2009 - The Nyack Villager

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WHITE PLAINS NY 

TheNyack Villager® 

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

Autumn Leaves With Canada Geese 

October 

2009 

Graphic by Shel Haber © 2009 �e Nyack Villager

2 The Nyack Villager October, 2009

In this issue 

Departments 

3 REPORTER AT LARGE 

• Results of the Democratic Party primary 

• Online: Superblock report and Village Board action 

• Chapin, Seeger to host health care rally in Memorial Park 

• Strategies to avoid getting sick 

• Profile: Doug Foster, Candidate for Village Board 

• Union of Concerned Scientists on Nuclear Power 

• The passing of a popular Building Inspector 

6 LETTERS to The Nyack Villager 

10 OCTOBER ENJOYMENTS Art & Entertainment this month 

15 COMMUNITY NOTES What else is happening this month 

18 CALENDAR Highlights in October 

19 OP-CALENDAR PAGE useful local phone numbers 

21 HOUSES OF WORSHIP Religious services in the river villages 

Columns 

8 REMEMBER THE DAYS? Jim Leiner on the Harrison-Dalley fire of 1915 

8 FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY by Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner 

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

16 TO THE THEATRE HOLLY CASTER on A Little Night Music 

16 THE WORD HOUND Jan Haber on a grab bag of odd words 

Features 

7 NEW WORK BY WORLD FAMOUS GLASS MASTER 

14 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 

14 HOUSEKEEPING WITH THE EXPERTS 

22 UNDER EXPOSED Shel Haber on some of his favorite inventions 

On our September cover 

Autumn Leaves with Canada Geese 

Graphic by Jan & Shel Haber, © 2009 The Nyack Villager, Nyack, NY. 

Some of Shel’s Favorite 

Inventions see page 22 

® 

The Nyack Villager September, 2009 Vol. 16 No. 2 

Book For Birders 

Piermont Library 

see pg 13 

Flu Prevention 

Strategies see pg 4 

Armchair Walking 

Tour see pg 10 

Edgar Allan Poe’s 

Birthday Observed 

see page 13 

Nyack Villager® Villager On Hudson® 

Mailed to every resident of 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 November issue is October 15. 

Please include a contact name and telephone number. 

REPORTER 

at large 

• Results of last month’s primary vote tally 

Kavesh wins Democratic primary 

by 53 votes* 

For office of Mayor, Village of Nyack: 

• Richard A. Kavesh 286 

• Marie T. Lorenzini 233 

• Denise Hogan 178 

• Marianne Olive 84 

Trustee Richard Kavesh won a 53-vote victory 

over fellow village trustee Marie Lorenzini in 

Nyack’s Democratic mayoral primary, according 

to unofficial results from the Rockland 

Board of Elections. 

Trustees Marie Lorenzini and Denise Hogan 

and local merchant, Marianne Olive, were also 

on the ballot in the most competitive primary 

in Nyack's recent history. �e winner now 

has to run in the general election on Tuesday, 

November 3. �e winner of that race will replace 

John Shields, who is stepping down as 

mayor after 8 years. 

In addition to the Democratic Party line, 

Trustee Denise Hogan is also running on the 

Independence line in November. �ough 

Richard won the primary, Denise will still be 

on the ballot November 3. If Denise should 

beat Richard in the general election, Richard 

will still have a year left of his 2-year term to 

serve as Trustee. However, in the event he 

wins, someone will be appointed to fill his 

trustee’s seat. Nobody knows for sure but 

speculation on the street says John Shields 

may be persuaded to fill Richard’s unexpired 

term as trustee. 

*Note: these are unofficial results from Rockland 

County’s Board of Elections. As we went to press, 

there were still some absentee ballots to be tallied, 

though not enough to change the outcome of the 

primary. 

Trustee candidates were unopposed in the primary 

but may have opposition in the general election 

in November. 

• For my fellow statistics fans 

According to the Rockland Board of Elections, 

the number of registered Democrats in Nyack 

was 2,363 as of the cut-off date for voting in 

the primary. 

�e unofficial count of those who voted in the 

primary is 791, which means that only one 

third of eligible voters actually voted. 

• “Superblock” Report and actions 

taken by Nyack’s Village Board— 

See “Reporter at Large” 

page 25 this issue of Nyack Villager Online 

Reporter at Large continues on page 4 

The Nyack Villager October, 2009 3

• Chapin, Seeger at Healthcare Rally 

Memorial Park will play host to a rally and 

musical concert in support of universal health 

care. Grammy Award-winning musician, 

singer-songwriter and storyteller, Tom Chapin 

will perform. 

�e event, billed as Healthcare for All is cosponsored 

by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, 

the Rockland Progressive Dems and Organizing 

for America. Together, these groups demand 

positive action and healthcare reform from the 

government. �e rally is set for October 4 at 

4:30pm at Memorial Park, Nyack. 

“�e basic premise of the rally is that health 

care is a human right,” said Alan Levin, a psychotherapist 

and spokesperson for the group, 

“We seek to put some pressure on the president 

and congress to do what needs to be done and 

not to pull back in fear.” 

For more info and to see the statement of intent 

for the rally, visit: healthcareforall.tripod.com/ 

Strategies to avoid getting sick 

Dr. Joan Facelle, of Rockland’s Health Dept, 

counsels families to help prevent the spread of flu 

this Autumn by observing these simple rules: 

• Cover your coughs & sneezes; use a tissue and 

throw it away after each use. If none is handy, 

sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm— 

NOT into your hand. 

• Wash hands frequently. Use soap & water for 

20 seconds (long enough to sing Happy Birthday 

twice). No soap & water? Use an alcohol-based 

sanitizer. 

• Parents should keep a child home if the child 

has fever and other symptoms, such as fatigue or 

coughing. Before returning to school, a child’s 

fever should be gone for at least 24 hours, without 

fever-reducing medication. 

• Parents should be good role models for children 

by observing these rules themselves. 

According to Dr. Facelle, “�e seasonal flu vaccine 

will not protect you against H1N1 (often 

referred to as swine flu),” but recommends it 

nonetheless for children 6 months through age 

18, women who are pregnant, people age 50 and 

over, anyone with weakened immune system and 

many other people who may be at risk. 

Flu symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, 

headache, chills, muscles aches, and fatigue. 

Flu is contagious and can be a serious illness 

for people of any age, but especially those with 

respiratory or heart conditions. In addition, it 

can cause high fevers and seizures in children. 

Each year, more than 200,000 people nationwide 

are hospitalized and 36,000 people die 

from flu-related complications. For more info, 

visit co.rockland.ny.us/health/influenza.htm 

Reporter at Large continues on page 7 

4 The Nyack Villager October, 2009 

Reporter at large 

Reporter at Large starts on page 3 

Doug Foster 

Candidate for Trustee 

Nyack Village Board 

For me, being a Village Trustee 

would be an opportunity to fulfill two goals of 

mine: to be in service and to continue practicing 

my trade in local government planning. 

Rosemary, my wife, and I moved to Nyack in 

the Spring of 2006. 

We were very deliberate in picking Nyack as 

the community we wanted to live in. Nyack 

has what is very important to us: a diverse 

population with a strong progressive element, 

a strong sense of community, a vibrant commercial 

core, and a traditional and pedestrianfriendly 

layout. 

I wanted to use my professional and service 

experience to help improve our community. 

My professional background is in urban planning. 

I received my Masters degree from Cornell 

in 1990, and worked with the City of 

Ithaca Planning & Development Department 

for 10 years. I also worked for two years at a 

national level in affordable housing and home 

ownership. 

When I first got moved in and settled, I set up 

a meeting with the Mayor. �e first person he 

got me involved with was Jen White, at the 

Parks Conservancy. I had done a lot of park 

planning work for Ithaca. Working with Jen 

has been a great experience. She is smart, creative, 

hard working, and has a positive attitude 

that enables her to build coalitions and get 

things done. We make a great team and that 

is why we decided to run together for Trustee. 

Nyack has city problems and a small town 

budget. Nyack should have an administrator, 

planning/development staff 

and a police force. �e current 

proposal for the “superblock,” 

which is a large-scale 

development, really needs 

staff with expertise in development 

to dedicate a substantial 

amount of time over 

a period of years. �e Village 

can’t afford this level of staff 

because its tax base is too small. 

�e adjacent communities 

feel like they get the best of 

both worlds because they get to live near 

downtown Nyack without paying the taxes. 

But this is a false belief because their taxes are 

just as high as Village residents’, yet the downtown 

suffers without the needed resources to 

plan and develop its future. With a larger tax 

base, Nyack could plan for the Superblock’s redevelopment, 

invest in streetscape improvements, 

and build an effective parking system. 

Nyack has gone through a comprehensive 

planning process and has a solid blueprint 

with its adopted plan. �e key now is to implement 

various recommendations, such as 

the new zoning ordinance, and investigate 

specific parts of the plan. I have worked on 

comprehensive plans, neighborhood plans, 

and parking plans, and am familiar with both 

the planning and implementation process. 

My ten years as a planner for the City of 

Ithaca was an ideal preparation for me as a 

Nyack Trustee. Ithaca is similar to Nyack 

with its historic downtown, diverse residents, 

progressive history, and strong sense of community. 

�is community spirit with politically 

active residents can also make it difficult 

to get things done. �e challenge is finding a 

way to direct the passion as a productive energy 

to create a vision and build it, rather than 

tearing down any idea that comes up. 

Doug Foster regularly contributes to Nyack News 

& Views, a very good onine local news source, 

which he co-founded. 

Visit doug@nyacknewsandviews.com ✫ 

To our way of thinking, �e Union of Concerned Scientists is among the clearest-thinking group on the 

planet. �ey have acted for years as an advocacy group for the people and against the excesses of the nuclear 

power industry. We in the Hudson Valley have a personal stake in this. Entergy, at Indian Point, 

has and continues to cover up spills that degrade the Hudson. Your voice is needed. Reach the Union of 

Concerned Scientists at action@ucsusa.org 

Stop the Senate from Giving Nuclear Power a Blank Check 

Unless we speak out, the Senate is planning to funnel billions of dollars to the nuclear power 

industry through a so-called “clean energy bank.” 

�is plan would, in effect, write a blank check—using taxpayers’ money—to provide unlimited 

loans for nuclear reactors at the expense of investments in clean, affordable renewable 

energy sources such as wind and solar. Setting aside the safety and security risks associated 

with nuclear power, taxpayers should not be on the hook for hundreds of billions in loans to 

an industry with such a poor financial track record. Tell your senators that taxpayer dollars 

should be spent on truly clean, affordable energy projects.


An open community forum. 

Letters 

to the editor 

Opinions expressed are those of each 

letter writer, not necessarily 

those of The Nyack Villager 

Thanks to the Boat Club 

To �e Nyack Villager— 

Friends of the Nyacks thanks �e Nyack Boat 

Club and its Board of Governors for their 

willingness to allow us to dock the Clearwater 

Sloop at the Nyack Boat Club. In particular, 

we wish to thank Jack Yates and Joe Scarmato 

of the Boat Club for their patience and support. 

With the Boat Club’s kind assistance, we were 

able to bring the Clearwater to Nyack. Hundreds 

of people visited the sloop on August 9. 

�is event is a great example of how cooperation 

among organizations can improve life in 

the Nyacks. 

We also thank Rockland Friends of Clearwater, 

Heather Duke, Director of the Rockland 

County Tourism Office, & Rockland County 

for their financial support for this event. 

