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<strong>The</strong><strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> ®<br />
An independent monthly news magazine celebrating life and the arts in the Hudson River Villages<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember<br />
20<strong>10</strong><br />
Holiday Greetings!<br />
Photo by Jorge Madrigal © 20<strong>10</strong> Madrigal Studios, <strong>Nyack</strong>, NY<br />
PRST STD<br />
US Postage<br />
PAID<br />
permit no.<br />
5432<br />
WHITE PLAINS NY<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>® <strong>Villager</strong> On Hudson®<br />
Mailed to every resident of eight river villages—Upper <strong>Nyack</strong>, <strong>Nyack</strong>, Central <strong>Nyack</strong>, South <strong>Nyack</strong>, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont and Palisades NY.
2 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
In this issue<br />
Departments<br />
3 REPORTER AT LARGE<br />
• Holiday Lights of <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
• <strong>Nyack</strong> Homeless Project<br />
• Welcome To <strong>Nyack</strong> renewed<br />
• Ice Festival returns to Rockland Lake<br />
• <strong>Nyack</strong> and its Street Fairs<br />
• Buffalo Soldiers at memorial<br />
• Water Dept Superintendent retires<br />
• Confessions of a location film maker<br />
<strong>10</strong> DECEMBER GOODIES Arts & Entertainment this month<br />
17 COMMUNITY NOTES What else is happening in <strong>Dec</strong>ember<br />
24 CALENDAR Highlights in <strong>Dec</strong>ember<br />
25 OP-CALENDAR PAGE useful local phone numbers<br />
26 HOUSES OF WORSHIP Religious services in the river villages<br />
27 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR<br />
Columns<br />
12 REMEMBER THE DAYS? Jim Leiner on holiday memories<br />
13 FROM THE OUTSIDE IN Thom Kleiner on new jobs requiring new skills<br />
15 LIFETIME GARDENER Jon Feldman on the end of the gardening season<br />
16 LETTERS TO DR. CASTRO on a moody, rebellious 12-year old<br />
21 TO THE THEATRE WITH HOLLY CASTER Women On the Verge<br />
22 AT THE MOVIES Ric Pantale’s pick of family holiday movies<br />
23 THEY GOT WHAT?! Donna Cox on current trends in real estate<br />
Features<br />
6 HOLIDAY SHOPPING IN THE RIVER VILLAGES<br />
18 THE WORD HOUND Jan Haber on speaking Brooklyn<br />
On our <strong>Dec</strong>ember cover<br />
Holiday Greetings!<br />
Family portrait by Jorge Madrigal,<br />
© 20<strong>10</strong> Madrigal Studios, <strong>Nyack</strong>, NY<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> Vol. 17 No. 4<br />
Mailed on or about the first of each new month.<br />
Deadline for our next issue (January 2011) is <strong>Dec</strong> 15.<br />
Our e-mail address: info@nyackvillager.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> is the only local magazine that is mailed to every residential<br />
address in eight river villages—Upper <strong>Nyack</strong>, <strong>Nyack</strong>, Central <strong>Nyack</strong>, South <strong>Nyack</strong>,<br />
Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont and Palisades NY, reaching an estimated<br />
30,000 people in one of the nation's choicest demographics.<br />
On the Internet at www.nyackvillager.com<br />
Every time <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> ONLINE gets a “hit” someone new sees YOUR AD.<br />
Armchair Tour: Reading,<br />
‘Riting & ‘Rithmetic in<br />
Early Rockland see page <strong>10</strong><br />
Annual Messiah Sing<br />
at Grace Church<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
Dollhouses & miniatures<br />
at Rockland Historical<br />
see page 14<br />
Ric picks favorite<br />
holiday movies<br />
see page 22<br />
Pancake breakfast in<br />
South <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
see page 17<br />
Julius Caesar in<br />
Palisades<br />
see page 19<br />
REPORTER<br />
at large<br />
Holiday lights of <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
ree of <strong>Nyack</strong>’s civic organizations are collaborating<br />
to bring holiday cheer to the village beginning the<br />
day after anksgiving.<br />
e Chamber of Commerce of the <strong>Nyack</strong>s, e<br />
Merchants’ Committee under the guidance of<br />
Friends of the <strong>Nyack</strong>s, and e Art, Craft and Antiques<br />
Dealers Association of <strong>Nyack</strong>s (ACADA), present<br />
Santa sightings, tree-trimming, menorah lighting,<br />
holiday readings, caroling, chestnut roasting, hot<br />
chocolate, village holiday lights, dining discounts<br />
and much more.<br />
ere will be special appearances by Santa on <strong>Dec</strong>ember<br />
4, 11 and 18. On <strong>Dec</strong>ember 4 Santa rides<br />
into <strong>Nyack</strong> on his very own fire engine.<br />
• Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 4, 3 to 5pm—Veteran’s Park Gazebo on<br />
Main Street: Santa Sighting, Tree-Trimming, Menorah<br />
Lighting, Caroling by <strong>Nyack</strong> High School Advanced<br />
Chorus, Hot Chocolate, Hot Apple Cider,<br />
Roasted Chestnuts.<br />
• Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 11, 3 to 5pm—<strong>Nyack</strong> Village Hall, 9<br />
North Broadway: Santa Sighting, Caroling by<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong>/Valley Cottage Girl Scouts, Hot Chocolate,<br />
Hot Apple Cider<br />
Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 18, 3 to 5pm—<strong>Nyack</strong> Public Library:<br />
Santa Sighting, Caroling, Holiday Storytelling.<br />
For updates check http://www.nyackchamber.org/<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Homeless Project<br />
With their motto, No one should be hungry or<br />
cold, e <strong>Nyack</strong> Homeless Project once again<br />
began collecting food, clothing and toiletries<br />
to make a hard life a little easier for the poor<br />
and homeless. is year, from November 15<br />
through <strong>Dec</strong>ember 22, directors Litany Bruns,<br />
Joe Hazucha, Jane Tong and their many volunteers,<br />
will collect new and lightly used<br />
coats, hats, gloves, new underwear, socks and<br />
toiletries, boxed and canned foods and financial<br />
donations. All donations will benefit food<br />
pantries, soup kitchens, after-school and preschool<br />
programs, runaway teen centers, homeless<br />
shelters, and families in need.<br />
Drop-off sites for donations are located all<br />
over Rockland County. In <strong>Nyack</strong> they are:<br />
• Eyevolution, 42South Franklin Street<br />
• e YMCA, 33 South Broadway<br />
• Maria Luisa, 14 South Broadway<br />
In Palisades:<br />
• Weleda Store & Spa<br />
Make financial donations through PayPal. For<br />
more info, visit e <strong>Nyack</strong> Homeless Project<br />
(NHP) website www. nyackhp.org<br />
e NHP is a non-sectarian 501©3 non-profit<br />
organization that helps teach young people to<br />
give back to their communities.<br />
Reporter at Large continues on page 4<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 3
REPORTER<br />
at large starts on page 3<br />
Welcome To <strong>Nyack</strong> Renewed<br />
Always concerned about the beautification of<br />
the village, and after receiving some complaints<br />
about the missing center panel of the sign at<br />
the entrance of <strong>Nyack</strong>, members of the <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Garden Club asked Beverley Bozarth Colgan<br />
to paint a new one. Gary Hecht prepared the<br />
panel and she painted a scene of Hook Mountain<br />
to welcome all of us to <strong>Nyack</strong>.<br />
Ice Festival returns to Rockland Lake<br />
e fifth annual Knickerbocker Ice Festival<br />
will make its return to Rockland Lake State<br />
Park Sat, Jan 29 (11am until dark) and Sun,<br />
Jan 30 (11am to 4:pm). Admission is free,<br />
parking is $6.<br />
Scheduled events include ice carving demos &<br />
competitions, Artists In the Park, Historic Ice<br />
Gallery, kids’ ice park, with igloo building and<br />
bowling, food & drink, dancing and entertainment,<br />
guided nature walks and more.<br />
e Knickerbocker Ice Festival celebrates<br />
Rockland Lake’s history as the center of the<br />
important 19th century ice industry in Rockland<br />
County—long before the invention of<br />
household refrigeration. Prized for its sparkling,<br />
clear water, Rockland Lake was the preferred<br />
source of ice for New York City and international<br />
destinations. e Festival includes a tour<br />
of Knickerbocker Ice House No. 3, an historic<br />
remnant of the ice trade.<br />
Searching for information<br />
A <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> reader in North CaroIina is<br />
hoping to find any information on DeWitt<br />
Cornelius Brosnan, born 1881 in Michigan.<br />
His last known address was <strong>Nyack</strong>, NY.<br />
If you know who this man was, are acquainted<br />
with his family or know of any surviving<br />
friends or neighbors, we would like to hear<br />
from you.<br />
Please call e <strong>Villager</strong> at (845) 735-7639 or<br />
e-mail us at info@ nyackvillager.com Your<br />
input will be greatly appreciated.<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> and its street events<br />
At their November 18 meeting, e <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Village Board approved all the street fairs for<br />
the year 2011, and voted unanimously not to<br />
enforce a disputed new peddler’s fee.<br />
e board also scheduled a workshop meeting<br />
for January 13, at 7pm to discuss new legislation<br />
covering all special events.<br />
e new legislation the board now wants will<br />
regulate and charge fees for all special events<br />
including street fairs, carnivals, festivals and<br />
parades. e board wants the organizers of all<br />
special events to pay the entire cost of cleanup<br />
either by the DPW or private carter. In the<br />
past, fair organizers and the village shared<br />
cleanup costs.<br />
Early in the meeting, when questioned if the<br />
individual board members wanted to see the<br />
street fairs continue or be closed down, every<br />
trustee, one at a time, said he or she wanted<br />
the events to continue.<br />
e unspoken truth is, to cover its bills without<br />
raising taxes, the board must have revenue<br />
generated by parking fees and fines during<br />
street events.<br />
Buffalo Soldiers at Memorial<br />
Members of the Rockland County Buffalo<br />
Soldiers honored the active and historical contribution<br />
of all veterans of all wars and emphasized<br />
the participation and activity of<br />
African American combat troops by placing a<br />
wreath at the historical Mount Moor Cemetery<br />
in West <strong>Nyack</strong> on Veteran's Day 20<strong>10</strong>.<br />
Photo @ 20<strong>10</strong> by Sal Rahim<br />
Water Dept Superintendent retires<br />
Michael Lovaglio, Superintendent of <strong>Nyack</strong>’s<br />
Water Department, will retire after 34 years of<br />
service. ere will be a retirement party in his<br />
honor at <strong>Nyack</strong> Seaport on Mon, <strong>Dec</strong> 6.<br />
Harry Williams, a 1976 graduate of <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
HS and 21-year Water Dept employee, is expected<br />
to be promoted to the position of Superintendent<br />
upon Mike’s retirement.<br />
Confession of a location film maker<br />
by Shel Haber<br />
A plan to bring filming back to <strong>Nyack</strong> was<br />
discussed at a Village board meeting in mid-<br />
November.<br />
Back in 2008, hoping to discourage film and<br />
TV production on public streets, the board<br />
imposed a fee of $25,000 per day. Typical of<br />
fees in other villages, Piermont charges $250<br />
an hour to film on public property, for at least<br />
four hours, plus an application fee of $250 to<br />
$1,000. <strong>Nyack</strong>’s sky-high fee was successful in<br />
its purpose: filming stoped in <strong>Nyack</strong>.<br />
e reason <strong>Nyack</strong> imposed the high fee was<br />
that film makers in the past had caused major<br />
parking problems and street blockage; they<br />
displayed total disregard for pedestrians, residents<br />
and the rights of shop owners.<br />
But times have changed; village finances face<br />
tough times. With the need for cash and the<br />
prospect of film fees bringing in thousands of<br />
new dollars, village trustees are rethinking film<br />
production in <strong>Nyack</strong>. e Village board is<br />
aware of past problems and plans to consider<br />
solutions.<br />
After hearing several residents speak, John<br />
Shields, who was mayor of <strong>Nyack</strong> when the<br />
