Ongoing Adult Classes & Events

Meditation Circle with Anne Rogers Mondays 8:30 - 9:30 AM No registration required. Join in a circle of stillness and centering each Monday morning. This opportunity will allow for silence, breath work, guided meditation, moving meditation and more. The direction will come from all who participate. Please email Anne Rogers at dancingmeadow@gmail.com with any questions.
Chair Yoga with Anne Rogers Mondays 9:30 - 10:15 AM Thursdays 1 - 1:45 PM Register on the online calendar. Cost: $60 (for 8 classes) Classes do not need to be taken consecutively or on the same day - attendance will be recorded by instructor. All ages and abilities welcome. A forty five minute class for anyone looking to strengthen and relax, and improve joint mobility, posture and balance. Whether you are interested in maintaining healthy movement without needing to get on the floor, or rehabbing an injury , chair work can help give you life long tools you can use for any anytime in your life. Anne Rogers has shared the beauty and benefits of yoga and movement for forty years. She received a degree in physical education and health and became certified in yoga, thai yoga massage, plant based nutrition, and reiki. She also practices qigong, meditation, breathwork and loves to dance. If we can learn to listen to our bodies Anne believes we can gain strength safely , and find the fluidity in our movements to release pain and tension.

Mah Jongg, Mexican Train and Scrabble Group Meet-Up Wednesdays 1 - 3 PM Mah Jongg is a 2,000 year old Chinese tile game of skill and chance for all ages and genders. The game is sociable, competitive, addictive, and FUN!!! It’s also known to help to improve your memory skills. *beginners (with a basic knowledge) are welcome, however this is not open to people who have never played* People are also welcome to join players for a fun game of Mexican Train and/or Scrabble. Italian Conversational Round Table Meets Third Tuesdays 5:30 - 6:30 PM Join us for an Italian Conversation round table. The event is open to everyone interested in the Italian language and will be conducted exclusively in Italian. An Intermediate-high level of fluency in the language is recommended to be able to fully enjoy the experience.
Virtual Italian Conversational Class Wednesdays 5:30 - 6:30 PM Register here to receive the link to join. This weekly class is designed for people who have some knowledge of the Italian language and would like to improve their conversational skills. This class meets virtually. After registering you will receive the link to join virtually. The same link is used every week. Dr. Ornella Lepri Mazzuca is a native speaker of Italian and has been facilitating the conversational class at the Gardiner Library since 2016. She graduated from the University of Urbino, Italy, with a Doctorate in English, French and Italian. She later earned an MA in Spanish and Linguistics and a PhD in Spanish Literature from the University at Albany.
Slow Stitch Club Thursdays 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Contact Carolyn at cthorenz@rcls.org for more information. Pack up your thread, needles, yarn, or hooks and join the slow stitch revolution. Any portable project qualifies: quilt, knit, crochet, felt, sew, embroider and more. Enjoy some "me time", a bit of socializing, show and share while artfully stitching a favorite project. Be privy to library tutorials and helpful services.
Gardiner's Open Sew Second Wednesdays 6:30 - 8 PM No registration required. Space is limited. First come, first served. Work on a project or practice your sewing skills and interact with other makers! No formal instruction provided. Patrons are responsible for bringing their own sewing machine and supplies.
Al-Anon Meetings Sundays 6:30 - 7:30 PM Al‑Anon is a mutual support program that welcomes people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking. The best place to learn how Al-Anon works is at an Al-Anon meeting. Personal contact is an important element of the Al-Anon program. Additional Al-Anon meetings are listed on www.al-anon-ulster-sullivan-ny.org and www.al-anon-orangecountyny.org.
Chess Club Meets first and third Wednesdays 6:30 - 8 PM For all levels and ages.
Nature Walks with Minnewaska State Park Educator Nick Martin Second Fridays 9 - 10:30 AM (November through March) Meet at the Gardiner Library lower parking lot. See a list of all the species of birds found on Nick's bird walks here. Gardiner Library Birding Walks 2021: A Summary Through Photos and Words. Gardiner Library Birding Walks 2022 Join Nick Martin, Minnewaska Park Educator, for a nature walk starting at the Gardiner Library. During this program, take an approximately one mile walk on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and wander through Majestic Park. On this slow-paced walk, we will be looking at whatever natural curiosities intrigue the group, from birds to trees. Participants are encouraged to wear waterproof boots or shoes and bring binoculars.
Peg's Reading Circle - Book Club First Wednesdays 3 – 4 PM Go to the calendar to see book picks. Join Gardiner Library's first director, Peg Lotvin, and discuss books chosen by the group. Originally called "The Teeny Tiny Book Club", Peg and a friend started this book club almost 20 years ago.
Bluegrass Jam with Deb Murphy with Mark Carabetta Meets fourth Wednesdays 6:30 - 8:30 PM Interested in playing bluegrass with other local musicians? Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 for a Bluegrass Jam. All are welcome to share songs, learn new tunes and make new friends in an inviting and relaxed atmosphere. Writing Workshop with Larry Carr: Writing the Short Form: Flash Fiction, Micro-essays, Prose Poems, and Memoirs First Saturdays 12:30 - 1:45 PM Award winning author and publisher, Laurence Carr, will conduct writing workshops concentrating on short forms (flash fiction, micro essays, prose poems, and memoirs). Throughout these sessions, writers will gather ideas and subject matter to create pieces of less that 600 words in length. Free-writes from prompts will be given in each session. Pieces will be drafted into finished works over the course of the workshops. Part of each class will also be devoted to specific elements of creative writing: structure, character, world of story, exposition, and other components. Discussions will continue about publishing possibilities. Writers can attend one or more sessions depending upon their availability. Laurence is an editor and publisher of Lightwood Magazine, an online journal of arts and culture at Lightwoodpress.com
Community Reiki: Individual 20 Minute Reiki Sessions Meets first Sundays noon - 2 PM First-come, first-served. See COVID protocols below. Reiki is both the energy of the universe and the Japanese system of sharing this energy with others. Recipients sit in a chair or lie on a comfortable table, clothed, while the practitioner lightly places hands on or above the recipient. The effect is of peace and deep rest for the recipient. HV Community Reiki has been providing Reiki sessions to the public since 2017 at the Gardiner Library. When the pandemic began, the group continued to send distant Reiki to one and all, each month. H.V. Community Reiki practitioners possess multiple certifications that can include Reiki I and II as well as Master level certifications in various styles including Usui/Tibetan, Komyo, Karuna, and Animal Reiki. Reiki practitioners and clients will remain masked at all times. Reiki tables will be spaced a safe distance apart and windows will be open for airflow. Reiki tables will be sanitized between clients, and practitioners will begin each session with sanitized hands. All practitioners are fully vaccinated and boosted.
Genealogy Help "Desk" with Alexis Graham Virtual appointments (phone or Zoom) One hour "tutoring" sessions (up to 2 free sessions per individual) Contact Nicole at nlane@rcls.org or call the library at 845-255-1255 to sign up. Genealogy is the new pastime focused on tracking down old ancestors. Whether you’re a beginner just getting started, have hit a brick wall, or interested in exploring additional free resources. Alexis has over twenty-five years of genealogy and family history experience and excels in English-based (or it could read English language) field, archival, and internet research. She is a Boston University Genealogy certificate recipient; has served on the board of the Capital District Genealogy Society, and assisted East Greenbush and Colonie library patrons in researching their family histories. Currently, she is working on a 10-generation manuscript documenting her maternal ancestor’s journey from Scotland to Ireland and eventually to the Colonies.