Sincerely, 

—Deborah Darbonne 

Chairperson of Friends of the Nyacks, Inc. and 

Co-Chair, with Nan Gundersen, of the Nyack 

Quadricentennial Celebration 

Back Copies of The Villager 


Before I throw them away, you wouldn't have 

any need/desire for old issues of �e Villager, 

would you? I have them going back to May 

2003. My house is too small to store all of 

these even though I hate to part with them! 

—Cathy O'Halloran 

[Editor’s note—if you would like to have these, 

please e-mail �e Villager and we’ll pass your request 

on to Ms. Halloran.] 

Villager Reader in Florida 


I am a native Nyacker. I went to St. Ann's 

School and Nyack High School, class of 1946. 

I enrolled at Rockland Community College 

shortly after they opened and took my first 

classes in the building that used to be called 

�e poor house. I have so many memories of 

growing up in the village of Nyack, before the 

TZ bridge and when Rockland was a county 

of small villages and farms. While my residence 

has been in Florida since 1991, I have a 

home here in Valley Cottage where I return 

every year for the summer. I am able to obtain 

�e Nyack Villager magazine when I am 

here. I enjoy reading it, especially Jim Leiner's 


column. I picked up the September issue on 

Sunday at Hogan's in Nyack. I love your selection 

of favorite covers. Are posters of these 

available for purchase? I think they would 

make a wonderful collection. Is there a way to 

obtain the monthly magazine when I am in 

Florida? 

—Angeline (Renella) Eazzetta 

[Editor’s note—Glad you enjoyed the cover! We 

have had many requests for individual prints and 

are working on ways to make them available. 

�ere are two ways in which you can obtain the 

monthly Villagers. 1—read �e Villager Online 

for free at www.nyackvillager.com or 2—subscribe 

for $18 per year. Twelve monthly issues 

will be mailed to you. Send your check to �e 

Nyack Villager, PO Box 82, Nyack NY 10960.] 

Jazz Vespers? 


Your note following Mr. Charles letter in the 

September issue got me pondering: how is it 

that a river village like Nyack has not sustained 

jazz vespers at one of our ecclesiastical venues? 

Not expecting an answer to that question, I 

would like to suggest that if there are readers 

of �e Villager (or friends) who have interest 

in bringing together jazz and spirituality in a 

vesper, or eventide, setting, let's talk. Your 

ideas, energy and organizing efforts would be 

welcome. 

Nyack's Reformed Church can provide the 

venue. I'm at frchurch@optonline.net, or 

358-5518. 

—Pastor Tom Danney 

Praise for the Land Use Boards 


I have just finished a major renovation on 

Prospect St. and wanted to let everyone know, 

who is planning work on their house, that the 

Building Dept. is your best, most inexpensive, 

professional part of your team. 

Too many people have the wrong idea concerning 

the Building. Dept. �e common 

misconception is that the village is just looking 

to collect a fee for any work that is done, 

bothers us every step of the way and stifles creativity. 

�e truth is that working with the 

Nyack Architectural Review Board, Planning 

Building and Zoning Boards guarantees a successful 

project. 

Building codes change constantly and can be 

very complicated; we need professionals to 

guide us. We are extremely fortunate (and are 

the envy of other villages) with the team we 

currently have: John Algor, Donald Yacopino, 

Vincent Fiorentino and Kathy Harahan. �ey 

are accessible, experienced, maintain good 

humor, are helpful, curious, tough (when they 

need to be) and are very professional about 

their business. All the people who volunteer 

their time on the various boards really insure 

that a project is well thought out and will be a 

plus to the Village and to the owner. It is easy 

to be led in the wrong direction (and to get 

ripped off) by architects, engineers and builders. 

Nyack’s Building Inspectors keep everyone 

honest and act as referees in the renovation 

game. John Algor saved me tens of thousands 

of dollars on my most recent project by picking 

up zoning mistakes in my architect’s work. 

It is always good that builders know their job 

will be inspected and will have to pass a test. 

Another misconception is that a new bathroom 

in the basement, a little addition in the back, 

or a new dormer is no big thing. Well, if there 

is a fire, or an accident and the work wasn't 

recorded or inspected—the insurance company 

will not pay and when it comes time to sell 

and there’s no Certificate of Compliance in 

your file or on your survey, you have a big 

problem. 

So the next time you’re planning to improve 

your house, make sure you start with a visit to 

the Building Department. Talk to the people 

your tax dollars pay for, and ask them to help 

you through the process. 

—Will Kiesel, Nyack 

[Editor’s note—Mr. Kiesel wrote this weeks before 

the untimely passing of Mr. Algor.] 

10 Ways to Improve Nyack 


(�e writer addresses this letter to the candidates 

for mayor of Nyack) ... Over the past few 

years, whether due to economic conditions or 

lack of vision, I believe Nyack has taken a step 

in the wrong direction. ... �ough this list 

does not include everything ... I believe these 

items can help restore village appeal and pride. 

Many of these won’t require any (or much) 

additional funding to achieve. 

1) Insure in future that no trees are cut down 

unnecessarily. What happened last year was a 

travesty and severely damaged the visual appeal 

of our village. Please remove the stumps; 

they look horrible. Better yet, plant new trees. 

2) Clean up the streets. It’s depressing to see 

litter everywhere. Make it a priority to clean 

up Nyack; stay on top of it. 

3) Establish an architectural code for our 

downtown shops and enforce it. If one already 

exists, either it’s not good enough or not being 

enforced. Our business district is vital to the 

success of the village; the nicer and more appealing 

it is, the more customers it will attract. 

4) �e number of empty retail spots is troubling. 

If necessary, give a tax break to owners 

of downtown buildings who rent their storefronts. 

Any incentive to lower rents would 

benefit the entire retail community. Whatever 

we can do to help attract business—let’s do it. 

5) Enough with the Master Plan! It has become 

an excuse for doing nothing. Either move on

some of the good things in it or shelve it. It’s 

time for action, not more studies. 

6) Establish a real police presence in Memorial 

Park, 24 hrs a day. �e park is too vital to our 

village to let drug dealers turn it into a place to 

set up shop. �e coverage we have is inadequate. 

7) Increase waterfront access and usage. It’s an 

amazing resource and is completely under-used. 

8) If improvements to Memorial Park are in 

our future, please make sure you move parking 

away from the edge of the water. It was 

extremely poor planning to block the view of 

the Hudson with parked cars. 

9) Hold people accountable for how their 

houses look from the street. Nobody needs to 

spend big money to fix up his or her home 

but it doesn’t cost anything to pick up trash 

from the front yard or borrow a lawnmower to 

cut the grass. Issue a few warnings and then 

follow up with a fine. 

10) Get things done quickly. Let’s cut down 

on bureaucratic delay. Start moving forward. 

—Lawrence Frers, Resident of Nyack 

The Nyack Villager 

welcomes letters on all 

subjects from our readers. 

The address to send your 

letter appears opposite 

the calendar on page 18. 



New Work by Glass Master 

Robert Pinart, internationally acclaimed glass 

artist and former Nyack resident was commissioned 

by St. Aeden’s Church in Pearl River 

to create a window, now installed and a delight 

to see. 

Mr. Pinart works with the Wilmark studio in 

Pearl River, where craftsmen cut and lead the 

glass. He supervises the project and adds 

painted details if his concept calls for them. 

His commissions and exhibitions reflect his 

world-class status. To date, Mr. Pinart has 

done more than a hundred major works in 

glass. A few of these are on permanent display 

at St. John’s (�e Church of the Presidents, 

across from the White House) and the Washington 

Cathedral, both in the nation’s capital. 

He has been part of important international 

exhibitions in Chartres and Nimes, France. 

Locally, two splendid Pinart windows may be 

seen at the New City Jewish Center. 

Born in Paris, Robert studied at the École Nationale 

Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and the 

École des Beaux-Arts and received his instruction 

in glass working on projects to restore 

medieval cathedral windows damaged or re- 

moved for safe keeping during World War II. 

With skill came the desire to use the medium 

of glass in new, creative ways but he soon discovered 

that, in tradition-bound Europe, little 

room to grow was afforded restless young 

artists, however talented. 

Robert arrived in the USA in 1951 and was 

hired to work on Christian liturgical projects. 

“In America in the 1950s,” he says, “stained 

continues on page 9 


Remember the days? 

by James F. Leiner 

Harrison-Dalley Fire 

Bessie Haring and Emily Ritchings 

bundled up against the cool, 

blustery winds of a fall day as 

they left for work in the bookkeeping 

department of Nyack’s 

largest department store. �ey 

had good jobs keeping the books 

and records at Harrison-Dalley; 

nothing exciting, but good jobs. �is Wednesday 

would be different. �e store attracted 

folks from all up and down the river. Many 

shoppers traveled by train or steamboat and 

the few automobiles in the village had no 

trouble finding a parking space near the distinctive 

Main Street store. 

Nyack’s bustling commercial center in 1915 

offered a variety of attractions. At the new 

Broadway �eater around the corner, Pauline 

Fredericks was starring in �e Eternal City, 

while the American Provision Company, at 

Main & Broadway, featured Nyack’s Best Sirloin 

Steak for 24¢ a pound. �e Nyack Garage, 

on lower Burd Street, featured Hudson Touring 

Cars at the bargain price of $1,350 and 

there was plenty of fine dining at any of the 

village’s dozen hotels. In the issue of �e 

Nyack Evening Star for Wed, Oct 13, 1915, 

Harrison-Dalley led the village merchants 

with a full page advertisement selling men’s 

Union Suits from $1.50 to $3.50 and women’s 

pure wool sweaters for only $5. 

�e records of Nyack’s volunteer fire companies 

From the Orangetown 

Supervisor 

by �om Kleiner 

Fiscal Responsibility 

As Orangetown Supervisor, I know that a fiscally 

strong County government is paramount 

for attracting investment and new jobs to our 

County, offering competitive incentives to 

compete in the global economy, and maintaining 

the character of our community and 

quality of life. 

Unfortunately, our county is moving in the 

wrong direction because of failed leadership 

from our County Executive. We have had our 

bond rating downgraded twice, our property 

taxes rise 10% this year and our County face a 

multi-million dollar deficit for the third year 

in a row. Now the County Executive is proposing 

a new tax on every person in Rockland 

County with a cell phone. 

�is new tax offers nothing but band-aid solutions 

for our County’s poor fiscal leadership. 

�e cell phone tax will add an additional sur- 


also recall the great store but their account is of 

one of the worst fires in village history. 

Shortly before noon, clerks were 

looking for something down in 

the cellar when they noticed 

smoke coming from a pile of 

crates containing excelsior, thin 

wood shavings used as packing 

material. �ey tried to put out 

the blaze, but fire quickly raced 

up the rear elevator shaft and 

spread to other floors. �e wide 

stairway at the center of the store 

acted like a chimney, allowing smoke and 

flames to spread throughout the building. On 

the second floor in the furniture section, fire 

kindled the wicker and wooden furniture in 

seconds, igniting rolls of carpeting, linoleum 

and oilcloth, causing heavy, black, oily smoke. 

Bessie and Emily were working in Accounting 

on the second floor when they heard shouts of 

FIRE! �ey wrapped the store’s books in their 

skirts and made their way to safety, struggling 

blindly through the acrid smoke. 

With employees trying in vain to fight the fire, 

there was delay in turning in the alarm. �e 

store was entirely engulfed in flames as firefighters 

pulled their trucks onto Main Street 

and started pouring water on the blaze. 

