Sept, 2011 - The Nyack Villager

TheNyack Villager ® 

An independent monthly news magazine celebrating life and the arts in the Hudson River Villages 

September 

2011 

September Moonrise 

Original graphic by Shel Haber © The Nyack Villager, 2011 

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The Nyack Villager is the only publication mailed to every residential address in all eight river villages—Upper Nyack, Nyack, Central Nyack, 

South Nyack, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont & Palisades NY, as well as to many businesses and professionals in Rockland 

and by subscription to the known world.

2 The Nyack Villager September, 2011

In this issue 

Departments 

3 REPORTER AT LARGE 

• The floods of 2011 

• Primary Elections September 13 

• Harriet Cornell receives award 

• Candidate’s Statement by Richard Kavesh 

• New Funeral Privacy Law 

• Nyack Historical’s Autumn exhibits 

• Raising the roof at Hopper House 

• Banned Books Week Sept 24 to Oct 1 

6 SEPTEMBER PLEASURES Art & entertainment this month 

7 COMMUNITY NOTES Happenings in September 

16 LETTERS to The Nyack Villager 

20 CALENDAR Highlights in September 

21 OP-CALENDAR PAGE useful local phone numbers 

Columns 

9 THE MISSING INGREDIENT by Cindy Coligan 

10 REMEMBER THE DAYS? Jim Leiner on Nyack’s Track Coach 

11 TO THE THEATRE Holly Caster’s opinions 

12 PET CARE Dr. Peter Segall on his travels 

15 THE LIFETIME GARDENER Jon Feldman on r-o-s-e-s 

17 THEY GOT WHAT?! Donna Cox on current trends in real estate 

22 MENTAL HEALTH NOTES by Dan Shaw, LCSW on Ups & Downs 

23 AT THE MOVIES Ric Pantale on some notable film directors 

2011 Armchair Walking 

Tour season begins 

see page 6 

Dogs abroad 

see page 12 

Jim Leiner on 

Nyack’s Track Coach 

see page 10 

REPORTER 

at large 

The floods of 2011 

On June 23 a torrent of rain lasting less than a 

half hour flooded the Nyacks and other parts 

of Rockland. 

The National Weather Service said nearly five 

inches of rain fell in just twenty-seven minutes. 

The downpour caused water to cascade 

down Nyack’s Main Street, driving debris 

ahead of it. 

At some storm drain grates in the village, rainwater 

geysers shot up four feet high. Basements 

along part of Main Street were inundated and 

costly inventory was lost. The farmers' market 

was flooded, making a mess of the tents and 

produce. In the theatre at Riverspace, every 

seat in the auditorium was submerged. There 

were reports that the flood destroyed apartments 

in many residential buildings. 

Along 9W, there was also flooding. When the 

deluge poured down from the hill around Oak 

Hill Cemetery, Nyack Hospital’s kitchens and 

elevator shafts filled with water and temporarily 

shut down. Nyack High School postponed 

its graduation. 

This was far from the first time this kind of 

flooding has happened. In 1999, during Hurricane 

Floyd, flood water broke show windows 

on Main Street and sent antique furniture 

washing down Main Street to the Hudson. 

Features 

13 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK by Joyce Bressler 

14 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE by Mya Most 

14 PETS FOR ADOPTION Your best friend may be waiting for you 

On our September cover 

September Moonrise 

An original graphic by Shel Haber, © 2011 The Nyack Villager, Nyack, NY 

Ric Pantale on some 

notable film directors 

see page 23 

Cindy Coligan on 

swetening up 

Back-To-School-Day 

see page 9 

The Nyack Villager 

September, 2011 Vol. 18 No. 1 

Mailed on or near the first of each month to every residential address in eight river villages—Upper Nyack, 

Nyack, Central Nyack, South Nyack, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont and Palisades NY. 

On the Internet at www.nyackvillager.com 

E-mail news releases to us at info@nyackvillager.com Deadline for our October issue is September 15. 

Please include a contact name and telephone number. 

A report with video footage by the village engineer 

disclosed the culvert containing Nyack’s 

underground stream was jammed with debris. 

The culvert’s walls and ceiling, then in a state 

of collapse, remained unrepaired, adding to 

the severity of subsequent floods in 2004, 

2007 and again this Spring. 

The catch basin across from the Palisades Mall 

overflows in every heavy rain, closing Route 59 

to all traffic, sometimes for days. 

Speaking to the Nyack flood problem, Walter 

Sevastian, longtime Nyack Village attorney, 

said, “To prevent this from happening in the 

future, there would have to be a massive undertaking 

to install catch basins and culverts. 

We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars.” 

In an interview on News 12 TV, Rockland 

County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, speaking 

about the county-wide situation said, “The 

flooding was a result of hopscotch planning, 

development and, in some cases over-development—and 

parking lots everywhere.” 

Reporter at Large continues on page 4 

The Nyack Villager September, 2011 3

REPORTER 

at large 

starts on page 3 

Primary Elections September 13 

Countywide primaries will be held for Sheriff 

and Family Court Judge in the Democratic, 

Independence and Working Families Parties. 

In Orangetown, the Republican Party has a 

primary for Town Supervisor; Paul G. Whalen 

is being challenged by Allan W. Ryff. 

The Democratic Party in Orangetown has a 

primary for Town Council; voters will select 2 

of 3 candidates: Elijah A. Reichlin-Melnick, 

Robert C Dell, Gerald J Bottari, Sr. 

In Nyack there is a Democratic primary for 

Mayor. Richard A. Kavesh is being challenged 

by Jen White. 

NOTE: 

You must be registered to vote in your party of 

choice in order to vote in its primary. 

To locate your polling place or for more information, 

contact the Board of Elections: 638- 

5172, or your local party committee. 

Look for general election updates in our October 

and November issues. 

Harriet Cornell receives award 

We congratulate Harriet Cornell for 

her leadership in getting both Rockland 

hospitals to participate in an innovative 

program to combat hospitalacquired 

infections—caused by a particularly 

nasty bacterium called Methicillin-resistant 

Staphylococcus aureus 

(MRSA). This victory has been a long 

time coming. 

For years, MRSA infections have been 

showing up in High School athletes, 

child care workers, people who live in crowded 

conditions and those in close contact to other 

people. The infections start as small red bumps 

that may turn into deep, painful abscesses. In 

extreme cases, they can burrow into the body, 

causing life threatening infections in joints, 

surgical wounds and the bloodstream. Some 

years ago it became known that hospitals in 

the US were spreading the infection, known as 

hospital-acquired MRSA. 

Two years ago Ms. Cornell, Chair of Rockland 

County’s Legislature, became interested in ways 

to extinguish these virulent infections. She 

learned of a successful program, piloted by the 

Veterans’ Administration (VA) Healthcare System 

in Pittsburgh and invited Rockland’s two 

hospitals to become the first in NY State to 

partner with the US Centers for Disease Control 

to fight MRSA—a collaboration experts 

believe will become the national 

standard to prevent 

health care-acquired MRSA 

infections. 

The program, consisting of 

steps known as the MRSA 

bundle, was introduced in 

June at both Nyack and 

Good Samaritan Hospitals. 

The checklist includes 

screening incoming patients 

to detect infections, 

hand hygiene, contact precautions for patients 

who are infected with MRSA and an awareness 

that infection control is in the hands of 

everyone who has contact with patients, including 

doctors, nurses, custodians, clergy and 

others who regularly visit the hospital. 

In recognition of her successful initiative, she 

received the 2011 Best-Of-The-Best in Health 

Care Leadership Award from the Niagara 

Health Quality Coalition (NHQC) and The 

Alliance For Quality Health Care. In response 

Chairwomen Cornell said, “I am truly honored 

by this recognition and I am most grateful 

to our hospital chiefs who were eager to 

participate in this innovative program. We are 

fortunate to have two wonderful hospitals in 

our county that are willing to collaborate to 

increase safety and quality of care for those 

who enter their doors.” 


Candidate’s statement 

by Richard A. Kavesh 

Thank you for the honor of hiring 

me to lead the Village of Nyack as 

your Mayor. Times are tough, but 

thanks to the hard work of our employees, 

appointees and Village 

Board, many of the promises I made 

when I ran for Mayor have become a 

reality and Nyack is in much better 

shape than it was two years ago. 

• Fiscal responsibility: this year’s tax increase 

of .96% was the village’s lowest in 11 years. 

• Infrastructure improvement: we reinstated 

the village’s 50/50 sidewalk repair program 

and repaved streets and sidewalks throughout 

the village for the first time in years. This summer 

we’ll replace the basketball courts at Memorial 

Park and finish Phase I of the 

long-awaited downtown revitalization project, 

Streetscape. The federal government will foot 

about 75% of the bill for Streetscape. 

• Social services: our budget funds the Nyack 

Center at 100% of last year’s levels—no cuts 

to the needy. 

• We’re carefully examining all of the feasible 

scenarios for the “Superblock” and its potential 

impacts on Nyack’s arts scene, economy, environment, 

parking, and character as a village. 

• Open government: We’ve professionalized 

proved our website, and 

are resolving the day-today 

concerns of residents, 

visitors, and merchants 

more responsively than 

ever before. 

This is a long and strong 

record of results, but 

there’s still plenty more 

for us to do: 

Let’s modernize our infrastructure; 

if and when 

emergencies strike, let’s inform the public with 

our own Reverse 911 system. Let’s broaden 

our tax base through environmentally-sensitive 

development; work with the business 

community to form a Business Improvement 

District and get our night life under better 

control; get residential parking permits; add 

more middle-income housing; continue to 

renovate Memorial Park—and much more. 

Your mayor needs to be equal parts listener, 

team-builder, executive, visionary, and problemsolver. 

I believe that I’ve demonstrated these 

qualities during my 20+ year career as a business 

leader, my 9 years as your Village Trustee, 

and during these last 20 months as your mayor. 

I’m asking you to hire me for a second term as 

your mayor because I believe that I’m the most 

experienced and qualified person to lead our 

village for the next two years. If re-elected, I 

promise to work tirelessly to make Nyack an 

even better community in which to live, work, 

visit, and raise a family—and I’ll be nobody’s 

mayor but yours. 

I thank you again for hiring me to work for 

you and would be honored to earn your support 

on September 13. Please feel free to contact 

me by email at richard77@optonline.net 

or by calling me at home, 353-1935. ✫ 

We printed Jen White’s statement in the July 

Villager. It remains for you to read onThe Nyack 

Villager website www.nyackvillager.com 

Funeral Privacy Law 

Last month, The Rockland County Legislature 

passed a funeral privacy law prohibiting 

demonstrations within 750 feet of a service 

held to honor the deceased. The law, introduced 

by Legislator Ed Day (R., New City- 

Pomona), received unanimous approval of the 

legislature. 