fees were raised, said the TV crews "lied about<br />
everything, including where they parked their<br />
tractor-trailers.” He added, "Everything they<br />
did was a horror."<br />
I have been a film maker for 35 years, and<br />
have done location work in tiny Connecticut<br />
villages and on the streets of Harlem and in<br />
Greenwich village. In making a film, our only<br />
purpose was to get the shot right, even if we<br />
had to break the rules of man or God. e<br />
only thing our film producers respected was<br />
cost, cost of crew time or cost of a BIG BIG<br />
fine, or of police shutting us down because<br />
some irate citizens had gone to a judge.<br />
So the lesson for <strong>Nyack</strong> is, if we change the<br />
filming rules, make them strict and clear.<br />
David Kaminiski of South <strong>Nyack</strong> had it right<br />
when he said, "What I'm hearing sounds like<br />
enforcement issues." ✫<br />
Happy Hannukah<br />
Merry Christmas<br />
Joyous Kwanzaa<br />
from <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong><br />
4 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 5
THE RIVER VILLAGES ARE HOLIDAY SHOPPING CENTRAL<br />
and have been for more than a half century—the place to find special gifts for special people.<br />
Here’s a little sampling of what makes us a great destination for holiday shopping in 20<strong>10</strong>.<br />
Art Students League, Vytlacil Campus<br />
241 Kings Highway, Sparkill<br />
359-1263 Classes, Gallery Art Supplies<br />
Back to Earth<br />
1 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 353-3311<br />
Health Food Supermarket<br />
Chocolaterie<br />
6 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 348-9899<br />
Fine Chocolates<br />
e Corner Frame Shop<br />
40 S. Franklin Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 727-1240<br />
Custom Framing and Gallery<br />
Christopher's<br />
71 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 358-9574<br />
Antiques<br />
D.I.S.H. Catering<br />
366 N. Highland Ave, Upper <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
358-0821<br />
deli, dinners and catering<br />
Eyevolution<br />
42 S. Franklin Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 353-4701<br />
Eye Wear & Optometrist<br />
Hacienda<br />
126 Main Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 348-0300<br />
Fine Furniture and Art<br />
Herb Lack Paints<br />
124 Main Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 358-0293<br />
Paints and Hardware<br />
Hudson Valley Home Media<br />
62 Burd Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 613-0640<br />
Home Entertainment<br />
Koblin's Pharmacy<br />
96 Main Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 358-0688<br />
Pharmacy and General Store<br />
Lightbox <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
256 Main St. <strong>Nyack</strong> 348-1843<br />
Photo Studio<br />
6 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong><br />
continues on page 8
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 7
Madrigal Studios<br />
92 Main Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> 348 <strong>10</strong>78<br />
Photo Studio<br />
ML Gifts & Accessories<br />
75 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 358-1293<br />
Shoes, Clothing & Accessories<br />
My Buddy-’N-Me<br />
85 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 535-3135<br />
Pet Supply Store and Grooming<br />
Outside IN Piermont<br />
249 Ferdon Ave, Piermont 398-0706<br />
Furniture, Fine Art, Found Objects<br />
Pickwick Books<br />
8 South Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 358- 9126<br />
New and Used Books for All Ages<br />
P. Ross<br />
89 Main St <strong>Nyack</strong> 480-1693<br />
Shoes & Clothing<br />
Saffron Trading Company<br />
5 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 353-3530<br />
Home Furnishings<br />
Sanctuary<br />
60 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 353-2126<br />
A Lifestyle Shop<br />
Saundra Messinger<br />
38 High Ave, <strong>Nyack</strong> 290-0663<br />
Custom Jewelry & Accessories<br />
e Soap & Paper Factory<br />
21 Rockland Park Ave, Tappan 353-4566<br />
Handmade Natural Soaps & Sundries<br />
e Village Vintner<br />
85 South Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> 348-01<strong>10</strong><br />
Wine<br />
During the Holidays many of the shops in the Hudson River Villages are open late for<br />
the convenience of their customers. ✫<br />
8 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 9
DECEMBER GOODIES<br />
Art & Entertainment<br />
Arts Rock: <strong>Dec</strong>ember events<br />
Arts Rock is an affiliate of Friends of the <strong>Nyack</strong>s, Inc., a<br />
501(c)(3) NY not-for profit corporation.<br />
• Sukey Molloy & the Winter Holiday Show<br />
Bring the whole family and enjoy a winter holiday<br />
show with Sukey Molloy's award winning<br />
music. Dance along to holiday songs from all<br />
traditions. Receive a special surprise gift at the<br />
end of the show.<br />
11am Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 4 at <strong>Nyack</strong> BOCES, Ritterhausen<br />
eater (Old <strong>Nyack</strong> High School), 131 North<br />
Midland, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Admission: $12 in advance,<br />
$15 at the door<br />
• American Brass Quintet<br />
Now in their 50th Season, these world-class musicians<br />
play glorious music including a Christmas<br />
Medley, in an acoustically beautiful, historic<br />
church. <strong>Nyack</strong> HS’s Brass Quintet will open the<br />
concert, under the direction of Dr. Douglas Bish.<br />
7pm Mon, <strong>Dec</strong> 6 at First Reformed Church,<br />
18 South Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Admission: $25 in<br />
advance, $30 at the door, $20 students<br />
• e Bossy Frog Band: e Really Big Show—<br />
Join Jeffrey Friedberg for an hour of non-stop fun<br />
featuring award-winning music, juggling, jokes<br />
and the silly antics of e Bossy Frog. e show<br />
will delight adults and children 2 to 8 years old.<br />
WARNING: Children may smile for days after<br />
the show.<br />
<strong>10</strong>:30am urs, <strong>Dec</strong> 30 at Lafayette eatre, 97<br />
Lafayette Ave, Suffern. Tickets: $12 in advance,<br />
$15 at the door.<br />
Readings In a Holiday Spirit<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Center’s beloved annual event, Readings &<br />
Music In a Holiday Spirit, co-hosted & produced<br />
by Elliott Forrest, featuring musician/band leader<br />
Steve Bernstein and Rockland County Legislator<br />
Connie Coker, Lower Hudson Valley Youth Chorus<br />
and others, with Celtic musician Sean Fleming.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12 at 7pm at <strong>Nyack</strong> Center,<br />
Depew Ave and South Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>.<br />
Tickets (available at <strong>Nyack</strong> Center): adults $20<br />
children $7. Info: (845) 345-2600.<br />
Grace Church Messiah Sing<br />
GraceMusic’s 41st Anniversary Messiah Sing—<br />
the only Messiah Sing in Rockland—is interactive!<br />
Professional soloists sing the great arias of<br />
Handel's Messiah in the picture-pretty setting of<br />
Grace Church. You get to sing out in the stirring<br />
choruses, including the rousing Hallelujah! Not<br />
a singer? Not a problem—listeners are welcome!<br />
Bring your score; a limited number are available.<br />
Special $<strong>10</strong> admission; children free.<br />
4pm Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 5 at Grace Episcopal Church, 130<br />
First Ave, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Info: (845) 358-1297 ext.16<br />
Armchair Tour<br />
Reading, ‘Riting & ‘Rithmetic<br />
in Early Rockland County<br />
will be presented by Doris<br />
Goldberg as the <strong>Dec</strong>ember<br />
program in the series, John<br />
Scott Armchair Walking Tours.<br />
Experience what it was like<br />
to be a student or teacher in early Rockland, beginning<br />
with the first school founded in 1694 in<br />
Tappan. is is the story of our early schools,<br />
students, teachers, curriculum, books, disciplinary<br />
measures, and means of transportation, with<br />
Mrs. Goldberg, who was a secondary school<br />
teacher in Rockland for over 20 years and recently<br />
retired as Adjunct Professor at Rockland<br />
Community College.<br />
Reading, ‘Riting & ‘Rithmetic in Early Rockland<br />
County will be presented at the <strong>Nyack</strong> Center on<br />
Wed evening, <strong>Dec</strong> 1st at 7:30pm and will be repeated<br />
the following afternoon, urs, <strong>Dec</strong> 2 at<br />
2pm at the Congers Lake Community Center, in<br />
Congers Lake Park.<br />
Rockland Center Jazz Party<br />
Rockland Center for the Arts, 27 South Greenbush Rd.<br />
West <strong>Nyack</strong> (off Exit 12 NYS ruway.) Info: 845-358-<br />
0877 or visit www.rocklandartcenter.org Hours: M to F,<br />
<strong>10</strong>am to 5pm; weekends, 1 to 4pm; closed holidays.<br />
e Masters of Swing<br />
Houston Person and Warren Vache with Jon<br />
Burr, Ted Rosenthal and Alvin Atkinson are part<br />
of the powerhouse lineup of some of the greatest<br />
jazz musicians working today.<br />
Don’t miss them at the RoCA Jazz Party—guaranteed<br />
to swing its face off. And yes, there will<br />
be dancing.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 19 at 2pm at Rockland Center for the<br />
Arts. Tickets: $15 non-members, $<strong>10</strong> members.<br />
Info: (845) 358-0877.<br />
Holiday Art Show & Sale<br />
Attend the annual Holiday Art Show & Sale at<br />
e Art Students League’s Vytlacil Campus in<br />
Sparkill. On display: original artworks in all<br />
media including sculpture, painting, drawing &<br />
metal work by accomplished professional artists<br />
will be available for purchase.<br />
e show opens with a reception on Fri, <strong>Dec</strong> 3,<br />
from 5 to 7 pm.<br />
Fri, <strong>Dec</strong> 3 thru Mon, <strong>Dec</strong> 27 at 241 Kings Highway,<br />
Sparkill. Gallery hours: Mon thru Friday<br />
from 9am to 8pm, Sat from <strong>10</strong> am to 3 pm.<br />
Free First Friday film<br />
Piermont Library presents the film classic, e<br />
Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg,<br />
1964). is soaring, glorious musical fantasy<br />
has been beautifully restored. Full of bittersweet<br />
passion and playful charm, this lovely film<br />
features a timeless performance by Catherine<br />
Deneuve. e film, like its glamorous star, is ageless.<br />
An enchanting film for a special time of year.<br />
Fri, <strong>Dec</strong> 3, at 7:30pm at Piermont Library, 25<br />
Flywheel Park West, Piermont. Info: (845) 359-<br />
4595 or visit www.piermontlibrary.org<br />
Artist Of the Month<br />
New Work in Oil by accomplished artist, Mary<br />
Ann Liscio, will be on view at e Corner Frame<br />
Shop in <strong>Dec</strong>ember.<br />
An Artist’s Reception is scheduled for 2 to 5pm,<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12.<br />
e exhibition runs <strong>Dec</strong> 1 through <strong>Dec</strong> 31 at<br />
e Corner Frame Shop, 40 South Franklin<br />
Street, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Info: (845) 727-1240.<br />
Indoor Farmers’ Market<br />
Palisades Community Center, 675 Oak Tree Rd, Palisades.<br />
• e Palisades Indoor Farmers' Market<br />
returns to Palisades Community Center Jan 15.<br />
• Studio Art Experience<br />
Illustrator Marika Hahn presents Monsters, Mermaids<br />
and Imaginary Beasts—for children and<br />
teens—a new art series that focuses on a different<br />
guest artist each month who will speak about<br />
his/her art and then lead a hands-on art project.<br />
Monsters, Mermaids and Imaginary Beasts<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12 at 4 pm at Palisades Community<br />
Center. Space is limited, please reserve to avoid<br />
disappointment. $<strong>10</strong> suggested donation, for<br />
kids, teens and adults. For info or to rsvp,<br />
e-mail PCC@PalisadesNY.com<br />
• Charitable holiday giving gift drive<br />
New gifts for infants, children, teens and adults<br />
along with gently-worn coats and winter accessories<br />
and non-perishable food will be collected<br />
for People to People <strong>Dec</strong> 6 thru 11 at Palisades<br />
Community Center. For further information,<br />
e-mail PCC@PalisadesNY.com<br />
Blankfest XIV<br />
Kenn Rowell wants you to know that Blank-Fest<br />
XIV will be held Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 11 at Bruxelles, 173<br />
Main Street <strong>Nyack</strong>. Entertainment starts at<br />
