Bessie the cow dreams of joining the circus. But can she lift more than Ziegfried, the strongest man in the world? Fly on the trapeze high above the crowd?

     Come root Bessie on in this variety show as she attempts the impossible and searches for her special talents in this production by the Swedish Cottage puppet theater.

     Free. Monday afternoon, May 20, at 1 in Fort Tryon Park at the Anne Loftus Playground in Inwood.

     Toddlers and their parents or caregivers can enjoy interactive stories, action songs, fingerplays and spend time with other growing kids in the neighborhood at the branch library.

     For children from 18 months to 3 years old.

     Free. Story time at Wednesday mornings at 10:30, followed by social play at 11 at the Fort Washington branch of the public library in Fort George on 179th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue.

     Video games, laptops, music, film, arts & crafts … science, book discussions, and more await teens at this weekly meet-up.

     Different things to do: every week, something new.

     Free. Wednesday afternoons from 4 5o 5:30 at the Fort Washington Branch of the public library on 179th Street in Fort George.

     This spring, join Sonomi Kobayashi for weekly art workshops for children ages 6 to 13 years old. 

     Sonomi is a Japanese artist who makes her home in New York. She is interested in science, nature, and spirituality. She studied sculpture and printmaking at the Art Students’ League of New York.

     Free. Friday afternoons from 3:30 to 5 at the J. Hood Wright Park Recreation Center in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street. Through June 21.

     The master percussionist Joaquín Pozo, a native of Havana, brings 35 years of experience and profound versatility to this live jazz performances.

     An innovator in Latin styles from rumba to jazz, he leads a five-piece ensemble on journeys through afro-cuban rhythms.

     Free. Friday evening, May 24, at 6:30 in J. Hood Wright Park in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street.

     The Latin pop lengends Yuri & Pandora visit Lower WaHi for what promises to be a spectacular concert.

     $70 to $193. Friday night, May 24, at 7 at the United Palace Theatre on Broadway at 175th Street.

     An all-new telling of the story of the magical nanny will be screened under the stars.

     Mary Poppins Returns stars Emily Blunt, Ben Whishaw, and the Heiths’ own Lin-Manuel Miranda.

     Free. Friday night, May 24, at 7:30 in J. Hood Wright Park in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street.

     Take your kids to a community book shop to hear their favorite stories read out loud by experienced, trained readers. Just like their teachers in the classroom, but with new faces and new friends.

     Free. Saturday mornings at 11 at the Word Up Community Book Shop/Librería Comunitaria, in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     La experiencia medieval: Talleres bilingües y educativos para la familia.

     Join in guided tours and art activities led in Spanish and English. For families with children ages 3–11.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday afternoon, May 25, at 1 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

     Join the experts from the Alley Pond Environmental Center for a kids’ earthworms workshop.

     Curious students will dig for worms as they interact with and handle these often misunderstood creatures. Through hands-on activities, engaging discussion and crafts, children will learn the earthworms’ physical characteristics, diet, habits, value and special adaptations.

     Register here.

     Free. Saturday afternoon, May 25, at 2 on the Anne Loftus Playground in Inwood in Fort Tryon Park.

     Join a drum circle and experience Native American rhythm and devotion in the land once used for hunting by the Weckquaesgeek, who were part of the Lenape tribe and who inhabited much of Upper Manhattan and eastern New Jersey.

     Sunday afternoon, May 26, from 1 to 3 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     Kids will learn American Sign Language through song and play at this summer-long workshop. With other parents, educators, and children close to your child’s age, kids will go home each week with new vocabulary and tunes to enhance communication with you.

     Whether you intend to incorporate sign language in your life for the long term or simply during this pre-verbal/developing verbal time, watch in awe as your child discovers the world of language.

     The Baby Fingers programs incorporate the research supporting the benefits of sign language at all ages and stages, for children with and without special needs.

     Free. Tuesday evenings from 6 to 7:30 on Pat’s Lawn in Inwood Hill Park; enter from 218th and Indian Road. Through August 27.

