Events for December 14, 2025 - December 14, 2025

On Monday, December 10, CSSC will sponsor a complimentary evening outing to Capital Holiday Lights in the Park, a spectacular show with over 125 light displays and scenes shown throughout historic Washington Park in Albany. After we drive through the park, we will stop by the Lake House to enjoy all sorts of crafts, costumed characters, refreshments, and even Santa himself. The underwriting of this excursion is made possible by a grant secured by Albany County Legislator Peter Crouse. (Thank you Legislator Crouse!) CSSC shuttle buses will leave from The Beltrone Living Center at 5:30 p.m., returning at approximately 7:30 p.m. [...]

On Tuesday, December 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., please join CSSC staff for a cooking demonstration that will feature and celebrate the Christmas holiday. Christmas as we know it today is a Victorian invention of the 1860s. Probably the most celebrated holiday in the world, our modern Christmas is a product of hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions. This cooking demonstration will discuss the origins of Christmas traditions from around the globe while sampling the delicious contributions of many cultures. The class will take place at King Thiel Senior Community, 17 Elks Lane, with a $5 [...]

The journey continues on Tuesday, December 18, as we visit another sacred space. Join Diane Conroy-LaCivita as she travels to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in downtown Albany. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church has served as an active center of worship for over three hundred years. A member of the Diocese of Albany, St. Peter’s existed before the formation of the Episcopal Church after the American Revolution. The Rev. Thomas Barclay came to Albany in 1704 with his primary ministry directed to the Iroquois tribes and the British garrison. Rev. Barclay soon oversaw the building of the first Anglican church in Albany and [...]

Do you have the Best Pet in the World? Enter CSSC’s Best Pet Contest and win a prize for your cherished pet. While we realize many people have special or unique pets, our contest is limited to dogs and cats. Pets play an important role in many people’s lives, especially older adults. Pets provide companionship, unconditional love, purpose to one’s life, security, and opportunities for social contact to name just a few benefits of pet ownership. Tell us why your pet is the Best Pet in the World. Pets will be judged in four categories and prizes will be awarded to [...]

Joe Anastasio, born in Sicily, gives us a pictorial reflection of his native island like no other. Using multimedia materials, his body of work shows a tremendous love and understanding of his island. Almost all of his works are painted on ceramic tiles, illustrating scenes of Sicily with its beautiful landscapes, its people, its villages, and most of all, the sea and the unforgettable sunsets. On Thursday, January 3, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., an opening reception of his exhibit will take place at The Beltrone Living Center. The event is free and open to the public. All are welcome [...]

The Pig is the twelfth of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. A pig represents luck, overall good fortune, wealth, honesty, general prosperity, symbolizing a hardworking, a peace-loving person, a truthful, generous, indulgent, patient, reliable, trusting, sincere, giving, sociable person with a large sense of humor and understanding. In celebration of Chinese New Year 2019, the Year of the Pig, on Friday January 11, 2019, please join Hui Zhou for a cooking demonstration on a Chinese dish, Sweet and Sour Shrimp (菠萝咕噜虾). Hui is a visiting scholar from China currently studying [...]

The journey continues on Thursday, January 17, as we visit another area sacred space. Join Diane Conroy-LaCivita as she travels to St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in downtown Watervliet. St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church is a magnificent church building established in 1906. It displays the Romanesque style of architecture designed by noted architects Bernhardt and Noack. Located at the junction of 4th Avenue and 24th Street, the church has a stunning architecture and speaks only of grandeur. The splendid design and intricate details are proof of the golden era to which it belonged. The CSSC shuttle bus will leave The Beltrone [...]

Please join us on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, for a hands-on art class instructed by local multi-media artist Marjorie Ward who will introduce attendees to the medium of alcohol inks. Alcohol inks are an acid-free, highly-pigmented, and fast drying medium used on non-porous surfaces. Mixing colors can create a vibrant marbled effect and the possibilities are limited only by what one is willing to try. The class will take place at King Thiel Senior Community, 17 Elks Lane, in Latham, with a fee of $5. To make a reservation, call Sharon Herald at 518-459-2857 ext. 302.

Colonie Senior Service Centers will be teaming up with Nexamp, a veteran-founded solar company, with their soon-to-open solar farm in Troy. CSSC’s share of the farm is small but will demonstrate our commitment to reducing our environmental impact and carbon footprint. Mark Your Calendar: Coffee, Cookies & Community Solar: Please join us on Tuesday, February 5, at 10 a.m., in The Beltrone Living Center’s Café for a talk on community-shared solar. Kelsey Fiori of Nexamp will give a brief presentation about their program. Community solar is an alternative to rooftop solar that homeowners and renters alike are eligible to participate in. [...]

There are only so many kinds of food people treasure. “Craved, savored and given as a symbol of one's love. Yet, so common it can be purchased for 50 cents. This treasured, as well as commonplace item is chocolate” (CNN, 1997). Americans eat up to twelve pounds of chocolate every year, but we are not the winners by far when it comes to chocolate consumption—that honor goes to the Swiss, who wolf down twenty-two pounds a year. It is hard to think of a Valentine's Day plan that does not involve food, specifically, dessert, even more specifically, a chocolate dessert. Join CSSC staff on Tuesday, February 12, from [...]

The journey continues on Wednesday, February 20, as we visit another area sacred space. Join Diane Conroy-LaCivita as she travels to St. Joseph Church in South Troy. St. Joseph Church, once referred to as the "Ironworker's Church," was founded May 2, 1847, by Fr. Peter Havermans. In 1848 the Church, serving a mostly Irish-American Community in South Troy, came under the care of Jesuits. The church building is Gothic, cruciform in shape, and erected in the basic style of the 13th century architecture. The Main Altar was built of purest statuary marble and onyx, upon which DeVinci’s Last Supper is carved in Italian Carrara marble. The Stations were imported from [...]

Roger Dames, CSSC’s Driver Fitness Coordinator, will conduct a Defensive Driving Class at The Beltrone Living Center on Thursday, February 28, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Cost is $25 per person, due before day of class. To reserve your seat, call 518-459-2857 ext. 303.

Eggs are laid by female animals of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and fish, and have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. The most commonly consumed eggs are chicken eggs. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline and are widely used in cookery. In fact, due to their protein content, the United States Department of Agriculture categorizes eggs as Meat. Join “self-taught chef” Joe LaCivita and Annie Metzger, proprietor of Laughing Earth Farm, on Thursday, February 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., as they explore the many ways to enjoy [...]