📆 BETHELEHEM AREA EVENTS

⚾⛳ NEW SPORTS TRAINING FACILITY COMING TO VOORHEESVILLE! 🏌️‍♂️🔥

🎶🎺 DISCOVER THE SOUND: RCS STUDENTS GET HANDS-ON WITH MUSIC! 🎻🥁

🎂💙 SLINGERLANDS STUDENTS SPREAD BIRTHDAY JOY ACROSS THE CAPITAL REGION! 🎉📦

🎶🏆 RCS MUSICIANS STRIKE GOLD AT NYSSMA FESTIVAL! 🎺🎤

Introducing the Bethlehem Area Live Community Calendar

MAY 17th

MAY 18th

MAY 19th

MAY 20th

MAY 21st

MAY 22nd

⚾⛳ NEW SPORTS TRAINING FACILITY COMING TO VOORHEESVILLE! 🏌️‍♂️🔥

Big news for local athletes and sports fans — the Voorheesville Planning Commission has officially approved a new indoor sports training facility called Links & Diamonds at 28 South Main Street! 👏

The new membership-based facility will transform a former warehouse into a year-round training destination featuring:

⚾ Indoor batting cages
🥎 Pitching lanes
🏌️ Golf simulator
⚾ Baseball simulator
🌱 Planned outdoor turf field

The approximately 6,200-square-foot building will offer athletes a place to train, practice, and improve their game right here in the community. 💪

According to plans submitted to the village, the facility is designed primarily for youth athletes — especially around age 12 and older — and will function mainly as a drop-off sports training center.

🍿 No full kitchen is planned, but vending machines and partnerships with nearby local restaurants are expected to help support events and visitors.

The facility could host up to 50 people at a time and aims to provide a fun, modern training environment while also being mindful of neighbors in the surrounding area. Updated plans now include:
🕘 No outdoor activities after 9PM
🚪 No general public indoor access after 10PM
🔇 Reminder signage encouraging quiet departures after evening events

The project adds another exciting recreational and youth-focused opportunity to the Village of Voorheesville and could become a major destination for local baseball, softball, and golf enthusiasts year-round. ⚾⛳

🔗Read More: https://altamontenterprise.com/05072026/batting-cages-golf-simulator-okd-voorheesville-warehouse

#Voorheesville #Blackbirds #CapitalRegionSports #YouthSports #BaseballTraining #GolfSimulator #CommunityNews #BethlehemLocalNews #Softball #SportsDevelopment ⚾⛳🔥

🎶🎺 DISCOVER THE SOUND: RCS STUDENTS GET HANDS-ON WITH MUSIC! 🎻🥁

Future musicians took center stage at RCS during the district’s annual “Meet the Instruments Night,” and it was a night full of music, excitement, and discovery! 🎼✨

This year’s event welcomed 3rd grade students and their families for a fun, interactive evening where students had the chance to:
🎷 See instruments up close
🎺 Hear how they sound
🥁 Try them out firsthand
🎻 Learn from music teachers and student musicians

From brass and woodwinds to percussion and strings, the event gave students an exciting introduction to the many opportunities available through the RCS music program. 🎶👏

The evening was made possible thanks to the dedicated RCS Music Department staff and talented student musicians who generously shared their time, experience, and love of music with younger students. ❤️

A special thank you also went to John Keal Music Company for providing:
🎺 Demo instruments
🧼 Cleaning materials
🎵 Professional support

Their continued partnership helps make this hands-on experience welcoming and memorable for future musicians throughout the district.