Fighting the fire was hampered by a strong 

northwest wind and as firemen opened windows 

and doors on the New Street side of the 

building to reach the conflagration, the wind 

gave an added push to the flames and fire broke 

through the front of the building. �e heat 

was so intense that paint on the fire engines 

blistered, as did store fronts across Main Street. 

charge to Rockland working families’ 

monthly bill, on top of the $.70 

E911 surcharge already assessed by 

the state. 

County Executive Vanderhoef 

claims the need for the new tax was 

based on the declining use of phone 

land lines. However, the County Finance 

Department reported that the 

County had been experiencing a revenue decline 

from the land line tax for the past three 

years. �is, coupled with the inaccurate revenue 

projections for the sales tax and mortgage 

tax, and increased personnel costs, 

created deficits that forced the County Executive 

to turn to our taxpayers to fill the gap. 

Simply stated, the County Executive was ignoring 

a glaring and growing budgetary problem 

for the past three years, and now he wants 

to tax families for his lack of proper planning. 

* 

Rockland working families cannot afford another 

tax increase to fix County Executive 

Vanderhoef’s mismanagement of our County’s 

budget. Our County cannot tax its way out 

of our fiscal mess. We need new leadership 

Dense black smoke rose from the fire, injuring 

a dozen firefighters. �e most seriously hurt 

were Everett McBrien and Henry Habermehl, 

who were overcome when the gas meter connections 

in the basement burned away and gas 

rushed into the cellar. Fireman dropped, one 

by one. �ey were carried up the block to 

Central Station where Department Fire Surgeon 

Dr. Charles Kline treated their injuries. 

Chief Fred Bittig feared that if Nyack fireman 

didn’t get help, the entire block would be engulfed 

so he summoned aid from surrounding 

communities. In what may have been the first 

full-fledged use of Mutual Aid in Rockland 

County, companies from New City, Pearl 

River, Spring Valley, Piermont, Sparkill and 

West Nyack joined in fighting the fire. At 

one time there were twenty streams of water 

directed on the blaze. So much water was 

poured on the fire that the cellar wall collapsed, 

flooding the stores towards the river. �e blaze 

was finally brought under control at about 6 

pm, but fireman remained, mopping-up, until 

well after midnight. 

�e destruction of Harrison-Dalley’s was a 

major blow to the community but ever resilient 

residents carried on and life in Nyack 

soon returned to normal. �anks to the 

heroics of Bessie Haring and Emily Ritchings 

in saving the store records and accounts, John 

Dalley, the store’s owner, rented several vacant 

buildings in the village and was open for business 

in less than a week. �e restored Main 

Street store was open for business by the 1916 

Christmas Season. 

The Nyack Villager thanks Jim Leiner for helping us 

all ‘Remember the Days.’ ✫ 

that will run our county efficiently 

and will aggressively recruit new 

business, investment and jobs to our 

County. 

In Orangetown we turned a troubled 

town government around, ending 

cronyism and hiring experts to 

rein in skyrocketing property taxes 

and restore Orangetown’s economy. 

We held the line on taxes, ensuring Orangetown 

residents pay the lowest or next-to-lowest 

taxes in the County for the past five years 

and we currently have the highest bond rating 

in our town’s history, saving our taxpayers 

money. 

If Rockland County is to be truly competitive 

in the global economy and keep taxes low, we 

need a fiscally responsible County government. 

Our residents deserve nothing less. 

Supervisor Kleiner welcomes questions and comments. 

Send to info@nyackvillager.com 

* 

[Editor’s Note—as we went to press, �e 

County Executive rescinded the proposed cell 

phone tax.]



GLASS MASTER continues from page 7 

glass design was very derivative and representational. 

I wished to work as an independent 

creative artist and needed freedom to express 

my concepts ” 

At about the time he struck out on his own, 

his imagination was liberated by the powerful 

abstract expressionism rocking the art world. 

Noted architects began giving him large, challenging 

commissions. Robert was on his way 

to using glass as it had never been used before, 

breaking new ground. 

Robert feels fortunate to have begun work in 

the 1950s, a time of experimentation. He is 

grateful to the artists and architects he worked 

with. He says, they were bold, innovative, talented 

and generous. 

Now living in Pearl River, he says, “I miss 

Nyack and the civilized pleasantness in the 

village—especially in the evening.” Nyack is, 

he says, almost like Europe. 

We Note With Sadness 

the untimely passing of John Algor, who served 

as village building inspector for fourteen years. 

Published reports say he collapsed and died at 

his New City home at 3am, Sept 23. He is 

survived by his wife and 5-year old daughter. 

He was only 44 years old. 

Everybody had praise for Mr. Algor. See Will 

Kiesel’s letter to the Editor (Praise for the Land 

Use Boards on page 6 in this issue). �e letter 

was written weeks before the news of Mr. Algor’s 

passing. John Cincotta, Nyack’s Village Treasurer 

said, “It's tragic, it's devastating. He was a 

great building inspector. He never got flustered. 

He knew his stuff.” 

As we write this, the cause of death is not 

known and funeral arrangements are not finalized. 

What is known is that John Algor will 

be missed. 


October Enjoyments 

Art & Entertainment 

HISTORY & COMMUNITY 

Friends’ Armchair Walking Tour 

�ese popular programs, now in their fourteenth 

year, features slide presentations on local history, 

culture and architecture, dedicated to the memory 

of John Scott, Rockland's great historian. 

�e programs are produced by Bob Goldberg. 

Nyack College, High on a Nyack Hill will be 

presented by a former president of Nyack College 

and Seminary, Dr. Rexford Boda. Founded 

in NY City in 1882 as the Missionary Training 

Institute, the school relocated to South Nyack in 

1897. Dr. Boda will describe the growth of Nyack 

College from its founding 127 years ago as a 

strictly religious institution that offered 1-year 

certificate programs, to its present stature in the 

academic world, offering programs leading to careers 

in education, business, ministry, community 

development and more. 

Nyack College lecture will be presented at Nyack 

Center Wed evening, Oct 7 at 7:30pm & repeated 

�urs afternoon—note new venue—Oct 8 at 2pm 

at Congers Lake Memorial Park, 6 Gilchrest 


Road, about 1.6 miles up Route 303 from the 

Valley Cottage Library, on the left. 

Piermont Historical Society 

All events at Piermont Station, 50 Ash Street, Piermont NY 

• Morse Code and the Railroad 

Lecture/demonstration by John Welch. 

Tues, Oct. 6 at 7pm. Admission $5pp 

• Show and Sale of photographs by Piermont resident 

Sally Savage. 

Sat & Sun Oct 10 & 11, noon—5pm. Free. 

• World War II and Rockland Artists Lecture by 

Mark Waller (PHS Salutes Rockland’s Veterans) 

Wed Oct 28 at 7pm Admission $5pp 

Rockland Historical 

• Annual Historical House Tour—Ramapo 

Ramble: A Trail of Historic Homes through Airmont, 

Chestnut Ridge and Montvale, Sat, Oct 3 from 

10am to 4pm. 

Tickets: $40 day of tour ticket sales. Day of tour 

tickets available at Camp Scuffy, 200 Cherry 

Lane, Airmont. Reservations are recommended; 

tour held rain or shine. All tour proceeds benefit 

Historical Society of Rockland County, which is 

committed to keeping history in Rockland alive. 

• Celebrate Halloween 

Children and adults get a Halloween treat when 

they attend All For Naut, with storyteller Colette 

Guibert as she portrays Naut Kaniff, the legendary 

Witch of West Nyack. 

Children and adults are encouraged to come in 

costume as Naut Kaniff comes back from the 

grave to tell you stories of those who never left 

the historical haunted places in Rockland. �e 

Hudson Valley is one of the most haunted places 

in America. 

Performances are on Sat, Oct 31, with shows at 

11:30am, 1 & 2:30pm at �e Historical Society 

of Rockland County, 20 Zukor Road in New City. 

Tickets are $5pp—children under 2 free. Reservations 

are recommended and refreshments will be 

served. For more info call 845-634-9629 or visit 

rocklandhistory.org 

Pumpkin Fair 

�is month, Piermont Reformed Church holds 

its annual Pumpkin Fair, featuring a hot dog 

lunch with homemade salads, homemade baked 

goods and donuts made on the spot, crafts, 

white elephants, pumpkins, mums and other fall 

plants. Pet owners are invited to a Blessing of 

the Animals at 11am. 

Sat, Oct 17, from 10am to 3pm, rain or shine 

Piermont Reformed Church, 361 Ferdon Avenue, 

Piermont, NY 

VISUAL ART 

Hopper House in October 

• Small Matters of Great Importance 

Among the most popular Hopper House annual 

events, this show celebrates work that suggests

import beyond size—each artwork being no more 

than 12 inches in either dimension. On exhibit 

are approximately 50 works, three by each of the 

selected artists. �is, the 16th annual Small 

Matters, will be on view through Oct 25. A closing 

event takes place Sun, Oct 25 at 3pm—a 

chance to meet the juror, Richard Kendall, Curator-at-Large 

of the Clark Art Institute and author 

of numerous art books. He will be present to discuss 

his selection process. All are welcome. 

• Call for Volunteers 

Hopper House has need of volunteers for weekend 

gallery sitting. Please call Hopper House if 

you are available any weekend between 1 & 5 pm. 

Volunteers are also needed to help with the �urs 

night drawing sessions. Contact Hopper House 

for details. 

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS 

• After School Art Workshop for grades 6—8. 

• Poetry and You 

• Open Figure Drawing Sessions resume 9/17. 

• Songwriters' Song Circle 

Info: Online at www.hopperhouse.org 

Edward Hopper House Art Center, 82 N. Broadway, 

Nyack. Gallery hours: �urs-Sun, 1 to 5 pm. 

Info (845) 358-077; e-mail info@hopperhouse.org 

Online at www.hopperhouse.org 

Piermont Gallery Celebrates History 

In honor of the 400th Anniversary of Henry 

Hudson’s first river trip, the 24 members of the 

artists’ cooperative Flywheel Gallery will display 

paintings, sculptures and photographs created for 

the occasion. �e show, entitled HR400, will be 

on view from Oct 8 thru Nov 15. 

All artists are free to interpret the theme in any 

way they like. “We decided not to give ourselves 

guidelines. We’re all looking forward to being 

surprised by the variety of each other’s work,” 

said member Susan Donnellan, a painter. �e 

artists will host a public reception on Oct 18, 

from 1 to 4 pm. A pop/classical music performance 

by La Dolce Ensemble will highlight the 

party. Refreshments will be served. 

GaGa Arts Center 

55 W. Railroad Ave, Garnerville, NY. (845) 947-7108 

Visit website at www.gagaartscenter.org Gallery hours: 

M-F: 4-8pm, Sat: 2-6pm; Sun: 12-4pm 

Garnerworld, an invitational exhibition celebrating 

the 75th Anniversary of �e Garnerville 

Holding Company. 

�e Garnerville Arts and Industrial Center is a 

pre-civil war mill complex with a vibrant history. 

�is exhibition is a celebration of the place and 

people who find inspiration in the myriad aspects 

of this special and unique site. 

In the past seventy-five years, Garnerville Holding 

Company has been a guardian and caretaker 

of this unusual and inspiring collection of 19th 

century industrial-era buildings with hidden alleyways 

and alcoves reminiscent of the setting of 

a Dickens novel. 

• Exhibition (free to the public) Fri, Oct 16 thru 

Sun, Nov 15, includes images, installations, 

paintings, sculptures and musical performances 

by some of the region’s finest artists. 