     Explore New York’s original night life: spend the night outdoors with your family!

     You have two opportunities in June to team up with the Urban Park Rangers, who will lead you on an overnight camping trip in Inwood Hill Park. It’s a popular activity, so you have to enter a lottery and hope to be selected. The events are free.

     Wednesday, May 29: lottery opens for camping on Friday night, June 7.

     Wednesday, June 12: lottery opens for camping on Saturday night, June 22.

     Introduce your child to yoga with Christina Shablak, a certified children's instructor. All children are welcome with a parent or caregiver. 
     Please arrive early, and bring a towel or yoga mat. Register here.
     Be aware that the ground is sloped and there are uneven spots. Rain or wet ground cancels the event. 

     Free. Saturday morning, June 1, at 9 on Abby’s Lawn in Fort Tryon Park. Through September 28.

     The Young People‘s Chorus of New York City holds a concert.

     $30 to $60. Saturday night, June 1, at 7:30 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street.

     As we head toward summer, the city’s butterfly gardens come into flower. Join the Urban Park Rangers on a search for Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails, and other species of butterflies.

     You will also get to visit with the flowers and help us keep them happy and healthy.

     Free. Sunday afternoon, June 2, at 1 in Inwood Hill Park at 218th Street and Indian Road.

     The Scandia Symphony returns to the Heights for its annual summer concerts al fresco.

     Music from Scandinavian composers is the highlight of the series, with other regions represented too over the three afternoons.

     Free. Sunday afternoon, June 2, at 2 on the Billings Lawn in Fort Tryon Park; enter from Margaret Corbin Circle in Hudson Heights. Through June 16.

     The Washington Heights Music Fest in collaboration with W.H.A.M. hosts a monthly open mic for artists, poets, singers, writers and performers. Refreshments will be provided.

     All ages are welcome, so the acts should be appropriate for everyone. 

     The first monthly musical open mic will be followed by session on the first Friday of the month. Hosted by Jason Rosario.

     $5. Friday night, June 7, from 6 to 9 at the Word Up Community Book Shop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street. On the first Friday of the month.

     Prepare for Flag Day by making your own flag, one that identifies you by your personal skills and your family’s traits.

     Before that, you can celebrate Old Glory by learning the story of how the nation’s flag came to be and the traditions surrounding this historic symbol.

     Free with admission. Saturday, June 8, at noon at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     Bessie the cow dreams of joining the circus. But can she lift more than Ziegfried, the strongest man in the world? Fly on the trapeze high above the crowd?

     Come root Bessie on in this variety show as she attempts the impossible and searches for her special talents in this production by the Swedish Cottage puppet theater.

     Free. Saturday afternoon, June 8, at 1 in Hudson Heights at Bennett Park on Fort Washington Avenue at 185th Street. Also on August 2 in J. Hood Wright Park.

     Take in the lessons from A Festival of Folk Tales, directed the Actors’ Society.

     Saturday, June 8, at 3 and 7, and Sunday, June 9, at 4 at Holy Trinity Church in Inwood at 20 Cumming Street (at Seaman Avenue). Also on June 15 and 16.

     Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.

     El Libro de la Vida (The Book of Life) is in Spanish with English subtitles.

     The film will be screened outdoors to take a blanket and a snack. Pre-show musical performance by Uptown Guitars at 7.

    Free. Monday night, June 10, at dusk on the Gaelic Field in Inwood Hill Park; enter from Indian Road and 218th Street.

     Get ready for an evening of live performances by Uptown teens.

     The show features several short pieces from different genres -- music, sketch, performance art, short plays, short films, dance, movement, spoken word — and benefits the B & Y Summer Camp Fund.

     Friday night, June 14, at 7 at Buunni in Inwood at 4961 Broadway.

    Part of the Uptown Arts Stroll, this open forum and hands-on creative workshop presents a mask-making workshop for kids. 

