“It’s the most wonderful time of the year” Andy Williams declares in his classic Christmas song. With 19 days to go until Christmas, this weekend in Peekskill is jam packed full with exciting and family-friendly activities. 

Before we jump into it, send us a picture of your decorated house for the holiday’s or a holiday scene from Peekskill, and we may use it as the featured photograph for next week’s Peekskill Herald Weekend Roundup. Send your pictures to [email protected].  

Saturday, December 7

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Put on your best holiday costume and bring an unwrapped toy and/ or  non-perishable food item to the 4th Annual Reindeer Run. 

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Join the Captain Oliver C. Chase, Jr. American Legion Post 274 of Peekskill and the City of Peekskill in the Senior Room on the lower level of the Peekskill Neighborhood Center for a National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony.

11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. The old Ford Piano building will open up and host the Peekskill Arts Alliance Holiday Boutique and BIG Art Show starting at 11 a.m. Immediately after the annual tree lighting, celebrate the opening reception of the boutique and art show at 5 p.m. The Holiday Boutique will also be open the following day on Sunday, December 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

11:0 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Visit the Kimberly Seger Charity Foundation Boutique & Consignment at 500 Highland Avenue for a Fill the Bag Party.  Browse around and fill a bag for $35 (excluding jewelry, marked bags, and consignments) and you may just find that hidden treasure you have been searching for. All proceeds go directly to the Kimberly Seger Charity foundation to help decrease the stigma around mental health and to provide needed services to those who desperately need support. The new foundation boutique and consignment shop in memory of Kimberly Seger opened on October 19, and aims to break stigma about mental health for health care workers as the Peekskill Herald contributor Wendy Healy reported in early October of this year.

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Head on over to the Hat Factory in Peekskill and visit the Prana Moon Holiday Arts & Crafts Market. This year the Holiday Arts & Crafts Market will feature many artists who Reuse, Recycle and Repurpose. 

Prana Moon knows how over consumption of cheap goods from big box stores and huge online retailers is a leading cause of an extreme amount of waste products that goes to landfills and the oceans. Therefore this year, they are hosting a Holiday Arts & Crafts Market where they will showcase local artists who save the planet by collecting plastic and trash from our streets and beaches and rescue unwanted clothes and renew them. It’s their small way of helping the earth and each other. 

Some go to RETAKE REMAKE the Art Thrift Store (located below PranaMoon) as a main source of their repurposed & sustainable supplies. Plastic & Pearls by Mindy Kombert transforms plastic & other consumer waste into decorative & wearable art. Myth & Whimsy Originals by Ivy Kelley creates Mythical Ones from recycled and upcycled goods, from the Retake Remake. Grand Street Creations by Adriana Franggi sources 95% of her materials and supplies from Retake Remake for a sustainable final product. Hippie Chick Vintage by Nancy Butterfield upcycles, recycles & embellishes saving perfectly good clothing from going to our landfills.

Stop by and pick up a few handmade unique items as holiday gifts by shopping earth friendly and sustainable pieces by local artists. The Prana Moon Holiday Arts & Crafts Market will feature: Art For Real People by Candace Winter, Artbysuehirsch by Sue Hirsh, Sarah Alise Designs by Sarah Alise, Plastic & Pearls by Mindy Kombert, BOG SIDE POTTERY by Nancy Holmes Doyle, Grand Street Creations by Adrianna Franggi, Kati Did Originals by Kate Daley, Myth & Whimsy Originals by Ivy Kelly, Lakeside Beads by Madelyn Pepper, Tree of LIFE by Ailed Ross, BUTTERFIELD’S Cakes, Cookies & More by Brittany Butterfield, I L❤VE DOGS by Erica Gori, MALA MAKING with Betsy & Debbi, Hudson Milk & MARKET, DL SILVER CRAFT by Denny Leaden, Hippie Chick Vintage: clothes revisited by Nancy Butterfield, PranaMoon Eye Pillows by Ellen, Intuitive Paintings & Collage by Ellen Forman, GROOVY GOODS by Betsy Egan, and INDU LOTION GIFTS SETS. In addition, anyone who shows up, regardless if they buy anything is able to enter into a free raffle. For those who buy goods from the artists, you gain more chances to enter into the raffle. The more you shop, the better your chances of winning. 