noon and goes until midnight. It will be quite a<br />
show—featuring good NYC and Hudson Valley<br />
independent and up-and-coming talent.<br />
Admission: one blanket per person (any condition).<br />
ese blankets will be distributed, directly<br />
to NYC's homeless throughout the Winter, starting<br />
on Christmas Eve. Info or to volunteer for<br />
this year's blanket distribution, e-mail Kenn at<br />
SurfVietnam@hotmail.com<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember Goodies continue on page 19<br />
<strong>10</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 11
Remember the days?<br />
by James F. Leiner<br />
A Few Holiday Memories<br />
From Years Ago<br />
It’s turning colder and once again<br />
it’s time to dig out the winter<br />
duds. e holiday season has<br />
started and I thought it would be<br />
fun to share a few winter and<br />
holiday memories. A few weeks<br />
ago, I walked down our old<br />
sleigh-riding hill on Hudson Avenue. It doesn’t<br />
seem as steep and dangerous as it did back<br />
in the fifties. My walk brought back a flood<br />
of memories of winters that seemed colder<br />
than we have today, and I’m certain there was<br />
more snow back then too. So, put another log<br />
on the fire and see if you share any of my<br />
memories.<br />
As a young boy, I had to wear black rubber galoshes<br />
with metal clips that pulled on over my<br />
shoes but did little to keep my feet warm.<br />
I tucked my snow pants into the boots so they<br />
wouldn’t rub against my bare legs leaving<br />
dirty, red chapped circles around my calves.<br />
ose puffy snow pants seemed to be a little<br />
more than a thin nylon barrier between my<br />
bare legs and the snow. My face was covered<br />
with an itchy wool scarf wrapped tightly<br />
around my neck to protect me from the cold<br />
and deep snow, and a knitted wool cap was<br />
pulled down over my ears. No matter how<br />
much Mom tried I always came home soaking<br />
wet after sleigh-riding. My sleigh was a rickety<br />
wooden Flexible-Flyer with steel runners.<br />
I would have to scrape the bottom of the runners<br />
back and forth on a bare spot of black<br />
top, or concrete, to scratch away the rust or<br />
the sleigh would sink in the snow. When I hit<br />
a patch of ice, that old sleigh was impossible<br />
to steer. I recall my cousin Jane having a<br />
beautiful red velvet coat with matching hand<br />
muff, purse and hat. Why did girls always get<br />
the new winter coats? I remember the joy I<br />
felt after the two of us made snow-angels and<br />
her new coat was stained forever; yet no one<br />
cared how dirty I got. Waiting for Santa Claus<br />
on Christmas Eve was a special time for the<br />
family. Ya know—he always seemed to show<br />
up late in the evening when Pop had to go<br />
down in the basement to shovel more coal in<br />
the furnace. Do you remember using coal<br />
ashes on slippery sidewalks?<br />
My teenage years brought new adventures.<br />
Like tobogganing down the bumpy South side<br />
of Oak Hill Cemetery, still unable to steer and<br />
hoping to dodge the trees and headstones.<br />
Itchy long-johns beneath wood<br />
slacks replaced the snow pants<br />
that were only for little kids.<br />
I wore a hand-me-down, Navy pea<br />
coat with hand-knitted mittens.<br />
(Do grandmothers or aunts still<br />
knit mittens?) I had the same old<br />
wool scarf tied under my chin and<br />
the same kind of boots that still<br />
left my legs chapped and my feet<br />
cold.<br />
en there were glorious days of ice-skating<br />
on Spook Rock pond, where there always<br />
seemed to be a Wanamaker playing a hockey<br />
game. As I grew there was new-found joy in<br />
exchanging holiday gifts with the current love<br />
of my life. Does anyone remember the glorious,<br />
brilliant strings of lights across Main<br />
Street, and the sounds of the season coming<br />
from Harmony Music? No matter where we<br />
wandered on a cold winter day, we always<br />
seemed to end our snowy adventures when<br />
Mom, Aunt Jean or Nana made us a cup of<br />
steaming hot chocolate.<br />
Now, years later I have come to appreciate the<br />
beauty that winter brings. e cool days and<br />
nights, fresh snow that crackles and crunches<br />
beneath my boots. I’m no longer making<br />
snow-angels as it is too difficult to spring back<br />
to my feet, but I do enjoy keeping the birdfeeders<br />
filled for our feathered friends.<br />
I treasure time spent in front of a warm fire<br />
remembering those days long gone. Today,<br />
there’s Christmas Eve with my kids and grand<br />
kids. I love watching them carry on the traditions<br />
of the holiday, and I once again come to<br />
realize that family and love are the most precious<br />
gifts we can give or receive.<br />
is year I will continue praying for those<br />
men and women who are putting their lives<br />
on the line in our country, and offer prayers<br />
for those serving away from home in Iraq,<br />
Afghanistan or other foreign countries, bravely<br />
and courageously putting themselves in harm’s<br />
way, trying to make a difference in our world.<br />
I will once again weep when listening to Silent<br />
Night, be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in<br />
our wonderful country, and that the Holiday<br />
Spirit can be shared with all of my neighbors.<br />
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> thanks Jim Leiner for helping us<br />
all ‘Remember the Days.’ ✫<br />
12 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
From the Outside In<br />
by om Kleiner<br />
New Jobs Will<br />
Require New Skills<br />
Possibly the greatest challenge<br />
facing Governor-elect Cuomo—<br />
and a continuing challenge for<br />
President Obama and the next<br />
Congress—is training the nation’s workforce to fill<br />
jobs in emerging growth industries.<br />
Recent statistics from the NY State Department of<br />
Labor, where I am the Commissioner’s Hudson Valley<br />
representative, reveal that certain sectors of the<br />
economy, such as healthcare services, green jobs and<br />
biotechnology, are poised to experience faster<br />
growth than more traditional engines of job growth,<br />
such as construction and manufacturing. Young<br />
people now entering the job market, however, are<br />
frequently deficient in the skills necessary to compete<br />
in those emerging growth sectors.<br />
ose skills, commonly referred to as STEM (science,<br />
technology, engineering and math), have traditionally<br />
been shunned by American’s students<br />
compared to the interest shown in them by their<br />
counterparts around the world. e Department of<br />
Labor is trying to narrow that gap.<br />
e department has developed programs designed<br />
to encourage young people to consider STEM careers,<br />
and, at the very least, enhance their skills in<br />
those disciplines.<br />
rough Career Zone<br />
(http://www.nycareerzone.org/ http://www.nycareerzone.org/><br />
)<br />
and the STEM portal on that site (http://www.nycareerzone.org/cz/stem/index.jsphttp://www.nycareerzone.org/cz/stem/index.jsp> ), students are<br />
able to create avatars for themselves & explore careers<br />
in STEM-related occupations. Careers in<br />
non-STEM areas are also accessible. e programs<br />
are intended to expose students to potential careers<br />
as early as sixth grade.<br />
Once students are out of school, it falls to the community<br />
colleges and private educational institutions<br />
to provide the course curriculum and training necessary<br />
to ensure that those entering the job market<br />
have the requisite skills to compete for the new jobs.<br />
While some institutions have been particularly effective<br />
in offering cutting-edge courses, the Department<br />
of Labor and other workforce partners<br />
must work even more closely with those institutions<br />
to share data on occupational projections which will<br />
allow them to establish courses and training programs<br />
that better reflect the changing job market.<br />
Our success in preparing young people for future<br />
jobs will determine the strength of our economy for<br />
years to come. e sooner we act to enhance their<br />
skills, the more likely our nation will remain competitive<br />
in the global environment.<br />
Anyone wishing more information should contact<br />
om Kleiner at thom2@hotmail.com or (845) 499-<br />
4366. ✫<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 13
<strong>Dec</strong>ember Goodies start on page <strong>10</strong><br />
Dollhouse & Miniature Show<br />
e Historical Society<br />
of Rockland County<br />
proudly announces<br />
the return of Annual<br />
Miniature, Dollhouse<br />
& Art Exhibition,<br />
filled with works by<br />
the region’s best<br />
miniaturists, doll<br />
makers, book illustrators,<br />
quilt and glass<br />
artists, curated by<br />
HSRC's own Joanne Potanovic.<br />
e exhibition opened Sun, Nov 21 with a reception<br />
from 1 to 4 pm, when many of the artists &<br />
craftsmen were on hand to greet visitors.<br />
Above: doll by Barbara Levy, Photo by George Potanovic.<br />
At e Historical Society of Rockland County, 20<br />
Zukor Road, New City. (845) 634-9629.<br />
Open each week, Wed to Sun, noon to 4pm now<br />
through Sun, Feb 27. Admission: $7 adults, $3<br />
children 12 and under. For special events &<br />
workshops visit www.rocklandhistory.org<br />
Following in <strong>The</strong>ir Footsteps<br />
Master photographer George Potanovic, Jr. made<br />
photos of eleven Rockland County scenes from<br />
the exact place a photographer made a picture<br />
<strong>10</strong>0 years ago. e century-old photos, from<br />
postcards in George’s collection, plus his presentday<br />
equivalents, will be on display at the Historical<br />
Society of Rockland County.<br />
At Hopper House<br />
82 N. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Gallery hours: 1 to 5pm urs<br />
thru Sun. Info e-mail info@hopperhouse.org call (845) 358-<br />
0774 or visit www.hopperhouse.org<br />
ARTS TALK LECTuRE SERIES<br />
• Jim Youmans, Set Designer<br />
Jim Youmans will speak about his career as a set<br />
designer for numerous off-Broadway productions<br />
and television shows. Fee: $7 advance, $8 at<br />
door. Space is limited. Please reserve.<br />
Friday, <strong>Dec</strong>ember <strong>10</strong>, 7-8 pm<br />
• Edward Hopper’s Work rough Photography<br />
Charles Sternaimolo has photo-documented over<br />
150 sites in the Northeast painted by Edward<br />
Hopper. Drawing on research and personal experience,<br />
he contrasts Hopper’s images with photographs<br />
of the same scene taken decades later.<br />
Fee: $7 advance; $8 at door. Space is limited.<br />
Please reserve a seat in advance.<br />
Friday, January 28, 7-8 pm<br />
EXHIBITIONS<br />
• Focus On the Figure<br />
Selections from HH figure drawing sessions.<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 4 thru 24; opening reception: Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 4,<br />
from 5-7 pm.<br />
PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS—<br />
Call (845) 358-0774 or visit www.hopperhouse.org for<br />
details of many arts programs, fee schedules & registration.<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> College Concerts<br />
Both events at <strong>Nyack</strong> College School of Music, Pardington<br />
Hall, 1 South Boulevard, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Info: (845) 675-4686.<br />
• Carol & Candlelight<br />
Performances by the <strong>Nyack</strong> College Women's<br />
Chorale, Handbell Choir and Brass Ensemble.<br />
Concludes with the deeply moving candlelight<br />
service, a tradition since 1948.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 5 at 8pm<br />
• Handel's Messiah<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> College Chorale accompanied by chamber<br />
orchestra, harpsichord and organ. A freewill offering<br />
will benefit the <strong>Nyack</strong> College Chorale.<br />
Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 11 at 8pm<br />
14 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong><br />
Above: a view of Tappan <strong>10</strong>0 years ago and today. Present-day<br />
photo by George Potanovic, Jr.<br />
Opens Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12 from 2 to 4pm and runs<br />
through Jan 30, 2011 at the Historical Society of<br />
Rockland County, Jacob Blauvelt House, 2<strong>10</strong><br />
Zukor Road, New City. One admission charge<br />
admits you to all exhibits including the Annual<br />