     Led by Jyoti Gupta, a social-justice media maker, a media-literacy educator, and the author of Different Differenter, the event marks the 8th birthday of Uptown’s community bookstore. Recommended for kids ages 5–7.

     Free. Saturday afternoon, June 15, at 1 at the Word Up Book Shop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Row New York has taught summer rowing camps to rising 7th graders through high school students, beginners and competitors alike.

     Our two and three-week camps are designed for beginners and novices. Coaches focus on the fundamentals of the sport and building a foundation for rowing in the future. Rowing camps are a great way to spend time outdoors, discover an exciting new sport, and make friends, all in the heart of WaHi.

     Three camps are offered:

     June 17–28 Monday through Friday mornings from 9 to noon. $1,500.

     July 8–25 Monday through Thursday mornings from 9 to noon. $1,600.

     August 5–22 Monday through Thursday mornings from 9 to noon. $1,600.

     At the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse in Sherman Creek.

     Set during the Great Depression in 1933, this film adaptation of the Broadway musical comedy tells the story of a plucky red-head girl name Annie, an orphan from New York City who is taken in by America's richest man, Oliver Warbucks.

     Annie (1982) stars Aileen Quinn and Albert Finney. Take a blanket and a snack to this outdoor screening.

     Free. Friday night, June 21, at 8:30 in Roger Morris Park in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     The annual Drums Along the Hudson began in 2002 as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakapok (“edge of the water”).

     The event features dancers and drummers from around the world, combining Native American heritage, culture and art with the diversity of New York City. Activities include a Tree of Peace planting, international cuisine, Native American storytelling, a Pow Wow and crafts.
     The event has attracted a growing audience, numbering from 400 in the first year to over 8,000 in recent years.
     Free. Sunday, June 23, from 11 to 6 in Inwood Hill Park at Indian Road and 218th Street.

     After the intensity of the summer workshop, seniors are ready for their recital.

     Free. Saturday, June 29, at a time to be announced later in the Parish House of Holy Trinity Church in Inwood at 20 Cumming Street (at Seaman Avenue).

    Free your mind with The Matrix and celebrate the film’s twentieth anniversary. On the huge, 50-feet screen you’ll experience the mind-blowing visual effects that changed cinema as we know it, complete with surround sound.

     In the story, Neo is a software engineer and hacker who is singled out by mysterious figures who want to introduce him to the secret of the matrix, where the world is not quite what it seems and a sinister conspiracy is at work.

      Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Anne Moss, and directed by the Wachowski brothers.

     Arrive early for a pre-show panel discussion.

     $15; students, children 12 and under, and seniors, $8. Sunday afternoon, June 30, with the discussion at 4:30 and the film at 5 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street.

     Based on the New York newsboy strike of 1899, the “newsies” band together to protest a pay cut by their bosses, organizing a union to protect their rights and ensure fair wages.

     Newsies (1992) features music by Alan Menken and stars Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall, and Ann-Margret in Disney’s first live-action musical.

     Take a blanket and a snack for this outdoor screening.

     Free. Friday night, July 12, at 8:30 in Roger Morris Park in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     Family Day at the Morris-Jumel Mansion offers arts, crafts and sometimes even snacks to kids and their parents who want to learn a little more about life when New York was a Colonial outpost of the British empire.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday morning, July 13, at 11 at the mansion in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace. Monthly on the second Saturday.

     It will seem to be the gauziest of fantasies: A man becomes a senator and then stands up for his principles. 

     Jimmy Stewart takes the lead in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, from 1939.

     Ticket prices will be announced this summer. Sunday evening, July 14, at 5 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Broadway at 175th Street.

     Toto (voiced by Bruno Bichir) was born the runt of the litter. But when a rancher threatens to destroy his home and his family, Toto must go from a timid young chicken to a brave and scrappy rooster.

     Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos (Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure) will be screened outdoors in Spanish with English subtitles.

