Things to Do in Glen Cove

Adopting the mantra "from Mommy & Me to the SAT," the yearly All Kids Fair intends to enrich the lives and the potential of young people through high-school age with a day's worth of educational exhibits and family-oriented diversions. Youths enjoy entertainment that includes balloon-twisting clowns, kid yoga classes, and special appearances by engaging guests. Meanwhile, parents and guardians collect valuable strategies for parent-child success from informational booths and expert presenters on such topics as financial planning for children, navigating socialization and therapeutic services, and paying for college. Each year attendees leave with new developmental wisdom and tips on staying healthy via the fair's array of screenings for common youth conditions, such as scoliosis, ADD, and text-message cooties.

Muses flit among Riebe's Artist Materials Inc's bouquets of brushes and kaleidoscopic sprays of pastels, whispering lore accumulated during the shop's 89 years in business. Managers Bob Riebe and Bryan Di Bartolomeo pilot artists of all levels through a sprawling prairie littered with gear including drawing tables, easels, and brushes. After spotting acrylic paints from brands such as Golden Artist Colors, Inc. and Liquitex, rainbows rush off to change outfits, stomping past an armory of clay-modeling tools and drafting templates.

The more than a dozen brick-and-mortar locations that make up Ultimate Champions Taekwondo Association share not only a style of combat, but a teaching philosophy as well. Tracing the lineage of their combative art back to Grandmaster Sang K. Oh, the instructors adhere to his teachings, exemplified by the quote, "The person who can defeat others with flashy techniques but is without love toward his fellow man will in the end defeat himself." Students use the physical empowerment of mastering jumps, kicks, and weapons to arm themselves with discipline, confidence, concentration, self-respect, and courtesy for others.

Outside of the classroom, the organization reaches out to the tri-state community with ample demonstrations of some of their most exciting techniques. Practitioners soar skyward in flying kicks or fill the air with the whirring blows of nunchakus, bos, and kamas. Fists slam through boards, balloons, and bricks to demonstrate the striking power of tae kwon do and the structural flaws in the Three Little Pigs' panic room.

Maggie Salomon’s lifelong passion for dance came crashing to a premature halt after a severe car accident. Her years as a professional dancer seemed all but lost before she discovered the restorative power of hot yoga. The gentle movements, coupled with the loosening heat, helped Salomon rebuild her strength and range of motion until she was fit enough to dance again and continue her wide range of physical hobbies. After this experience, she decided to become a yoga instructor and share this beneficial practice with others.

Today, Salomon teaches groups of yogis how to unfurl knotted tendons during 60- to 90-minute yoga classes within her heated studio. She also whips bodies into shape with nonyoga offerings, including Pilates, tai chi, Zumba dance fitness, and belly dance.

At Movie World Cinemas, a recently added café draws in early arrivers with sandwiches and fresh cappuccinos. Patrons can linger there before heading to one of seven handsome screening chambers with projection capacity for traditional film and 3-D movies. Newly installed digital projectors show crystal-clear images while digital surround-sound speakers shake seats with the screeches of onscreen car chases and the weeping of James Bond’s dry cleaner. In the large main lobby, the digital burble of a small arcade stirs air scented heavily by sunshine-hued popcorn. The staff has spent the past few years working on a series of updates and improvements, and the movie palace regularly hosts special events and children’s parties.

A sleek, modern entry area welcomes guests into Vitality Yoga's contemporary space. Atop the studio's dark, hardwood floors, seasoned yogis lead students of all skill levels through 70-minute classes in a variety of yoga styles designed to improve bodies' strength, flexibility, and posture. Most of the studio's sessions incorporate a combination of hatha and Vinyasa yoga, which focus on gentle stretching or athletic pose progressions. Each class wraps up with a seated meditation, during which participants can achieve a zen state of mind comparable to spending a day at the beach with Phil Jackson.