Dollhouse & Miniature Show.<br />
Doo Wop Concert<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> High School Girls’ Softball team will<br />
present a Holiday Doo Wop Concert featuring<br />
e Dimensions, e Devotions & e Emotions.<br />
Fri, <strong>Dec</strong> <strong>10</strong> at 7pm at <strong>Nyack</strong> High School Auditorium.<br />
Tickets $30pp. To pre-order your tickets<br />
e-mail: softballdoowop@gmail.com<br />
Rockland Conservatory<br />
Rockland Conservatory concerts at Simons Hall<br />
7 Perlman Drive, Spring Valley, NY<br />
• McCall-Deats Duo<br />
Brahms: Piano Trio; Schumann: Frauenliebe und<br />
Leben, Op. 42; Bennett: Ballad in Memory of<br />
Shirley Horn; Piazzolla: Oblivion; Gershwin:<br />
Rhapsody in Blue<br />
• Young Kim, violin<br />
• Madeleine Golz, cello<br />
• Marigene Kettler, soprano<br />
• Larry Guy, clarinet<br />
• Jan Deats, piano<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 12 at 3pm; Adm: $15; Seniors/Students $<strong>10</strong><br />
Free Film Screening at F.O.R.<br />
You are invited to view Oliver Stone’s South of the<br />
Border (2009), a documentary film about Hugo<br />
Chávez, President of Venezuela.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 5 at 2pm at e Fellowship of Reconciliation<br />
(F.O.R.), 521 North Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>.<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember Goodies continue on page 19
<strong>The</strong> Lifetime Gardener<br />
by Jon Feldman<br />
A typical end of year gardening<br />
column reflects the<br />
conquests and shortcomings<br />
of one’s existing gardens<br />
along with reports of<br />
the newly introduced<br />
species of the season.<br />
is year, fueled in part by ever-present pundit<br />
forecasts of economic and political doom, I was<br />
hit by a general malaise, the result of which was a<br />
lessened interest in tending my own gardens and<br />
little desire to relive the season’s activities.<br />
e final months of the year, however, brought a<br />
breakthrough of promise that I found a feeling of<br />
catharsis in giving voice to.<br />
October signaled the beginning of the end for the<br />
gardening season. e month marked an easing<br />
into autumnal weather, and with it a needed reprieve<br />
from Summer’s demand for weeding and attentive<br />
maintenance. Summer’s heat gave way to<br />
cooling breezes, leaf-dropping rains and applepicking<br />
weekends. November, true to form,<br />
quickened the march towards winter’s unavoidable<br />
drudgery, though its late season teases of occasional<br />
bright days and tee-shirt weather were enough to<br />
distract us for a while.<br />
Now, <strong>Dec</strong>ember—firmly the end of gardening.<br />
e last of the outdoor clean-ups are either being<br />
done or left for next year. Lawn furniture and toys<br />
that haven’t been stowed probably won’t be.<br />
On balance, our gardens grew wildly, reflecting the<br />
maturity of their seventh season. I was required<br />
to do merciless pruning to keep the Anemones free<br />
of the Wegelia and the Alyssum from being smothered<br />
by the Miscanthus. I purposely decimated the<br />
Perovskia in defense of all the groundcover perennials<br />
its encroachment threatened.<br />
I did leave the Catmint and Daisies to fight things<br />
out themselves, in truth, being as reluctant to intervene<br />
there as I would be separating two fighting<br />
dogs.<br />
So, upon reflection, it was actually a successful and<br />
hopeful season. Complementary activities from<br />
our natural climate—the sun, rain, and temperatures—worked<br />
together to produce great flowering,<br />
fruiting and successful vegetables.<br />
Earlier in the year, there seemed to be a constant<br />
struggle to smile in the face of adversity. It is comforting<br />
to remember, that even in the most challenging<br />
of times, the things we cannot change in<br />
our natural world keep rewarding us with simple,<br />
gentle gifts. All we have to do is pay attention.<br />
I feel much better now.<br />
Jon Feldman is the owner of G. biloba Garden Environments.<br />
Reach him at www.gbiloba.com or at 353-<br />
3448. ✫<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 15
16 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong><br />
Letters To<br />
Dr. Castro<br />
by Nadine Castro<br />
“Dear Dr Castro:<br />
My twelve year old son started Middle<br />
School last September. He who was a<br />
sunny, active and gentle soul and an effortless<br />
A student, suddenly turned into a dour<br />
and truculent creature. He is failing some of his<br />
subjects in school, spends most of his time in his<br />
room and fights with everyone in the house about<br />
almost everything.<br />
He used to be self motivated, now I need to remind<br />
him to practice his piano, do his home-work,<br />
get ready for sports practice, go to bed at a normal<br />
time, stop playing games on his computer or texting<br />
his friends while he does homework. Mornings<br />
are a torture: he needs to be awakened<br />
repeatedly to avoid missing his school bus and<br />
needs to be reminded of all the details of good hygiene<br />
and good nutrition. Keeping him moving<br />
makes me exhausted and disheartened.<br />
I knew that adolescence would be challenging but<br />
what is going on? He’s not even a teenager and the<br />
turmoil is unbearable. Do you think that something<br />
terrible is happening to him? Could he be<br />
learning this from all the new friends in school?<br />
Am I doing anything wrong? Can you get us back<br />
on track?”<br />
Dear Exhausted:<br />
A word of reassurance: your son’s transformation<br />
does not sound alarming and most parents<br />
of boys your son’s age complain that the lovely<br />
child they raised was substituted, while they<br />
weren’t watching, with a moody, rebellious and<br />
rude stranger with crazy sleeping habits, even<br />
crazier hygiene, and an apparent lack of motivation<br />
except for electronic gadgets. Since he hasn’t<br />
reached puberty, you can’t see from the outside<br />
the metamorphosis he is undergoing and are<br />
continuing to treat him like the little boy you<br />
knew yesterday, but his brain is undergoing<br />
massive structural changes and causing the impressive<br />
changes you are observing. While it<br />
grows and reorganizes, everything about your<br />
son will shift, at times bizarrely enough to make<br />
you think that he is crazy. Behaviors change to<br />
their opposites, personality changes and with it<br />
the choice of friends and activities.<br />
At home, the child becomes an alien who snarls<br />
at his parents while smiling at his friends. His<br />
cell phone is a new umbilical cord that cannot<br />
be severed for an instant without major drama.<br />
He who looked up to his parents would not be<br />
caught dead walking in their company anywhere<br />
he could be seen by his peers. Secretiveness<br />
reigns and parents often feel left out,<br />
rejected, betrayed, disheartened.<br />
Sounds familiar?<br />
e suddenness of the transformation and the<br />
drama it causes make it difficult to distinguish<br />
the “normal” from the “pathological.”<br />
Since there is no visible reason<br />
to blame “adolescence” for the<br />
changes yet, one worries that something<br />
terrible is happening. It is easy<br />
to blame it on bad influences from<br />
new peers, or even worse, on mental<br />
illness lurking.<br />
Happily, most of the time, this is not<br />
pathology, but a natural and necessary transition<br />
phase, which, if well handled, will have a<br />
happy ending.<br />
How to deal with all that without suffering<br />
from grave doubts about your parenting skills<br />
and without feeling exhausted and disheartened?<br />
Even more seriously, how to tell that<br />
everything is normal and needs no medical or<br />
psychological intervention?<br />
e answer is to learn to pick your battles and<br />
pay little attention to the behaviors that are not<br />
directly hazardous or harmful. e fact that he<br />
was doing so well only a few months ago shows<br />
that you must have been a consistent and “good<br />
enough” mother, able to discipline without<br />
harshness and love without smothering. His<br />
present behaviors have made you into a nag,<br />
more “in his face” than you have ever been.<br />
Do you see that? What he needs now is that<br />
you step back and let him gradually become his<br />
own person, find his own motivation and become<br />
eventually able to protect himself by<br />
making “good” choices.<br />
When you clearly recognize the daily life challenges<br />
he throws at you from the potentially<br />
harmful or hazardous behaviors from which<br />
you still need to protect him (since he is probably<br />
not yet able to recognize danger and avoid<br />
it consistently), you will know which battles to<br />
wage and which to ignore.<br />
After clear and consistent boundaries not to be<br />
transgressed are drawn and agreed upon, all<br />
other areas of his life need to become his responsibility,<br />
the cleanliness of his room, his<br />
homework, his music, his hygiene.<br />
Not that you should abdicate and accept beastly<br />
behaviors but you could turn a blind eye on<br />
most of them, while reinforcing enthusiastically<br />
every shred of “good” behavior he manifests at<br />
any time. As gruff and rude as he seems to be<br />
these days, there is still lurking, somewhere inside,<br />
the tender boy who needs your love and<br />
your approval. He has only known your nagging<br />
anger for the past few months and must<br />
think that his loving mother was abducted by<br />
aliens in a flying saucer. Make her come back.<br />
He’ll respond. ✫<br />
Dr. Nadine Castro lives and works in <strong>Nyack</strong>. She<br />
treats adults, adolescents and couples using a cognitive-behavioral<br />
approach. <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> readers<br />
may write to Dr. Castro at her direct e-mail<br />
address: drncastro@gmail.com She can also be<br />
reached at (845) 358 1643.
COMMUNITY NOTES<br />
Tell e <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> and we’ll tell the world.<br />
Deadline for January Community Notes: <strong>Dec</strong>ember 15<br />
e-mail us at info@nyackvillager.com<br />
TOWARD A GREENER, HEALTHIER VILLAGE<br />
Stan Morris, chair of e <strong>Nyack</strong> Environmental Committee<br />
wants you to know that <strong>Nyack</strong> aims to adopt stateof-the-art<br />
practices to make life in the village as<br />
environment-friendly as possible. <strong>Villager</strong> readers are invited<br />
to join the effort to create a greener, healthier village.<br />
e committee meets at <strong>Nyack</strong> Village Hall, 9 North<br />
Broadway, on the 3rd ursday of each month at 7pm.<br />
Next scheduled meeting: <strong>Dec</strong> 16.<br />
AT BIRCHWOOD CENTER<br />
85 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> e-mail info@birchwoodcenter.com<br />
or call (845) 358-6409<br />
NEW CLASSES<br />
• Power Vinyasa: Level II/III. A physically challenging<br />
flow of dynamic, heating postures that build endurance,<br />
stamina and strength, with focused attention<br />
to breath and alignment.<br />
Mondays & Wednesdays 7:15 to 8:45pm.<br />
Fee: $18 single class ($14 senior adult); call for<br />
details on discount class card.<br />
• Merging Movement & Meditation Workshops with<br />
Betsy Ceva; Meditations in motion and Moving<br />
Mantras explore the theme of forgiveness. Open your<br />
heart, free your creativity. Everyone welcome.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 19, 2 to 5pm. Fee: $30.<br />
TAPPAN ZEE THRIFT SHOP<br />
e Tappan Zee rift Shop of Piermont has gift items<br />
for the upcoming holidays—quality collectibles, glassware,<br />
fine paintings, costume jewelry & nostalgia, books, new<br />
toys, seasonal clothing. Free parking.<br />
Tappan Zee rift Shop, 454 Piermont Avenue,<br />
Piermont. Hours: Tues,urs, Fri & Sat,<strong>10</strong>am<br />
to 4pm. Wed: 1 to 4pm, Sun, 2 to 5pm. Info:<br />
(845) 359 5753.<br />
PANCAKE BREAKFAST<br />
e Orangetown Fire Company No. 1 Ladies Auxiliary<br />
will sponsor a Pancake Breakfast fund-raising event Sun,<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 12 at the Orangetown Fire Company No 1, 90<br />
Depot Place, South <strong>Nyack</strong>, from 8am to noon. On the<br />
menu: Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice,<br />
coffee and tea. Price: Adults $8, Seniors $6, Children<br />
under ten years of age, $5.<br />