The law is intended to mitigate the damage 

done to grieving families by demonstrations 

staged at military funerals by a Midwest 

church group. The group contends their noisy 

picket lines draw attention to their view that 

US war casualties are God’s punishment for 

America’s tolerance of homosexuality. 

The Rockland law establishes the 750 foot 

the day-to-day running of Village Hall, im- Reporter at Large continues on page 18 



Art 

and 

Pleasures 

Entertainment 

Armchair Walking Tour 

The Historical Society of the Nyacks and Friends 

of the Nyacks present the 2011 fall season of The 

John Scott Walking Tours. This popular program, 

now in its 16th year, features slide presentations 

on local history, architecture and related cultural 

subjects. 

The Armchair Walking Tours are dedicated to the 

memory of John Scott, Rockland County’s great 

historian. The programs are produced by Bob 

Goldberg. 

The program for September, 

Nyack’s Great Parades, will be presented by Brian 

Jennings, Local History Librarian at the Nyack 

Library. At the turn of the last century when 

Nyack was the capital of Rockland County and 

the surrounding areas, parades were major events 

in the social life of the County. Drawing from 

the Nyack Library's vast collection of historical 

photographs, Brian Jennings will take us back in 

time to when Nyack was host to many great 

events which were celebrated with grand parades 

along Main Street and Broadway. These parades 

marked events like the end of World War I, political 

campaigns, Fire Company marches, community 

organizations and the Hudson-Fulton 

celebration in 1909. 

Two presentations—the first at 7pm Wed evening, 

Sept 21 at Nyack Library, 59 S. Broadway; the 

second on the following afternoon, 2pm Thurs, 

Sept 22 at the Congers Lake Community Center 

in Congers Lake Park, off Gilcrest Rd in Congers. 

(Due to limited seating at Nyack Library, attendees 

must call the library in advance to register: 

(358-3370 ext 214). 

6 The Nyack Villager September, 2011 

Rockland Historical 

20 Zukor Road; New City. Hours: Wed thru Sun, noon to 

4pm through October 16. Info: (845) 634-9629. 

• Big Band Swing Concert celebrating WWII vets. 

Sun, Sept 18, at 3pm at the Lafayette Theater 97 

Lafayette Avenue, Suffern. Advance Tickets: $30 

general admission; $15 students, seniors (65+) 

& veterans. WWII Vets free admission by calling 

(845) 634-9629. 

• Ghost Army Exhibit based on recently de-classified 

information about a WWII Army brigade 

whose mission was to fool the enemy, using 

stealth methodology to impersonate other army 

units using inflatable tanks, sound recordings, 

fake radio scripts and play acting. 

20 Zukor Road New City. Museum hours: 

Wed—Sun, noon to 4pm. (845) 634-9629. 

Members: free; non-member adults: $7, children 

under 12, $3. 

Rockland Center for the Arts (RoCA) 

27 South Greenbush Rd. West Nyack (off Exit 12 NYS 

Thruway.) Info: call 845-358-0877. Hours: M to F, 10am 

to 5pm; weekends, 1 to 4pm; closed holidays. 

• Annual Faculty Exhibit & Open House 

Opening reception Sun, Sept 11, 1 to 4pm. The 

exhibit will be on view through Oct 2. 

• Three additions to the Catherine Conner 

Sculpture Park at RoCA 

Opening Sun, Sept 11 with an artist reception 

1–4pm. Artist Talk in the Sculpture Park at 

2pm. Sculpture Park is open year round. 

• RoCA’s Fall art classes 

begin Mon, Sept 12. Courses include ceramics, 

painting, drawing, creative writing, cartooning, 

glass, jewelry making, photography, family workshops 

and more. Classes are taught by professionally 

trained artists in fully equipped studios; 

art programs are for all age and skill levels. 

For a free catalog call (845) 358-0877. Info & 

online registration at www.rocklandartcenter.org 

10th Annual Concert for Remembrance 

A concert in memory of the victims and heroes 

lost on September 11, 2001. Edward Simons, 

Holly Druckman and Robert Barrows will conduct. 

There is no charge for admission. 

The Concert for Remembrance 9/11 Orchestra is 

composed of professional musicians from American 

Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Metropolitan 

Opera, New Jersey Symphony, Albany 

Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Long 

Island Philharmonic, Stamford Symphony, 

Rockland Symphony and gifted students who 

volunteer their time for this concert. 

Sunday, Sept 18 at 5 pm at Grace Episcopal 

Church, 130 First Ave, Nyack. Info (845) 358- 

2766 or www.gracechurchnyack.org 

Edward Hopper Art Center 

82 N. Broadway, Nyack. Gallery hours: 1 to 5pm Thurs 

thru Sun. Info e-mail info@hopperhouse.org call (845) 358- 

0774 or visit www.hopperhouse.org 

EXHIBITS 

• Small Matter of Great Importance 

September 22 thru November 13. 

Jurors: Avis Berman and Elizabeth Thompson 

Colleary. 

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary Year of Edward 

Hopper, the theme for this year’s Small Matters 

show is Interior/Exterior. 

• I’m After Me. A Light Installation 

Continues thru Sept 11. 

• At Home at Hopper(’s) House 

Continues thru Sept 11. 

WORKSHOPS 

• Screenwriting Basics and Cinematic Aspects 

of Edward Hopper's Work 

Participants look at cinematic aspects of Hopper's 

work to use as basis for 2-session class in screenwriting. 

Participants will write a scene to be read 

and critiqued in class, then revised based on the 

discussion. Each class is three hours long. 

Instructor: J.D. Zeik is an Assistant Professor of 

screenwriting at SUNY Purchase. 

Two Saturdays, Sept 17 & 24, 9:45am-12:45pm. 

Contact Hopper House for details. 

• Art Lives! 

Ideal for young people interested in acting, directing 

or playwriting, young actors step into 

Hopper’s iconic images and create their own dramatic 

performances as they learn about Hopper’s 

work and develop plot, stories and characters. 

The program culminates in a group performance 

at Hopper House. 

Contact Hopper House for details and to register. 

ONGOING PROGRAMS 

Contact Hopper House for details. 

• Weekly Open Figure Drawing Sessions 

• Saturday Art Starts with Delah McKay 

Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra 

Presenting the World Premiere of A Symphony for 

Jazz Orchestra featuring The United States Marine 

Corps Silent Drill Platoon from Marine Barracks, 

Washington, DC 

Sat, Sept 10, at 2pm in Nyack’s Memorial Park 

Info www.standsymphony.com 

NOTE: This event is neither a fund raiser nor a 

platform for political rally. 

It is the premiere production of an original work of 

performance art combining original music and an 

existing choreographed military drill, set against the 

backdrop of the Hudson River, 

All donations support the production of this original 

work of art. 

Walking Tour in September 

Friends of the Nyacks presents a walking tour of 

Upper Nyack, guided by a local historian who 

will share fascinating details of the Nyack of yesteryear. 

The tour starts at Edward Hopper’s 

Free Children’s Concert & BBQ 

All are welcome. Enjoy a FREE Rock & Roll 

house and continues North on Broadway past a 

concert and great food, See our new Social Hall Artist of the Month 

string of detailed Victorian mansions to the historic 

area known for its shipbuilding and ship 

as well. Featuring Rockaroo with Alli Katt (AKA Michael Witte, comic artist, caricaturist, illustrator 

and author of The Book of Terns, will display 

Allison Cipris) and Matty Roxx (AKA Matt Krass) 

making. 

Sun, Sept 11, 11am—noon at Congregation Sons his work at a reception & book signing at the 

Sun, Sept. 18; walkers meet at 2pm at Hopper 

of Israel, 300 North Broadway, Upper Nyack Corner Frame Shop on Sun, Sept 18, 2 to 5pm. 

House. There is a $5 fee for all tours. Info: check 

Info: (845) 358-3767. 

website at www.friendsofthenyacks.org September Pleasures continue on page 8

COMMUNITY NOTES 

Tell The Nyack Villager and we’ll tell the world. 

Deadline for Community Notes for our October issue 

is Sept. 15; e-mail us at info@nyackvillager.com 

ART STUDENTS LEAGUE, VYTLACIL CAMPUS 

241 Kings Highway, Sparkill. (845) 359-1263 or visit 

www.artstudentsleague.org 

• Works by members of the faculty will be on 

display from September 9 thru 16. 

• Our seven artists-in-residence—painters and 

sculptors from Israel, Canada, Germany & U.S. 

will open their studios on Sept 23 from 5 to 

7pm. Refreshments served. Free; public invited. 

• The Stone Carvers Guild will hold a workshop 

on old & new-world carving techniques Sept 10 

from 10am to 4pm. The fee of $150 includes 

lunch. To register call (845) 359-1263. 

AT BIRCHWOOD CENTER 

85 S. Broadway, Nyack e-mail info@birchwoodcenter.com or 

call (845) 358-6409 for more info. Everyone is welcome. 

Inversion Workshops for Brave Beginners & 

Intermediate/Advanced Yogis 

These workshops focus on advancing your existing 

yoga inversion practice or introducing beginners 

to the challenging but exhilarating experience 

of turning upside down. Info or to register (845) 

358-6409 or info@birchwoodcenter.com 

• For Brave Beginners with Betsy & Charlene: 

Sat, Sept 17, 2 to 5pm. Fee: $35. 

• Inversions for Experienced Yogis with Jill Ganassi 

Sun, Sept 18, 2-5pm. Fee: $35 

ECO-DOCK OPENS SEPTEMBER 10 

Last year, the Village of Nyack received a matching 

grant to design, construct and install a dock 

for non-motorized boaters. The resulting Eco- 

Dock provides state-of-the-art public recreational 

access to the Hudson River for non-motorized 

boats, like rowing shells, kayaks, canoes and paddle 

boards. 

Now complete, Eco-Dock’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, 

planned for Sept 10, coincides with River 

Rowing’s running of the Third Annual 25K 

Hudson River Challenge. Since 2009, the 25K 

race between the George Washington and the 

Tappan Zee Bridges has been an annual event 

open to all experienced rowers and paddlers in 

human-powered boats. 

Info on this race & to register e-mail Sue DeMocker 

at susan@riverrowing.org or call (914) 255-5932 

Grand opening Eco-Dock is planned for 10am 

Sept 10 at the Nyack Village Marina. 

ELMWOOD PLAYHOUSE PARTNERS WITH 

ROCKLAND RESTAURANTS 

Over 52 restaurants in the Rockland area have 

generously donated their culinary talents for a 

FEAST FOR FREE raffle with a variety of meals: 

dinner, lunch, brunch for 2, gift cards and certificates. 

