KidsOutAndAbout.com newsletter

Sent May 16, 2008

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Dear KOA readers:

Last week, I gave you all several heads-ups, among them the fact that the school year is rapidly drawing to a close, and we all need to start thinking of creative ways to say thank you to the many people who enrich our kids' lives. A few readers thought it would be a good idea if I used this week's newsletter to solicit ideas from all of you creative people out there. A few years ago around the holidays, I started compiling a list of "Great things to make for teachers that don't look like kids made them." That's at:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/main-articles/craftsforteachers.html

There are some good non-holiday ideas on there; just ignore the Santa hat on Madison there in the photo. But there are so many more of you reading this newsletter now than there were when I first created that page, and I know how many of you are really creative. So... if you have an idea for what we can add to this page, please email it to me at ross@kidsoutandabout.com. Chuck from Mud About You, near Four Corners in Penfield, reminded me yesterday that hand-painted pottery makes a great gift on these occasions.

And I thought we'd make another page, just a list of small gifts you like to BUY for teachers, club leaders, coaches, etc. And, especially, if you ARE one of those people, can you email me and tell me what you like to RECEIVE? I bet we can get together a really useful list of ideas. Thanks!

2) Kids are invited to participate in the first annual “Stick Horses on Parade™,” a fun event at Frontier Field to raise awareness and funds for the EquiCenter, a not-for-profit therapeutic horse center that benefits people with disabilities and at-risk youth throughout our community. A $15 registration fee includes a wooden stick horse that kids will decorate in the weeks prior to the game. It also includes admission to the May 30th Rochester Red Wings game against the Scranton/WB Yankees, a special picnic dinner at the stadium, a stick horse parade around the field and fireworks that night! Register by Friday, May 23... the sooner you register and pick up the wooden horse, the more time you'll have to decorate it.

Get details at www.equicenterny.org or by calling 585-733-1111. Great prizes will be awarded for creativity and fundraising. Funds raised will help the EquiCenter continue to offer its unique therapeutic programs as well as expand and serve even more people.

3) As many of you know, finding time to exercise can be difficult. Now add being a wife and mother along with career and personal obligations to your life, and fitness can fall by the wayside. But taking time to exercise can not only make a mom not only more fit, but also less stressed at home and more productive in the workplace. This summer will mark the 8th session of Moms in Motion. Over 100 women of different ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels meet every Saturday morning in Pittsford and Webster--and Moms in Motion now offers Sunday mornings in Canandaigua as well. They provide a complete package of fitness plans, social events, philanthropic opportunities and health topics within a friendly, supportive, all-female environment. They encourage and welcome women of all ages and abilities (including non-moms). The Summer 2008 Team will begin on June 28 and continue for 12 weeks. This is a great opportunity for someone wanting to lose weight and get fit with a fun, supportive group of women! They have three information sessions to learn about the summer program: June 7 at 11:00 a.m. in the Pittsford Library meeting room, June 14 at 11:00 a.m. in the Webster Library meeting room, and June 21 at 11:00 a.m. in the Wood Library meeting room, Canandaigua. For more information, call Deb Iovoli at 749-6400 or e-mail at djiovoli@aol.com.

4) Martial Arts America is now offering a brand new 21-day Confidence Course for kids, designed to build super confidence in a child in a fun and exciting program of personal safety, emergency preparedness and positive “Go For It!” attitude development. The Confidence Course includes: Six confidence-building martial arts lessons including personal safety and bully-proof instruction; a karate uniform with top, pants and belt; a confidence workbook with home lessons and checklist; a “Positive Progress” stripe advancement presentation; a Confidence Course completion certificate. The course fee is $99 and classes are now forming for their June, July and August sessions. This course is a great way to increase a child’s confidence and to introduce them into the exciting world of martial arts. Students ages 4 years old up to 12 years old are welcome. To reserve a spot in an upcoming session or for more information, call the location nearest you: Penfield/Fairport 585-377-6130 (corner of Rts. 250 and 441); Pittsford/Brighton 585-475-9250 (Winton Place plaza off Winton Rd.).

5) The Kids Miracle Making Club is presenting a "When I Grow Up" seminar series that is open to kids in the greater Rochester community. This month’s Seminar is “How the Body Works,” and it will be presented by Dr. Nicole Clemente this coming Thursday night, May 22nd, at the Pieters Family Life Center, 1900 E. Henrietta Rd. It runs from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. If your child is interested in being a doctor, surgeon, physical therapist, etc, or if you would just like to do something educational and fun with your child this is a great opportunity, especially because the seminar is free. Given limited seating, registration is required. To register, call the Kids Miracle Making Club at 585-749-7515. For more information, go to
: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15769

6) Giveaways: Congratulations to Marianne of Rochester, who won the Limited Edition T-Shirt given away by Amber Brewster, Independent Comfort Specialists for Jockey Person to Person. Amber would also like to extend a discount of 10% OFF the first purchase from Jockey Person to Person by any KOA reader. Just mention you are a KOA reader and visit her website at www.myjockeyp2p.com/sites/amberbrewster to see the catalog and for contact information.

