Press

ALBANY, NY – The New York State Museum’s next Family Fun Weekend, Nov. 3 – 4, will focus on “Early Settlers.”

The Family Fun Weekend, presented by Fidelis Care, takes place from 1 – 4 p.m. both days. Activities, which are free of charge, are held in and around Adirondack Hall, on the Museum’s First floor. Young people will learn about the state’s colonial settlers and the soldiers who protected them. The program will also provide a glimpse of how people in the 18th century endured harsh upstate winters.

On Saturday, there will be an encampment of re-enactors of British Army units that served in and around the Capital Region during the French and Indian War. They will appear as they might have in 1758 and play the role of two units – the 55th Light Infantry and the Grenadiers of the British Army. The 55th landed in Albany and marched up Broadway to Schuyler Flats in Menands, where they camped before heading to Lake George and setting sail to attack Fort Ticonderoga. Commanded by Capt. Chris Cook of Springfield MA, Infantry re-enactors will demonstrate daily chores and drills and show how they prepared food and made winter gear.

Also Saturday afternoon, Anne Clothier, education coordinator for the Shaker Heritage Society, will present “History of the Shakers in New York State and the Albany Area.’’ She will bring the audience closer to Shaker life by showing objects they can touch and use.

From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, singer and songwriter Dan Berggren will perform Adirondacks-inspired songs and stories set to music. Berggren’s appearance is made possible through the assistance of Old Songs, Inc., a Guilderland-based non-profit organization devoted to keeping traditional music alive.

At 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. both afternoons, a presentation in the Museum’s inflatable Star Lab Planetarium will show how early settlers used the sky to navigate and how the star’s positions helped them set their daily schedule of activities. The show, which will be located in the Carole F. Huxley Theater, is limited to 30 people, who must obtain a free ticket at the information desk in the lobby.

Throughout the weekend, young people can make an old-fashioned sheep, like the colonial children made. There will also be a scavenger hunt and participants can take home a packet filled with coloring sheets, word searches, puzzles and other activities.

Family Fun Weekends, presented by Fidelis Care, offer theme-based family activities and are held the first weekend of the month.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York StateEducation Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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