There is even a lobster dinner from a 

caterer delivered right to your home. Meal prizes 

will be honored from participating restaurants 

from Oct 1, through Sept 30, 2012. 

Elmwood Playhouse will make this a yearly event 

to help rebuild its home at 10 Park Street, Nyack. 

This year's drawing will be on the closing night, 

Oct 15—Elmwood's 55th consecutive season. 

Raffles are $5 each. Purchase raffles at the theater 

box office Tues thru Sat, from 10am until 3pm, 

or at any performance of Last of The Red Hot 

Lovers running from Sept 16 thru Oct 15 or 

from members who are selling them. 

Info: e-mail www.elmwoodplayhouse.com or call 

(845) 353-1313. 

WATCH YOUR WEIGHT 

A new 12-week series of Weight Watchers meetings 

begin in September at St. Ann’s School, 33 

Jefferson Street, Nyack. An Info/Registration 

will be held Mon, Sept 19, with the first meeting 

scheduled for Sept 26. 

Weigh-in and meetings are on Mondays at 5pm. 

The cost for the series is $144. We need a minimum 

of 20 paid members to have the group. To 

sign up or for more info, call Barbara at (845) 

558-9497. 

NOEMI MORALES HONORED 

Noemi Morales, of Piermont, was named the 

Rockland County Associate of the Month for 

June, ranking No.1 in sales production in the 

Rockland County Regional Sales Center and 

among all Coldwell Banker agents in Rockland 

County, New York. Coldwell is a leading residential 

real estate brokerage, operating over 55 

offices with more than 3,200 sales associates 

from Rockland to Monmouth County, NJ. 

Community Notes continue on page 14 



Pleasures 

continued from page 6 

The father of three sons, Mr. Witte lives and 

works in Nyack with his psychologist wife, Sally, 

and a funny dog named Bernie. He owns no birds. 

Sept 1 thru 20; hours: Tues-Sat 10 to 5:30 

The Corner Frame Shop & Gallery, 40 South 

Franklin Street, Nyack. Info: (845) 727-1240. 

Train Station Days 

The Piermont Historical Society will open the 

Piermont Train Station to visitors on Sept 4 and 

Sept 18, from 10am—2pm each day. 

Built circa 1883, the Piermont Train Station was 

lovingly restored by the Society. Parking is available 

on Hudson Terrace and at the Piermont 

Community Center. Info (845) 365-0655 

50 Ash Street (at Hudson Terrace), Piermont 

Friends of Piermont Library Crabfest 

Sat, Sept 17, noon to 5pm, rain or shine at 

Goswick Pavilion, Piermont. Info: 359-0941. 

Admission: $24 adults, $20 seniors, $12 children. 

Free First Friday film 

The First Friday Film Series at the Piermont Public 

Library will present This Is Spinal Tap! (1984), 

Rob Reiner's hysterical faux-rock'n'roll documentary. 

Chances are, you've already seen it. 

Chances are, you'll definitely want to see it again 

with a happy crowd at the library. All welcome. 

Fri, Sept 2, at 7:30 pm, at Piermont Library, 25 

Flywheel Park West, Piermont, NY. Free. 

Rockland Filmmakers Events 

See rivertownfilm.org/rockland-filmmakers/ 

for updated info on Rockland Filmmakers 

programs. See each listing for ticket info. 

• Steel Earth Tues, Sept 20 at 8pm 

The award-winning docu-series Steel Earth focuses 

on cars/trucks/machines abandoned in 

the woods and the ways in which individuals 

can act to clean up their neighborhoods, restore 

nature, and create positive outcomes that 

serve the community; at Nyack Center. 

• Special Effects Workshop 7 

2 full day sessions: Sat, Oct 1, 9am to 5pm & 

Sun Oct 2, 9am to 6pm 

Learn from top industry professional, special 

effects supervisor, JC Brotherhood, in two-day 

workshop in Suffern (address TBA). Day 1: 

safety; atmospherics—rain, snow, fog, and rain 

for cars. Day 2: safety; kitchen disasters; blood 

effects; high-pressure pneumatics; nitrogen 

ratchet; stunt dummy cable jerk. 

Limited space available. Advance registration 

and prepayment required. Early registration 

ends September 16; fee: $100 general public, 

$80 Rivertown Film members & students; or 

$75 / $65 for one-day registration. After September 

16 all prices increase by $20. 


At Nyack Center, South Bdwy at Depew, 

Nyack, NY 

All films presented digitally. Tickets—$10 gen’l adm; $8 

students seniors & gen’l members; $7 student & senior 

members Info: www.rivertownfilm.org or call 353-2568. 

Only one screening in September, but that 

one is outstanding. 

8pm Wednesday, Sept 21 

• PROJECT NIM 

Director: James Marsh (2011), UK; 93 min, 

rated PG-13. 

Project Nim tells the story of the subject of a 

1970s experiment to see whether a chimp raised 

like a human child could learn to express thoughts 

and feelings through sign language. The study 

was abandoned when the adorable, intelligent 

baby chimp became a less manageable adult, and 

Nim’s later life was a tragedy worthy of Dickens. 

Using testimony from key participants, newly 

discovered archival footage and dramatic re-creations, 

Marsh portrays Nim’s extraordinary journey 

through human society and the unsettling 

truths it reveals about both Nim’s true nature 

and ours. 

Meet the Filmmakers 7 

The reenactments in Project Nim were 

filmed in Nyack; local actor Bern Cohen 

appears in them and will speak at our 

screening, along with one of Nim's adoptive 

family members. ✫ 

At the 

Libraries 

Piermont Library 

25 Flywheel Park West, Piermont.. Hours: Mon-Thurs, 

10-8, Fri 12-5, Sat 12-4. Accessible to the disabled. 

Info:359-4595 or visit online at www.piermontlibrary.org 

• In the Gallery: Sept 1 thru 29 Paintings by 

Trine Giaever. 

Opening Reception Fri, Sept 9, from 6 to 8pm. 

• Toddler Storytime. Meet our new Children’s 

Librarian, Nancy Russell, and find out how much 

fun a visit to the library can be. 

Mondays at 11am 

• Moon River Music Together with Catherine. 

A great way to introduce your child to the fundamentals 

of music in a lively group environment. 

Wed, Sept 21, at 11:30am 

Valley Cottage Library 

110 Route 303. Handicap accessible. Info: (845) 268-7700. 

M-Th. 10-9pm, Fri-Sat. 10-5pm. 

• In Our Gallery: September 1 thru 28: Under 

the Sky Light—artist Mako Sakita. No reception. 

• Book Talk Café: Join us for delicious desserts 

as we celebrate a summer of wonderful reading. 

Recommend books you’ve read over the summer. 

In our reading club prize drawing, no one leaves 

the café empty-handed. Please register online at 

www.vclib.org 

Sept 12 at 7pm 

• Experience the Enchantment of Korea 

View a documentary film and reenactment of a 

traditional Korean wedding, enjoy a Korean 

meal, view works of art, including paintings and 

costumes. Please register online at www.vclib.org 

Sept 17 at 2pm 

• Women's Self-Defense Class 

Learn useful physical techniques to help avoid 

danger. Master Raymond Portante has over 33 

years experience and owns East Coast Martial Arts. 

Sept 20 from 7 to 8pm. Note: Wear loose fitting 

clothing. Please register online at www.vclib.org 

Palisades Free Library 

19 Closter Rd, Palisades. Please sign up for all programs at 

the desk, or by phone or e-mail. (845) 359-0136 

• Leaves and Pumpkins ages 5+ 

Fall into stories, leaf crafts & pumpkin decorating 

for Autumn. Registration required. 

Wed, Sept 21 at 4:30pm 

New City Library 

220 North Main St., New City, NY Info: (845) 634-4962. 

Hours: Mon-Thurs. 9am-9pm, Fri noon-6pm, Sat. 9am- 

5pm, Sun 12-5pm. Programs info, 634-4997, ext. 139. 

• Storytime (ages 3 to 5) 

Enjoy great stories & songs with Mrs. B while 

learning listening skills & making new friends. 

No registration required. Come to whichever 

sessions are best for you. 

Thurs, Sept 8 thru 29 at 2pm 

• Boogie Woogie At Its Best 

Music by Scott Staton. 

Sun, Sept 18 at 2pm 

• Birding By Ear 

Lorrie Pallant reviews local birds. 

Mon, Sept 19 at 7pm 

• Financial Strategies Beyond 2011 

Certified Financial Planner John O’Brien discusses 

financial strategies. 

Tues, Sept 20 at 7pm OR Thurs, Sept 22 at 1pm 

Nyack Library 

59 S. Broadway, Nyack. Info & reg: (845) 358-3370, ex 244 

• Wine Tasting Program 

Pre-register and pre-pay $5 fee to guarantee a 

reservation. Bring your wine drinking glass. 

Dates: Sept 13, Oct 18, Nov 15 & Dec 13 

• Mentored Paintings on Display 

Works from 2nd Annual Hopper House, Express 

Yourself Mentored Painting Workshops with Youths 

from the Nyack YMCA will be on display thru 

September. 

Opening reception Sept 1, from 6:30 to 8pm 

• Red Cross Blood Drive 

Thurs, Sept 22, 11:30am—4:30pm; 

call 1-800 RED CROSS 

BOOK CLUBS 

• Fiction Book Club. Title: The Good Parents by 

Joan London. Sept 7 at 7pm 

• Non-fiction Book Club. Sept 1 at 2pm. 

• Fiction Writers’ Workshop. 2nd & 4th Tues every 

month; in Sept: 6 & 20, 11am-12:30pm. ✫

The Missing Ingredient 

by Cindy Coligan 

As a child, September 

often stirred many 

emotions in me. In 

anticipation of the 

first day of school, 

I was often filled with 

dread. Would I be 

picked on again this 

year because, yet again, I did nothing to lose 

weight over the summer, or would this be the 

year the other kids matured enough not to notice? 

And of course, the beginning of school also 

meant my birthday. I always loved celebrating 

my birthday as a child and, at a few weeks 

away from 41, I still do. From Barbie cake to 

skydiving, every birthday has been wonderful 

in its own way. 

So this month I would like to celebrate compassion, 

tolerance and acceptance—three 

things we all possess but sometimes let go 

missing. 

To add a little sweetness to your child’s first 

day of school, here is my favorite No Bake 

Cookie recipe—perfect to make with them 

after school. 