We have three live giveaways currently up on the site, at
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/giveaways.html

They're for the final drawing of 2008 season of produce from Windy Meadow Farms; a certificate toward a service from stylist Marie Avallone; and a week of Cinderella Dance Camp this summer from Ballet Theatre of Greece. Check out the giveaways! We usually add more before the weekend.

7) Is your child age 8-17 interested in having a FREE airplane ride as part of the Rochester WINGS 2008 Aviation Expo in June? It will be on Saturday, June 14 from 9am-12pm, weather permitting. You must pre-register, and space is limited. See the calendar at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15754 for information about this event (which is listed separately, in addition to the Aviation Expo itself). You can download an information and registration packet at http://www.rochesterwings.org/pdfs/YE08Reg.pdf

8) Tomorrow, Saturday, May 17, is the Annual Plant Sale from the George Eastman House. It's from 10am- 4pm and there is no admission fee. (From 9am - 10am there is a presale for GEH members only.) Purchase perennials and woody plants that have been grown from seeds, divisions, cuttings, and offshoots from plants grown on the grounds of George Eastman House. The sale is near the University Avenue entrance.

9) Tickets are still available to the musical "Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz," which will be playing at the Auditorium Theatre May 23-June 15. Here is a link to Ticketmaster to get tickets:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/164/?search_redirect=rochester%20aud%20theatre&tm_link=tm_header_search

10) A perfect Memorial Day event is coming up: On Monday, May 26 at 2 p.m., the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik take the stage at Genesee Country Village & Museum’s Exhibition Barn on Flint Hill Road in Mumford, NY to help celebrate a musical Memorial Day. Nearly all the music will be from the RPO’s new CD, HONOR: Portraits of America, celebrating America’s heritage and recognizing the service and sacrifice of generations of Armed Forces veterans. The concert is free with museum admission. The CD – only publicly released on May 22 – will be available for purchase at the concert; two dollars of the $20 price from each CD will be donated to the local Veterans Outreach Center in Rochester.

11) As I reported last week, the Nazareth College Bach Children's Chorus will hold its annual audition information meeting tomorrow, Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 9:30 am in Wilmot Hall at Nazareth College, 4245 East Ave. Please call BCC Manager June Santini at 585-582-3082 for more info, or to reserve a space. Membership in the BCC is open by audition to girls, and boys whose voices have not changed, ages 8-15. Audition materials, should you choose to purchase them immediately after the meeting, are $5. For more information, see: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15455

By the way, the BCC's final concert of the 2007-2008 season is this Sunday at 3pm, with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra and the Rochester Heritage Singers, at Hochstein School of Music and Dance as part of the Lilac Festival. You can buy tickets in advance by clicking on this link:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/21531

12) Speaking of the Lilac Festival, this is the last weekend for the festival; it ends Sunday. I haven't made it there yet, but I haven't missed a year yet since I moved to Rochester in 1995 (save for 2006, when we were in Virginia for the year). So odds are that we'll be there, camera in hand. The weather looks as though it will cooperate, though it will be cool.

13) This Saturday at 2:00 and 4:30pm you can bring your kids to TYKEs Theatre's production of Jack in the Beanstalk at School of the Arts. Tickest are $11; call the box office at 585-723-6080 order tickets.

14) Tonight and tomorrow night at 8pm you can see the Off-Monroe Players' production of The Great Choruses of Gilbert and Sullivan. All OMP performances are at Salem United Church of Christ, 60 Bittner Street in Downtown Rochester. For tickets, call the OMP Reservation Line at (585) 234-0500. And see this link for more information: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15746

15) The Kids' Trout Fishing Derby is at Powder Mills Park in Pittsford on Saturday morning, May 17 (tomorrow). Registration is free at the Powderhorn Lodge beginning at 7AM for ages 15 and under. The derby runs from till 10AM, followed by an awards ceremony and hatchery tour. Complimentary refreshments will be served.

16) The Red Wings are in town tonight (though not for the rest of the weekend), and the Rhinos are playing Saturday night. See the calendar for more details.

17) This weekend, your kids can have "Wicked Fun" at Strong Museum, to celebrate next week's opening of Wicked at the Auditorium Theater. Join in theater workshop activities, fun dance moves, crafts, and more.

18) Think it's too early to start thinking about Christmas? The Flower City Ballet is having Nutcracker tryouts for area dancers on Sunday. For more details, see: http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-event.php?id=15665

19) Today, my goal is to finish my annual call-all-of-the-towns research to verify the times and places of their Memorial Day Parades. What always gets me is that there are always one or two parade times that are slightly altered, so I can't just publish the exact same page every year, I have to verify with everyone. So that's my job today, and I'm hoping to finish by about 3pm. So here is the link:
http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/city-articles/memdayparades.html I'll indicate on the page if it's not finished, so you know to take the times with a grain of salt until then. Besides, if it still says 2007, that'll be your clue.

20) You never believe me when I tell you how there's so much more on the KOA calendar than I can highlight here in the newsletter, right? Well, you'll see how true that is when you click through to the calendar today. You won't be sorry, trust me. http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/calendar-search-display.php?dr=tw&EventCity=1

I hope your weekend smells of lilacs!

Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com

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