This Week in Clarkstown

Coaching your own kids is different.

I am currently coaching three teams, two baseball teams for my sons, one at the 11-year-old level and one at the 15-year-old level, as well as my daughter’s 11-year-old softball team.

I have 35 years of coaching experience at just about every level, from T-ball through high school and college. I have also worked in professional baseball at both the minor and major league levels. Add it all up, and you would think I might know a thing or two about baseball and softball.

Apparently, my kids disagree.

When it comes to coaching my own children, all that experience seems to go right out the window. Other players listen intently and are usually grateful for any wisdom I can pass along. My kids? Not so much. I get the huffing and puffing, the occasional eye roll, and, of course, the famous side-eye every time I correct them.

Apparently, all my years of coaching experience mean absolutely nothing once the player calling you “Coach” also calls you “Dad!”

Speaking of coaching and great programs for kids, join the Town of Clarkstown and Mighty Mike Simmel and his amazing team of coaches for Bounce Out the Stigma, a nationally recognized basketball program for individuals with special needs.

This inclusive program is designed for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, epilepsy, confidence challenges, motor or developmental challenges, and social interaction needs.

The program will meet on Thursdays, October 1 through November 5, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. at the Pascack Community Center. This six-week program is open to ages 7–21 and costs $225. Special kids deserve special programs, and this is truly a special one.

For more information about Bounce Out the Stigma, visit bounceoutthestigma.org.

Have you purchased a birthday or graduation card lately? The price of greeting cards seems to keep going up. You can easily spend six or seven dollars on a card that someone reads for 30 seconds and then puts on the kitchen counter! Sure, you can head to the dollar store, but sometimes you get exactly what you paid for.

If only there were a way to make your own professional-looking cards. Well, now there is!

Join the Town of Clarkstown for a hands-on Card Making Workshop, where participants will learn foundational techniques, explore creative materials, and design personalized greeting cards.

Card making is the craft of designing and assembling handmade greeting cards using paper, color, texture, and decorative details. Projects can range from simple folded cardstock designs to more detailed creations incorporating several techniques and materials.

Participants will work with a variety of cardstock and patterned paper, stamps and ink, adhesives, ribbon, die cuts, embossed details, and other decorative accents. Best of all, you will leave each class with cards you created yourself!

This four-week class will meet at the Street Community Center on Thursdays, October 1 through October 22, from 7:00–8:30 p.m. The program is open to ages 12 and older, and the cost is $40.

If cards are already your thing, we have another event you may enjoy!

Join the Town of Clarkstown and members of our community for a fun-filled day playing the world-famous card game Canasta on Wednesday, October 28, from 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at the Street Community Center.

The $40 registration fee includes coffee, tea, bagels, and muffins in the morning, followed by a hot lunch in the afternoon. Prizes will be awarded for various achievements during game play, and there will also be raffles, including a 50/50, benefiting Meals on Wheels of Rockland County. This program is open to ages 21 and older.

Finally, it may only be October, but it is never too early to start thinking about Christmas!

The Town of Clarkstown Parks & Recreation Department will once again be taking a bus trip to see the world-famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular on Sunday, November 15. The bus will depart from the Parks & Recreation Department at Zukor Park at 10:30 a.m. for the 2:00 p.m. show. There will be some time before the performance to grab lunch, do a little shopping, or simply enjoy New York City during the holiday season.

The cost is $140 per person and includes admission to the show and round-trip bus transportation.

For more information about any of these programs, call the Parks & Recreation Department at 845-639-6200 or visit clarkstown.gov/recreation.

As always, if you have an idea for a future column, program, event, trip, or something you would like to see offered by Clarkstown Parks & Recreation, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at m.veronesi@clarkstown.gov.

Have a great week!