No Bake Cookies 

1/2 cup Butter (or margarine) 

1/2 cup Milk (or 1% or soy) 

2 cups sugar (may use substitute or brown) 

4T cocoa powder 

1/2 cup peanut butter (or all natural or low fat) 

1t vanilla 

3 cups oats (not instant) 

Boil butter, milk, sugar and cocoa for one 

minute, then add vanilla and peanut butter, 

stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and 

stir in oats. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto 

parchment or waxed paper & cool completely. 

Cindy Coligan, a native of Houston, Texas moved 

East fifteen years ago. A graduate of the Institute 

of Culinary Education in Manhattan, she is the 

chef/owner of Lanie Lou's Cafe at 135 East Erie 

Street (just off Route 303) in Blauvelt, NY. 

Reach her at (845) 680-6199. ✫ 


Remember the days? 

by James F. Leiner 

Nyack’s Track Coach 

I’m sure you’ve taken one of 

those personal improvement tests 

over the years—you know—the 

test where you’re asked to identify 

the five people who most influenced 

your life. I surmise that 

most of us would include one of 

our high school teachers on that 

list. If you attended Nyack High in the 60s 

and 70s, a certain art teacher is probably on a 

number of those lists. Oh, not my list, as 

many of my readers realize, I don’t have an 

athletic bone in my body, but I’ll wager that 

Joe McDowell makes many of those lists. 

Joseph D. McDowell taught in Nyack for 

thirty-one years. He coached cross-country 

running in the Fall and track and field in the 

Spring for seventy-seven seasons during that 

time. 

First recruited to coach track in 1959 by Nyack 

Athletic Director Rudy Rejholic, Joe often 

wondered where Rejholic found the courage 

to appoint an art teacher to a position in 

sports leadership. You see, Joe McDowell 

thought of himself first and foremost as an 

artist and art teacher, though his track athletes 

often received more publicity. He was proud 

of his athletes, but equally proud of the students 

to whom he taught a lifetime of artistic 

skills. He came to Nyack from Irvington, 

after a stint in the Army during the Korean 

War. He received his undergraduate degree at 

Pratt Institute and a Master of Arts from Columbia 

University. 

As it turned out, Rejholic’s choice of Joe Mc- 

Dowell turned out to be a good one; he is described 

by some former runners as one hell of a 

coach and by other coaches as the Renaissance 

Man of high school track. 

During much of the 60s and 70s, Nyack High 

School athletes dominated Rockland County 

track and much of the credit for their success 

belongs to the mentoring provided by Joe Mc- 

Dowell. He enjoyed working with sprinters, 

especially in the spring relays. His 880-yard 

relay teams are legend and still talked about in 

the athletic and track meetings today. During 

his career he coached five NY State Track 

Champions: in 1963, the late Don Clancy, 

who ran breathtaking 100 and 220 yard races 

against Spring Valley’s premier sprinter Jimmie 

Ashcroft and High Jump Champion Ronnie 

Edwards; Dave Billings in cross-country in 

1971 and who, in 1972, set a NYS record in 

the 2-mile run; Jerry Blow set the indoor 55 

yard dash record in 1978, and 

Darien DeLoach in the 1,600 

yard run in 1979. In addition to 

the five state champions, his 

coaching career included six 

Rockland County championship 

track teams and eight Section 

Nine championships teams. Joe 

was named Coach of the Year five 

times while compiling an outdoor 

dual track meet record of 119-73-1 

including a winning streak of 24 straight meets. 

Joe also brought his artistic talents to the athletic 

fields. He was a master at weaving colorful 

threads through art and athletics as he felt 

the combination was a natural one. He would 

often watch his runners during meets and produce 

pencil sketches of the action. Dave 

Billings, today a minister at the Alliance 

Church in Middletown, talks of his own Mc- 

Dowell original that Joe created after his record 

breaking run. Indeed many Nyack High 

graduates are fortunate to own a McDowell 

montage, combining newspaper and magazine 

photography along with his drawings, placed 

like frames of a movie to create the impression 

of motion. 

Joe McDowell’s thirty-one year teaching career 

at Nyack Schools included 5 years in elementary 

art, 2 years at the junior high school and 

24 at Nyack High. He also taught art to the 

youngsters who attended Nyack’s village sponsored 

summer recreation program for 22 

years. That is where I spent some time with 

Joe. I was impressed with his delight in just 

being alive. Simple things like a walk, a run, 

visiting an art museum and being with kids 

were the joys of his life, along with teaching 

and coaching. 

He added a dimension to the lives of so many 

kids from Nyack and always loved to see how 

his work in art and track made a difference in 

their lives. He was a gentleman who cared 

about kids most of all. He treated them all 

the same, a wonderful attribute in the racially 

charged atmosphere of the 60s and 70s. He 

never called kids by their last name. He had a 

marvelous way of bringing the best from all of 

his students and athletes. 

When today’s coaches and teachers have workshops 

on this subject, perhaps they could benefit 

by showing a video of how Joe McDowell 

related to kids. 

The Nyack Villager thanks Jim Leiner for helping us 

all ‘Remember the Days.’ ✫ 


To the Theatre 

with Holly Caster 

Opinions 

Sister Act: dreadful. A selfish 

and unlikable main character 

who grows and changes 

because—uh oh, it’s 10pm 

and the main character has to 

grow and change by now. The writers didn’t 

bother writing anything actually clever or funny, 

they just put nuns in sequined habits, singing 

their guts out, and doing jazz hands. Oh, the 

humor. Not. However, 95% of the audience 

loved the show. Bored out of my mind, I watched 

the people around me, some of whom actually 

doubled over with laughter at jokes like: Bad guy 

to friend: Well, it’s all relative. Bad guy’s stupid 

nephew: I’m your relative. Unmemorable songs, 

ugly set, too loud, too bad. (Side note: Oddly, as 

a nonreligious Jew, I found the simplistic depiction 

of nuns more than slightly blasphemous. 

One was fat and funny, one was old, one was 

black, one found herself. The others all blended 

together—so unhappy, downtrodden, and repressed 

that they didn’t even know they could 

sing!) 

Master Class: opera diva Maria Callas coaches 

three students while dealing with her own ego 

and demons. A friend who has seen Patti LuPone 

and Dixie Carter play Callas (other portrayers 

include Zoe Caldwell and Faye Dunaway) found 

current lead, Tyne Daly, unconvincing. This was 

my first Master Class, and I enjoyed every word 

out of Daly’s mouth. Earthy and larger than life, 

Daly made Callas real, charming, commanding, 

and very intimidating. I found Daly mesmerizing. 

Despite the oddly staged, crude, and unnecessary 

flashbacks, I enjoyed the writing and 

the you-are-actually-thereness of the master class. 

The total may be less than the sum of its parts, 

but I’m glad I got to see this revival of Terence 

McNally’s play, and the incomparable Tyne Daly. 

A Streetcar Named Desire: a brilliant play about 

passion, desperation, tension, conflict, and heartbreak 

… played without passion, desperation, 

tension, conflict or heartbreak. At the picturesque 

Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, 

Jessica Hecht and Sam Rockwell somehow managed 

to make Tennessee Williams’ Blanche Du 

Bois and Stanley Kowalski … dull. A graph of 

Blanche’s painful, gradual descent, with flares of 

flirtation and hope, as played by Hecht would be 

a flat line, then a huge, unearned spike at the end, 

by which time I was thinking, What shall I eat for 

dinner? The couple sitting in the box next to me 

were already eating theirs: they left at intermission, 

as did many other audience members. 

Holly Caster has lived in Nyack with her playwright 

husband, two kids, and two cats for over 10 

years. She is by trade a writer and by nature a fan 

of theater, movies, books, history, & art. ✫ 


Pet care 

by Peter Segall, DVM 

The animal aspects of my 

trip to Israel and France 

Every country has a different culture 

when viewing the humananimal 

connection. I intend to 

pay attention to this as I travel 

thru the cities and farm country 

of Israel and while piloting a barge down the 

canals of the Loire Valley. Walking and eating 

in Paris will expose me to the way animals are 

cherished in this animal-friendly city. 

In Tel Aviv the streets are alive, not with the 

sound of music, but with the pitter-patter of 

dog and cat feet. People bring their dogs to 

the beach off-lead and the dogs stick by them 

both on the beach and in the water. It is a rare 

US beach that would allow this. The boardwalk 

at the Tel Aviv beach is also filled with 

people walking their dogs. It reminds me of a 

nice day at Hook Mountain. Cats are around 

by the hundreds, especially by the restaurants. 

We went to eat in Jaffa, an Arab city next to 

Tel Aviv. The stone walls around the establishment, 

on a slight angle, were inhabited by 

cats staring at the diners. I forgot to mention 

that this was a seafood restaurant. Every once 

in a while we had cats under our table. We 

did pass one place where a king Charles 

spaniel was seated at a table for four with his 

family. This is against sanitary laws in most 

states in the US. 

We then drove from Tel Aviv to Tiberias on 

the Sea of Galilee where we were met by many 

members of Laura's Israeli family for a family 

reunion. It was wonderful. As we drove we 

saw many herds of cattle, sheep and goats in 

the hills. The land reminded me of the Utah 

landscape—hilly and dry. In Israel these areas 

are separated by irrigated land where they grow 

bananas and date palms, fields of corn,vegetables, 

hay and wheat. Small villages were scattered 

among these agricultural areas—both 

Arab and Israeli. The Arab villages had distinctive 

minarets piercing the sky. 

Laura's family settled in Israel in the early 

1900s, finally ending up in Nahalal, a cooperative 

farming community in the Galilee. We 

were greeted by two people who were present 

in 1920. The family still farms, raising turkeys 

and producing milk from Holstein cows. 

Because it is so hot, they milk early in the 

morning and after six at night. The cows are 

milked by robots that place the milking machine 

on the cow's teats; the 

production is measured on a 

computer which recognizes 

each individual cow. If a problem 

arises, Arie (Laura's relative) 

is notified on his cell phone and 

looks after the problem. Today 

the relatives of the original settlers 

met with us in a family reunion. 

Over 100 Israelis were 

present. In two days we will be 

leaving for a self-guided barge 

trip in the Loire valley of France and a chance 

to see how animals live there. 

We took the train from Paris to Chatillon-de- 

Loire and picked up our boat and our friends 

to travel the barge canal next to the Loire river 

to Never. We feed a dozen ducks alongside 

our boat. People passing on the towpaths are 

accompanied by a wide variety of dog breeds, 

most of which are often seen in the states. All 

the lock-keepers have dogs that run around 

while our boat is in the lock. 

We moored on the Loire canal for the night. 

All the French people camping along the canal 

have dogs. Most are not neutered, but seemed 

well loved. In the towns where we stopped, 

many folks had their dogs in various contraptions 

attached to their bike. We went to dinner 

in Marseilles-les-Aubigney. The owner’s 

dog, a French Poodle, was on a chair to greet 

us and stood and begged while we ate. We 

have such dog envy, wishing Tunie was with us! 