Santa or his Elf may make a surprise appearance!<br />
TOASTMASTERS<br />
For those who need to hone their speaking skills, <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Toastmasters provides non-critical feedback that can help<br />
you strengthen your voice. Join us on the 2nd and 4th<br />
ursday of each month in the Community Room of the<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Library, 59 South Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong> from 7 to<br />
8:30pm.<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember meetings will be on 12/9 and 12/23. New members<br />
and guests are welcome. e meetings are free, membership<br />
costs are nominal. Info: (845) 358-1175 or visit<br />
nyacktoastmasters.org<br />
RESOLVING SCHOOL DISTRICT DISPUTES<br />
What can you do when you disagree with your district<br />
about your child’s individualized educational plan? is<br />
informational workshop provides parents with tips to<br />
Community Notes continue on page 20<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 17
Speaking Brooklyn<br />
by Jan Haber<br />
Some of these words and phrases<br />
are heard exclusively in NY City.<br />
• johnny pump—fire hydrant.<br />
• stoop—the front stairs of your<br />
building, where you sit and talk with<br />
friends. From Middle Dutch stoep,<br />
meaning front verandah.<br />
• stoop ball—a street game played<br />
on the outdoor stairs of a residential<br />
building. Everybody faces the steps. e "batter"<br />
throws a pink rubber ball at the stoop; the<br />
ball flies back towards the “fielders,” who try<br />
to catch it. e object is to throw the ball at an<br />
angle and velocity that makes it bounce back<br />
over the heads of the fielders. Scoring is determined<br />
by the distance the ball travels before it’s<br />
fielded.<br />
• Ring a Leevio—played by children, is a team<br />
hiding & chasing game in which players who<br />
have been caught must remain in a designated<br />
area until released by a teammate. e ring<br />
refers to the enclosure in which a captured<br />
player is confined. e English-speaking<br />
world calls this prisoner’s base.<br />
• Spaldeen—little pink ball made by Spalding.<br />
Also called a pensy pinky.<br />
• stick ball—baseball played with a broom<br />
handle and a Spaldeen.<br />
• flatleaver—the one who leaves you<br />
flat— breaking a date when a better<br />
opportunity comes up. “She’s such<br />
a flatleaver! She told me she was coming<br />
with us. I can't even believe she<br />
flatleaved us! (1)<br />
• sliding pon—a regular playground<br />
slide. Also called a sliding pond. No<br />
one seems to know why.<br />
• Potsy—hopscotch.<br />
• Kick the Can—another street game.<br />
A cross between baseball and kickball, where<br />
the four corners of the block become the four<br />
bases. e "it" player stands with one foot on<br />
the can with eyes closed while counting out<br />
loud— during which time the rest of the players<br />
hide. When the “it” player finishes counting,<br />
the hunt is on for the hidden<br />
players—who try to get past the “it” player to<br />
kick the can. If the “it” payer tags a player before<br />
the can gets kicked, that player must go<br />
to "jail" and wait. If the “it” player catches all<br />
those trying to sneak by and kick the can, he<br />
or she wins.<br />
• Johnny On a Pony—a popular street game<br />
with a real potential for personal injury. One<br />
kid grabs a tree or a fire plug; the other members<br />
of his team grab onto him from behind,<br />
forming the “pony." e opposing team lines<br />
up and, one by one, jumps on the “pony”<br />
adding weight until the pony’s back “breaks”<br />
with the weight of the jumping kids. Whichever<br />
“pony” holds the most jumpers without<br />
breaking wins.<br />
• Immy—imitation agate marble (a glass marble<br />
made to look like an aggie, natural agate). In addition<br />
to aggies, there were puries (single color<br />
opaque glass), clearies (one-color transparent<br />
glass) and many others, when playing marbles<br />
was a popular pastime for kids. (2)<br />
• Pisha-Paysha—a cut-throat little child’s card<br />
game known in English as Peace and Patience,<br />
of which Pisha-Paysha is a corruption.<br />
• Egg Creme—a drink made of seltzer, milk,<br />
and syrup with neither eggs nor cream in it.<br />
• Lemon Ice—all flavors of ice are called lemon<br />
ice. A cherry-flavored ice is a cherry lemon ice.<br />
A lemon-flavored ice is a regular lemon ice. (1)<br />
• downtown—means downtown Brooklyn, the<br />
area around Fulton or Court Street. Going to<br />
Manhattan is referred to as going to the City or<br />
even going to New York, a holdover from the<br />
(1)<br />
days when Brooklyn was its own city.<br />
• fuggedaboudit—never mind.<br />
(1)<br />
Collected by Jim Lampos and Michaelle Pearson.<br />
(2)<br />
http://akronmarbles.com/<br />
<strong>The</strong> Word Hound welcomes your questions, comments<br />
& pet words. ✫<br />
18 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
<strong>Dec</strong>ember Goodies start on page <strong>10</strong><br />
Tommy Goodman and friends<br />
is will be the final performance of e Great<br />
Armerican Songbook sung and played by Fran<br />
Friedman, vocals, Tommy Goodman, piano, and<br />
Mark Hagan, bass, at Reality Bites <strong>10</strong>0 Main<br />
Street, <strong>Nyack</strong>.<br />
Fri, <strong>Dec</strong> 3, from 8:45 to <strong>10</strong>:45pm. Info: (845)<br />
358-8800.<br />
Julius Caesar in Palisades<br />
e Children's Shakespeare eatre presents<br />
Julius Caeser Fri & Sat <strong>Dec</strong> 3 & 4 and Fri & Sat,<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> <strong>10</strong> & 11; all performances at 7pm.<br />
Tickets: Opening Gala with reception following,<br />
tickets $20 adults, $<strong>10</strong> kids. Reg. performances<br />
$12 adults, $<strong>10</strong> seniors, $8 children 18 & under.<br />
For info or reservations call (845) 365-9709.<br />
At Palisades Presbyterian Church, 117 Washington<br />
Spring Road, Palisades, NY<br />
Morning Music Club<br />
is Holiday Concert benefits our scholarship<br />
auditions program for local students. A festive<br />
reception follows the program. Suggested admission:<br />
$5. Come and sing along.<br />
Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 7 at <strong>10</strong>:30 am at Nauraushaun Presbyterian<br />
Church, 51 Sickletown Road, Pearl River.<br />
Holiday Open House<br />
e beautiful Dutch sandstone homestead of the<br />
Orangetown Historical Museum & Archives will<br />
once again host a Holiday Open House. Come<br />
enjoy a cup of mulled cider, some ginger cookies<br />
and our rich local history. Victorian decorations<br />
make the perfect setting for a presentation of<br />
holiday songs by the St. omas Aquinas Choir,<br />
on <strong>Dec</strong>ember 5th from 2 to 3pm.<br />
Permanent exhibits, A Spy In Our Midst: Maj.<br />
John Andre, At Home In Orangetown and Our<br />
Dutch Sandstone Houses, will be on view.<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 5th, 12th & 19th from 1 to 4 pm at the Historic<br />
Salyer House, 213 Blue Hill Road, Pearl<br />
River NY. Friends, neighbors, Scout and tour<br />
groups encouraged. Info, call (845) 398-1302.<br />
Film: “Little Town of Bethlehem”<br />
Part of the series, New Futures for Israel/ Palestine,<br />
Little Town of Bethlehem features Palestinians<br />
who walk a path of nonviolent struggle in step<br />
with Martin Luther King & Mahatma Gandhi.<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 7 at 7:30 at <strong>Nyack</strong> Village eatre, 94 Main<br />
Street, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Admission: $<strong>10</strong>pp.<br />
Solstice Celebration<br />
Great music, food, conversation and community.<br />
Food will be Potluck. Please bring a dish to share<br />
—savory or sweet. Beverages will be provided;<br />
alcohol & smoke free.<br />
2 to 6pm Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 19, at Fellowship of Reconciliation,<br />
521 North Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>. For info or<br />
to RSVP call (845) 358-4601 ext 32. Suggested<br />
donation $<strong>10</strong>pp. Children always welcome.<br />
Rockland Filmmaker Screenings<br />
A program of Rivertown Film with help from Arts Council<br />
of Rockland and O&R.<br />
Timothy Englert, from Palisades Interstate Park<br />
Commission and a Rockland County filmmaker,<br />
presents two short films by PIPC Media on the<br />
history of the Palisades Parks, beginning over a<br />
century ago to the present—<br />
• e Harriman Touch: An Enduring Legacy 13 min<br />
• e Perkins Effect: Vision, Action, Results 11 min<br />
A discussion of PIPC's treasure trove of archival<br />
materials, park preservation and the films themselves<br />
will follow the screening.<br />
At the <strong>Nyack</strong> Library, Meeting Room, Sun, <strong>Dec</strong><br />
12, from 2:30 to 4pm. Info call (845) 353-<br />
2568; leave a message for Rockland Filmmaker<br />
AT THE LIBRARIES<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Library<br />
59 S. Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>. Info & reg: (845)<br />
358-3370 ext. 214. Registration required<br />
for all teen activities; call ext. 236. More<br />
listings and info: http://nyacklibrary.org<br />
Book Clubs—books available at Reference Desk<br />
• Fiction Sons & Lovers by D.H. Lawrence,<br />
Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 1 at 7pm<br />
• Non-Fiction e Man who Loved China by<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember Goodies continue on page 20<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 19
<strong>Dec</strong>ember Goodies start on page <strong>10</strong><br />
Simon Winchester, urs, <strong>Dec</strong> 2 at 2pm<br />
• Mother/Daughter Mockingjay by Suzanne<br />
Collins, Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 7 at 7pm<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Senior Center Program<br />
Ronnie Haynes, community outreach caseworker,<br />
answers questions about the programs & services<br />
provided by the Center. Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 1 at <strong>10</strong>am<br />
Film: Traditional Diets Key to Vibrant Health<br />
followed by a discussion. Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 8 at 7pm<br />
TEEN EVENTS<br />
Kwanzaa Crafts<br />
Learn about African American family and community<br />
celebrations; create a handmade craft to<br />
help celebrate Kwanzaa. Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 14 & urs,<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 16 at 7pm<br />
Holiday Treats Cooking Workshop<br />
Make holiday cheer with some old-fashioned<br />
holiday treats. Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 21 at 4:40pm<br />
Navigating Public Transit for Teens<br />
Learn to read bus & train schedules; take a trip<br />
to the Palisades Mall and back. Signed permission<br />
slip from parent or guardian required to participate.<br />
Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 28 at 2<br />
Piermont Public Library<br />
25 Flywheel Park West, Piermont, NY. Open Mon-urs<br />
<strong>10</strong>-8pm; Friday, 12-5pm; Saturday, 12-4pm. Closed Sun<br />
except for special events. Info: (845) 359-4595 or visit<br />
www.piermontlibrary.org<br />
In the Gallery this month<br />
Annual Gift of Art Show & Sale to benefit Piermont<br />
Library’s programming budget. Sun, <strong>Dec</strong><br />
5 from 2 to 4pm: Gala Open House with hors<br />
d’oeuvres & live music by Heyhoe Woods Quartet.<br />
Exhibit continues through <strong>Dec</strong>ember.<br />
Special Program: Meet the Author<br />
Growing Older: A chronicle of Death, Life, and<br />
Vegetables, is a new memoir by Piermont’s own<br />
Joan Gussow, the teacher, author and matriarch<br />
of the locavore movement who inspired a host of<br />
well-known authors on the subject of food.<br />
A founding member of Piermont’s Community<br />
20 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong><br />
Garden, Ms. Gussow helped lots of Piermonters<br />
discover the benefits of home gardening and<br />
community spirit.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12 at 2pm.<br />
Toddler Storytime with Agnes and Judy<br />
Mondays at 11am<br />
Moon River Music Together with Catherine<br />
Music appreciation for the young child.<br />
Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 15 at 11:30am<br />
Palisades Free Library<br />
19 Closter Rd., Palisades, NY. (845) 359-0136. Registration<br />
required for all programs.<br />
