Maple Day at the Saratoga Farmers' Market 3/16

Celebrate maple sugaring season with a day dedicated to maple! This Saturday, March 16, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market will have an abundance of maple products including maple yogurt, maple chevre, maple cheesecake, cultured butter with maple and even maple lattes. And, of course, maple syrup at sugar house pricing! The farmers' market has lots of family fun planned including a maple-themed Story Time (10:30-11:30 am) and free face painting. Plus, live music, loads of samples, recipes, and the best food in town! Market hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and you can find them at the Lincoln Baths building in the Saratoga Spa State Park at 65 S. Broadway.

Breastfeeding Support Group at Saratoga Hospital 3/15

Join Kelly Duheme, IBCLC, in collaboration with Saratoga Midwifery, Saratoga OBGYN at Myrtle Street, and Saratoga WIC, for a FREE Breastfeeding support group to connect with other breastfeeding mothers at Saratoga Hospital (211 Church Street Saratoga Springs) on Friday, Mar 15th from 10:00 to 11:30am.

We will celebrate our successes, share our struggles, and offer guidance and support to help both mom and baby throughout their breastfeeding journey. Expectant mothers are encouraged to attend, and the group is open to all mothers regardless of delivery location. Grandmothers and siblings (up to age 5) are also welcome.

Please bring a blanket/floor mat. No registration required. For more information, please call 518-580-2049.

Science Explorers at The Children's Museum at Saratoga 3/14

Science Explorers is on Thursday, Mar 14th from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at The Children's Museum At Saratoga (69 Caroline Street Saratoga Springs). Discover the many ways science is all around us in a program that is designed to spark curiosity and create those surprising “a-ha” moments for children that can last a lifetime. Whether children are experimenting with smells, designing an air powered car, or experimenting with color and dyes, these multi-sensory activities foster curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills. Museum Admission Required.                      

Horse Explorers at The National Museum of Racing and Hall 3/14

Horse Explorers is a weekly program held at the Museum and led by the Museum's educators. Each week covers interactive, horse-related topics in art, literacy, science and math. It is recommended for ages 3-6 years old. Children are FREE with paid adult admission and as always FREE for museum members! Held on Thursday 3/14 at 10:30 AM – 11:15 PM. The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is located at 191 Union Ave, Saratoga Springs. Click the button below for more info:

Tours for Tots at The Hyde Collection 3/14

Tours for Tots is at The Hyde Collection on March 14th from 10:30 to 11:30am. Children ages 5 and younger learn about a work in the Museum, then spend time in the Art Studio making their own creations. The Hyde Collection is located at 161 Warren Street, Glens Falls. Click the button below for more info:

Plant and Sip at Saratoga Paint and Sip Studio 3/13

Head to Saratoga Paint and Sip Studio on Wednesday, Mar 13th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM for Plant and Sip! Living Accents will be at the studio for this special DIY Cactus Terrarium. So much fun! This event sold out fast last time so get your seats now by clicking the button below. Saratoga Paint and Sip Studio is located at 80 Henry Street in Saratoga Springs.

St. Patrick's Day Craft and Bird Walk at Saratoga Spa State Park 3/13

Head to Saratoga Spa State Park on Wednesday, March 13 from 2-3pm to make and decorate your own Leprechaun Lookers (DIY binoculars) and go for a walk around the classroom to look for birds. For ages 3-7. Please bring 2 toilet paper rolls per child if possible. They will supply extra as well as decorating materials. This is a free event but registration is required. Please call (518) 584-2000 Ext. 111 to register.

SteveSongs Ticket GIVEAWAY!

Have you heard? The Beagle School is bringing SteveSongs to Saratoga Springs on Saturday, April 6th! If you’re a parent, you’ve heard the happy sounds of SteveSongs and we are so lucky to have The Beagle School bring him right here to Saratoga Springs for a special live, one time only performance that your kiddos won’t want to miss!

ABOUT STEVE:

Steve Roslonek of SteveSongs has been writing and performing his award-winning music for kids and families for the past fifteen years. Steve blends participatory songs, clever stories and great melodies to create what the Boston Globe called "not just a musical journey but an entertaining, interactive and educational one."

For more information and for tickets click here, and to enter to win a FREE Family Four Pack of tickets, simply comment on THIS post below with why YOU need this Family Four Pack of tickets for the April 6th performance! One winner will be chosen at random on Friday, March 15th at 5pm and notified via email. Good luck readers!

Maple Weekend is Coming! March 23-24 & 30-31, 2019

NY's Maple Weekend is coming! Sponsored by the NYS Maple Producers' Association, Maple Weekend runs for two weekends: March 23-24 & 30-31, 2019.

During Maple Weekend, maple farms across New York State invite visitors to their “sugar houses” to experience firsthand how pure, mouth-watering maple syrup and other related products are made.  Visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy fun, family-friendly activities, taste New York’s freshest syrup and purchase maple products. It’s super easy to find some great spots to visit just by clicking below, and stay tuned to Mini City where we will be sharing some of our favorite local spots to visit!

Family Fun Night at the Saratoga Regional YMCA 3/8

Family Fun Night is this Friday, March 8th at the Saratoga Regional YMCA at their Saratoga Springs Branch (Saratoga Regional YMCA (Saratoga Springs Branch, 290 West Avenue, Saratoga Springs) from 6:30-8pm. We will be making a rainbow pot of gold for a fun craft. T-ball and an obstacle course fit for little leprechauns set up in the gymnasium.

This program is designed to give families an opportunity to play together. Parental supervision is required. Registration is NOT required. This event is FREE and open to the public!