On the barge trip thru the Loire valley we 

passed huge farms with corn and wheat fields, 

along with herds of grazing Charolais cows. 

We finally reached Paris. It seems that everyone 

has a dog. Most of them are small and 

follow their fashionable owners unleashed 

down the Rues. Dogs are allowed virtually 

everywhere and were in all the shops and 

restaurants. I did notice that there were a lot 

of old dogs, many with bad teeth and almost 

all un-neutered males. I'm really looking forward 

to seeing Oliver and Tunie tomorrow. 

Tunie was so glad to see us. She enjoyed a 

wonderful vacation upstate with Aunt Josephine 

but was happy to jump into our bed again. 

Oliver had grown to like his life at the animal 

hospital, where he was free to roam the premises 

and sleep on the hospital towel stash. He 

really seemed to be glad to see his sister Tunie. 

Dr. Segall can be reached Tuesday thru Thursday 

mornings at The Hudson Valley Animal Hospital, 

4 Old Lake Rd Valley Cottage, NY (845) 268- 

0089 ex 3. ✫ 


PTOSU 

Y 

XW

NEW KIDS 

ON THE BLOCK 

by Joyce Bressler 

Better Homes and Gardens / Rand Realty 

Certainly not new to Nyack, BH&G / Rand 

was started in the early 1980s by Marcia 

Rand, still its Chief Executive Officer. The 

company now serves all of Rockland, Westchester, 

Orange and Dutchess Counties. 

June Stokes, who joined the company in 

1997, first managed its New City office. As 

Vice President, she is now in charge of both 

the Nyack and New City offices. June grew 

up in real estate, following her mother in the 

profession. She was a broker, manager and 

owner of her own company prior to joining 

Rand. 

Rand Realty’s new focus is on luxury homes, 

which they call their Distinctive Collection. 

You can view these special homes on Rand’s 

website, www.BHGRE.com by following the 

link to Distinctive Collection. 

For more info, call June Stokes’ Nyack office at 

358-7310 or in New City at 634-1034. 

Saddle River Day School (SRDS) 

This independent K-12 college prep school, 

founded in 1957, enjoys a beautiful 27-acre 

campus in Saddle River, New Jersey across the 

border from Rockland County. 

Their big news is the brand new facilities— a 

new wing for the elementary school with 

state-of-the art science labs and library and 

new, full size rooms for graphics and fine arts. 

Eileen Lambert, who is Head of School, believes 

the single best vehicle to teach children 

to think is science. SRDS’ science curriculum 

was designed with the Smithsonian Institution’s 

National Science Resource Council that 

promotes science education throughout the 

country. As the arts are another vital element 

in teaching a new, more visually-oriented generation, 

SRDS offers a balance of words and 

images. 

Saddle River Day School prides itself on its 

supportive social environment with an academic 

design of strong AP and honors courses, 

small classes, and accessible faculty. Fifteen 

percent of the students receive need-based aid. 

Learn more about Saddle River Day School. 

Call (201) 327-4050 or visit the website at: 

www.saddleriverday.org ✫ 


▲ 

Books For Young People 

by Mya Most 

Charlie Bone Series by Jenny Nimmo 

“Charlie’s eyes opened wide. He swore 

the picture was talking to him”—that’s 

the sentence that begins the seven 

books in the Charlie Bone series. 

Charlie Bone a 10-year old boy who 

lives with his grandmother, Griselda Bone, a 

nasty old woman who is intent on doing 

evil—even killing her own son. Amy Bone is 

Charie’s loving mother, who wants only to 

keep her son safe. Great Uncle Paton, a mysterious 

but kind-hearted man, will do anything 

to stop his sister Griselda from working 

her wickedness. 

His family enrolls Charlie at Bloors Academy, 

a school for gifted children. Charlie is placed 

in the music department, as was his father, but 

Charlie knows he has no talent for music. 

The school is full of strange and unique people. 

Manfred, the snotty, stuck-up son of the headmaster, 

has the power of hypnosis. Tancred is 

the Storm Boy, Lysander can summon his 

African ancestors, Billy Raven, an albino orphan 

boy, communicates with animals, the 

R 

scraggly redhead, who is also Manfred’s 

best friend, can turn into 

something like a werewolf. 

As Charlie forms friendships with 

his classmates—some with and 

some without special powers—he 

discovers that everything is not 

quite right at Bloors Academy and, 

with the help of his friends, he uncovers 

the school’s many secrets. 

I loved this series and recommend it to readers 

who enjoy thrill and excitement. Books in 

the Charlie Bone series: 

Book 1: Midnight for Charlie Bone 

Book 2: Charlie Bone & The Time Twister 

Book 3: Charlie Bone & The Blue Boa 

Book 4: Charlie Bone & The Castle of Mirrors 

Book 5: Charlie Bone & The Hidden King 

Book 6: Charlie Bone & The Wilderness Wolf 

Book 7: Charlie Bone & The Shadow of Badlock 

Book 8: Charlie Bone & The Red Knight 

Mya Most, age 10, is a student in the 5th grade. 

A member of the Lower Hudson Youth Chorus, 

she enjoys playing soccer, basketball, horseback 

riding and performing with the Helen Hayes 

Theatre. She spends most of her down time having 

fun with her siblings, Jaden and Lena. ✫ 

PET FOR ADOPTION 

S 

Apollo is a 3-year old Alaskan Malamute, neutered, 

microchipped and up-to-date on his vaccines. One of 

five breeds that still look like wolves, the Alaskan Malamute 

has had a distinguished history—aiding Admiral 

Byrd in his exploration of the South Pole, accompanying 

the miners who came to Alaska during the Gold Rush of 

1896 and serving with the US Army in World War II, 

primarily as search and rescue dogs in Greenland. In the 

photo (at left) Apollo shows off the famous Malamute 

smile. 

Thanks to Hi-Tor’s limited-time promotion on dogs 

age 2 and over, his adoption fee will be a reduced $175. 

To adopt this or other fine pet, contact Hi-Tor Animal Care Center at 845-354-7900 or info@hitor.org 

Just for fun, visit www.hitor.org/pages/adopt.html click “success stories.” ✫ 


continues from page 7 

FREE GARDEN TOURS 

The Master Gardener Volunteers of Cornell Cooperative 

Extension (CCE) of Rockland County 

invite the public to attend their free monthly 

tours of the beautiful demonstration gardens and 

learn which plants grow best in Rockland County. 

No registration. Children welcome. 

Tours held Sept 25 & Oct 30, from 1 to 2pm at 

CCE Rockland, 10 Patriot Hills Drive, Stony 

Point. Info (845) 429-7085. Rain or shine. 

NYACK HOSPITAL-MONTESSORI 

PARTNERSHIP 

Nyack Hospital and The Montessori Center of 

Nyack have formed the Judith H. Trust Early 

Childhood Partnership to provide award-winning 

Pre-K and Kindergarten programs to the 

children of Nyack Hospital employees. 

NAVY CRYPTOLOGISTS’ MINI-REUNION 

The New England Chapter, Naval Cryptologic 

Veterans Association (NCVA-NE) will hold a 

Fall Mini-Reunion from October 7 to October 

9, at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, NY. 

Info: (518) 664-8032 or visit http://ncva-ne.org 

BENEFIT FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD 

Benefit proceeds support medical services, education 

and advocacy programs in Westchester, Rockland & 

Putnam Counties. Planned Parenthood provides affordable, 

confidential, and compassionate health 

care to women, men, and teens, protects the right to 

reproductive freedom and offers education and training 

programs to improve parent/child communication, 

peer-to-peer education, and professional training. 

2011 Empowerment Breakfast & Boutique 

Thurs, Oct 20, 9:30 to 11:30am 

(Boutique 8:30 to 9:30 & 11:30 to 12:30) at 

Tappan Hill Mansion, Tarrytown, NY. 

Tickets: $150; $75 for supporters 30 years and 

younger. Sponsorships start at $250 

RSVP to (914) 467-7342. 

GETTING FINANCIALLY FIT 

Join the Arts Council of Rockland and certified 

financial educators from KeyBank for a free, 2 hr 

discussion about taking charge of your money. 

continues at right 


Attendees will learn how to use credit wisely, set 

and prioritize financial goals, create basic budget 

for spending, saving, planning, understand credit 

reports and your credit score and to recognize 

and avoid scams and schemes. Reservations are 

required and can be made by calling the Arts 

Council at (845) 426-3660. 

Wed, Sept 14, from 6-8pm at KeyBank office, 

1 Crosfield Avenue, West Nyack 

DOCUMENTARY FILM SHOWING 

Budrus is a documentary about the non-violent 

struggle led by Palestinians and joined by Israeli 

activists against the separation barrier erected by 

the Israeli government. The film will be shown 

by the group, New Futures for Palestine-Israel. 

Mon, Sept 19, at 6:30pm at the Nyack Library, 

59 South Broadway, Nyack. 

PIANO FOR SALE 

Steinway & Sons Model B Grand Piano for sale 

at an affordable price. 

Info: ourlordsp@yahoo.com 

VOLUNTEER COUNSELING SERVICE (VCS) 

• Single parenting is difficult for all. For an LGBT 

(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) mom or 

dad, the challenges of navigating single parenthood 

increase considerably. The next meeting of the 

VCS support group is 

Tues, Sept 13, 7:30 to 9pm VCS 77 S. Main 

Street, New City 

• National Training Institute on the NY Model 

for Batterer Programs 

Thurs, Sept 22 & Fri, Sep 23, 9am - 3:30pm at 

Rockland Fam Shelter, 9 Johnsons Lane, New City 

• NAFI North American Family Institute 

Become a Foster Parent presented by VCS Gay 

Pride Rockland & VCS Center for Parent Ed. 

Sun, Sept 18 at 3pm at Nyack Library 59 South 

Broadway, Nyack. 

• VCS Inc. seeks volunteer counselors with 4 to 

5 hrs per week available to help people in our 

community. Training begins Oct 17 and runs 

for 11 weeks on Monday evenings. 

Training begins at the first informational meeting 

& screening on Sept 8. Info: call Diane at (845) 

634-5729 ex 313. 

Community Notes conclude on page 17 

The Lifetime Gardener 

by Jon Feldman 

It must be love. Nothing else could 

justify the presence of roses in my 

garden. 

Let me explain. Whether driven by 

personal design style, or an unfounded 

sense of Plant Kingdom hierarchy, I 

take pride in having excluded certain 

plants from my landscape designs. 