Gingerbread House Building ages 5 and up<br />
Bring a box of graham crackers to construct an<br />
edible house. <strong>Dec</strong> 8 at 4:30pm<br />
Holiday Gifts in a Can ages 8 and up<br />
Bring an empty can with lid (chips, oatmeal,<br />
etc.) to cover and create a gift can. Fill with<br />
home made reindeer trail mix. <strong>Dec</strong> 9 at 4:30pm<br />
Holiday Season Fun ages 21/2 and up<br />
Stories, crafts & games about <strong>Dec</strong>ember holidays.<br />
Reindeer, candy canes and gingerbread men.<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 14 at 4:30pm.<br />
Valley Cottage Library<br />
1<strong>10</strong> Route 303. Handicap accessible. Info: (845) 268-7700.<br />
M-Th. <strong>10</strong>-9pm, Fri-Sat. <strong>10</strong>-5pm. You can register for programs<br />
online at www.vclib.org Books for discussion groups<br />
are available one month before discussion.<br />
Scrapbooking Your Holiday<br />
Learn to preserve precious family photos. Bring<br />
your best photos and we'll supply the rest. For<br />
adults & teens. Please register; space is limited.<br />
Wed, <strong>Dec</strong>. 1 at 7pm<br />
Handmade Holiday Cards (grades 5 thru 8)<br />
We will provide the materials and you provide<br />
the creativity.<br />
urs, <strong>Dec</strong>. 2 at 7pm<br />
Handmade Holiday Cookies (grades 5 thru 8)<br />
Come into the kitchen and meet friends, old &<br />
new. Mix up and bake some delicious batches of<br />
treats to sample and take home. Please Register.<br />
Sat, <strong>Dec</strong>. 4 at 11am<br />
Book Discussion<br />
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. In<br />
August 1974 in NYC, a mysterious tightrope<br />
walker dances between the twin towers, high<br />
above the ground. In the streets below, ordinary<br />
lives become extraordinary in this intricate portrait<br />
of a city and its people. Discussion led by<br />
Dr. David Turk.<br />
urs, <strong>Dec</strong>. 9 at 7pm<br />
New City Library<br />
220 North Main Street, New City, NY. Contact: Sally<br />
Pellegrini, 634-4997, ext. 139; spellegr@rcls.org<br />
Mississippi Freedom<br />
In 1964 at the outset of the Mississippi Freedom<br />
Summer Project three young men were murdered.<br />
Members of <strong>Nyack</strong>’s Elmwood eatre<br />
offer a tribute to these Civil Rights victims with a<br />
reading of this play-in-progress.<br />
Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 4, at 2pm<br />
Medicare Changes<br />
Sharon Ryan, counselor with the Rockland Department<br />
of Health, provides an update.<br />
Mon, <strong>Dec</strong> 6 at <strong>10</strong>:30am<br />
e French Harp<br />
Open your mind to the varying sounds of this<br />
wind instrument. Accompanied by piano, Jia-Yi<br />
He performs well-known classical pieces on several<br />
types of harmonicas, including the chromatic,<br />
diatonic and tremolo. An award-winning international<br />
virtuoso, He has been a soloist with the<br />
China National Symphony Orchestra and a<br />
guest musician at the General Assembly of the<br />
United Nations.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12 at 2pm<br />
Navigating Medicare<br />
Planning to register for Medicare before your<br />
65th birthday? Learn the best way to accomplish<br />
this with Sharon Ryan, a counselor with the<br />
Rockland Department of Health.<br />
Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 14, 7:30pm<br />
better advocate for their child and to better understand<br />
COMMUNITY NOTES start on page 17<br />
their options and rights in resolving disputes. Presented<br />
by Chrisanne Petrone, HVSEPC Outreach<br />
Coordinator and Kathryn Keener, Senior Mediation<br />
Coordinator, Westchester & Rockland Mediation<br />
Centers of CLUSTER Inc.<br />
Tues, <strong>Dec</strong> 7 from 9:30 to 11:30am at <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Library, 59 South Broadway, <strong>Nyack</strong>.<br />
Community Notes continue at right
At <strong>Nyack</strong> Center, S. Bdwy at Depew, <strong>Nyack</strong>:<br />
Tickets—$<strong>10</strong> gen’l adm; $8 students seniors & gen’l members;<br />
$7 student & senior members Info: www.rivertownfilm.org or<br />
call (845) 353-2568.<br />
• SOUL KITCHEN (USA 2009)<br />
At <strong>Nyack</strong> Center, Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 15 8pm.<br />
99 min, unrated; in German with English subtitles.<br />
Director: Fatih Akin.<br />
Celebrated filmmaker Fatih Akin’s oddball comedy<br />
of food, friends, music, and Hamburg’s multicultural,<br />
bohemian/grunge subculture. Venice<br />
Film Festival Young Cinema Award for Best Film<br />
Never loses its exuberance. . . . Seriously silly.<br />
—Stephen Holden, e New York Times<br />
At Lafayette eater, 97 Lafayette Avenue,<br />
Suffern NY: Tickets—$<strong>10</strong> gen’l adm; $8 students seniors<br />
& gen’l members; $7 student & senior members Info:<br />
www.rivertownfilm.org or call (845) 353-2568.<br />
• MOTHER AND CHILD<br />
At Lafayetteeatre, Suffern Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 12 at 11:30am.<br />
Director: Rodrigo Garcia with Annette Bening,<br />
Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson<br />
USA/Spain, 2009, 125 minutes, rated (R}<br />
A story of adoption and the adopted.<br />
• JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK<br />
At Lafayetteeatre, Suffern Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 19 at 11:30am.<br />
84 min, rated R<br />
Directors: Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg<br />
A sympathetic, yet cool-eyed look at this singleminded,<br />
driven performer. ✫<br />
COMMUNITY NOTES start on page 17<br />
BUSINESS WOMEN’S LUNCHEON<br />
Rockland Business Women's Network luncheon in<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember features a holiday party & auction to<br />
benefit Charity of Choice, Home Aides of Rockland,<br />
Inc. Bring cash, checkbook, credit card. e event<br />
includes a hot and cold buffet lunch. Pre-registration<br />
is required.<br />
Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 8 from noon to 2pm at Comfort Inn &<br />
Suites, Regency Ballroom, Route 59 East, Nanuet<br />
NY. Tickets: $25 for pre-registered member. To<br />
To the eatre<br />
with Holly Caster<br />
Women on the Verge of a<br />
Nervous Breakdown<br />
By now you may have seen or read a<br />
review or two of the new Broadway<br />
musical, Women on the Verge of a Nervous<br />
Breakdown, based on Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988<br />
film. Most of the reviews<br />
were unfavorable. I can’t<br />
disagree with the negative<br />
points mentioned by the<br />
critics, but<br />
I do have to put in my<br />
more-than-2-cents on the<br />
subject.<br />
I totally enjoyed the show!<br />
I had a great 2 hours and<br />
20 minutes at the theater.<br />
Why? To start with, if<br />
you’re a Broadway fan, the<br />
cast cannot be beat: Sherie<br />
Rene Scott—Tony nominee<br />
for both Dirty Rotten<br />
Scoundrels and Everyday<br />
Rapture; Laura Benanti—<br />
Tony winner, Gypsy; Patti<br />
LuPone—Tony winner,<br />
Evita and Gypsy; and Brian Stokes Mitchell—<br />
Tony winner, Kiss Me, Kate. rown in for<br />
good measure is American Idol first season runner-up<br />
Justin Guarini, who is adorable and manages<br />
to hold his own with this illustrious cast.<br />
e show has a lot of laughs and a few good<br />
songs that—although far from instantly hummable—started<br />
growing on me immediately.<br />
RSVP: e-mail: info@rbwn.org<br />
CHRISTIAN WOMEN'S CLUB LUNCHEON<br />
e Christian Women's Club invites all ladies to its<br />
Merry Christmas Luncheon featuring seasonal songs<br />
by Karen Morgan with daughter, Danielle; also:<br />
Roxanne Kamichoff, a private eye and former magazine<br />
editor, who will speak about finding balance in<br />
I’ll be first online to buy the CD.<br />
e costumes are delightful, the<br />
sets/scenery imaginative, and the pacing<br />
almost ridiculously hyper.<br />
e problems with the show are at<br />
this point unfixable: there are too<br />
many characters, without a strong<br />
leading thru-line to care about. e<br />
sort-of main character isn’t especially likeable<br />
or worth rooting for; the book is weak. At<br />
some points there is so<br />
much going on onstage<br />
that my focus was pulled<br />
in too many directions. I<br />
also would’ve been much<br />
happier if any of the main<br />
roles in this musical—<br />
which takes place in<br />
Madrid—were played by<br />
Hispanic performers.<br />
Go to www.lct.org/mediaPlayer.htm?id=60<br />
for a<br />
montage and clips (righthand<br />
column) from the<br />
show. If anything grabs<br />
you—from these clips or<br />
the original film, or a radio<br />
commercial, or a colorful,<br />
campy photograph in a<br />
newspaper—you might<br />
want to go see for yourself what you think.<br />
I had a great time sitting in the audience at<br />
the Belasco. I hope you will, too.<br />
Holly Caster has lived in <strong>Nyack</strong> with her playwright<br />
husband, two kids, and two cats for over<br />
<strong>10</strong> years. She is by trade a writer and by nature<br />
a fan of theater, movies, books, history, & art. ✫<br />
life, work and family.<br />
$16 cost inc. tax & program but not gratuity. Reservations<br />
are mandatory and must be kept, canceled<br />
or used by a friend. Childcare is available by advance<br />
reservation only. Call (845) 425-5157.<br />
Tues <strong>Dec</strong> 14 from noon to 1:30pm at the Casa<br />
Mia Manor House, 577 Rte. 303, Blauvelt, NY<br />
Community Notes conclude on page 22<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 21
At the Movies<br />
by Ric Pantale<br />
Happy Holidays everybody!<br />
e holidays are a gold mine for classic<br />
films. Each film listed has its own<br />
character and flavor. Again I picked<br />
movies that won't offend the family.<br />
Example: Some critic actually picked Gremlins.<br />
Maybe he's got gremlins mixed up with<br />
Elves. Maybe he thinks gremlins are cute and<br />
fuzzy. Oh well.<br />
e first thing you should do is move all the<br />
anksgiving movies over to <strong>Dec</strong>ember. ey<br />
all fit.<br />
RADIO DAYS Woody Allen's masterpiece<br />
about a much simpler time that had just the<br />
radio and family as home entertainment.<br />
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Just<br />
like Charlie's anksgiving special, see this first<br />
to put you in a good mood. You have to love<br />
that scrawny Christmas tree, and the music<br />
sound track has gone on to become a classic.<br />
ELF Will Ferrell's best movie. It is funny<br />
and heartwarming and the cast is right on.<br />
James Caan and Bob Newhart are perfect.<br />
LOVE ACTuALLY One of my favorite<br />
films. is English import is a delightful mix<br />
of stories that take place during Christmas.<br />
An all-star cast that includes Hugh Grant,<br />
Liam Neeson, Emma ompson, and Keira<br />
Knightly, really makes this a special movie.<br />
EMMET OTTER’S JuG BAND<br />
CHRISTMAS<br />
What a delight, from start to finish!<br />
e Muppets are the stars<br />
and they are fantastic. is is one<br />
that should not be overlooked.<br />
HOLIDAY AFFAIR (1948)—<br />
a black & white classic. I love<br />
this movie—and not only because<br />
I screen-tested for the role of the 9 year-old<br />
boy. Robert Mitchum & Janet Leigh are perfect.<br />
Again it's about a time that doesn't exist<br />
anymore, a time of Lionel Electric trains that<br />
were made of metal, and funny NYC Policemen.<br />
Best thing is: it actually is 1948 in the<br />
movie.<br />
THE POLAR ExPRESS I loved this in 3D.<br />
e movie might appear to be just a bit cold,<br />
and odd, but it is great entertainment.<br />
Of course, the classics: CHRISTMAS STORY,<br />
IT'S A WONDERFuL LIFE, CHRISTMAS<br />
IN CONNECTICuT, MIRACLE ON 34TH<br />
STREET, are all favorites.<br />
Also, why not take a chance on some non-holiday<br />
family favorites: MIGHTY JOE YOuNG,<br />
KING KONG (2007) doesn't compare to the<br />
original, but it's not as bad as you might think.<br />
ET, A HARD DAYS NIGHT, HELP<br />
CLOSE ENCOuNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND<br />
So many great films, so little time. Enjoy this<br />
Holiday; you deserve it.<br />
Ric Pantale, writer & director, is an independent<br />
film maker. ✫<br />
Next month: more Hollywood history. Learn RKO’s story, one of Ric’s favorites.<br />
COMMUNITY NOTES start on page 17<br />
PEDIATRIC PLAYROOM AT NYACK HOSPITAL<br />
Come to the dedication of the Dr. Samuel Berger<br />
