Hello New Windsor. Please join the Town of New Windsor to get into the Christmas Spirit this Saturday from 1-6pm for a Christmas Festival and Tree Lighting. There will be 30 holiday vendors to shop and get some of your holiday shopping done, multiple food trucks to satisfy everyone’s taste buds, activities for the kids, music and entertainment, and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The event will take place outside at the Town Hall Complex at 555 Union Ave.

For more information contact the Recreation Department at 845-565-7750.

The Town of New Windsor Hanukkah Menorah Lighting will take place on Tuesday, December 20 from 6 - 8 p.m. also at the Town Hall Complex. The event will be outside activities and refreshments for all.

Join the New Windsor Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary on Sunday December 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the New Windsor Fire Department for a Spaghetti Dinner with Santa.

Price is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $7 for kids, and free for kids under three years old. Dinner includes spaghetti, salad, dinner roll, beverage, and a make your own sundae bar. There will be raffles and prizes. Call ahead to reserve your spot by calling Nancy at 845-784-8860.

The Town of New Windsor Recreation Department is pleased to offer winter programming for youth soccer and youth basketball held at the Vails Gate Elementary School.

For Soccer, the Recreation Department is once again teaming up with the professional instructors of Quickstrike FC and their high school players to mentor our recreation players with a dash of soccer fundamentals mixed in with soccer games. The program will meet on Wednesday nights starting on January 4 and will go for eight weeks ending on February 22 and is broken down by age group with ages 2-4 (Born to Strike) meeting 5 - 5:45 p.m., ages 5-6 (Little Strikers) meeting 6 -7 p.m., ages 7-12 (Quickstrikers 1) meeting 7 - 8 p.m., and ages 13-17 (Quickstrikers 2) meeting from 8 - 9 p.m. The price for the program is $65 for New Windsor residents and $75 for non-residents.

Then for Winter Basketball the Recreation Department is pleased to once again team up with the professional instructors from Sky Hawks Sports Academy for an eight-week basketball program that will focus on the whole player teaching sportsmanship and teamwork, as well as the fundamentals of passing, shooting, ball handling, rebounding, and defense. Each week will include skill based instruction as well as small sided scrimmages.
The program will meet on Thursday nights from January 5 - February 23 with ages 6-7 playing from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., ages 8-10 playing 6:35 - 7:35 p.m., and ages 11-14 playing 7:45 - 9 p.m. The fee for the program is $85 for New Windsor Residents, and $95 for non-residents. Space is extremely limited in both programs so don’t hesitate sign up today at nwrecisfun.com or call 845-565-7750 for more information.

Toys For Tots drop boxes will be located in the New Windsor Town Hall through Friday December 9 if you are looking for a place to donate new unwrapped toys for children of all ages. Thank you for your generosity and support.
 
Birthday shout outs this week go to Casey Greene whose birthday is on December 2, to Jim Kiley and Simon Sayson whose birthdays are on December 3, to Kara Steffensen and Charlie Peyton whose birthdays are on December 5, to Xavier Flemister whose birthday is on December 6, and to anyone else out there celebrating birthdays this week Happy Birthday!

If anyone has a birthday or other special event you want mentioned in my column, or have anything going on in New Windsor that you want the world to know about you can reach me at mveronesi@optimum.net or by calling 845-629-1260. Have a great week.