Best Bets: Follow the Holiday Trail on Nov 18
Holiday Fair, Fish & Chips Luncheon, and Bake Sale: Nov. 18, Grace Episcopal Church, 12 Depot St., Middletown, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., gift baskets for sale for every age and interest. Local vendors offering handmade soaps, candles, jewelry, and more, raffle prizes and baked goods for sale. Fish & Chips luncheon, eat-in or take out, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., $20. Follow the Holiday Trail by visiting three other churches’ fairs, United Presbyterian Church, Middletown; St. James Episcopal Church and First Presbyterian Church both in Goshen. Get a “Passport” at any of these 4 churches, and get it stamped at each church so you could be eligible to win prizes valued at $100. 845-343-6101.
Annual Church Fair: Nov. 18, Hopewell Church, junction of Thompson Ridge Road and Route 302, Thompson Ridge, 9 a.m. -2 p.m. The fair will feature crafts, vendors, a cafe, baked goods and a raffle. 361-4337.
13th annual Quilts of the Congregation and Friends Quilt Show: Nov. 18, First Presbyterian Church, 33 Park Pl., Goshen, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., show featuring antique and contemporary quilts, as well as other cherished handmade items belonging to members of the congregation and the local communities. The annual Holiday Craft Fair and Bake Sale will also be ongoing during the quilt show. The entrance fee for the quilt show is a nonperishable food item or $1. All donations will benefit the Goshen Ecumenical Food Pantry. Admission to the Craft Fair is free. If your family has a handmade quilt it would like to share during this show, just bring it to the church sanctuary on Friday, November 17, between 4– 6:30 p.m., so that the quilt show committee can place it on display. 845-294-7991.
Free Thanksgiving Dinner: Nov. 18, Mountain View United Methodist Church, Memorial Hall, 4 Church St., Pine Bush, enjoy a complete Thanksgiving meal with family and friends. Take-out is available for pick-up. 845-744-3205.
Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner: Nov. 23, Lumberland Town Hall, 1054 Proctor Road, Glen Spey, noon-3 p.m. Dine-in or take-out, reservations recommended call 845-672-3896 to preorder your dinner.
The 2023 City of Middletown Christmas Tree Lighting Parade & Ceremony: Nov. 24, Degnan Square, 35 West Main St., Middletown, 6-7:30 p.m. Live entertainment starts at 6 p.m., parade step off at 6:30 p.m. The Parade starts at 123 North Street, heads toward Franklin Square, turns onto West Main Street and concludes at Degnan Square concluding with Santa’s arrival at light the tree. Presented by the City of Middletown and The Downtown Middletown Business Improvement District. 845-343-8075. BID@Middletown-ny.com.
Women of Woodbury Craft Fair, Scholarship Fundraiser: Nov. 25, Highland Mills Senior Center, 16 Route 105, Highland Mills, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., vendors, tricky tray, raffle baskets, bake sale. Vendor Space and Info 845-928-9007.
Annual Christkindlmarkt: Nov. 26, historic downtown Port Jervis, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., enchanting Christmas Market like those held throughout Germany during the Holiday season. There are specialty foods, handcrafters, and local retailers. 100 plus vendors inside the Erie Trackside Manor and curbside. Twinkling lights, holiday music, and the aromas of the season. Live entertainment from Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy and the Jingleheimer German Band. Horse and wagon rides through the downtown. Petting zoo and pony rides. Holiday carolers. And a visit from the Christmas Angel. Free admission and parking. GPS 1 Jersey Avenue.
Holiday Craft Fair: Dec. 2, Grahamsville United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 356 Main Street (Route 55) in Grahamsville, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., artists and craftsman will be selling their jewelry, ceramics, pottery, and much more. Chili, soup, sandwiches and desserts will be available for take-out only. 845-985-7427, 845-985-7222.
The Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra Holiday Concert "Season of Light": Dec. 9, snow date Dec. 10, Aquinas Hall on the Mount Saint Mary College campus, Newburgh, 4 p.m., concert will begin with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s sumptuous fantasy on well-known melodies, then Corelli’s touching Christmas Eve serenade from 1690, and then on to Pachelbel’s beloved Canon, an assortment of famous Christmas choral music, as well as the addition of a new Hanukkah song "Eight Days of Light," and finally a troop of 10 professional singers who will perform some of the most wonderful vocal music of the season. Get tickets early, tickets – balcony $75; center reserved $60; general $50; senior citizen $30; Students are admitted free to general seating. Tickets can be purchased at the door. 845-913-7157. newburghsymphony.org
Delaware Valley Choral Society "Christmas in Germany": Dec. 16, Milford United Methodist Church, 206 Ann St., Milford, Pa., 4 p.m., featuring Craig Williams, organ, Dingman Delaware Children’s Choir directed by Brian Krauss and the English Handbell Choir of the Milford United Methodist Church. Admission $15; $10 students; children 5 and under are free. Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling 845-856-5696, 570-296-5333, or 570-267-8773. Tickets will also be available at the door. jeffrey.marc.fornoff@gmail.com, dvchoralsociety.org
Compiled by Donna Kessler, dkessler@gannett.com. Submit events for the digital calendar to recordonline.com/entertainment
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Things to do in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan Counties
