Fall color is settling over the Highlands, and this weekend has something for every kind of visitor: a thrift sale that fills a church hall, cider made from Boscobel's own apples, chamber music by the river, and oysters with a side of bluegrass on Main Street. Here are the picks for October 16–18.
Some events require tickets or registration. Check each listing before you go.
Friday, October 16
Plein Air Watercolor Painting · 4:30 PM
Bring a brush and paint the Hudson as the late-afternoon light shifts over the water at Little Stony Point. It's free, and the view does most of the work.
Fall Thrift Sale Pre-Sale Party · 5 PM · $20 donation
Serious thrifters, this one's for you. The Cold Spring Thrift Alliance opens its fall sale a night early at St. Mary-in-the-Highlands, giving pre-sale guests first pick of cashmere, designer pieces, and vintage finds before the doors open to everyone on Saturday.
Rev 250 Trivia Night · 6:30 PM
Round up a team and test what you know about the American Revolution at the Butterfield Library, with historical interpreter Matthew Weigman as emcee. Free.
Saturday, October 17
Cold Spring Farmers' Market · 9 AM–1 PM
Start the day on the grounds of Boscobel, where regional farmers and makers sell apples, squash, bread, cheese, and pasture-raised meat and eggs. SNAP/EBT is accepted.
Fall Thrift Sale · 10 AM
The main event. More than 50 volunteers sort and curate over 2,000 pounds of donated clothing and accessories, and it all fills St. Mary-in-the-Highlands, at the corner of Main and Chestnut, at thrift-sale prices. The twice-yearly sales raise more than $20,000 a year, so every bargain does a little good.
Wild & Bright Reptile Show · 11 AM
A Halloween "creepy crawlies" show at the Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison, with real, live reptiles and reptile skeletons up close. Recommended for ages 5 and up. Registration is required, so sign up each child individually.
Open Barn Tour · 1 PM
Visit Topfield Equestrian Center, a therapeutic horsemanship center in Cold Spring, to meet the horses and staff and learn about their programs. Free, and a good pick for animal-loving kids.
Cider Night at Boscobel · 5–7 PM · $65
Boscobel celebrates the launch of its own hard cider, made with Graft of Newburgh from apples hand-picked in the estate's heritage orchard. Your ticket includes tastings of Graft ciders and charcuterie, and Graft's cider makers demonstrate traditional pressing. It's held outdoors, weather permitting, with the river view and fall color as the backdrop.
Sunday, October 18
Fall Thrift Sale · 10 AM
Last chance. If you missed Saturday, the thrift sale continues at St. Mary-in-the-Highlands.
Oysters & Bluegrass · Noon–7 PM
Shuck'd is back at Cold Spring Social with fresh oysters, shrimp cocktail, and carpaccio from noon to 6, or until they're gone. Stay for Brooklyn bluegrass trio Are We Friends?, who play from 5 to 6 PM, followed by an open jam until 7.
Make Big Puppets for the Halloween Parade · 1–3 PM
The Permaculture Arts Collective is building a giant puppet of Pete Seeger's Sam the Whaler for next Saturday's Cold Spring Halloween Parade. At this workshop at the Desmond-Fish Library, kids ages 3 and up and their grown-ups learn the art of giant puppets and make one of their own to take home. Registration is required.
Inbal Segev & Yalin Chi · 4 PM
The Chapel Restoration's Sunday Music Series brings cellist Inbal Segev and pianist Yalin Chi to the riverside chapel for Bach's Cello Suite No. 4 and Schumann's Adagio and Allegro. A beautiful way to end the weekend.
Planning your weekend? Tap Xen at the bottom of the page and ask for help fitting it all in.