Open Mic
In The Grace Note
Join us for Open Mic Night at The Grace Note, a welcoming evening for music, spoken word, comedy, and every kind of self-expression. Artists of all ages and experience levels are invited to share. Come perform, listen, and cheer on friends and neighbors!
Interested in performing? We will start taking sign-up requests on Friday, August 14. Email info@thestissingcenter.org. Limited slots available!
Pumpkin Patch Dance Party
In Banning Hall
The first-ever Pumpkin Patch Dance Party at Stissing Center! Join friends and neighbors in beautiful Banning Hall for a lively night with beloved dance band Jungle Love, back by popular demand. Promising great music and great vibes, come spend an autumn evening boogie-ooogie-oogieing on the dance floor.
Writers & Readers Series: Single Girls
In The Grace Note
Stissing Center launches its new literary series, Writers & Readers, with a special eventfeaturing novelist Jane L. Rosen in conversation with author John Searles about his newly released book Single Girls. Presented in partnership with Oblong Books and the Pine Plains Free Library, the series brings writers and readers together for lively discussion, storytelling, and insight into the creative process in an intimate, welcoming setting.
An Evening with Murray Hill in Conversation with Bridget Everett
In Banning Hall
Join us for an evening an Evening with Murray Hill in conversation with Bridget Everett, celebrating Murray Hill’s new memoir, Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man, presented in partnership with Oblong Books. A beloved fixture of New York’s downtown comedy scene, Murray brings his signature mix of sharp humor, campy showmanship, storytelling, and heartfelt honesty to the stage. Expect laughs, surprises, and behind-the-scenes tales from the self-proclaimed “hardest working middle-aged man in show business” in a night that’s equal parts comedy, conversation, and celebration.
Writers & Readers Series: Rose Knox
In The Grace Note
The next installment of Stissing Center’s Writers & Readers series welcomes author Rachel Greenfield in conversation with Pulitzer Prize–nominated writer Amy Reading about Greenfield’s new biography Rose Knox. The book explores how Knox transformed a small gelatine company into a national brand by blending business savvy, marketing innovation, and the realities of working motherhood in early 20th-century America. Presented in partnership with Oblong Books and the Pine Plains Free Library.
Maryland State Boychoir
In Banning Hall
The Maryland State Boychoir, Maryland’s “Official Goodwill Ambassadors,” brings its rich choral tradition to Stissing Center for a special free performance. Founded in 1987, the ensemble now includes 130 singers ages 7–20 from diverse backgrounds, united by a shared commitment to music, discipline, and growth. Join us for an inspiring evening of choral music, open to all.
Children's Stop-motion Animation Workshop
In The Grace Note
Stissing Center's Summer Children's Series launches with a free Children's Animation Workshop led by teachers from The Art Effect in Poughkeepsie. This pay-what-you-can event coincides with Pine Plains' Community Day celebration, offering young artists hands-on creative exploration. Explore the wild and wacky world of humanimation, which is stop-motion animation using only our bodies to create the illusion of movement! Capturing live-action footage in stop-motion animation format is a fun and freeing way to get creative without making a mess. Make yourself float in mid-air, experiment with silly movements, and create a fun and funky video to share and enjoy. All participants receive their animations by the workshop's end.
The Grace Note Open Mic Night
In The Grace Note
Join us for Stissing Center’s very first Open Mic Night, a welcoming evening for music, spoken word, comedy, and every kind of self-expression. Artists of all ages and experience levels are invited to share. Come perform, listen, and cheer on friends and neighbors as creativity, courage, and community meet on one stage together.
Hosted by local duo Roger & Lenny
Valentine's Day Dance - Jungle Love
In Banning Hall
Jungle Love - five-time Best of the Hudson Valley winners (2021–2025) - returns to Stissing Center for our Valentine’s Day Community Dance. More than a band, they’re an experience: six lifelong musicians delivering a high-energy journey through Classic Soul, R&B, Motown, Disco, and Funk from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. For this special Valentine’s Day Community Dance, we remove all seating from the center of the auditorium so you can dance with your sweetheart, and your friends and neighbors, all night long.
Holiday Trivia Night
Get ready to sleigh the season at Holiday Trivia Night at Stissing Center! Hosted by the always-entertaining Alec Sisco, this festive evening will test your knowledge of holiday pop culture, from classic TV specials and iconic movies to quirky holiday traditions.
Community Dance Party with Neon Moons
The Neon Moons have been a mainstay of the upstate honkytonk scene, playing dance party nights since 2018. With half the band hailing from Texas, Louisiana, and California, and the other half from New York, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, The Neon Moons straddle the line between good old country western and East Coast blues-based jam band. In their own words “we run a loose ship around here.” Regardless of how you define them, you’re gonna have a good time.
Chefs’ Harvest Culinary Event and Farmer’s Market
Join some of the Valley's renowned chefs as they prepare foods and flavors from the harvest season, paired with regional wines and spirits from the Valley's distilleries and vineyards. Then "shop the season" at a lively farmers market showcasing our local farmers and purveyors.
Family Film: Whale Rider
The Whangara people trace their ancestry to Paikea, who rode a whale to safety. Chiefs, always first-born males, are seen as his descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl, must challenge tradition and her grandfather to claim her destiny as leader. PRESENTED BY STISSING CENTER AND THE PINE PLAINS FREE LIBRARY
Ratatouille
Ratatouille follows Remy, a rat with culinary dreams, who teams up with clumsy Linguini to create extraordinary dishes, inspired by chef Gusteau’s motto, “Anyone can cook,” in a Parisian restaurant.
Jungle Love Dance Party
Jungle Love, Hudson Valley's award-winning party band led by Cher, delivers an unforgettable musical journey through classic soul, R&B, Motown, disco, and funk, featuring musicians who’ve played with iconic legends.