• GaGa Fundraiser & Preview ($75 pp admission) 

Fri, Oct 16 at 6pm. 

Directions & more info, call 845-947-7108, or 

e-mail gaga@garnervillearts.com 

Show of Collages at Flywheel 

A longtime advocate for civil rights, the right to 

vote, abortion rights, peace and justice, Cristina 

Biaggi of Palisades, NY creates compelling collages 

that artistically document her commitment to political, 

environmental and human rights issues. 

A selection of her collages will be on display during 

October in Piermont. 

In addition to her work in collage, Dr. Biaggi is a 

versatile sculptor in bronze and wood. Her work 

has been shown in the United States, Europe and 

Australia. She is also a scholar, lecturer, and writer/ 

editor on prehistoric cultures, the Great Goddess 

and patriarchy. 

Oct 8 thru 25 at Piermont Flywheel Gallery, 223 

Ash Street, Piermont, NY. Opening reception 

Sat, October 10, 4-6 pm; the public is invited. 

AIDS Memorial Quilt on Display 

�e largest display in over a decade of the AIDS 

Memorial Quilt will take place in October. 

�e Internationally-celebrated quilt, a 54-ton, 

handmade tapestry comprising 40,000 panels, 

continues on page page 12 


continued from page page 11 

includes the names of more than 91,000 people 

lost to AIDS—among them such notables as 

Arthur Ashe, Perry Ellis, Ricky Wilson, Ryan 

White, Pedro Zamora and local tri-state residents 

who died from HIV. 

At the Suffern Campus Field House, Rockland 

Community College, 145 College Rd, Suffern 

�urs, Oct 22, 3 to 9pm / Fri, Oct 23. 9am to 

9pm / Sat, Oct 24, 9am to 3pm 

PERFORMANCE ART 

First Friday Film Series 

• Sideways 

In this near-flawless film, two men approaching 

middle age, embark on a week-long road trip 

through California's wine country, just as one is 

about to take a trip down the aisle. �e performances 

of the four main characters (especially Paul 

Giamatti's) are pitch-perfect, as the film deftly 

navigates hope, sorrow, love, desire, anger and, of 

course, food and wine. Not to be missed. 

Free showing Fri, Oct 2 at 7:30pm at Piermont 

Library, 25 Flywheel Park West, Piermont. Info: 

(845) 359-4595. 

Rivertown Film Society 

NOTE—screenings in October will be held at 

Nyack Center, Broadway at Depew, Nyack. 

Tickets at the door $9 general admission, $7 for 

students, seniors & general members, $6 for student 

& senior members, 

Info: (845) 353-2568 or www.rivertownfilm.org 

7 

Sat, Oct 17 at 7:30pm at Nyack Center 

FOOD INC. 

Director: Robert Kenner 

USA, 2008, 94 min, documentary, rated PG (for 

thematic content and disturbing images). 

Food, Inc. lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, 

exposing the scary truth that our nation's 

food supply is controlled by a handful of corporations 

that often put profit ahead of consumer 

health, the livelihood of the American farmer, 

the safety of workers and our environment. 

After the film, stay for a panel discussion with 

Joan Gussow, of the Rockland Farm Alliance, 

and other local advocates and farmers. 

Tickets for Food, Inc. can be purchased online at 

rivertownfilm.org Be sure to get a seat by buying 

in advance. 

See it. Bring your kids if you have them. Bring 

someone else’s if you don’t. �e sheer scale of the 

movie is mind-blowing. It’s the documentary 

equivalent of �e Matrix.—David Edelstein, New 

York Magazine. 

Wed, Oct 28 at 7:30pm at Nyack Center 

THE BEACHES OF AGNES 

Director: Agnès Varda 

France, 2008, 110 min, documentary, unrated. 

A rich autobiography of the illustrious 81-yearold 

director, Ms. Varda’s images are playfully uninhibited, 

like the woman herself. Illuminating 

the fine art of foraging, she is seen picking through 


the world both close to home and far away. 

Filled with both comedy and heartbreak, the result 

is glorious. 

One job of memoir is to show the world through another's 

eyes and inspire you to live more alertly, and 

that is the glory of �e Beaches of Agnes.—David 

Edelstein, New York Magazine. 

Bill Irwin in “Bye Bye Birdie” 

Nyack Center has a limited number of tickets to 

a matinée performance of the Broadway classic 

musical, Bye Bye Birdie, starring Nyack’s own 

Tony Award-winning Bill Irwin. 

Sat, Oct 3 at 2 pm at Henry Miller's �eatre, 

124 W. 43rd Street, NYC. Rear mezzanine seats 

are available for $95 a ticket. Stick around after 

the show—we hope to meet with Nyack's favorite 

son, Bill Irwin, after the performance. 

Make your checks payable to Nyack Center; mail 

to Nyack Center, 58 Depew Avenue, Nyack, NY 

10960. Proceeds benefit Nyack Center Programs. 

For reservations call (845) 358-2600. 

MUSIC 

‘Cello Concert at RoCA 

On Sun, Oct 4, RoCA will host an afternoon 

with Rockland County's own Erik Friedlander, 

presenting his hauntingly beautiful project, Block 

Ice & Propane. �e New Yorker Magazine called 

Block Ice & Propane, his latest CD, a magnificent 

new solo album. 

Erik Friedlander’s Block Ice & Propane, Sunday, 

Oct 4, at 2pm. Tickets: $20 at the door / $15 for 

members at Rockland Center for the Arts, 27 

South Greenbush RD,West Nyack, NY 10994 

Info: 358 0877 or www.rocklandartcenter.org 

Soirée Society 

Carnegie Room Concerts at Nyack Library, 59 S. Broadway, 

Nyack. 

• Sat, Oct 3 at 7pm 

Pianist Andy Feldbau performs works by Beethoven, 

Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, & Gershwin. 

• Sat, October 10 at 7 pm 

Pianist �eresa Kim plays works by Bach, Shostakovich, 

Prokofiev, Debussy and Ravel. 

• Sat, Oct 17 at 7 pm 

Soirée Musicale: Pianist Matthew Cameron presents 

a special all-Chopin recital in memory of the composer. 

Tickets $25. 


Rui (Rae) Shi plays plays Haydn, Schubert, Ravel, 

and Scriabin. 


Pianist Kimball Gallagher performs Liszt, Franck, 

Ravel, Prokofiev, and Saint-Saens /Liszt/Horowitz. 

Tickets unless otherwise noted: $20/$17 Senior/ 

$12 Young Adult/ $10 Child. 

Info: (845) 608-3593. www.carnegieroom.org 

Live Jazz in October 

Every Wednesday night from 6pm— 

Jazz performed by bassist Bill Crow, 

who has been featured with Gerry 

Mulligan, Benny Goodman, Stan Getz & Mar- 

ian McPartland. He is the author of From Birdland 

to Broadway, and Jazz Anecdotes, Second 

Time Around, a compilation of his jazz memories 

throughout the years. 

On keyboards is Hiroshi Yamazaki, a composer 

and arranger who has played throughout the world 

with many notable jazz artists. His New York 

gigs include dates at �e Village Gate, Birdland 

& �e Bluenote. Hiroshi is on the faculty at the 

Music Conservatory of Westchester. 

Vocalist Glenda Davenport has played with Bill 

& Hiroshi and other jazz greats. She recently released 

her debut CD, Sophisticated Lady. 

Red Hat Bistro, 1 Bridge Street, Irvington on 

Hudson, NY info: (914) 591-3888 

Every Saturday night at 8pm— 

New York's Finest Latin Nightclub— 

�e West Gate Lounge. Reservations 

recommended. Dates in October 2009 include 

Sat Oct 3 Orchestra Broadway 

Sat Oct 10 Julito Alvarado Del Sur Al Norte 

Sat Oct 17 Jimmy Sebater Jr Orchestra 

Sat Oct 24 Miles Pena 

Sat Oct 31 Mambo Lebron & Halloween Party 

NOTE—Call for info about Salsa dance lessons. 

845/358-8100. 

Best Western Inn, 26 Route 59, Nyack, NY 

(845) 358-8100. 

Sat, Oct 10, 6pm to 7:30pm— 

• CD Release Night, Roni Ben-Hur, guitar, 

Santi Debriano, bass, Billy Hart, drums. 

• Sat, Oct 24, 6 to 7:30pm 

Downbeat Critics Poll Winner, Dave Stryker guitar, 

Bill Moring, bass; Tim Horner, drums, John 

Richmond, saxophone. 

Turning Point 468 Piermont Ave, Piermont 

$20 music charge no min; info (845) 359-1089 

• �urs, Oct 8 at 8pm & midnight— 

Rockland Jazz & Blues Society Jam 

with John Richmond. 

• �urs, Oct 18 at 7pm 

Nineteen-piece Big Band 

• �urs, Oct 22 at 8pm 

Rockland Jazz & Blues Society Jam with John 

Richmond. 

Olive’s, 118 Main Street, Nyack. 358-3120 

MoveSing&Play Classes 

• Sukey Molloy will conduct her popular classes 

for tots at the JCC of West Nyack �ursdays Oct 

8 thru Dec 17 for ages 4 mos to 5 yrs. Registration 

is ongoing. Call Susan Wasser, Parenting 

Asst. at (845) 362-4400 ext 102 or e-mail 

susanw@jccrockland.org Classes meet at 450 

West Nyack Rd, West. Nyack, NY. 

•Sukey's Sunday Morning Circle for Tots Classes 

for ages 18mos to 5 yrs will be held at Rockland 

Conservatory on Oct. 11, 18, 25, Nov. 8 and 22. 

Register online at www.rocklandconservatory.org 

or by phone at (845) 356-1522. Classes meet at 

7 Perlman Drive, Spring Valley, NY (above Educations 

Warehouse). 

• Sukey Molloy will be at Valley Cottage Library 

one day only—Fri Oct 16—to conduct her class 

for kids under 3 years of age with parent. Group

size is limited. Registration is required one week 

prior to the program. Call library for details. 

(845) 268-7700. 

Nyack College Concert 

�e Amasi Trio, Nyack College’s resident trio 

featuring Dr. Tammy Lum, piano, Dr. Chungsun 

Kim, cello & Prof. Sungrai Sohn, violin, will perform 

Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, 

Op. 49, in a celebration of the composer’s bicentennial. 

Free Admission 

Wed, Oct 7 at 12pm at Pardington Hall, 45 

South Blvd, Nyack, NY. 

Dance Dance Dance 

for VCS Gay Pride Rockland 

Everyone welcome! Fri, Oct 16, 7:30 to 11 pm 

$15 in advance (Call 845 634-5729) $20 at door 

$10 students and seniors. Free snacks, cash bar 

At Nyack Center, S. Broadway & Depew Ave, 

Nyack, NY 10960. 

AT THE LIBRARIES 

Nyack Library 

59 S. Broadway, Nyack. Info & reg: 

(845) 358-3370, ex 14 or e-mail 

reference@nyacklibrary.org 

• How to Search Images from Nyack Library's Local 

History Collection. 

Tues, 10/6, 7pm; repeated Mon 10/12, 2pm 

• Genealogical Research in Rockland County 

Tips on researching family history in Rockland. 

Tues, 10/20, 11am 

• Patroons and Plowmen, Pietism and Politics 

Illustrated slide lecture; Firth Haring Fabend presents 

an overview of the Dutch people who settled 

the Hudson Valley in the 17th & 18th centuries. 