Pediatric Playroom on Wed, <strong>Dec</strong> 1, at 4pm at<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Hospital. Dr. Berger was a member of the<br />
Medical Staff at <strong>Nyack</strong> Hospital from 1976 until<br />
2009 and the senior partner in Bardonia Pediatrics,<br />
providing care to children throughout the community<br />
for<br />
many<br />
years.<br />
Info:<br />
(845)<br />
348-<br />
2773.<br />
✫<br />
22 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
y Donna Cox<br />
One of the biggest myths<br />
in real estate today is “nobody can get a mortgage.” e fact is, banks are issuing<br />
mortgages on a daily basis. Yes, during the recent housing boom, getting<br />
a mortgage was a lot easier than it is today. Many banks came up with creative<br />
financing methods in order to provide mortgages to people who, at any other<br />
point in history, would not have qualified for a loan. Now, banks have returned<br />
to a mortgage process much closer to the way things used to be. Lenders<br />
have gone back to evaluating applicants and approving loans based on credit<br />
scores, verifiable income, income to debt ratios and the amount of the down<br />
payment. Keep in mind that not having a 20% down payment will not necessarily<br />
preclude you from getting a loan; there are still a variety of loan options requiring as little as<br />
3.5% down. So, if you are thinking of buying a home but are concerned about the mortgage process,<br />
now is a great time to meet with a lender and review the multitude of loan options available for qualified<br />
buyers. I wish you all the happiest of Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year. With that,<br />
here are the homes that sold during the month of October.<br />
• THE HOMES LISTED BELOW WERE SOLD BY A VARIETY OF BROKERS PROuDLY SERVING THE RIVER VILLAGES.<br />
Colonial<br />
Colonial<br />
Condo<br />
Ranch<br />
Condo<br />
Colonial<br />
Condo<br />
Colonial<br />
<strong>The</strong>y got what?!<br />
STYLE LOCATION ADDRESS BEDROOMS BATHS LIST PRICE SALE PRICE<br />
U. <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
U. <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
<strong>Nyack</strong><br />
<strong>Nyack</strong><br />
<strong>Nyack</strong><br />
<strong>Nyack</strong><br />
<strong>Nyack</strong><br />
S. <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
198 Hook Mountain Ln<br />
3 Riverton Dr<br />
2 Burd St #2<strong>10</strong>2<br />
2<strong>10</strong> Sixth Ave<br />
2 Burd St #1<strong>10</strong>4<br />
167 N Franklin<br />
4 Burd St No. 3202<br />
113 Clinton Ave<br />
$ 649,000<br />
1,429,000<br />
250,000<br />
349,000<br />
569,000<br />
799,000<br />
830,000<br />
273,900<br />
$ 625,000<br />
1,200,000<br />
225,000<br />
330,000<br />
550,000<br />
785,000<br />
780,000<br />
270,000<br />
Summary Source: GHVMLS YTD Comparison Report<br />
3Q 20<strong>10</strong> YTD vs. 3Q 2009 YTD - Single Family Homes<br />
New inventory (the number of homes going on the market) increased 18% (234 YTD 20<strong>10</strong> vs. 198 YTD<br />
2009). e number of sales increased 66% (73 YTD 20<strong>10</strong> vs. 44 YTD 2009). e average sales price of<br />
homes that have sold increased 4.2% to $644,464. Overall, the average sales price for single family homes<br />
that have sold in Rockland County (inclusive of the river villages) was $450,021, up 0.1% over the same<br />
period last year.<br />
3Q 20<strong>10</strong> YTD vs. 3Q 2009 YTD - Condos<br />
New inventory (the number of condos going on the market) decreased 8.2% (78 YTD 20<strong>10</strong> vs. 85 YTD<br />
2009). e number of sales decreased 12.5% (28 YTD 20<strong>10</strong> vs. 32 YTD 2009). e average sales price of<br />
condos that have sold increased 9.1% to $494,446. Overall, the average sales price for condos that have<br />
sold in Rockland County (inclusive of the river villages) was $269,298, down 1.9% over the same period<br />
last year. ✫<br />
4<br />
4<br />
1<br />
3<br />
2<br />
4<br />
2<br />
3<br />
2.1<br />
3.1<br />
1<br />
2<br />
2<br />
2.1<br />
2<br />
1.1<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 23
Birthstone:<br />
TURQUOISE<br />
symbol of<br />
prosperity<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember 20<strong>10</strong><br />
SUN MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT<br />
1<br />
2 3 4<br />
ARMCHAIR <strong>Nyack</strong> Justice Ct<br />
TOUR 9:30a<br />
repeated 12-2 HAPPY<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
HANNUKKAH<br />
new moon<br />
5 D 6 7 8 9 <strong>10</strong> 11<br />
MESSIAH<br />
SING<br />
at<br />
Grace Church<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
1st quarter<br />
12 13 R 14 15 16 17 18<br />
READINGS<br />
IN A<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
SPIRIT<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
19 20 21 22 23 24 25<br />
ROCKLAND<br />
CENTER<br />
JAZZ<br />
PARTY<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
g<br />
If you talk to the animals they will talk to you. If you do not talk to them you will not know them.<br />
And what you do not know you will fear. What one fears, one destroys.—Chief Dan George (1899-1981)<br />
CALENDAR ABBREVIATIONS NYACK COMMITTEES<br />
VB=Village Board<br />
PB=Planning Board<br />
ZBA=Zoning Board of Appeals<br />
BWC=Board of Water Commissioners<br />
HA=Housing Authority<br />
ARB=Architectural Review Board<br />
PC=Parks Commission<br />
EC=Environmental Committee<br />
No <strong>Nyack</strong> PB<br />
meeting<br />
American Brass<br />
at<br />
ARTS ROCK<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
Morning<br />
Music Club<br />
see page 19<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Justice<br />
Court 5p<br />
HA meets 7p<br />
at Waldron Terr<br />
full moon S<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Justice<br />
Court 5p<br />
BUSINESS<br />
WOMEN’S<br />
LUNCHEON<br />
see page 21<br />
No ARB mtg<br />
Soul<br />
Kitchen<br />
film at<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Center<br />
see page 21<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> Justice<br />
Court 9:30a<br />
BWC meets<br />
4:30p<br />
Justice Court<br />
9:30a<br />
EC meets 7p<br />
VB meets at<br />
7:30p<br />
NO COURT<br />
Village Hall<br />
closed<br />
q<br />
HOLIDAY<br />
ART SHOW<br />
AT ART<br />
STUDENTS<br />
LEAGUE<br />
Vytlacil Campus<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
Doo Wop<br />
Concert<br />
for<br />
Girls’ Softball<br />
see page 14<br />
Village Hall<br />
closed<br />
Flower:<br />
PAPER WHITE<br />
symbol of<br />
formality<br />
Sukey Molloy<br />
at<br />
ARTS ROCK<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
BLANKFEST<br />
at<br />
BRUXELLE’S<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
MERRY<br />
CHRISTMAS<br />
last quarter<br />
26 27 28 29 30<br />
JOYOUS<br />
KWANZAA<br />
NO ZBA<br />
meeting<br />
NO COURT<br />
R<br />
PC meets 7p<br />
NO COURT<br />
Bossy Frog<br />
at<br />
ARTS ROCK<br />
see page <strong>10</strong><br />
31<br />
Village Hall<br />
closed<br />
HAPPY<br />
NEW YEAR<br />
24 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong><br />
Founded in 1994, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> is published monthly, mailed on or about the first of each month to every postal address in eight Hudson River villages—<strong>Nyack</strong>,<br />
Upper <strong>Nyack</strong>, Central <strong>Nyack</strong>, South <strong>Nyack</strong>, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont &Palisades (zipcodes <strong>10</strong>960, <strong>10</strong>964 & <strong>10</strong>968).<br />
Editor<br />
Contributing Editor<br />
Correspondent<br />
Publishers<br />
Community advisor<br />
Office Manager<br />
JAN HABER<br />
SHEL HABER<br />
FRANK LoBUONO<br />
JAN & SHEL HABER<br />
FRANCES PRATT<br />
JOYCE BRESSLER<br />
exchange numbers 845<br />
unless otherwise noted<br />
Columnists • PETER SEGALL DVM • JEROME GREENBERG DC<br />
• DUNCAN LEE, ESQ • JON FELDMAN • JIM LEINER • THOM<br />
KLEINER • DONNA COX • DAN SHAW, LCSW • VIVIANE<br />
BAUQUET FARRE • PETER KLOSE • DOROTHY GOREN Ed.D<br />
• HOLLY CASTER • GEORGE MANIERE • RIC PANTALE<br />
NYACK VILLAGER ADDRESSES PO Box 82, <strong>Nyack</strong>, NY <strong>10</strong>960-0082 e-mail: info@nyackvillager.com<br />
• Editorial / advertising phone (845) 735-7639 • Fax (845) 735-7669<br />
on the Internet at www.nyackvillager.com <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> is on the Internet courtesy of Devine Design.<br />
Published monthly by <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>, LLC © 1994—2008<br />
All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission is forbidden.<br />
Phone Numbers<br />
AMBULANCE CORPS 911<br />
non-emergency 358 4824<br />
TO REPORT A FIRE 911<br />
POLICE EMERGENCY 911<br />
non-emergency 359 3700<br />
POISON CONTROL 1-800 + 336 6997<br />
RPT CHILD ABUSE 1-800 + 342 3720<br />
BATTERED WOMEN 634 3344<br />
HOSP EMERGENCY 348 2345<br />
➤<strong>Nyack</strong> VIllage Hall, <strong>Nyack</strong> 9 N Broadway<br />
OFFICE OF VILLAGE CLERK<br />
MAYOR'S OFFICE<br />
OFFICE OF TREASURER<br />
BUILDING DEPT<br />
DEPT PUBLIC WORKS<br />
FIRE INSPECTOR<br />
JUSTICE COURT<br />
PARKING AUTHORITY<br />
WATER DEPT (non emerg)<br />
WATER PLANT EMERG<br />
HOUSING AUTH 15 Highvw<br />
SECTION 8E<br />
➤South <strong>Nyack</strong> VIllage Hall 282 S B’wy, S. <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
OFFICE OF VILLAGE CLERK<br />
BUILDING DEPT<br />
JUSTICE COURT<br />
POLICE NON EMERGENCY<br />
➤Upper <strong>Nyack</strong> VIllage Hall N. Bdwy, U. <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
OFFICE OF VILLAGE CLERK<br />
➤Grand View VIllage Hall 118 River Rd<br />
OFFICE OF VILLAGE CLERK<br />
BUILDING INSPECTOR<br />
JUSTICE COURT<br />
➤Piermont VIllage Hall 478 Piermont Ave<br />
OFFICE OF VILLAGE CLERK<br />
JUSTICE COURT<br />
MUNICIPAL GARAGE<br />
YOUTH RECREATION<br />
THE NYACK VILLAGER<br />
358 0548<br />
358 0229<br />
358 3581<br />
358 4249<br />
358 3552<br />
358 6245<br />
358 4464<br />
358 3851<br />
358 0641<br />
358 3734<br />
358 2476<br />
358 2591<br />
358 0287<br />
358 0244<br />
358 5078<br />
358 0206<br />
358 0084<br />
358 2919<br />
348-0747<br />
358-4148<br />
359 1258<br />
359-1258 ext. 3<strong>10</strong><br />
359-1717<br />
359-1258 ext. 326<br />
735 7639<br />
NYACK PUBLIC SCHOOLS<br />
S. ORANGETOWN CENTRAL SCHL DIST<br />
NYACK PUBLIC LIBRARY<br />
PALISADES FREE LIBRARY<br />
PIERMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY<br />
NYACK POST OFFICE<br />
PALISADES POST OFFICE<br />
PIERMONT POST OFFICE<br />
NYACK CENTER<br />
HEAD START OF ROCKLAND<br />
NYACK YMCA<br />
COMMUNITY GARDEN<br />
FRIENDS OF THE NYACKS<br />
ART CRAFT & ANTIQUES DLRS<br />
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE<br />
353 7013<br />
359 7603<br />
358 3370<br />
359 0136<br />
359-4595<br />
358 2756<br />
359 7841<br />
359 7843<br />
358 2600<br />
358 2234<br />
358 0245<br />
358 1734<br />
358 4973<br />
353 6981<br />
353 2221<br />
Starting on the first of each month and while they last, free copies of <strong>The</strong><br />
<strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> are available at <strong>Nyack</strong>, Piermont, New City & Valley Cottage<br />
Libraries, Best Western Inn <strong>Nyack</strong>, Koblin’s Pharmacy, Runcible Spoon,<br />
Hogan’s in <strong>Nyack</strong>, <strong>Nyack</strong> Village Hall and other selected locations.<br />
Advertisers—<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> is the only<br />
magazine that is MAILED every<br />
month exclusively to every resident<br />
of all eight river villages<br />
from Upper <strong>Nyack</strong> to Palisades<br />
NY—very choice territory!<br />
Everybody reads every issue<br />
cover to cover so you know<br />
your ad dollars are working<br />
hard for you. Ad prices start<br />
as low as $112.<br />
And, if you want us to, we’ll<br />
design your first ad for<br />
you—at no extra cost.<br />
Call (845) 735 -7639<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 25
HOuSES OF WORSHIP<br />
in the River Villages<br />
Reformed Church of <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Corner South Broadway and Burd Street, <strong>Nyack</strong> NY<br />
(845) 358-5518 e-mail to frchurch@optonline.net<br />
Pastor Tom Danney<br />
SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER<br />
Sunday Worship Services <strong>10</strong>:30<br />
Sunday School during worship hour<br />
Casa de Oracion Para Las Naciones 2pm Sundays, 8pm Tuesdays<br />
French Speaking Seventh Day Adventists - Saturday <strong>10</strong>am<br />