🎼 Even more exciting — this marks the first year that RCS 4th grade students are able to begin music lessons, helping prepare them for participation in the 5th grade band program! 👏🎶

Programs like Meet the Instruments Night continue to inspire creativity, confidence, and community connections through the joy of music. 🎵💙

Original Article: https://www.rcscsd.org/article/2861404

#RCS #RCSRavens #MusicEducation #FutureMusicians #SchoolMusic #BandProgram #CapitalRegionKids #CommunityStrong #BethlehemLocalNews #StudentSuccess 🎶🎺

🎂💙 SLINGERLANDS STUDENTS SPREAD BIRTHDAY JOY ACROSS THE CAPITAL REGION! 🎉📦

At Slingerlands Elementary School, more than 60 second graders are proving that even small acts of kindness can make a BIG difference. ❤️

Students recently assembled an incredible 75 “Birthday Boxes” to help ensure local children experiencing food insecurity or housing instability can still celebrate their special day. 🎂✨

Each box was packed with birthday fun including:
🧁 Cake mix & frosting
🎉 Sprinkles
🕯 Candles
🥄 A whisk
💌 Handmade birthday cards
📚 Custom bookmarks
…and of course everyone’s favorite — Funfetti! 🌈

The project became a true community effort, with donations pouring in from families throughout the Slingerlands school community. Students also added personal touches by creating colorful birthday cards and heartfelt messages for the children receiving the boxes. 💕

Teacher Heather Reid, who first discovered the Birthday Box idea several years ago, said the project helps students better understand that not every child gets the opportunity to celebrate their birthday.

The boxes will now help families served by several local organizations including:
📦 Free Food Fridge Albany
📦 St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
📦 Marillac Family Shelter

The largest donation — 43 Birthday Boxes — will go to the Marillac Family Shelter, which supports families experiencing homelessness in Albany County.

The project also carries special meaning in memory of former Clarksville Elementary principal Dorothy McDonald, whose connection to St. Catherine’s Center for Children helped inspire this year’s effort. ❤️

A huge thank you to:
👏 Mrs. Reid
👏 Ms. Collette
👏 Ms. Koutsakis
👏 Parent volunteers
👏 And the entire Slingerlands community

This is what community kindness looks like. 💙🎂

#Slingerlands #BethlehemNY #CommunityKindness #BirthdayBoxes #BCSD #CapitalRegion #StudentLeadership #GivingBack #CommunityStrong #BethlehemLocalNews 🎉💙📦

🎶🏆 RCS MUSICIANS STRIKE GOLD AT NYSSMA FESTIVAL! 🎺🎤

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk High School recently became the center of music excellence in the Capital Region as it proudly hosted the NYSSMA Choral Major Festival on April 29–30! 👏🎼

The event welcomed talented student musicians and music educators from schools across the region, showcasing not only incredible performances but also RCS’s strong commitment to music education and the arts. ❤️🎶

Throughout the NYSSMA festival season, student groups and soloists perform for professional adjudicators who evaluate:
🎵 Musicianship
🎼 Performance quality
🎺 Preparation
🎤 Overall musical achievement

And RCS students delivered outstanding results this year! 👏🔥

🏅 2026 NYSSMA Festival Ratings:
🎺 RCS 7/8 Band — SILVER
🎤 RCS 7/8 Chorus — SILVER
🥁 RCS High School Band — GOLD
🎶 RCS High School Chorus — GOLD

Gold and Silver ratings represent high levels of musical excellence and reflect months of hard work, dedication, rehearsals, and growth by both students and directors. 🎼👏

🎵 RCS musicians also shined at NYSSMA Solo Festivals, where:
⭐ 78 students participated
⭐ Many performed at Mohonasen High School
⭐ Several earned scores qualifying for All-State consideration

In addition to hosting at RCS, student ensembles also traveled this season to perform at:
📍 Shaker High School
📍 Columbia High School
📍 Saratoga Springs High School

The NYSSMA experience gives students valuable opportunities to:
🎶 Perform for professional judges
🤝 Learn from peer musicians
💪 Build confidence
🎼 Grow artistically through collaboration and feedback

These accomplishments highlight the incredible talent, pride, and dedication within the RCS music community. 🎺❤️

A special thank you also went to RCS senior Bradley Brenner for sharing photographs from the event. 📸👏

Congratulations to all of the student musicians, directors, families, and supporters who continue to make the arts shine at RCS! 🎶🏆

#RCS #RCSRavens #NYSSMA #MusicEducation #StudentMusicians #CapitalRegionArts #Choir #Band #PerformingArts #CommunityPride #BethlehemLocalNews 🎶🏅🎤

How Did We Do This Issue??