     Take a blanket and a snack. Pre-show dance class and performance by Rumbamena Dance Company at 6:30. Rated PG.

     Free. Monday evening, July 29, at dusk on the Gaelic Field in Inwood Hill Park; enter from Indian Road and 218th Street.

     Little Lions Camp is Columbia’s kid-centered, fun-based day camp with the focus on keeping kids physically and creatively active.

     Programming features an ever-changing combination of classic P.E. games, backyard favorites, sports, arts and crafts, and special surprises to keep kids happy, active, and engaged.

     A highly trained, eclectic staff who utilizes physical education teachers, athletes, camp veterans, creative types and child care specialists, ensures that games are always changing and that counselors can tailor programming to fit children’s needs and likes.

     The camps run one week at a time. For kids ages 6 to 12. After care and swim lessons are available too.

     $485 (discount of $25 if registered by May 1). Monday through Friday, August 5 through 9, is Superhero Week; August 12 through 15 is Game Show Week. At the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 281th Street.

     Based on Marvel Comics’ character Miles Morales, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse follows him as he crosses paths with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities. Rated PG.

     Take a blanket and a snack. Pre-show performance of Comic Book: Live! by Jenny Hann and Christina Stone at 7.

     Free. Monday night, August 12, at dusk on Gaelic Field in Inwood Hill Park; enter from Indian Road and 218th Street.

     The epic action of Edge of Tomorrow unfolds in a near future when an alien race hits the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

     Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Rated PG-13.

     $15; children, students and seniors, $8. Sunday afternoon, August 18, at 5 at the United Palace Theatre in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street.

    Hugh Jackman leads an all-star cast in an  original musical filled with showstopping performances.

     Inspired by the story of P. T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman follows the visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

     Take a blanket and a snack for this outdoor screening.

     Free. Friday night, August 23, at 8 in Roger Morris Park in Lower WaHi on Jumel Terrace.

     Come swim the mighty Hudson! 

     The Spuyten Duyvil 10K is an event hosted by New York Open Water. It starts at Yonkers and finishes in Inwood, with the current assisting the intrepid souls  through tumultuous and storied Spuyten Duyvil, where the Harlem River meets the Hudson.

     The route, which actually covers 6.5 miles despite the name, offers scenic views of Yonkers, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyval Bridge, and the George Washington Bridge.

     Sign up here. If you’re a land lubber, you can watch the finish in Uptown.

     A Sunday in September, with the course’s end at La Marina in Inwood where Dyckman Street meets the Hudson.

     Row New York’s eRow Program is a nine-month-long adventure that teaches students in 7th through 12th grades to be dynamic rowers, entrepreneurs, and community members.

     The idea is to use the skills that rowing instills—discipline and teamwork—to build strength and confidence. The curriculum pairs rowing with an entrepreneurship program which will culminate in participants’ developing an actionable business plan, which they will present in a Shark Tank-style competition.

     Row New York will deliver a rigorous and engaging learning experience, both from a fitness as well as an academic perspective. It meets three times per week for a total of nine hours: two days of rowing and workshops/speakers (an hour and a half each), and one full day of entrepreneurship training (3 hours).

     The program starts in September and meets three days a week through June. More information is available from Denise Aquino at daquino@rownewyork.org.

     The scariest—and silliest—dogs of Uptown turn out for the Fort Dog Halloween contest and parade.

     Prizes go to costumes in a variety of categories.

     A Sunday morning in late October at Sir Williams’ Dog Run in Fort Tryon Park.

     What if you bought for your true love everything mentioned in a famous carol? The CPI — Christmas Price Index — has your answer.

     In 2018 the price of the gifts mentioned in The Twelve Days of Christmas increased only 1.2 percent over 2017 prices, despite the surge in cost of geese-a-laying (up 8.3 percent), which were offset by a drop in gold rings (down 9.1 percent).

     Total cost: $34,094.93.

     Prices for drummers and golden rings go up and down. Here’s where to find the prices for 2018.