You wouldn’t, for instance, find a Yucca in my 

beds. Pachysandra wouldn’t be spec’d. And 

most definitely, prissy Roses were never, ever, a 

consideration. 

With these self-imposed limitations, imagine 

the predicament I found myself in during a 

home-improvement project my wife and I undertook 

a few years ago. 

We wanted to close off the view of the exposed 

underside of our wood deck, and finally finish 

a project started eight years before. Tired of 

looking at the ugly, barren space, we struggled 

to choose an approach to make the sixteen 

foot long, by eight foot tall space seem less imposing. 

Realizing the problem had no great 

solution, we feared the wrong strategy would 

only make the situation worse. 

We decided to install cedar lattice panels as 

screening. Though we were by no means convinced 

the choice would be visually satisfying, 

we felt we picked the best of the bad options. 

Unfortunately, when the project was finished 

we were miserable. It didn’t work. We needed 

a fix, and quick! 

The only solution was to grow something on 

the structure to disguise it and in my heart 

I knew only one plant would really be right— 

and I didn’t like the answer. By the excited 

look in her eyes, I immediately knew the same 

thought had popped into my wife’s head. 

“Can climbing roses be trained on the lattice?” 

she asked. 

Before taking time to dream up reasons 

why not, I heard myself stammer 

the unimaginable, “Uh, I guess so.” 

My answer triggered a smile that 

reddened her cheekbones and raised 

her ears skyward. I, on the other 

hand, was already dealing with my 

anxiety of actually being a rose owner. 

We planted three climbers and they began to 

grow, covering the lattice with a profusion of 

blooms and gentle fragrance. The problem 

solved, I reluctantly tended to the needs of the 

vines. The scratches and punctures resulting 

from their pruning became constant reminders 

of my generosity in planting them. 

One very hot day, after a particularly sacrificial 

session of cutting back the vines, I felt woozy 

from blood loss. In that semi-conscious state, 

a memory appeared of the flowers my wife 

had chosen for our wedding and of the vows 

we took that day. 

Regaining strength and becoming aware of my 

surroundings, it occurred to me that, of all the 

wedding proclamations we voiced, there was 

one I purposely had not made. 

Still somewhat dizzy and blinded by the day’s 

unforgiving sunshine, a voice from above 

commanded me, “I want more!” I was startled 

by this heavenly directive. 

I realized it was just my wife, standing on the 

deck, shouting down to me. 

“I beg your pardon,” I sang, “I never promised 

you a rose garden!” 

Jon Feldman is the owner of G. biloba Garden Environments. 

Reach him at www.gbiloba.com or at 

353-3448. ✫ 


Letters 

An open community forum. 

to the editor 

Opinions expressed are those of 

each letter writer; The Nyack Villager 

need not agree. 

Let elected officials set salaries 

To The Nyack Villager— 

A NYS arbitration panel just ordered the town 

of Clarkstown to give their police two retroactive 

3.4% salary hikes. In this bad economy 

this award is very high. 

The Governor & State Legislature should eliminate 

arbitration panels and let local elected officials 

set salaries for police/firefighters. The 

Governor & State Legislators received praise 

for passing a property tax cap. How can officials 

live with a tax cap if we can't control 

salaries under our jurisdiction? 

—Paul Feiner, 

Greenburgh Town Supervisor 

Street sweeper=giant leaf blower 


Only in the shadow of an impending leaf 

blower uprising should the newly formed 

Village of Nyack Environmental Committee 

waste time on the matter. 

Our tax dollars pay for a monstrous reverse 

leaf blower called a street cleaner that drives 

up and down the streets very early in the 

morning making awful noise and stirring up 

street dust, animal feces & pesticides. I never 

get warning to put on my ear protection or to 

close my windows before all the nasty blows 

in. So until the day the leaf blower uprising 

actually takes place, the focus of the committee 

should be on things that could actually 

cause serious long term impact on our immediate 

environmental health—Indian Point for 

one! Thanks, 

—Maia Allen, Nyack 

Nyack’s Garden Club 


The Garden Club of Nyack was founded in 

1912 by Mrs. Joseph Hilton and two friends. 

In 2012 we will celebrate our centennial year 

with an exhibit in the Nyack Library. We 

would welcome any old Garden Club history 

or materials that your readers would like to 

share with us. 

In particular we would like to find a copy of a 

book published circa 1920 about the gardens 

of Nyack garden club members with wonderful 

photos of the gardens. In the late 1970s a 

copy of this book was in the Nyack Library, 

but cannot be found there 30 years later. 

—Betty Perry, Club Historian 

wandbperry@msn.com 358-0552 

Seeks info on baseball team 


I am trying to find information on the Tidal 

Waves baseball team from about the 1870s. 

I am looking for information on a possible ancestor 

named Alexander ( Sandy) Perry. Any 

information you could provide would be 

greatly appreciated. 

—Beth Brown 

[Editor’s note—We will ask our readers and hope 

someone can help. Send information to us at 

info@nyackvillager.com and we will forward it 

to Ms. Brown.] 

On the discourtesy of cyclists 


... they (the bicyclists) pedal furiously through 

town—coasting through stop lights and stop 

signs, shouting directional coordinates and 

tales of 10-speed glory at top volume, riding 

three abreast in single lane traffic—to arrive at 

their favorite Broadway coffee shop. 

By 9:30 am, the swarm is thick and suffused 

with the stench of self-entitlement. Many of 

these cyclists clog the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians 

to walk in the street. The worst offenders 

zig zag in front of cars, subjecting everyone 

to danger. And, of course, they envelop the 

entrance to their coffeehouse Mecca, thereby 

detouring most thirsty clientele who do not 

clatter out a syncopated rhythm on the sidewalk 

with their biker cleats. 

It’s a problem. The solution? 

A) We should have stricter enforcement of 

traffic laws as they pertain to bicyclists. There 

is usually a police car parked at the corner of 

Broadway and Main. I’d like to see (a patrolman) 

ticket the occasional cyclist for running 

red lights and obstructing traffic. Rarely do I 

see a lone mountain bike rider sail through a 

stop sign, but many of the 10-speed cyclists 

brazenly disregard traffic signals on a regular 

basis. Enough is enough. 

B) Why are we allowing 10-speed cyclists to 

force women with strollers off the sidewalk 

and into the road? I’m all for sharing the sidewalk, 

but the cyclists need to show some courtesy. 

It’s not acceptable for them to disregard 

the humanity of passersby who aren’t part of 

the hive. If they don’t voluntarily show consideration, 

then they should be asked to do so. 

Repeatedly. 

Am I the only one who feels this way? 

—Suzanne Barish, Nyack 

On the discourtesy of motorists 


Bikers rage, think again! 

I have lived in Nyack for 11 years and there 

are times when the tandem bikers get on my 

nerves, but when my friend could have died 

because she was passed too closely on North 

Broadway, I lost it! 

We, two middle aged women, were following 

the rules, riding single file, two blocks from 

Main Street when a motorist drove too close 

to my friend, who got scared and fell into traffic. 

The person stopped then parked and ran 

over to ask if she was ok. My friend, in shock, 

with a huge gash on her knee, said she was ok 

while she lay in the street, unable to get up. 

Out of the half dozen cars behind us, just one 

driving by asked if she was ok, while the rest 

honked their horns. I expected, at least, that 


someone would jump out of his car to help 

her off the street. I ended up helping my 

friend to the curb. I weigh only 110 pounds. 

I would like to remind people to think when 

you drive and to help those in need. I lost a 

lot of respect for the human race that day! 

—Melanie Wilber, Nyack 

Suggestion to liven up Main Street 


The growing number of vacant retail shops in 

the village is increasingly depressing. The 

thought occurs that some out of the box planning 

is sorely needed. On a recent visit to the 

Northern Catskills, our family was entertained 

by themes found in two local communities. 

The village of Catskill is highlighting—what 

else?—cats. The village of Cairo, a few miles 

north, highlights bears—photos below. 

For several years Saratoga, NY has done the 

same type of theme promotion with horses 

and some will remember the cows done in NY 

City some time back. Perhaps the Chamber 

of Commerce, along with the Arts Council 

and others, might look into such a theme for 

the Nyacks. Several ideas our family came up 

with in discussing the idea were sailing vessels 

and Victorian houses. 

—Joseph Mitloff, Nyack 

They got what?! 

by Donna Cox 

You want to sell your 

home. You’ve done everything to make your home the nicest home on the 

market. You’ve analyzed comparable sales and priced your home well. Yet 

it’s still on the market. Why? It may be time to evaluate how potential buyers 

arrange to see your home. To sell your home, buyers must be able to see it. 

While that may seem obvious, sometimes sellers can unwittingly make their 

home difficult for prospective buyers to see. It’s not always convenient to 

show your home when a buyer wants to see it and sometimes there are very 

valid reasons why you absolutely cannot accommodate a buyer’s schedule. 

But remember, your home is competing for the attention of fewer buyers. Give yourself a competitive 

edge; make your home the easiest home on the market for buyers to see. Don’t let buyers miss the opportunity 

to see what could have been their perfect home—yours. Maybe they can come back at another 

time or on another day—or maybe not. Why take the chance? Show and sell! With that, here 

are the homes that sold during June and July. 

• THE HOMES LISTED BELOW WERE SOLD BY A VARIETY OF BROKERS PROUDLY SERVING THE RIVER VILLAGES. 

STYLE LOCATION ADDRESS BEDROOMS BATHS LIST PRICE SALE PRICE 

Colonial 

U.Nyack U.Nyack 

3 2 $ 673,527 $ 648,500 

Townhouse 

Nyack Nyack 

4 3.1 559,000 515,000 

Townhouse 


3 3.1 479,900 455,000 

Colonial 


3 1.1 469,000 420,000 

Two Home Estate 

S. Nyack S. Nyack 

7 7.4 4,500,000 4,000,000 

Colonial 


3 2 699,000 801,000 

Contemporary 


3 2 479,000 450,000 

Colonial 

U.Grandview U.Grandview 

5 3.1 1,250,000 1,166,000 

Townhouse 

Piermont Piermont 

2 3.1 1,195,000 1,075,000 

Colonial 


4 3 849,000 849,000 

Colonial 


3 1.1 449,900 439,000 

Condo 


1 1 155,000 140,000 

Ranch 

Palisades Palisades 

3 1.1 369,000 345,000 

Summary Source: GHVMLS YTD Comparison Report 

2Q 2011 YTD vs. 2Q 2010 YTD - Single Family Homes New inventory (the number of homes going 

on the market) decreased 22.4% (128 YTD 2011 vs. 165 YTD 2010). The number of sales increased 25% 

(40 YTD 2011 vs. 32 YTD 2010). The average sales price of homes that have sold increased approximately 

1.6% to $629,224. Overall, the average sales price for single family homes that have sold in Rockland 

County (inclusive of the river villages) was $441,145, down 0.1% over the same period last year. 