�urs, 10/22, 7pm 

FOR TEENS 

• Teen Media SWAP MEET 

Bring in your gently used books, CDs, DVDs, and 

video game disks, and swap them with other kids. 

Wed, 10/7, 4pm 

• Map Another World 

Bring your favorite fantasy or sci-fi novel, then 

draw a map of the setting. Using your imagination 

and our materials, produce a drawing of the 

world of your novel. We’ll have a show at the end 

of the program—maybe you’ll find yourself pulled 

into someone else’s world! 

Wed, 10/21, 4pm 

Piermont Public Library 

25 Flywheel Park West, Piermont, NY. (845) 359-4595. 

Hours: Mon—�urs, 10am-8pm; Fri, 12-5, Sat, 12-4. 

www.piermontlibrary.org 

• Toddler Storytime with Agnes Caniza. Toddlers 

and their adults welcome. Mondays at 11am. 

• In the Gallery—Birds: Field Sketches & Drawings 

by Francois Vuilleumier. Original works by a leading 

ornithologist. See program below. 

• Piermont: Friends and Neighbors7 

�e new series continues in October with François 

Vuilleumier, Curator Emeritus and former Chairman 

of the Department of Ornithology at the 

American Museum of Natural History and Editor- 

in-chief of Birds of North America. Mr. Vuilleumier 

will present a talk on Bird Studies from Piermont to 

Patagonia, illustrated with slides, field sketches, 

drawings of birds, bird specimens from the collection 

of the museum. He will also have copies of 

the new book for signing and purchase. �is book 

has been praised as "the definitive guide to every 

North American bird species” with appeal to serious 

bird watchers, as well as backyard birders. 

Sun, Oct 18, at 2pm. 

• Annual Pumpkin Painting Party ages 6-12 

By reservation only; call 359-4595 to reserve. All 

materials provided. 

Wed, Oct 28, at 4:30pm 

• Book Talk With Catherine Whitney 

In her new book Soldiers Once, Grandview resident 

Whitney tells the moving story of her brother, a 

decorated veteran of the Vietnam War and lifelong 

soldier, who ended his days in poverty and isolation, 

with little support from the country he served. 

She will talk about problems facing American war 

vets and the efforts to help them. �ere will be a 

Q&A after the presentation. Books will be available, 

refreshments will be served. 

Sun, Oct 25, at 2pm 

• Book Sale 

Friends of the Library maintain an ongoing used 

book sale in our lobby. Look for a book cart just 

inside the front door. 

Valley Cottage Library 

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

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

• In the Gallery—Oct 1-28 

Watercolors by June Sundvik. Reception Sun, 

10/4 from 1 to 3pm. 

• Why She Plays: �e World of Women's Basketball 

by Christine Baker. Insight into America’s sports 

culture. Books available for purchase and signing. 

For adults and ‘teens. Please register. 

Sat, Oct 5 at 7pm 

• In honor of Edgar Allan Poe's 200th Birthday Discussion 

Poe’s tales, led by Dr. Vara Neverow. Books 

available at Circulation. Please register. 

Tues, Oct. 8 at 7pm 

• How to Slice an Onion: Cooking Basics & Beyond 

Bunny Crumpacker's new book of tips, techniques, 

recipes, food facts, and folklore—a guide for both 

experienced cooks and beginners. Don’t miss 

Bunny, a longtime Valley Cottage resident, when 

she visits the library to talk about her book and 

share some goodies made from its recipes. Registration 

is necessary. 

�urs, Oct. 10 at 2pm 

• Gardening for Winter Interest 

Have coffee with a Master Gardener from the Cornell 

Cooperative Extension and be inspired. Using 

low maintenance plants, trees, and shrubs, design 

a garden for long-lasting color through cold winter 

months. Please register. 

�urs, Oct. 17 at 10:30am 

• Valley Cottage Library's 50th Anniversary Tribute 

View a fun film created to celebrate our golden anniversary 

with a star-studded cast featuring your 

friends and neighbors. Refreshments will be 

served. Please register. 

Sun, Oct. 20 at 7pm 

concludes on page page 14 


continued from page page 13 

Valley Cottage Library (cont’d) 

• Understanding Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) 

For parents of children of all ages: does your child 

react strongly to noise, touch, movement sight or 

sounds? Does he/she seem clumsy, act impulsively 

or lack self control? Learn strategies to help 

your child manage sensory challenges. Presented 

by Tammy Belcher, MS, OTR/L. Please register. 

Sun, Oct 27 at 7pm 

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 

pal@rcls.org 

• Halloween Preschool Parade (ages 2½ to 4) 

Come in costume and hear a spooky tale. Play 

games and create a silly monster treat bag. Registration 

required. 

Tues, Oct 20, 4:30 pm 

• Peculiar Pumpkin People (ages 5+) 

Hear some pumpkin tales and create a pumpkin 

person from a real pumpkin with paint and other 

trimmings. Registration required. 

Wed, Oct 21, 4:30 pm 

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. 

• Unveiling: Hudson Valley Mural 

Twenty-one Rockland students created low-relief 

tiles that depict scenes, architecture and botany 

found in the Hudson Valley. �is celebration of 

history, in honor of the Hudson Fulton Champlain 

Quadricentennial, will become a permanent 

exhibit in the library. 

Sat, Oct 3, 1:30pm 

• Hauntings 

Linda Zimmermann offers her annual update of 

ghostly do-ins’ 

Wed, Oct 21, 7:30pm 

• Guitar and a Touch of Jazz 

Kevin Hubbard plays a unique blend of classical 

guitar composition along with jazz standards and a 

hint of blues. 

Sun, Oct 25, 2pm 

• Alex Sanchez 

‘Teen author Sanchez's works include Rainbow 

Boys, Getting It, So Hard to Say and his newest 

title, Bait. Signed books will be available for purchase. 

Tues, Oct 27, 7pm 

• Children's Halloween Crafts 

Drop in for fun, spooky crafts for the whole family. 

Sat, Oct 31, 1 to 3pm ✫ 

Autumn 

is a second 

spring 

when every leaf 

is a flower. 

—Albert Camus 


NEW KIDS 

ON THE BLOCK 

Nyack-born Alexandra Lopukhin, a certified 

chef, has owned and operated DISH Catering 

for six years. She recently opened a storefront 

deli, on Route 9W, next to Nyack High School 

where she serves big, tasty sandwiches to go, a 

full compliment of high quality deli cold cuts, 

and much more. Alex calls it a “Deli with a 

difference.” Her husband, Mark Arduino, is 

her partner and grill master, who barbecues 

every day using their own spices and sauces. 

Veggie lovers are not left out; the menu brims 

with a rotation of seasonal salads, and healthy, 

flavorful specials, such as homemade falalfal. 

Other menu items include homemade soups, 

and amazing 4-cheese mac & cheese, among 

many other stellar comfort foods. 

She buys from local sources whenever she can. 

Bread is delivered fresh daily from Arthur Avenue 

in the Bronx. She gets Plowshares Coffee 

from a local “micro-roastery” in Suffern, 

run by Anthony Kurutz, who buys coffee beans 

directly from Fair Trade sources in Africa. 

Alex is most excited about DISH dinners, a 

delivery service that is a healthy, reasonably 

priced alternative to fast food. You can phone 

in your order, or order and pay on line, selecting 

items from their daily menu. �ey also 

have a children’s menu, and a weekly entrée 

featuring locally grown and/or organic products. 

Alex continues to expand her customized 

catering service, any style any cuisine. 

DISH Deli is Alex’ dream come true. She is 

ecstatic to have her own space. She had previously 

been subletting at Gracie’s Ravioli and 

says she owes Mike Angarola a debt of gratitude. 

According to Alex, if it hadn’t been for 

Mike, she wouldn’t be where she is today. 

DISH DELI 

366 Route 9W, Upper Nyack, NY 10960 

(845) 358-0821 

(845) 358-6804 (fax) 

Hours: M—F 6am to 7pm; Sat 7 to 3pm. 

Closed Sunday. 

Housekeeping With the Experts 

Unlike many young people, Dr. Han Hong 

had a goal from an early age. He first became 

interested in dentistry while still in High School. 

His Bible study teacher served as his mentor 

by interesting him in volunteering at her dental 

office during the Summer. Intrigued, he felt 

from the start that dentistry was the right profession 

for him. 

Growing up in Brooklyn and Staten Island, he 

attended SUNY Binghamton and then SUNY 

Dental School at Stony Brook, graduating in 

2003. Never wavering from his goal, he did 

his residency at Staten Island University Hospital 

and then worked at a large multi-doctor 

office in Staten Island until 2008, when he 

opened his own dental office in West Nyack. 

Dr. Hong and his wife chose Rockland County 

to get away from city life, and felt it would be 

a good place to start a family some day. He 

had the vision of opening a practice with more 

personalized care than was offered at the multidoctor 

office. �ere a patient might see one 

doctor one visit and another doctor the next. 

After some searching, he found the West Nyack 

office complex, which met his qualifications. 

Dr. Hong settled there, in an office fitted with 

all the modern technology. He named it TLC 

Dental of Rockland, a general family practice 

serving all ages. 

After one year he is sure he made the right 

choice. As his office never overbooks, his patients 

rarely wait more then ten minutes. 

Each gets the time needed. Dr, Hong provides 

a caring environment, building trust. He 

prides himself in living up to the name TLC 

(short for tender, loving care). 

What he finds most gratifying about being a 

dentist is that he can give people immediate 

relief, especially when they are in pain. 

TLC DENTaL OF ROCKLaND 

2 Crosfield. Ave, Suite 418 

visit www.tlcsmile.com 

or call (845) 358-3305 

Toilet Bowl Ring Removal �e earlier you attack this problem, the easier it 

will be to remove the ring. A thorough cleaning with a commercial acid-based bowl 

cleaner may do the trick. If the bowl cleaner doesn't work, try using a green, 

nylon-backed scrub sponge along with the acid. For an old ring, use a pumice 

stone. Wet the stone with the water in the bowl and rub it on the ring. Keep the 

stone wet the entire time you're scrubbing. Pumice stones should only be used on vitreous china 

toilets—never on colored, enamel or plastic fixtures. Once you've gotten rid of a ring, weekly cleanings 

should keep it from coming back. ✫ —�anks to Ed Roth, of Merry Maids (845) 634-9000.

y 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 the month of August. 

• THE HOmES LISTED BELOW WERE SOLD By a VaRIETy OF BROKERS PROuDLy SERVING THE RIVER VILLaGES. 

Ranch 

Colonial 

Colonial 

Colonial 

Colonial 

Condo 

Colonial 

Colonial 

Co-op 

Ranch 

Two Story 

They got what?! 

STYLE LOCATION ADDRESS BEDROOMS BATHS LIST PRICE SALE PRICE 

U. Nyack 

C. Nyack 

C. Nyack 

Nyack 





S. Nyack 

Piermont 

Palisades 

414 N Midland Ave 

26 W Broadway 

9 Dickinson Ave 

6 Central Ave 

263 N Midland Ave 

6 Burd St #1405 

100 N Franklin 

38 Tallman Pl 

2 Salisbury Pt #6E 

241 Piermont Ave 

40 Lawrence Ln 

$ 579,000 

157,500 

379,000 

414,900 

450,000 

459,000 

499,000 

849,999 

315,000 

499,000 

2,900,000 

$ 550,000 

150,000 

356,000 

395,000 

450,000 

437,500 

450,000 

800,000 

300,000 

379,000 

2,700,000 

Summary Source: GHVMLS YTD Comparison Report 

July 2009 vs. July 2008 YTD - Single Family Homes 

New inventory (the number of homes going on the market) decreased 9.4% (155 YTD 2009 vs. 171 YTD 2008). 