For more information, contact Elizabeth Sweeney at elizabeth.sweeney@srymca.org.

Second Sunday with Art Lab 3/10

The second Sunday of every month, The Hyde offers free admission. From 1 to 4 pm, their educators host Art Lab, a free gallery and art-making activity that explores the “A” in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). For families with children ages 6 and older, but anyone can participate; even adults without children will have a blast. Sunday, March 10th from 1-4pm. The Hyde Collection is located at 161 Warren St, Glens Falls.

Special Author Event with Andy Griffiths at Northshire Bookstore 3/23

At Northshire Bookstore on Saturday, March 23rd at 1:00 p.m. join New York Times bestselling author Andy Griffiths as he invites readers to come hang out with him in the 104-Story Treehouse—the eighth book in the illustrated chapter book series filled with amazing slapstick humor! This will be a fun-filled event and will feature bookseller-led games and activities inspired by the 13-Story Treehouse series--a Northshire favorite.  They are thrilled to welcome Andy Griffiths for a fun author visit.

Tickets are required for this event and space is limited.

Tickets are $5 for children & unaccompanied adults, and are good for $5 off any book by Andy Griffiths purchased in the store the day of the event. Tickets are free for adults attending with a child. Click here to purchase tickets!

About The 104-Story Treehouse: Andy and Terry live in a 104-story treehouse. (It used to be a 91-story treehouse, but they decided it was still missing a few things.) It has a never-ending staircase, a burp bank, a deep-thoughts thinking room, Mount Everest, a mighty fortress reinforced with extra-strong fortress reinforcer, and a money-making machine (that also makes honey!). When Andy has a toothache that hurts so bad he can’t write any jokes for their new book, Terry knows just what to do: buy a Joke Writer 2000™ to write the jokes for them! All they need first is some money from their money-making machine and then it’s off to the store. It’s a foolproof plan—a Terry-proof one, even! What could go wrong?

Mini City BIRTHDAY GUIDE Coming in the March Issue of Mini City Magazine

Who doesn’t love a birthday party?! Even if planning the actual party isn’t your jam, here at Mini City we want to help make it as easy as possible with the Mini City Birthday Guide in the upcoming March issue of Mini City Magazine. We want everything from birthday party venues to where to get the best party treats and gifts! If you have a great venue or have a recommendation you’d like to see in Mini City Magazine, fill out the form below!

Easter Events Round Up

Easter is around the corner (even with all the snow on the ground) and here on Mini City we want to share YOUR upcoming Easter events! Simply fill out the form below to share your event with all of our readers, now hop to it!

Family Saturday: Lotus Pond at the Tang Teaching Museum and Gallery 3/9

The Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs hosts Family Saturday: Lotus Pond on Saturday, March 9, at 2:00 pm. Join them in The Second Buddha: Master of Time to learn about the story of Padmasambhava or Lotus Born. Using this story and the image of the lotus flower floating on water, we will create our own lotus ponds with colored paper, acetate, paint pens, tissue paper, and pom poms.

Family Saturdays foster multigenerational creative collaboration through looking at artwork in our galleries, discussing and sharing ideas, and engaging in a hands-on art activity inspired by those conversations.

All programs run from 2:00 to 3:30 PM and are free and open to the public, and suitable for children ages 5 and older, accompanied by their adult companions.

Tang event page: https://tang.skidmore.edu/calendar/971-family-saturday

Registration is required. You can register beginning one week before each program. For more information and to register, call our Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080. We welcome visitors of all abilities! Be prepared to get messy and have fun! Share your Family Saturday photos on social media by including #tangfamsat.

Opera Saratoga Pinocchio Performances

Opera Saratoga will present PINOCCHIO at Clifton Park Public Library (475 Moe Road, Clifton Park) on Saturday, March 9th from 1-2pm. This whimsical 40-minute adaptation of the classic story by Carlo Collodi is the perfect introduction to opera for elementary school students, featuring music from operas by Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, Offenbach, and Pergolesi, adapted by John Davies, and sung in English.

Upcoming performances:

• Saturday, March 16th from 1-2pm at the Saratoga Springs Public Library (49 Henry Street, Saratoga Springs)

• Saturday, March 23rd from 11am to 12pm at the Crandall Public Library (251 Glen Street, Glens Falls)

• Saturday, March 23rd from 2 to 3pm at the Schuylerville Public Library (52 Ferry Street, Schuylerville)

• Saturday, March 30th from 2:30 to 3:30pm at the Schenectady Civic Playhouse (12 South Church Street, Schenectady).

All performances are free and open to the public.

Owl Prowl at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park 3/7

On Thursday, Mar 7th from 6 to 7:30 PM there will be an Owl Prowl at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park (80 Scout Road Wilton). Starting with an indoor presentation, participants will learn about native owls.  Then we will head outdoors to listen and look for wild owls!  Group size is limited and is for ages 5 and up. Admission is free but registration is required by calling the Library at (518) 584-7860 option 3.

Winter Walk and Bingo at Saratoga Spa State Park 3/21

Head to Saratoga Spa State Park on Thursday, March 21st from 2-3pm for a hike around Creekside Classroom to look for signs of winter. Snowshoes will be provided if necessary. If the weather is nice kids can look for signs of spring with spring bingo. This is for children of all ages. This is a free event. Registration is required. Please call (518) 584-2000 Ext. 111 to register.

Preschool Story Art at the Saratoga Springs Public Library

Children ages 42 months-5 years will enjoy stories and a new hands-on craft activity each week at Preschool Story Art at the Saratoga Springs Public Library on Fridays throughout March, led by a children's librarian. No registration required. The March 8 date will be a special SaratogaREADS! program.