First Haitian Church of Rockland Sunday11am and 6pm<br />
Soup Supper—Wednesdays 5:30pm<br />
Sunday, 12/5 Dynamic Brass at <strong>10</strong>:30am Advent service<br />
12/15 - 8 pm Holiday Brass Concert featuring Dynamic Brass<br />
and Sapphire Brass Quintet. $20 and $<strong>10</strong> (seniors, students)<br />
Annual Christmas Pageant 5pm 12/19 Open to public!<br />
Family Christmas Eve service 8pm 12/24 All welcome!<br />
Palisades Presbyterian Church<br />
Washington Spring Road, Palisades, NY<br />
Church Office phone number: 359-3147<br />
new website: http://www.palpresny.org/<br />
Interim Pastor: Reverend Ray Bagnuolo<br />
Sunday worship service: <strong>10</strong>am, Sunday School: <strong>10</strong>am<br />
Bible study: Wednesday 12:15pm Parish House<br />
Choir Rehearsal: Thursdays 8 pm<br />
• Healing Service—<strong>Dec</strong>ember 12th at 11:30am. Prayer for the<br />
healing of body, mind and spirit.<br />
• Christmas Eve Services—<strong>Dec</strong>ember 24th:<br />
Early Service 5pm<br />
Service of Lessons and Carols 11pm<br />
• Christmas Giving—<strong>Dec</strong> 1st to 24th. We collect and deliver<br />
Christmas gifts to hospital bound children in the Harlem<br />
area. For info call: (845) 359-3147.<br />
Handel's Messiah Study & Dinner—<strong>Dec</strong> 2, 9 and 16 from 6 to<br />
7:15pm. At the church: come and listen to excerpts from this<br />
magnificent work while studying the Scriptural texts which<br />
inspired it. Led by music director, Michael Shapiro and our<br />
pastor, Angela Maddalone, all are welcome. A simple meal of<br />
soup and bread will be provided. Info: (845) 359-3147.<br />
Temple Beth Torah<br />
330 North Highland Ave, <strong>Nyack</strong> NY; Rabbi Brian Beal; on the<br />
Internet at www.TempleBethTorah.org Info: 358-2248<br />
DECEMBER<br />
Fri <strong>Dec</strong> 3—7:30 pm Erev Shabbat Chanukah Service with the<br />
TBT Jr. Choir<br />
Sat <strong>Dec</strong> 4—9am Taste of Torah <strong>10</strong>:30am Shabbat Morning Svc<br />
Sun <strong>Dec</strong> 5—9:30am Bagels & Blox: Parents and children between<br />
6 weeks and 3 years are welcome. Free<br />
Fri <strong>Dec</strong> <strong>10</strong>—8pm Erev Shabbat Service<br />
Sat <strong>Dec</strong> 11—9am Taste of Torah <strong>10</strong>:30am Shabbat Svc<br />
Fri <strong>Dec</strong> 17—6:45pm Bonim Shabbat Service: For grades 3 and<br />
younger and their families. 8pm Erev Shabbat Service<br />
Sat <strong>Dec</strong> 18—9am Taste of Torah <strong>10</strong>:30am Shabbat Morning Svc<br />
Fri <strong>Dec</strong> 24—6:30pm Erev Shabbat Service (note early time)<br />
Sat <strong>Dec</strong> 25—9am Taste of Torah <strong>10</strong>:30am Shabbat Morning Svc<br />
Fri <strong>Dec</strong> 31—6:30pm Erev Shabbat Service (note early time)<br />
V<br />
Grace Episcopal Church<br />
130 First Avenue, <strong>Nyack</strong>, NY <strong>10</strong>960<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rev. Richard L. Gressle, Rector<br />
<strong>The</strong> Rev. Emily Sieracki, Assistant to the Rector<br />
Info: www.gracechurchnyack.org or (845) 358-1297<br />
Worship Schedule<br />
Sundays<br />
8am Holy Eucharist (Rite One)<br />
9:30am Holy Eucharist (Family Service)<br />
11am Holy Eucharist (Senior Choir)<br />
6:30pm 2nd & Last French Creole Mass (Haitian Church of<br />
the Good Samaritan)<br />
<strong>10</strong>:<strong>10</strong>am Parish Forums (between the 9:30 and 11am services)<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 5: <strong>The</strong> Season of Thankfulness<br />
<strong>Dec</strong> 12: Taking Commercialism Out of Christmas<br />
IN DECEMBER<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 5, 4pm GraceMusic presents: Messiah Sing (see pg <strong>10</strong>)<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 19 at 12:30pm Annual Christmas Pageant<br />
HOLIDAY SERVICES<br />
Fri, <strong>Dec</strong> 24—Christmas Eve<br />
4pm Vespers & Holy Eucharist (family-friendly)<br />
6:30pm Lessons & Carols; Holy Eucharist<br />
<strong>10</strong>:30pm Carols for Choir & Congregation<br />
11pm Feast of the Nativity & Solemn Eucharist<br />
Sat, <strong>Dec</strong> 25— Christmas Day<br />
9:30am Holy Eucharist (Rite I; carols)<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 26<br />
8am Holy Eucharist (Rite I)<br />
11am Holy Eucharist (Senior Choir)<br />
Every Month<br />
Men’s Prayer Breakfast: 2nd & 4th Thurs at 7am<br />
Midnight Run Meal Preparation 2nd Sat at <strong>10</strong>am<br />
Every Sun: Food collection for People to People<br />
Congregation Sons of Israel<br />
300 N. Broadway, U. <strong>Nyack</strong> 358-3767<br />
Friday, evening services call CSI office for time<br />
Rabbi Joshua Z. Gruenberg<br />
<strong>Dec</strong>ember 20<strong>10</strong><br />
<strong>Dec</strong>. 3, Family Shabbat & Main Service 6pm. Followed by dinner,<br />
“Miracle on Broadway.” Call for details.<br />
Sat, services, 9:30am. <strong>Dec</strong>. 11, Tot Shabbat, 11am Music, song,<br />
fun and games for your little ones.<br />
Sun morning services, 9am.<br />
Sun, <strong>Dec</strong> 5, Men’s Club Breakfast following 9am Minyan.<br />
Sat, <strong>Dec</strong>. 18, Lunch and Study following services.<br />
Unitarian Society of Rockland<br />
130 Concklin Road, Pomona, NY <strong>10</strong>970 (Exit 12N, Pal<br />
Pkwy) Phone: (845) 354-1789 e-mail: website:<br />
www.fusrc.org administrator@fusrc.org<br />
Sunday worship services <strong>10</strong>:30am followed by fellowship hour.<br />
Religious education classes <strong>10</strong>:30am unless otherwise noted.<br />
12-5—Rev. Harry Green, Celebrating 50 Years and <strong>The</strong> Future of<br />
Our Faith<br />
12-12—Rev. Julie Taylor, Disaster Chaplaincy<br />
12-19—Rev. Harry Green, Annual Holiday Happening<br />
12-24—Rev. Harry Green, Christmas Eve Candlelight Service *<br />
12-26—UU Member, Des Shaw, <strong>The</strong>me No.3: Religious Indoctrination<br />
of Children<br />
* please note time: 7:30pm ✫<br />
26 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
An open community forum.<br />
Letters<br />
to the editor<br />
Opinions expressed are those of<br />
each letter writer, not necessarily<br />
those of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong><br />
Veterans’ groups support Street Fairs<br />
To e <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>, Mayor Kavesh & the <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Village Board—<br />
On behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the<br />
United States, Willis Polhemus Post 9215, Upper<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong>, NY, and the C.R. & R.O. Blauvelt American<br />
Legion Post 3<strong>10</strong>, <strong>Nyack</strong> NY and our fellow<br />
veterans, we urge you to not impose a vendor fee<br />
during Street Fairs, especially to the non-profit<br />
and charity organizations such as ours.<br />
e Street Fairs are very important to us and our<br />
veteran programs. All monies acquired either<br />
through donations such as Buddy Poppies and<br />
other fundraisers go back to helping fellow veterans,<br />
veteran’s families in need and local community<br />
programs. Our raffle ticket sales support <strong>Nyack</strong>’s<br />
Memorial Day Parade, an event that directly benefits<br />
the <strong>Nyack</strong> community<br />
e community service endeavors of both of our<br />
Veterans Organizations go well beyond the realm<br />
of veterans helping veterans. ey include organizing<br />
assistance to our active duty military and their<br />
families, volunteering in VA hospitals, mentoring<br />
children in schools, and supporting our local Boy<br />
& Girl Scouts. Our national VFW and American<br />
Legion Organizations, supported by thousands of<br />
local posts like ours, provide tremendous community<br />
services such as disaster relief funds, Legion<br />
baseball, boys’ and girls’ state and national scholarship<br />
programs, to name just a few.<br />
e ACADA and e Chamber have always donated<br />
free space in the Street Fairs to us and other<br />
nonprofit community service groups. e Street<br />
Fairs are our main source of income for our programs<br />
and any vendor fees will directly and negatively<br />
impact our fund raising, and thus our ability<br />
to maintain our level of community service.<br />
While we understand the need of the Village for<br />
revenue in these difficult economic times, we<br />
strongly question the wisdom of the new law. As<br />
veterans with deep roots in the <strong>Nyack</strong> community,<br />
we believe the new law will not only negatively<br />
impact our organizations as well as other nonprofits,<br />
but also have negative impact on the <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Street Fairs, which are increasingly in competition<br />
with other communities trying to emulate <strong>Nyack</strong>’s<br />
renowned Street Fairs.<br />
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to<br />
contact us. Sincerely,<br />
—Guy Gebbia —Kelsey Graham<br />
VFW 9215American Legion Post 3<strong>10</strong><br />
Commander Commander<br />
Former mayor calls for dialog<br />
To e <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>—<br />
Whatever one's position on street fairs: Should we<br />
have them? Should we have fewer? Should the<br />
vendors pay a fee? e issue of cleanup has not<br />
yet been successfully resolved. After the last Street<br />
Fair, in spite of the best efforts of the cleanup<br />
committee, the streets were still an unsightly,<br />
garbage strewn, mess. e next morning <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
DPW had to be called out to satisfactorily clean<br />
Broadway and Main Street. Since this was Columbus<br />
Day, contractually agreed overtime fees had to<br />
be paid.<br />
e Mayor and the Village Board are endevoring<br />
to strike a fair balance between the business community,<br />
who greatly enhance life in <strong>Nyack</strong>, and the<br />
residents, whose taxes pay the cleanup bill after<br />
Street Fairs.<br />
is balance can only be obtained by dialog<br />
among the Village Board, ACADA, the Chamber<br />
of Commerce and residents. is must include a<br />
forthright assessment of the issues based on the<br />
facts.<br />
—John Shields, <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Mr. Shields is a former mayor of <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Why do we need Walgreens?<br />
To e <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>—<br />
In reading the November issue, I was surprised to<br />
learn that Walgreens is coming to route 59. ere<br />
are complaints already about the signs. Why do we<br />
need a Walgreens? Why don't they go to the Palisades<br />
Mall? We have Koblins and McManus in<br />
<strong>Nyack</strong>. I’ll bet if the people were asked, they<br />
would say the same thing. We don't need another<br />
big chain here to bring more traffic.<br />
—Isabel Lopez-Wiener, Upper <strong>Nyack</strong><br />
Librettist found innocent<br />
To e <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>—<br />
I am a fond reader of e <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong>.<br />
In your last issue, I found it very amusing that<br />
you condemned the librettist from Cats for<br />
their depiction of Bustopher Jones as a<br />
"seedy fat guy."<br />
e lyrics of Bustopher Jones from the musical<br />
bear a remarkable resemblance to TS Eliot's<br />
original. In fact, the fragment that you<br />
published is sung verbatim in the show!<br />
It could be that your memory is condemning<br />
art direction or an actor's choice, because<br />
Bustopher is not supposed to be "seedy".. but<br />
Bustopher is indeed, fat. As TS Eliot writes,<br />
he's "a twenty-five pounder."<br />
TS Eliot is given principal credit for the lyrics<br />
to the show, so he is the principal librettist<br />
that you think deserves to be in jail.<br />
Just a note from a friendly neighborhood theatre<br />
fan.<br />
All the best, love your magazine,<br />
—Brady Amoon<br />
[Editor’s note—Of course Ms. Amoon is correct.<br />
We unfairly blamed the librettist, the late Mr<br />
Eliot, who created the portrait of the elegant,<br />
though portly, Bustopher. e blame surely<br />
should go to the director and the costume designer<br />
who misinterpreted the poet.] ✫<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong> 27
28 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Nyack</strong> <strong>Villager</strong> <strong>Dec</strong>ember, 20<strong>10</strong>
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