�ere was a 46% decrease in the number of sales (28 YTD 2009 vs. 52 YTD 2008). �e average sales price of 

homes that have sold decreased 15% to $586,888. Overall, the average sales price for single family homes that sold 

in Rockland County (inclusive of the river villages) was $441,116, down 15% over the same period last year. 

July 2009 vs. July 2008 YTD - Condos 

New inventory (the number of condos going on the market) decreased 16% (69 YTD 2009 vs. 82 YTD 2008). 

�e number of sales decreased 4% (24 YTD 2009 vs. 25 YTD 2008). �e average sales price of condos that sold 

increased 7.4% to $473,750. Overall, the average sales price for condos sold in Rockland County (inclusive of the 

river villages) was $285,084, down 2% over the same period last year. ✫ 

COMMUNITY NOTES 

Tell �e Nyack Villager and we’ll tell the world 

NYACK’S HALLOWEEN PARADE 

�e largest Halloween Parade next to the one in 

Greenwich Village, Nyack’s celebration will be on 

Saturday, October 31—Halloween Night. 

Nyack’s Halloween Parade steps off at 4:30pm in 

Memorial Park, Upper Level on Sat, Oct 31. For 

registration, route or rain date, call (845) 353-2221. 

Sponsored by Chamber of Commerce of the Nyacks. 

DEBATE FOR COUNTY EXECUTIVE 

Republican incumbent County Executive C. Scott 

Vanderhoef and Democratic challenger, Orangetown 

Supervisor, �om Kleiner, debate the future 

of Rockland County: water resources, land use 

policies, building and zoning regulations, flooding, 

transportation, energy use, jobs and taxes. 

At 8pm, �urs, Oct 8. Doors open at 7:30pm. 

Clarkstown Town Hall, 10 Maple Avenue, 

New City, NY. Info: (845) 429-2020. 

COMMUNITY TAG SALE 

�e Central Nyack Civic Association’s community 

tag sale will be held Sun, October 11 from 9 to 2 

at the Central Nyack Community Center, 58 Waldron 

Avenue, Central Nyack. Vendor spaces are 

available for $25; donations of gently used items 

are welcome. Call Cheryl at 353-6913. 

3 

3 

3 

2 

4 

2 

3 

5 

2 

4 

3 

2.1 

1 

2 

1 

2 

2.1 

1.1 

4.2 

2 

2 

2.1 

FARMERS’ MARKETS IN OCTOBER 

• PIERMONT FARMERS’ MARKET: Sun 

9:30am- 3pm in the M&T Bank Parking Lot, Ash 

Street & Piermont Ave. Rain or shine. 

• NYACK FARMERS’ MARKET: �urs 8am- 

2pm in the Main Street Parking Lot at Riverspace. 

Rain or shine. 

SOUP ANGELS 

�e Soup Angels are planning a large sit-down 

turkey dinner with all the trimmings for the day 

before �anksgiving, Wed, Nov 25 and Christmas 

dinner on Wed, Dec 23rd. �e Soup Angels serve 

meals to the hungry every Wednesday, year ‘round. 

If you can volunteer to help out, drop an e-mail to 

soupangels@gmail.com Financial contributions 

are needed. Mail checks to Soup Angels, c/o First 

Reformed Church, Box 565, Nyack, NY 10960. 

WEIGHT WATCHERS FINDS A HOME 

�e Weight Watchers group moves to a new meeting 

location—St. Ann’s School, Jefferson St, Nyack. 

A new series of meetings starts 10/5 cost: $144 

with a 3-payment plan available. Info, (845) 558- 

9497 or e-mail: Wizzardswife@aol.com 

CALLING ALL WORK-FROM-HOMERS 

�e Nyack Home-Based Business lunch is a 



To the �eatre 

with Holly Caster 

a Little Night music 

It’s coming! �e first Broadway revival 

of my favorite musical, A Little 

Night Music by Stephen Sondheim 

and Hugh Wheeler. 

ALNM arrived on Broadway in 1973. My sister 

took me to see it. I was 11 and have been 

a lifelong fan. Based on Ingmar Bergman’s 

film Smiles of a Summer 

Night, the show won 

Tonys for Best Musical, 

Book, and Score, and 

what a score it is! Lush, 

romantic, gorgeous, with 

some of Sondheim’s 

most brilliant pieces. 

(Send in the Clowns is 

the best known song, 

but for me it ONLY 

works in the context of 

the show.) 

ALNM is about adults 

with messy lives: a middle-aged 

lawyer married to an 18-year-old virgin; 

a past-her-prime actress touring in shows 

while missing her daughter and “carrying on 

with someone else’s dim-witted husband,” a 

smart Countess hating every minute of her 

boring, privileged life while desperately in love 

with her cheating husband. And the play is 

funny, clever, heart-breaking. 

I’ve seen many actresses play Desirée, the ac- 


tress looking for meaning in her life: 

the original Glynis Johns, Jean Simmons, 

Dorothy Tutin, Elizabeth Taylor 

(in the terrible movie), Sally Anne 

Howe, Juliet Stevenson, Blair Brown, 

and Penny Fuller. �e revival stars 

Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Angela 

Lansbury as her mother. Yes, this will 

be a hard show to get tickets for. 

I’m excited about the revival, a transfer from England, 

but with reservations. �e orchestra, originally 

at least 20 instruments, will now be scaled 

down to what one London 

reviewer called a “tiny 

band.” Over the past 35+ 

years, I have seen small 

productions that make a 

five-piece orchestra work, 

but this is a Broadway revival. 

I don’t want to hear 

this score, which I consider 

one of the top five of 

the 20th Century, played 

by a “tiny band” on 

Broadway. However, 

being an ALNM addict, I 

will go see it. 

AND: if you read my column about Brief Encounter 

and were intrigued by the British stage 

version, good news! It’s coming to the US in 

December. See stannswarehouse.org for info 

and tickets. 

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. ✫ 

Bittersweet October, the mellow, messy, leafkicking, 

perfect pause between the opposing 

miseries of summer and winter. 

—Carol Bishop Hipps 

COMMUNITY NOTES cont’d from pg 15 

monthly get-together of people who all work from 

home, dedicated to the proposition that we should 

all get out of the house at least once a month at a 

Nyack restaurant to interact with nice people and 

enjoy interesting conversation and fellowship—so 

we don’t feel so isolated! If you would like to join 

us for our next lunch, please contact Jan Cohen at 

(845) 353-6805. 

CONGRATULATIONS & HAPPY BIRTH- 

DAY TO ORANGETOWN NO. 1 

Just as members of Orangetown Fire Engine Co. 

No. 1 on Depot Place prepare to celebrate their 

175th anniversary, they have another reason to rejoice—they’ve 

won the best overall unit award in 

the Rockland County Firemen’s Assoc Annual Parade. 

Orangetown No. 1, one of the Nyack Fire 

Department’s eight companies, marched Saturday 

in the parade hosted by the Tallman Fire Dept. 

which celebrates its 100th anniversary this Fall. 

�e Nyack unit had one of the biggest turnouts 

for the parade, which stretched from Airmont Rd. 

to the Tallman firehouse on Rte 59, Ramapo. 

�e Orangetown No. 1 marchers were joined by 

members of other NFD companies. Orangetown 

members were hoping for a good showing in the 

county parade as a prelude to their own upcoming 

anniversary celebration. 

175TH ANNIVERSARY PARADE 

�e all-volunteer Orangetown Fire Co. No. 1 of 

South Nyack, holds its 175th Anniversary Parade 

on Sat, Oct 3 at 2pm in Nyack. It would be good 

if we were there to cheer the brave volunteers and 

let them know we appreciate them. 

MONSTER MASH 

Nyack Center hosts the 3rd annual Monster Mash 

to follow the Halloween Parade (October 31st) to 

give families a great and ghoulish place to eat up, 

boogie and take part in spooky activities. Children’s 

performer, Dana Banana, performs. 

AT GREEN MEADOW SCHOOL 

Info & registration (845) 356-2514, ex 301. 

307 Hungry Hollow Road, Chestnut Ridge, NY 

Free admission & parking. 

• Saturday Story Hour (to age 7 & parents) 

Sat, Oct 10 at 10:30 to 11:30am in the Lower 

School Library. Info: (845) 356-2514, ex 301. 

• Fall Fair 

Info: 356-2514, x311.

Sat, Oct 17, 10am to 5pm 

• Walk through the Grades 

Observe classes and learn about Waldorf education. 

Tues, Oct 20 from 9 to 11am 

• Tea and Play 

Parents have tea while children explore classrooms. 

Wednesdays, Oct 21 & 28 from 1 to 2pm 

• Introduction to Green Meadow Waldorf School 

A short film, a Q&A and a campus tour. 

Fri, Oct 23, at 9am in the Lower School library. 

ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLE SALE 

Great stuff for sale benefits Orangetown Museum. 

Oct 10, from 10am to 4pm. 196 Blaisdell Rd, 

Orangeburg NY. Info call (845) 398-1302 

Visit www.orangetownmuseum.com 

US HEALHCARE & HOW TO FIX IT 

A film, Money-Driven Medicine, What's Wrong with 

America's Healhcare & How to Fix It, will be shown 

at FOR in Nyack. A discussion follows the film. 

See http://moneydrivenmedicine.org/ or call 845- 

358-4601, ext. 32 

October 18 at 2pm at FOR (Fellowship of Reconciliation), 

521 No. Broadway, Nyack. 

AT BIRCHWOOD CENTER 

85 South Broadway, Nyack, NY. For info: (845) 

358-6409 or info@birchwoodcenter.com 

• Merging Movement & Meditation Workshop 

Fridays Oct 2 & 23, 6-8pm. Per workshop: $25 

Betsy Ceva guides you through creative yoga asana 

practice. Open to all levels. 

• Move & Groove Together 

Sat Oct 3 at 4:30-6:15pm. Fee: $25 

Join Nicole Barbato in this level II Vinyasa Yoga 

class inspired by live drumming with guests Mayra 

Casales, Latin percussionist extraordinaire, and 

Roz Zevola. 

• A Tribute to Women of Soul 

Sat, Oct 24, at 7:30-9pm Free. 

7 

Daughter of Stax Records legend Rufus �omas 

and sister of soul sensation Carla �omas, Vaneese 

�omas, sings songs from her new CD, shares stories 

about the beginnings of Rhythm and Blues 

and illuminates the lives of some important female 

pioneers. Light refreshments; everyone is invited. 

BREAST CANCER PREVENTION NEWS 

Birchwood Center will host a free educational program 

Advances in Breast Cancer Diagnoses and 

Treatments on Mon, Oct 5 at 7:15pm. Presented 

by Patricia Joseph, MD, Director, Breast & 

Women’s Health Prevention Services at Nyack 

Hospital, this program will educate attendees 

about the latest medical advancements in the diagnoses 

and treatments of breast cancer. 

Program held at Birchwood Center, 85 S. Broadway, 

Nyack. To register, call Mary Lichtman, at 

Nyack Hospital at (845) 348-2771. 

ASSOC OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN 

Call Ann Brennan at 535-3331 if you plan to come. 

• �urs Oct 1 at 7pm: book discussion at Barnes 

and Noble in Nanuet. Book: Team of Rivals: �e 

Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris 

Kearns Goodwin. 