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Join the Lincoln Depot Museum for their final First Saturday at the Museum program for 2024: Civil War Ironclads, It’s not just the story of the Monitor and the Merrimack with Jon Fiorella.

Between 1859 and the early 1890s, a class of ships nicknamed Ironclads were built as warships protected by iron armor plates. During the American Civil War these powerful ironclad warships were perfected by both the Union and Confederate navies. When the American Civil War first broke out in 1861 the Confederacy chose the ironclad vessel to counteract the overwhelming superiority of the larger Union Navy, whose wooden vessels would be easy prey for the invulnerable ironclads. 

The first battle in history between two ironclads took place on March 9, 1862, in the Battle of Hampton Roads. Although the battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (formerly called the USS Merrimack) ended in a draw, it forever changed the nature of naval warfare throughout the world. The day of the wooden warship had come to an end.

The history of the Ironclads can’t omit the famous Monitor & Merrimack, but there’s much more to the story. Visit the Lincoln Depot Museum and find out. Admission is $10 and free for museum members. For more information, contact: [email protected]

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Join the Peekskill Arts Alliance and The Field Library in the Field Gallery for the opening reception and end-of-year group exhibition titled “Changing Perspectives.” Unlike the Big Art Show at the old Ford Piano building two blocks away, these smaller works by Peekskill Arts Alliance members will also showcase smaller artworks, at the Field Gallery for the rest of 2024. 

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. For those who need a moment of solace and seek comfort remembering loved ones during this holiday season, the Dorsey Carlone Funeral Home invites you to an “Always in Our Hearts Luminaria Gathering.” It is an opportunity to be together to remember and celebrate the life of your loved one, fellowship and healing. 

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m The Peekskill BID, City of Peekskill and the Hudson Valley Chamber of Commerce invite everyone to join together as a community at the corner of Park and Division Street for the Peekskill Makes Me Merry 2024 annual Holiday Christmas Tree Lighting extravaganza.  

While in downtown or anywhere in Peekskill, don’t hesitate to open a door, step inside, and shop around in Peekskill’s small businesses and/ or enjoy a meal at any of the numerous restaurants downtown. There are plenty of places to see, visit and shop as this Small Business Saturday 2024 article highlights. Walk around and Re-Discover Peekskill.

Sunday, December 8

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m Don your favorite Ugly Holiday Sweater and visit Gleason’s for the 2nd Annual “This Could Get Ugly” featuring performances from Arts10566, Street Beatz, Just the Place, and The Dance Conservatory. Arts10566 and The Dance Conservatory have teamed up with Gleason’s to organize this event as a way for the youth of our community to give back with their talents and spread some holiday cheer for all. This event will feature lots of local kids performing including The Strings Ovations students from the Arts10566 program at Peekskill’s Youth Bureau. Dancers from Street Beatz, Just the Place, and The Dance Conservatory will entertain and amaze the audience while patrons of Gleason’s enjoy lunch and cocktails cheering on in holiday fun. In addition to the amazing acts and performances, organizers are asking folks to bring along non-perishable food items and/or monetary donations as the groups will be collecting donations for the Let It Shine and CHHOP food pantries. Reserve your seats by calling Gleason’s Peekskill at 914-402-1950 or visiting at GleasonsPeekskill.com. 

1:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m. The Paramount Hudson Valley hosts a sensory-friendly performance of the Nutcracker, Short and Sweet at 1 p.m. and and a family-friendly performance of the Nutcracker, Short and Sweet at 5 p.m. 

Don’t forget to shop and dine at Peekskill’s small businesses. There are plenty of places to see, visit and shop as this Small Business Saturday 2024 article highlights. Walk around and Re-Discover Peekskill.

Don’t forget to tell everyone you read about all of these events in the Peekskill Herald. 

December is the final month of the Peekskill Herald’s big annual fundraising campaign – where every dollar donated is matched, dollar for dollar, by major national funders through our partnership with NewsMatch. Please help by donating to keep this 501c3 news organization thriving.

Visit the Peekskill Herald Events Calendar Features and the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar to see more local events. To add your event, visit the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar. Subscribe or donate to the Peekskill Herald and receive the most updated news stories to your inbox daily.