screens Chi-Raq, a film by Spike Lee set in present-day Chicago, this film is a nod to the ancient Greek play Lysistrata where rival gangs use violence to control their neighborhoods. Their women decide to end the bloodshed by refusing to have sex, leaving the men desperate and tumescent. Written in verse, with exuberant set pieces and musical numbers, the film is by turns fiercely funny and deadly sincere. 8p at Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave.
• Got your Green Game On?Sustainability Saturdays, a new series on NyackNewsAndViews begins May 7. And on Wednesday:
  • The Reality Of Life Without Plastic Bags: Anne Bobhroff Hajal presents research on the effects of various forms of plastic bag restriction on commerce and consumer convenience in cities throughout the U.S. and abroad.  7p, Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Rd, Scarsdale.
  • There’s a panel discussion at the Rockland County Legislature regarding contamination in Rockland’s drinking water from chlorine byproducts. 6:30p, 11 New Hempstead Rd, New City.

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