• �urs Oct 1 at 7pm: Great Decisions at the New 

City Library. Topic: Global food crisis. 

• Tues, Oct 20, branch meeting at 7pm at the New 

City Library, Topic: No Woman Left Behind: How 

to Become Tech Savvy. 

• Wed, Oct 21, Book Group will discuss �e 

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by 

Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows at 4pm at 

the New City Library. 

FREE FALL DISCOUNT CARD 

Good for discounts at 17 Downtown Nyack 

Restaurants! Restaurant Row Rockland is a collaboration 

of 17 of Downtown Nyack's most distinctive 

eating places—all on a 4-block stretch of 

downtown Nyack. Enjoy cuisine from all over the 

world, sample the styles of five-star, Zagat-rated 

dining in your own backyard. Downtown Nyack 

is the destination for food, music, theater, shopping, 

art and family fun. 

More info: www.RestaurantRowRockland.com 

SOLES 4 SOULS 

P. Ross announces her 4th bi-annual shoe drive— 

the international footwear charity that delivers 

shoes to needy people around the world. During 

the shoe drive (Oct 14 thru 21), the classy shoe 

boutique on Main Street will offer a 15% discount 

on one new Fall item to every customer who can 

help by donating a gently-worn pair of shoes. 

P. Ross, 89 Main Street Nyack. For more info, 

contact Paulette, the owner, at (845) 348-1767. 

CHRISTIAN WOMEN'S CLUB 

�e Rockland County Christian Women's Club 




Birthstone: 

GARNET 

symbol of 

constancy 

k 

October 2009 

Flower: 

e 

WHITE 

CARNATION 

symbol of 

pure love 

SUN MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT 

1 2 3 

CALENDAR ABBREVIATIONS 

N=Nyack SN=S Nyack P=Piermont PB=Planning Board 

ZBA=Zoning Board of Appeals ARB=Architectural Review 

Board 

Nyack Justice 

Ct 9:30 a 

Orangetown 

FIRE CO 1 

parade 2pm 

page 16 

Historical 

House Tour 

page 10 

full moon 4 S 5 6 7 8 9 10 

R 

last 

11 quarter 12 13 14 15 16 17 

Art & Antiques 

Street Fair 

10-5 

Community 

Tag Sale 

page 15 

Village Halls 

are closed for 

Columbus 

Day 


Court 5 p 

new moon 18 D 19 20 21 22 23 24 

BIRDS 

at Piermont 

Library 

page 13 

7 

Nyack Housing 

Auth 

meets 3p 


Court 5 p 

first 

25 26 R quarter 27 28 

closing event 

for 

Small Matters 

show at 

Hopper House 

page 11 

Nyack PB 

meets 7:30p 

Nyack ZBA 

meets 7:30 p 

�e Americans will always do the right thing ... After they've 

exhausted all the alternatives. Winston Churchill 1874-1965 


Ct 5p 

No court in 


ARMCHAIR 

WALKING 

TOUR 

page 10 

every wed 

from 6pm 

BILL CROW 

at Red Hat 

see page 12 

Nyack ARB 

meets 7:30 p 

Parks Comission 

meets 7p 


Ct 9:30 a 

Nyack Water 

Bd 4:30 p 

Nyack Village 

Board meets 

7:30 p 


Court 9:30 a 


Court 9:30 a 

Nyack Village 

Board meets 

7:30 p 

GaGa 

Show 

in 

Garnerville 

page 11 

29 30 31 


Court 9:30 a 

MUSEUM 

Antiques and 

Collectibles 

Sale 

page 15 

pumpkin 

fair 

page 10 

FILM: 

FOOD INC 

at Nyack 

Center 

see page 12 

HALLOWEEN 

PARADE 

page 15 

7 

7 

tribute to 

women of soul 

BIRCHWOOD 

FREE 

see page 17

TheNyack 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 JAN HABER 

Contributing Editor SHEL HABER 

Correspondent FRANK LoBUONO 

Publishers JAN & SHEL HABER 

Community advisor FRANCES PRATT 

Office Manager JOYCE BRESSLER 

exchange numbers 845 

unless otherwise noted 

Columnists • PETER SEGALL DVM • JEROME GREENBERG DC 

• RIC PANTALE • DUNCAN LEE, ESQ • JON FELDMAN • JIM LEINER 

• THOM KLEINER • DONNA COX • JANET BROOKS CNM, MPH 

• DAN SHAW, LCSW • VIVIANE BAUQUET FARRE • TIM BARTZ 

• HOLLY CASTER •DOROTHY GOREN Ed.D • NAN GUNDERSEN 

• GEORGE MANIERE • MICHAEL HOUGHTON 

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, Lanie Lou’s Café in Blauvelt, Orangetown 

Town Hall, Rockland Center for the Arts. 

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 $112. 

And, if you want us to, we’ll 

design your first ad for 

you—at no extra cost. 

Call (845) 735 -7639 



Grab Bag 

by Jan Haber 

For years we’ve been wondering 

about the origin of some of these 

odd words. Finally got around to 

setting the Word Hound on their 

trail. 

CaHOOTS Being in cahoots implies 

a questionable or nefarious association. 

John Bartlett, the quotations 

man, connects it with cohort. 

Other sources say, as it was first used in the Southern 

US in the 1820s, it derived from Louisiana 

French cahute or cabin, suggesting the kind of 

close relationship or common purpose implied 

by shared living space. 

PERSNICKETy is defined as overly particular 

or fussy. Roget, of thesaurus fame, calls it an 

American colloquialism that first appeared in 

the US in 1900. He says to avoid it in formal 

speech or writing. 

Other authorities argue that it isn’t American 

at all. According to them, The Oxford English 

Dictionary among them, persnickety appeared 

around 1800 as a mutation of a Scots word, 

pernicky, also meaning fussy. �e OED adds 

that pernicky is now obsolete and anyhow, nobody 

knows where it came from. 

DOOZy, used to describe anything unique 

or outstanding, is said by some to derive from 

the name Duesenberg, a fancy automobile of 

the 1920s. �e problem: the word doozy or 

doozie turns up in letters written as early as the 

1890s. Random House Dictionary of American 

Slang recorded it in 1903. 

COMMUNITY NOTES cont’d from pg 17 

invites all ladies and gentlemen to our Fall Renewal 

Guest Dinner on Tues, Oct 13, from 6:30-to 

8:30pm, at Casa Mia Manor House, 577 Rt. 303, 

Blauvelt, NY. Angela Chan, Soprano, will entertain; 

Bob Burris of Milford, Delaware will share 

how a changed heart led him to a new life. 

Cost is $20.00 (gratuity not included). Reservations 

are mandatory and must be kept, canceled or 

used by a friend. Complimentary childcare is 

available with advance reservation only. Call 

�eresa 845-425-5157 or Ginny 855-947-3423. 

ANNUAL SCARECROWS & PUMPKINS 

Come create a scarecrow masterpiece on our front 

lawn and purchase and carve your pumpkins. Hot 

dogs, cider and donuts available. 

Other etymologists think it came 

from the word daisy, 18th century 

English slang for something that is 

particularly excellent. 

POOCH All our sources say it 

means dog, origin unknown. One 

source, the online Word Nerd 

(Amy Carlton) said it best: “Pooch 

was first recorded in 1924, it's 

American English in origin, it's an 

affectionate or informal term for all 

dogs (not just mutts) but that's the 

end of our knowledge. Pooch just showed up 

at English's back door one day, and we took it 

in and gave it a home. “It makes sense, really. 

�e word dog (or rather, the Old English 

word dogca) itself just magically appeared in 

English in the 13th Century. No one knows 

where it came from.” 

CaTERPILLaR, the name for the wormlike 

often hairy larva of a butterfly or moth, comes 

from Old English catyrpel, corrupted from Old 

French chatepelouse, chatte, (she-cat) + pelu 

(hairy). Chenille, the tufted fabric commonly 

used for bathrobes and bedspreads, means 

caterpillar in modern French. 

LOLLyPOP According to the online Word 

Detective, this word showed up around 1784 

with a hyphen (lolly-pop) and no mention of 

the stick. It is thought that the lolly part is 

from Northern English dialect meaning 

tongue. 

In Britain, the frozen treat we know as the 

popsicle is called an ice-lolly (plural lollies). 

�e pop part may mean something small. 

The Word Hound welcomes your questions, comments 

& pet words. ✫ 

Saturday, Oct 24, noon to 2pm 

Palisades Community Center, 675 Oak Tree 

Road, Palisades. Info: (845) 398-2521. 

TRACKING COYOTES 

On Sunday, October 4 at 10am, the Hudson 

Highlands Nature Museum presents “Tracking 

Coyotes” at the Outdoor Discovery Center, 

entrance on Muser Drive, across from 174 

Angola Road, Cornwall. Seldom seen and 

often misunderstood, coyotes are fascinating 

animals. Join Environmental Educator, Carl 

Heitmuller. See what a coyote footprint looks 

like and learn how they communicate with 

each other. Compare coyote, dog and fox 

tracks and make a plaster coyote track to take

Houses of Worship in the River Villages 

Reformed Church of Nyack 

Corner South Broadway and Burd Street, Nyack NY 

(845) 358-5518 frchurch@optonline.net Pastor Tom Danney 

SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 

Sunday Worship Services: 10:30am 

Casa de Oracion Para Las Naciones 2pm Sun, 8pm Tues 

French Speaking Seventh Day Adventists - Saturday 10 AM 

First Haitian Church of Rockland Sunday 11 am and 6pm 

Soup Supper—Wednesdays 5:30pm 

Wed at noon: Sanctuary open for silence, meditation, prayer 

Grace Episcopal Church 

130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY 10960 

The Rev. Richard L. Gressle, Rector 

The Rev. Emily Sieracki, Assistant to the Rector 

Service Schedule 

Sundays 

8am Holy Eucharist (Rite I) 

9:30am Holy Eucharist (Family Service) 

followed by Church School and adult programs/refreshments 

11am Holy Eucharist (Choral Eucharist) (note new time) 

(2nd & Last) 6:30pm French/Creole Mass 

The Haitian Congregation of the Good Samaritan 

In October 

Sun, Oct 4 Feast of St. Francis—Pet Blessing at all services 

Sat, Oct 10 GraceMusic presents: Anonymous 4—benefit for 

Grace Church (7:30pm; $20/tickets/free childcare) 

Sat, Oct 17 Harvest Festival & Silent Auction. Dancing! Food! 

Great Auction Items! ($40) 

Sat, Oct 24 - Parish Retreat at Marydell 

Haunted House following the Nyack Halloween parade 

Sun, Oct 25 Parish Hike 

Call for details (845-358-1297) or check our website at 

www.gracechurchnyack.org 

Palisades Presbyterian Church 

Washington Spring Road, Palisades, NY 

Church Office phone number: 359-3147 www.ppc10964.org 

Pastor: Reverend Angela Maddalone 

Congregation Sons of Israel 

300 N. Broadway, Upper Nyack, NY 10960 (845) 358-3767 

SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 

Sat Oct. 10, 7pm Simcha Torah Celebration Free event. Call 

the CSI office for info, 845-358-3767 

Friday evening services, 7 p.m. 10/23, 6 p.m. Family Shabbat 

Saturday services, 9:30 a.m. 10/17, Junior Congregation, 10/24, 

Junior Congregation and Tot Shabbat. 

Sunday morning services, 9 a.m. For information call the Synagogue 

office, (845) 358-3767. 