2Q 2011 YTD vs. 2Q 2010 YTD - Condos New inventory (the number of condos going on the market) 

decreased 23.3% (46 YTD 2011 vs. 60 YTD 2010). The number of sales decreased 28.6% (15 YTD 2011 

vs. 21 YTD 2010). The average sales price of condos that have sold decreased 37.6% to $309,333. Overall, 

the average sales price for condos that have sold in Rockland County (inclusive of the river villages) was 

$231,282, down 13.8% over the same period last year. ✫ 

NOTE: Letters continue online, at 

www.nyackvillager.com 

Brief letters on all subjects are 

welcome. Send them to us at 

the address on page 21 


continues from page 15 

F.O.R. HONORS IMMIGRATION COALITION 

The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) will present 

its 2011 Nyack-Area Peace Award to the 

Rockland Immigration Coalition at RIC’s public 

meeting in Spring Valley Tues, Sept 20. Info: 

(845) 358-4601 ex 35. ✫ 

Send items for Community Notes to us at 

info@nyackvillager.com 

before the 15th of this month for next 

month’s Villager. (Deadline for October is 

September 15.) Keep them brief but include 

the place, date and time of the event, the cost 

to attend, if any, the sponsoring organization 

and your name and contact number. 


REPORTER 

at large 

continued from page 5 

Funeral Privacy Law 

buffer zone for funeral services held within the 

county. 

Last March, the US Supreme Court ruled that 

picketing military funerals was constitutionally 

protected speech but that municipalities could 

establish reasonable buffers so “wounds inflicted 

by vicious verbal assaults at funerals 

will be prevented or at least mitigated.” 

“It is hard to believe we need to legislate ... 

common decency,” said Legislator Day, whose 

two sons serve in the U.S. Army. “I certainly 

understand the importance of our constitutional 

liberties, however, there is also a line 

where one’s right of expression intrudes upon 

another’s right to not be subjected to a vicious 

and steady verbal and visual assault when 

burying a loved one. Today, I feel very proud 

to have been part of an effort to provide a well 

deserved solace to families during their time of 

grieving.” 

Representatives from many county veterans 

groups were present to speak in support of the 

new law. 

Nyack Historical Autumn exhibits 

The Historical Society of the Nyacks reopened 

its headquarters at DePew House following 

damage to its carpet in the flood in late June. 

Fortunately, there was no damage to its archival 

collection, much of which is stored off-site in 

a protected facility. 

The Society is continuing the celebration of 

The Year of Edward Hopper, along with other 

exhibits relating to the history of Nyack and 

the sale of its publications, from 1 to 4pm on 

Saturdays. It will be open the same hours on 

Sundays during Nyack Street Fairs—September 

25 and October 9. DePew House, at 50 Piermont 

Avenue, is adjacent to Nyack Library, 

with the Historical Society in Suite L2, facing 

Memorial Park. 

Exhibits include the story, in words and photographs, 

of how Hopper House was saved 

from demolition Also featured: an 1862 

Rockland signature quilt, a piano and a 

sewing machine made in Nyack, chairs from 

Liberty Street School and other items, documents 

and photographs from the local collections 

of the Historical Society. 

Next door in the Carnegie Room of the 

Nyack Library, the Society has yet another display: 

Early Photographs of Nyack. 

For more info, see www.nyackhistory.org or 

call (845) 358-3629. 

To volunteer at the headquarters, or to become 

a member of the Society, call Linda 

Green at 354-2854. 

Photo: the DePew House by Bob Goldberg. 

Raising the roof at Hopper House 

In continuation of The Year of Edward Hopper, 

they’re about to raise the roof! 

Support the ongoing restoration of Nyack’s 

historic gem. This event will also honor longtime 

Hopper House supporters Cris Spezial 

and Gail Heller. Tickets include music and a 

reception. 

An event to raise funds to replace the Edward 

Hopper House roof takes place Sept 8, from 6 

to 8pm. For tickets ($50pp) call (845 358- 

0774 or visit www.edwardhopperhouse.org 


Banned Books Week Sept 24-Oct 1 

Celebrating the Freedom to Read 

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to 

choose and the freedom to express one’s opinion 

even if that opinion might be considered 

unorthodox. 

Observed since 1982, this annual American 

Library Association event reminds Americans 

to never take this treasured democratic freedom 

for granted. 

All the books featured during Banned Books 

Week have been targets of attempted bannings. 

While some books were restricted, in a majority 

of cases they were not banned, thanks to pressure 

by librarians, teachers, booksellers, and 

members of the community to retain the 

books in library collections. 

A few of many books that have been targeted 

for book banning— 

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. 

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, 

Beloved by Toni Morrison 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

The Harry Potter series is a favorite target— 

often challenged and sometimes banned. The 

most common reason cited is its references to 

witchcraft. As of June 2011, the Harry Potter 

series sold about 450 million copies and has 

been translated into 67 languages. 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, considered 

a great American classic, depicting 

poverty and the struggles of migrant workers, 

was and still is banned for obscenity and for 

the negative light in which the United States is 

depicted. But,The Grapes of Wrath is still frequently 

read in most American high school 

and college literature classes due to its fine 

writing, historical context and enduring legacy. 

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, a novel 

that depicts a teenager’s nervous breakdown, 

has been repeatedly banned and challenged for 

its supposed profanity and sexual references; it 

has been accused of undermining morality 

and blasphemy. 

Beloved, by Toni Morrison, the winner of the 

Nobel Prize in literature, has had her books 

banned for obscene language and gratuitous 

violence in many parts of the country. The 

battle to keep this book on library shelves is 

still going on. 

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 

has been banned on multiple occasions. The 

most recent was in January, 2010 when the 

book was pulled from a Virginia school for 

sexually explicit and homosexual themes. 

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, was removed 

from the required reading list of the West 

Marion High School in Foxworth, Mississippi 

in 1998 for profanity. In 1992, students at 

the Venado Middle School in Irvine, California, 

received copies of the book with words 

deemed to be offensive crossed out. Students 

and parents protested and, after being contacted 

by the media, school officials agreed to 

stop using the expurgated copies. 

Ironically, Fahrenheit 451 is about book-burning 

and censorship, with the message that 

books are banned for fear of creating too much 

individualism and independent thought. ✫ 


Birthstone: 

SAPPHIRE 

symbol of 

wisdom 

a 

September 2011 

There will be no crisis this month. My schedule is full. 

—Sign in Hogan’s Diner, Nyack 

Flower: 

k variety 

ASTER 

symbol of 

love of 

SUN MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT 

CALENDAR ABBREVIATIONS NYACK COMMITTEES 

VB=Village Board 

PB=Planning Board 

ZBA=Zoning Board of Appeals 

BWC=Bd of Water Commissioners 

HA=Housing Authority 

ARB=Architectural Review Board 

PC=Parks Commission 

EC=Environmental Committee 

R first 

1 2 3 

4 quarter 5 6 7 8 9 10 

LABOR DAY 

11 

full moon 

12 S 13 14 15 16 17 

Annual Faculty 

Exhibit and 

Open House 

at RoCA 

see page 6 

Nyack PB 

meets 7:30p 

Nyack Justice 

Court 5 p 

Nyack HA 

meets 7pm 

Primary Day 

VOTE 

last 

18 19 20 quarter 21 22 23 24 

Walking Tour 

of Upper Nyack 

see page 6 

Concert for 

Remembrance 

see page 6 


Court 5 p 

new moon 

25 26 27 D 28 

SEP 

TEM BER 

FEST 

Street Fair 

10-5 

VILLAGE HALLS 

CLOSED FOR 

Nyack ZBA 

meets 7:30 p 


Ct 5 p 


Court 5 p 

Nyack PC 

meets 7p 

R 

Nyack ARB 

meets 7:30p 

Armchair Tour 

7pm at Nyack 

Library 

see page 6 


Court 9:30 a 


Ct 9:30 a 

Nyack BWC 

meets 4:30 p 

Nyack VB 

meets 7:30 p 


Court 9:30 a 

Nyack EC 

meets 7pm 


Court 9:30 a 

Nyack Village 

Board meets 

7:30 p 

“Last of the Red 

Hot Lovers” 

opens at 

Elmwood 

see page 7 

repeat 2pm 

in Congers 

29 30 31 


Court 9:30 a 

Rosh Hashanah 

Rosh Hashanah 

Anita Brown 

Jazz Concert 

see page 6 

ECO DOCK 

OPENS 

see page 7 


The Nyack Villager 

Founded in 1994, The Nyack Villager is published monthly, mailed on or about the first of each month to every postal address in eight Hudson River villages—Nyack, 

Upper Nyack, Central Nyack, South Nyack, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont &Palisades (zipcodes 10960, 10964 & 10968). 

Editor 

Contributing Editor 

Correspondent 

Publishers 

Community advisor 

Office Manager 

JAN HABER 

SHEL HABER 

FRANK LoBUONO 

JAN & SHEL HABER 

FRANCES PRATT 

JOYCE BRESSLER 

exchange numbers 845 

unless otherwise noted 

Columnists • PETER SEGALL DVM • JEROME GREENBERG DC 

• DUNCAN LEE, ESQ • JON FELDMAN • JIM LEINER • THOM 

KLEINER • DONNA COX • DAN SHAW, LCSW • VIVIANE 

BAUQUET FARRE • HARRIET CORNELL • PETER KLOSE 

• DOROTHY GOREN Ed.D • HOLLY CASTER • GEORGE 

MANIERE • RIC PANTALE 

NYACK VILLAGER ADDRESSES PO Box 82, Nyack, NY 10960-0082 e-mail: info@nyackvillager.com 

• Editorial / advertising phone (845) 735-7639 • Fax (845) 735-7669 

on the Internet at www.nyackvillager.com The Nyack Villager is on the Internet courtesy of Devine Design. 

Published monthly by Nyack Villager, LLC © 1994—2008 

All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission is forbidden. 

