Picks Of The Week: August 8-10

In the mood for celebrating? This weekend hosts festivals galore that the whole family can enjoy! Little theater buffs should check out the Fringe Jr. multi-arts festival, while history lovers will have a blast at the Civil War Weekend on Governors Island. For dance performances, check out Dance Theatre of Harlem’s special street festival or the multicultural activities at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Craving a game? Head over to a special chess festival for all skill levels at Dr. Ronald McNair Park.

Starting Friday, August 8

Fringe Jr.
The Theater at 14th St. Y
Various showtimes
Ages 5-12
FringeNYC, the largest multi-arts festival in North America, has special kid-friendly productions in the form of FringeJR. “Peter Pan and the Stardust Dances,” “Sarazad and the Monster King,” and “The Young Olympians and The Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever,” have made for some fabulous theater in past years! $10 per ticket

Saturday, August 9

Dance Theatre of Harlem Street Festival
West 152nd St. between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas Avenues
12pm-7pm
All Ages
Spend your Saturday at the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s annual Street Festival! Fest-goers can enjoy live dance performances from the Dance Theatre of Harlem School and browse the selection of food, books, and clothing at various street vendor booths. Admission is free.

B’rook’lyn Chess Festival
Dr. Ronald McNair Park
10am-4pm
All Ages
Sharpen your chess skills at this fun game festival in Brooklyn! Players of all skill levels are welcome to take part in activities like learning how to play, practicing techniques, taking checkmate workshops, playing pickup games, or even challenging Chess Master Giorgi Kacheishvili! Free

Saturday, August 9 & Sunday, August 10

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Flushing Meadows Park
Various activity times starting at 10:30am
All Ages
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, is an amazing multicultural celebration of the fifth moon (month) on the lunar calendar. Take the kiddos to celebrate by seeing incredible dance performances, martial art demonstrations, traditional Chinese foods, and over 120 dragon boat teams from across North America. Free

Civil War Weekend 2014
Governors Island National Monument
10am-7pm
All Ages
Discover how soldiers, civilians, and prisoners lived during the summer of 1863 when you visit Governors Island this weekend. The National Park Service’s living historians will reconstruct the past during this two-day Civil War Weekend. Free

A-Game Sports

<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;">A-Game Sports is a premier provider of sports camps, programming and instruction for kids of all ages ranging from toddlers to teens. As an instructional and recreational youth sports facility, our goal is to make athletics a rewarding experience for all kids. A-Game Sports is located in New Rochelle, NY, and offers camps, lessons, customized programs for more than 10 sports and rental space for private events. A-Game Sports was founded in 2013 by two guys who decided that it was time to do what they truly love in life. Since then, we've made the ideology of fusing hard work and fun into a reality. Our dedicated staff of professional coaches share their enthusiasm with kids of all ages and skill levels that take part in our programs.</p> </div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;">With turfed fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and flag football, batting cages and tunnels for baseball and softball, and various basketball programs, A-Game Sports is one of the premiere sports facilities for kids and adults of any age. Aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts will benefit from our many strength and conditioning programs, while children new to sports will learn skills and techniques within their chosen sport, all while having a great time and keeping the game fun.</p> </div>

BAMkids

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">BAMkids presents adventurous art and ideas for young audiences, igniting the imaginations of creative kids ages 3&mdash;11 with a fun and engaging lineup of workshops, movie matinees, and live performances from around the world.</span></p>

Speakitaly NYC

<p>SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp;</p> <p>Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge.</p> <p>Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts?</p> <p>Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"</p>