Jewish Adult Education - Fall Classes Starting October 13. 

Non-members welcome. For information and to register for 

classes email csioffice@optonline.net call CSI office at (845) 

358-3767 by Oct 8. Courses: Sun am Hebrew Literacy. Tues 

pm: The Seven Virtuous Virtues. Wed pm: Ulpan—Conversational 

Hebrew. 

Savior Community Church of Nyack 

Savior Community Church, 

11 Division Ave., Nyack (the Iglesia Mision building). 

Pastor Frank DeLalla (pastorfrank@saviorcc.com) 

Phone 845-702-2445 E-mail: info@saviorcc.com 

Schedule 

Sunday Worship at 9am, with Little Lambs Children's Church 

and Nursery; Community Groups throughout the week. 

Contacts 

Call: 845-702-2445 

Email: info@saviorcc.com 

11 Division Ave., in Nyack (the Iglesia Mision building). 

Sunday worship service: 10am, Sunday School: 10am 

October 4—Communion Sunday 

Bible study: Wednesday 12:15 

Play Group: Wednesdays 10 to noon 

Choir Rehearsal: Thursdays 8pm 

Annual Harvest Festival—Sat Oct 17th 11am to 6pm 

featuring Gourmet Lunch, Silent Auction, Crafts. Enjoy the Autumn Season, homemade soups, home 

baked pies and desserts. Children activities will include face painting and games. Local craftspeople will 

offer their wares. There will be a Silent Auction of goods and services as part of the festival. The auction 

includes fine art as well as luxury goods and services and vacation home stays. Fun for the whole family! 

COMMUNITY NOTES conclude 

home. After the presentation, weather permitting; 

join in a 1-mile guided hike to search for 

signs of coyotes. Don’t miss this opportunity 

to explore the world of coyotes! �is program 

is recommended for adults with or without 

children and children ages 5 and up. Cost: $5 

per person. Members: $3 per person. Info and 

registration, call (845) 534-5506, ext 204. ✫ 

Autumn's the 

mellow time. 

-William Allingham 


under exposed 

by Shel Haber 

Important Stuff 

�e wheel, computers and the internal 

combustion engine are some 

of the great inventions that help 

make modern civilization function. 

But my favorites are the ones that 

get us through the day. 

• TOILET PaPER 

From the beginning of history, people seem to 

have used grass, leaves and mussel shells for 

the purpose. By the 14th century, Chinese 

emperors were ordering paper in 2x4 foot 

sheets. In 1857 Joseph Gayetty of New York 

produced the first packaged toilet paper, consisting 

of pre-moistened flat sheets medicated 

with aloe, named Gayetty’s Medicated Paper. It 

was hard, stiff and a flop. Ten years later, the 

brothers �omas, Edward and Clarence Scott 

successfully marketed a small roll of soft, perforated 

paper. �ey sold their new toilet paper 

from a push cart. �is was the beginning of the 

Scott Paper 

Company. As 

late as 1935, 

Northern Tissue 

was advertising 

its 

splinter free 

toilet paper. 

• STaND-uP PaPER BaG 

In 1870 Margaret Knigh invented a machine 

to make a square-bottom paper bag. 

Charles Annan, who had studied her machine 

while visiting the factory, attempted to patent 

a machine of suspiciously similar design. 

Ms. Knigh filed a patent interference suit. 

Mr. Annan claimed that, because Knigh was a 

woman, she could not possibly understand the 

mechanical complexities of the machine. But 

Ms. Knigh had kept 

meticulous notes, diary 

entries and samples, and 

was able to demonstrate 

her expertise. �e court 

ruled in her favor. In the 

next forty years she created 

eighty-nine other inventions 

and held 

twenty-two patents. 

(�e model of Ms. Knigh’s folding machine.) 


• BIFOCaL SPECTaCLES 

In 1760 Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals. 

As Dr. Franklin was both near and 

farsighted, he had to continually 

switch between two pairs of glasses, 

which was a nuisance for him. So 

he cut the lenses of each pair of 

glasses in half horizontally, making 

a single pair of spectacles that focused 

on nearby things in the 

lower part of the lenses and at distant 

things in the top part of the 

lenses. Still in use today, bifocals 

let you see things close up and far away. 

• FLuSH TOILET 

Over four thousand years 

ago in the great Indus Valley, 

nearly every home had 

a flush toilet. 

�ey were in use throughout 

the Roman Empire 

from the first through fifth 

centuries AD. When Rome 

fell, flush toilet technology 

was lost to the West for a 

thousand years. In 1596 

Sir John Harington wrote a 

description of a flush toilet 

he had built for Elizabeth 1. 

�e legend is she refused to 

use it because it made too 

much noise. In the Great 

British Exhibition of 1851, 

there was a display of water closets; these became 

the first public toilets. In the 1880s a plumbing 

company owned by �omas Crapper (his real 

name), built good flush toilets. Although he was 

not the inventor, Crapper's name became synonymous 

with flush toilets and earned him his 

interesting little footnote in history. BTW⁄— 

despite folk belief, the word crap does NOT derive 

from the name of the plumber. It was used 

to mean worthless residue as early as the 1400s. 

• KITTy LITTER 

After serving in the navy in World War II, Ed 

Lowe joined his father's company in Minnesota, 

which sold industrial absorbents, including 

sawdust and an absorbent clay called Fuller's 

Earth. 

In 1947, Ed was asked by a neighbor for some 

sand; she was tired of using ashes in her cat's 

box and dealing with its sooty paw prints. 

Ed suggested clay instead. �e neighbor discovered 

that the clay had much greater absorbency 

than sand and didn't track all over 

the house. She said, from then on, her cat 

would use nothing else. 

Ed reasoned that other cat owners would also 

like his new cat box filler so he filled a dozen 

brown bags with the crumbly clay, wrote the 

name Kitty Litter on them and visited the local 

pet stores. With sand literary dirt cheap, the 

shop owners doubted that anyone would pay 

65¢ for a five-pound bag of Kitty Litter. Ed 

said, “then give it away.” Soon customers were 

asking for more—and were quite willing to 

pay for it. In his old 1943 Chevy Coupe, Ed 

drove to cat shows and pet shops all across the 

country to display the litter. Before long, cat 

owners all over the US couldn’t do without 

the product’s convenience and odor control. 

In 2000, the US Census estimated there were 

64 million housecats in the USA, each with a 

litter box filled with clay litter. 

• PaPER CLIPS 

�e paper clip was invented in 1890 by Johann 

Vaaler, a Norwegian patent clerk. His invention 

was a thin, spring-steel wire with triangular 

ends, used to hold labels to fabric. �e 

paper clip we recognize today was patented in 

1899 by William Middlebrook of Waterbury, 

Connecticut, �ere are now hundreds of 

paper clip patents. 

• ICE CREam 

Ice cream makes people happy, 

friends more friendly and enemies 

less mean. In the markets of classic 

Athens, the Greeks sold snow 

brought down from the mountains 

mixed with honey and fruit. In 

the 10th century, ice cream made 

with milk was already popular in 

the Middle East. In early America, 

ice cream was an expensive, 

labor-intensive luxury; only the 

well-to-do could afford it. �en, 

in 1843, Nancy Johnson received 

the first US patent on a hand-cranked churn, 

and modern ice cream-making was born. All 

of today’s commercial ice cream churns are 

just electrified versions of Nancy Johnson’s 

heroic invention. 

Star Wars rockets and atomic bombs are important 

to governments and cable TV news 

but the everyday inventions are the ones that 

make life worth living. 

Shel Haber, a stage, film and television art director, 

is co-publisher of �e Nyack Villager. ✫


REPORTER 

at large 

continued from page 3 

• “Superblock” Report and actions 

taken by Nyack’s Village Board— 

At a special meeting on Wednesday, August 

19, the Mayor’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee 

(CAC), charged with studying the issues related 

to the re-development of the Main Street 

Superblock between Cedar and Franklin, presented 

their recommendations. . 

Over the course of 4 months, this 8 member 

group, chaired by Triny Hertzberg, met with 

experts in parking and planning, as well as 

with the backers of Riverspace. �ey produced 

a 43-page report that looked at the architectural, 

economic, environmental, and 

social impacts of developing the center of our 

downtown. �ey should be commended for 

their excellent work. (�e report is available 

at Village Hall.) 

Components of the Report �e committee 

chose to focus on five primary components: a 

theater/cultural space; a managed outdoor 

public space; new commercial buildings; 

housing units; and a parking facility that 

would accommodate the increased needs of 

the new development. All of these were in adherence 

to the principles of the Comprehensive 

Master Plan (CMP) and were felt to be 

able to benefit Nyack if they stand the “test of 

scrutiny” and prove to be feasible. 

Experts Consulted Assisting the committee 

with the process was John Shapiro whose firm 

helped develop Nyack’s CMP. He played a 

crucial role in helping to interpret the CMP, 

raising questions to consider, and suggesting 

experts to consult with. Steve Knowlton, the 

chair of Nyack’s Zoning Board of Appeals 

(who worked on Nyack’s Code Revision to get 

the zoning laws in synch with the CMP) was 

also a key player. Also consulted were several 

prestigious outside firms specializing in planning 

and design, arts and cultural programming 

development, economic development, 

and parking. 

Recommended Process Critical procedural 

recommendations from the CAC were defined 

as follows: (1) search for funding from 

grants/government for a feasibility study; (2) 

retain an expert to develop criteria for selecting 

a developer, called the Request for Qualifications 

(RFQ); (3) draft and manage the 

Request for Proposal (RFP) constituting the 

bidding document. �e process of selecting a 

“cultural user” to define the function and size 

of the cultural/arts space was not as clearly 

outlined. 

Although there were those in the audience 

who expressed that they felt the feasibility 

study should be by-passed, the Mayor decided 

to take this question up at the next Village 

Board meeting. 

Village Board Follow-up Meeting 

On �ursday, September 10, the Village 

Board met and agreed to seek funds to conduct 

a feasibility study for the Superblock. 

�is was in keeping with John Shapiro’s recommendation 

that the Village, through a 

structured process, take a “cold hard look” at 

how that site might be developed. �e decision 

definitely reflected an uneasiness with 

moving ahead with the Riverspace vision. 

Josh and Debbie Goldberg, members of the 

Board of Riverspace, said that this process will 

take too long and that the options Riverspace 

currently has on the theater and the M&T 

Bank property will expire before the study is 

complete. �erefore, they announced they 

would withdraw and leave the Village to pursue 

the process on its own. �ey also suggested 

that the Village might consider 

declaring eminent domain to obtain these 

properties. 

What Next A resolution will be drafted by 

the Village Attorney and presented at the next 

meeting reflecting that the Village Board supports 

the recommendation of the CAC to 

conduct a feasibility study and asking the Village 

grant writer to seek grant money to initiate 

this and fund development of an 

RFQ/RFP if the project moves forward. 

Editorial Note: On behalf of the community, 

I would like to express gratitude to Riverspace 

and the Goldbergs for their tireless efforts to 

launch a successful theater in the heart of 

Nyack. Were it not for them, the reshaping 

of Nyack’s downtown around a cultural arts 

anchor facility would not have gotten to this 

point and we likely would not be having the 

discussions we’re having today. Also, a special 

thank you needs to go to those extraordinary 

volunteer co-artistic directors, Elliott Forest 

and Darrell Larson, who brought us hours and 

hours of exciting programming and entertainment, 

and to the glue who held it all together, 

Managing Director Dara Falco. ✫

2009 - The Nyack Villager

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