Summer Picnic along the Hudson
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Place: Quiet Cove Park
From 10 AM (drop off and hang out), 12 PM pot luck lunch, and party until 3 PM!
Please call or text Linda at 845-625-4126 to RSVP and/or volunteer to help.
We are very pleased that Mayuko Fujino, artist and birder born in Japan and now residing locally, has agreed to join us at this event. She will bring examples of her original stencil artwork and has agreed to give us a short presentation about the natural world that inspires her creative process and fuels her curiosity and passion.
Please plan to bring your own food and drink and a dish to share!
Details: A full kitchen, dining room, outdoor balcony with river views, and presentation space are privately available. The building’s Rest rooms are shared with the public. We will set up chairs and tables at 10:00 and be ready for a sit-down lunch by 12:00 noon.
NOTE: Parking spaces directly at the boathouse are very few. Please plan to park either at the main lot (past the Pball courts on your left as you drive into Quiet Cove) and walk down the stairs to the cove entrance road, or along the rightmost side of the one-way loop road (officially a designated bicycle path) below, by the old RR tracks. Naturally, you may deposit passengers, kayaks, and picnic items directly to the boathouse first.
Where: We have rented the Boathouse at Dutchess County’s riverfront park in the Town of Poughkeepsie. The Quiet Cove entrance from Route 9 is located just a bit north of Marist College, across the highway from ShopRite.
The Picnic: A full kitchen is included in the boathouse, making food preparation possible. Please bring enough food to feed eight and a serving spoon, and consider bringing your own picnic cutlery and using your water bottle in a nod to environmental responsibility.
The Venue: A family-friendly setting for picnics and water sports that now includes pickleball courts, easy walking and birding trails in the adjacent woods, and ample lawns for relaxing or play. The boathouse is a well-appointed facility with indoor seating for 60 and an outdoor porch with more seating for just soaking in the scenery, with an extensive view of the Hudson River. Two docks, one with a *kayak* slip, provide easy access to the river for paddling. Bring your pickleball rackets, lawn games, and kayaks if you like, and let’s plan to have some summer fun together.
Who: This event is OPEN to OUR MEMBERSHIP AND FAMILY ONLY. Whether or not you are attending our bird walk beforehand, please join us for a sit-down potluck lunch beginning at 12:00 noon. Rain or shine, the boathouse is ours, although there will undoubtedly be plenty of non-birders also enjoying this popular public park if the weather is sunny and warm.
Field Trip: There will be a Field Trip at Hopeland Sanctuary with Jim Closs at 7:30am (just a few miles north of Quiet Cove Park). If you are attending the walk, Ernie will have a cooler in his car if you need to keep your dish cold.