Phone Numbers 

AMBULANCE CORPS 911 

non-emergency 358 4824 

TO REPORT A FIRE 911 

POLICE EMERGENCY 911 

non-emergency 359 3700 

POISON CONTROL 1-800 + 336 6997 

RPT CHILD ABUSE 1-800 + 342 3720 

BATTERED WOMEN 634 3344 

HOSP EMERGENCY 348 2345 

➤Nyack VIllage Hall, Nyack 9 N Broadway 

OFFICE OF VILLAGE CLERK 

MAYOR'S OFFICE 

OFFICE OF TREASURER 

BUILDING DEPT 

DEPT PUBLIC WORKS 

FIRE INSPECTOR 

JUSTICE COURT 

PARKING AUTHORITY 

WATER DEPT (non emerg) 

WATER PLANT EMERG 

HOUSING AUTH 15 Highvw 

SECTION 8E 

➤South Nyack VIllage Hall 282 S B’wy, S. Nyack 


BUILDING DEPT 

JUSTICE COURT 

POLICE NON EMERGENCY 

➤Upper Nyack VIllage Hall N. Bdwy, U. Nyack 


➤Grand View VIllage Hall 118 River Rd 


BUILDING INSPECTOR 

JUSTICE COURT 

➤Piermont VIllage Hall 478 Piermont Ave 


JUSTICE COURT 

MUNICIPAL GARAGE 

YOUTH RECREATION 

THE NYACK VILLAGER 

358 0548 

358 0229 

358 3581 

358 4249 

358 3552 

358 6245 

358 4464 

358 3851 

358 0641 

358 3734 

358 2476 

358 2591 

358 0287 

358 0244 

358 5078 

358 0206 

358 0084 

358 2919 

348-0747 

358-4148 

359 1258 

359-1258 ext. 310 

359-1717 

359-1258 ext. 326 

735 7639 

NYACK PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

S. ORANGETOWN CENTRAL SCHL DIST 

NYACK PUBLIC LIBRARY 

PALISADES FREE LIBRARY 

PIERMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY 

NYACK POST OFFICE 

PALISADES POST OFFICE 

PIERMONT POST OFFICE 

NYACK CENTER 

HEAD START OF ROCKLAND 

NYACK YMCA 

COMMUNITY GARDEN 

FRIENDS OF THE NYACKS 

ART CRAFT & ANTIQUES DLRS 

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

353 7013 

359 7603 

358 3370 

359 0136 

359-4595 

358 2756 

359 7841 

359 7843 

358 2600 

358 2234 

358 0245 

358 1734 

358 4973 

353 6981 

353 2221 

Starting on the first of each month and while they last, free copies of The 

Nyack Villager are available at Nyack, Piermont, New City & Valley Cottage 

Libraries, Best Western Inn Nyack, Koblin’s Pharmacy, Runcible Spoon, 

Hogan’s in Nyack, Nyack Village Hall and other selected locations. 

Advertisers— 

The Nyack Villager is the only 

magazine that is MAILED every 

month exclusively to every resident 

of all eight river villages 

from Upper Nyack to Palisades 

NY—very choice territory! 

Everybody reads every issue 

cover to cover so you know 

your ad dollars are working 

hard for you. Ad prices start 

as low as $125. 

And, if you want us to, we’ll 

design your first ad for 

you—at no extra cost. 

Call (845) 735 -7639 


Mental Health Notes 

by Daniel Shaw, L.C.S.W 

Ups and Downs 

I had a great vacation this summer. 

My whole family did. We relaxed, 

we had fun, we had a great change 

of scenery, great activities, great 

food, great people to be with. It 

was perfect. 

And then we got back to JFK on a Sunday 

evening and only Dante could do justice to 

the infernal torment that ensued for the next 5 

or 6 hours. I will spare you the gruesome details. 

Suffice it to say, we finally got to home 

sweet home early Monday morning. 

“Let’s pretend we’re still on vacation,” I suggested 

to my wife later in the week, as we confronted 

the bills, the schedules, the yard 

project, the lack of enough sleep, the suddenly 

not-working refrigerator and the possibly notworking 

dishwasher, the bills … did I mention 

the bills? 

But that’s the thing—vacations are great when 

they are very different from the rest of your life. 

Hopefully, it doesn’t mean that life=miserable, 

vacation=wonderful. But vacation, when it’s 

good, is good because it’s somewhere around 

180° different from your normal routine. 

I’ve worked with people who had it very hard 

growing up— suffering extreme abuse of various 

kinds. And some of these people have a 

fantasy that, given what they have been 

through, life should now be a bed of roses. 

And they are extremely angry when it isn’t, 

which is, oh, pretty much every other day, 

more or less. A big part of living well for 

these people is accepting that they have to 

work at creating and maintaining a good life— 

it doesn’t just happen, it isn’t automatically the 

reward you get for surviving a terrible childhood. 

And when you’re doing your best, and 

hurts and disappointments still happen—it 

doesn’t prove that life really isn’t worth living, 

or that the world and all its people are cruel, 

and you are doomed. It just means that life 

has its ups and downs, and it is up to us to do 

the best we can and make the most of what 

we’ve got. 

At the same time, I notice that one need not 

have had a terrible childhood to unconsciously 

entertain this fantasy—that life is supposed to 

be and actually can be wonderful all the time, 

that we can always be at our best. Many of us 

with happier childhoods have this fantasy too 

—and it is sold to us constantly, in commercials, 

seminars, retreats, health food stores, 

plastic surgeons’ offices, and the endless 

stream of self-help books and tapes that relentlessly 

identify yet another seven steps to 

this, that or the other. 

It’s true that we are living with a bad 

economy these days, and it looks 

like we may be living with it for a 

while. There are many more people 

out there now who are busy just figuring 

out how to survive, let alone 

live well. But I’ve had the opportunity 

to work with people who have 

nothing, and with people who have 

everything, and I’ve seen both these kinds of 

people have the same amount of anguish about 

solving the same puzzle—how to be happy, 

how to feel good, how to have a good life. 

Long ago, Freud said, with a touch of irony, 

that the goal of psychotherapy was to convert 

neurotic misery into ordinary unhappiness. 

But most psychotherapists today would agree, 

I think, that we are aiming for more. We 

want to help people find the strength and resilience 

to get through hardships; and to find 

the desire and the willingness to work at 

building a good life. The two go hand in 

hand—there can be no lasting good in life unless 

one has the strength and the resilience to 

endure and get through hardships, whether 

they be material or spiritual. 

Another famous psychoanalyst, Frieda 

Fromm-Reichman, treated a young, severely 

schizophrenic woman some years ago. As the 

young woman began to regain her health and 

sanity, she became terrified of leaving the hospital 

and being without the therapist. As the 

time for the girl’s discharge came closer, in response 

to the girl’s worries about life beyond 

therapy, Fromm-Reichman was honest with 

her: “I never promised you a rose garden,” she 

said, which became the title of the memoir the 

woman later wrote, under the pen name Hannah 

Green. Fromm-Reichman had already 

been through a great deal herself: escaping the 

Holocaust and starting a new life in a strange 

land, divorce, and loneliness. At the same 

time, she loved her work, and nurtured many 

patients and students. She was loved and respected 

by all who knew her. A good life. 

Most people can’t always be on vacation, and 

none of us can always dwell in a garden of 

roses. It may seem, to some people, that 

everything comes easily to them, but I’m certain 

that most people with good, happy lives 

are people who have worked hard, with persistence, 

to build and maintain that happiness. 

Daniel Shaw, LCSW, practices psychotherapy in 

Nyack and in NY City. He can be reached at 

(845) 548-2561 in Nyack and in NY City at 

(212) 581-6658, shawdan@aol.com or online 

at www.danielshawlcsw.com ✫ 


At the Movies 

by Ric Pantale 

What were they thinking? 

Recently I've noticed that movie 

advertisements often include the 

phrase Brought to you by the director 

of ...” 

How ridiculous that sentence is! Why? 

Just because a director might have hit paydirt 

with an earlier work surely doesn't guarantee 

that his present film is any good. We all know 

making a movie is a crap shoot; no one knows 

during production if it’s really going to be any 

good. While it's true no one sets out to make 

a bad movie, you have to admit there are more 

bad movies out there than good ones. 

Every great director has made at least one bad 

movie, one unexplainable lapse of judgement 

or taste. You wonder: what were they thinking? 

• Steven Spielberg 

Spielberg made a few of my all-time favorite 

movies for sure, but what was he thinking 

when he made the abominable 1941? 

1941 could be one of the worst movies of all 

time, a collection of over-indulgent scenes. 

He also made the War of the Worlds remake. 

How could he make such a bomb? The original, 

made 56 years ago, is much better. 

• Martin Scorsese 

Scorsese, who can usually do no wrong with 

critics, made New York, New York, a musical 

starring Robert DeNiro. What? It was a huge 

flop and if you see it, you will know why. 

• Michael Cimino 

Cimino went into film obscurity after he 

made Heaven's Gate. Practically never heard 

from again. This from a man who gave us the 

brilliant The Deer Hunter. 

• John Landis 

Landis went from making the wonderful Animal 

House and Blues Brothers to making Oscar, 

a bad movie with Sylvester Stallone. 

• Otto Preminger 

This director should be remembered 

as one of the greatest of all 

time and he is—but somewhere 

along the way he made Skidoo, a 

movie so bad you have to see it to 

believe it. 

• Howard Hawks 

Even the great Howard Hawks 

fell asleep once when he made Land of the 

Pharoahs with Joan Collins. Not a terrible film, 

but it looks phony and staged. This from the 

director of Rio Bravo and Bringing up Baby. 

• Michael Curtiz 

Though all Curtiz had to do was step on a 

sound stage to turn out a great movie, from 

Robin Hood to Casablanca to Mildred Pierce, 

Curtiz somehow made The Vagabond King 

when he must have been unconscious. 

• Alfred Hitchcock 

What can be said of Hitchcock? A true Hollywood 

legend, the master of suspense. Actually 

he lapsed into two very unHitchcockian films: 

Mr & Mrs. Smith, a comedy without suspense 

or style, and Below Capricorn, a straight storytelling 

period piece that is curious in that it's 

never mentioned in his Filmography and very 

rarely shown. 

Space permits me to just name these directors 

and their bombs—but by this time you surely 

get the point. 

• Stanley Donnen Saturn 3 

• Francis Ford Coppola One from the Heart 

• Peter Bogdanovich At Long Last Love 

• Brian DePalma Bonfire of the Vanities 

• Billy Wilder Buddy Buddy 

• James Cameron Piranhah part 2 

• Coen Brothers Intolerable Cruelty 

• William Friedkin Deal of the Century 

• Robert Zemeckis Death Becomes Her 

We’ll consider actors in an upcoming issue. 

Ric Pantale writer and director, is an independent 

film maker. His latest film, Delilah Rose, is 

scheduled for release this year. ✫ 

top row: Steven Spielberg Martin Scorsese Michael Cimino John Landis Francis Ford Coppola 

bottom row: Otto Preminger Howard Hawks Michael Curtiz Alfred Hitchcock Peter Bogdanovich

Sept, 2011 - The Nyack Villager

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