The Arts Mid-Hudson Folk Arts Program and Paper Heart Puppets bring the second Hudson Valley Puppetry Festival to the Mid-Hudson region from March 22 until April 26, 2025. The Festival will feature events in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties. For more information:

Alice Beal “Allelu” Kurten was an internationally known puppeteer who attended Vassar College (class of 1952) and settled in Hyde Park for many years. She was active with the Beatrix Farrand Garden locally, as the General Secretary of the American chapter of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (UNIMA-USA), and the Jim Henson Foundation board. The Hudson Valley Puppetry Festival honors Allelu’s memory with a retrospective exhibit at Hyde Park Library Annex

4 Main St.,  Hyde Park, NY 

Opening April 3, 2025,

Reception 5 pm – 7 pm

The exhibit will run through the end of May  31

This family-friendly event features puppet theaters from around the region sharing puppets, explaining puppet mechanics, and make-and-take activities for all. This event is part of the celebrations for the International Day of Puppetry. Puppetry theaters for the Day of Puppetry include Paper Heart Puppets, Artistree, Up in Arms, Cactus Head Puppets, Arm of the Sea, The Chrysalis Puppet Theater Workshop, and more