January 23, 2009

Bedford/Pound Ridge RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town" / January 23, 2009


"Talk of the Town"
By Bonni Brodnick


It’s wondrous to be outside ice skating on the park pond and to enjoy our beautiful town that is frosted in white after this week’s snowstorms. Curiosity beckoned as I was skating one night. How thick does the ice have to be for skating? Who tests the ice and how is it done?
“The ice has to be five-inches,” David Goldberg of the Pound Ridge Recreation Department said. “The Maintenance Department tests it with a long drill bit that has one-inch markings. As soon as the bit starts to break through the bottom of the ice—and you can feel it—you look at the markings and that gives the depth.”

Several areas of the ice are checked to make sure there is enough depth all around. At one of the last tests, the ice was 7.5 inches. Since the Zamboni is en vacance, many thanks to the thoughtful townsfolk who shovel off snow as they skate.

Word from the Detroit Auto Show is that there’s a new device in Mercedes Benz that will actually track eye fluttering movements to see if a driver is falling asleep at the wheel. If so, a coffee cup icon starts flashing. (If only we could develop a device for drivers going too fast on our windy country roads. Maybe the icon should be a flashing deer icon?)

With the historic election of President Barack Obama, many are taking stock of how far we have come as a nation since slavery was abolished in 1865. What many Americans do not know is that slavery is still thriving throughout the world and even right here in the United States. Pound Ridge resident Alison Boak, president and co-founder of the International Organization for Adolescents—an organization dedicated to improving the lives of young people by addressing critical and emerging issues affecting vulnerable adolescents around the world—will give an eye-opening presentation, “Human Trafficking: With Modern-Day Slavery.” Alison has been working globally on this problem for more than a decade and will share her experiences on what is surely to be a lively discussion. The presentation and reception, which are free and open to the public, take place on Tuesday, Jan. 27 from 7:30-9 p.m. Please Rsvp to the Library at 914-764-5085 if you intend to attend.

Our beloved Conant Hall sees everything from Garden Club flower shows, to aerobic classes, to theater productions, to last week’s Inauguration Ball, to this week’s long-awaited “Sixth Annual Pound Ridge Girl Scout Father/Daughter Dance.” On Saturday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m., more than 99 Girl Scouts and their dads will descend upon the “Masquerade Ball” and whoop it up in the hamlet. The girls made masks for themselves and their fathers (or other special person) and will surely have a fun time.

Until Louise Paolicelli reinvigorated the tradition, there were no Girl Scout troops in town. (This was much to my daughter’s (okay, really my dismay since I was a long-time Girl Scout. Getting my sewing badge was a snap and learning how to bathe a plastic doll at the local Red Cross was a natural for me. Could this have been for my mother badge?) Today we have nearly 80 girls who participate in the town’s 10 Girl Scout troops.

Seventeen-year-old singer, soulful-songwriter-Pound Ridger Hillary Johnson is a little bit Billy Joel, Coldplay, Carole King, The Counting Crows, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Wonder, U2, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Elton John, The Beatles, and Frou Frou. One thing we know for sure is that Hillary is the real deal. Her next performance is on Wed, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village. (For more info, go bitterend.com.) And if you can’t get into the city to hear Hillary, go to myspace.com/hillaryjohnson. Check out one of her latest recordings, “Breakdown” See the counter in the right column? Of the 3,190 plays, I think I’m at least 25. I know I might be skewing the tally, but the song is worth listening to again and again.

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We enjoy hearing about what’s happening to Pound Ridgers near and far, present
and past. Please send your quips, blips and blurbs regarding town activities, nature notes, travels afar, scholastic accomplishments, sports achievements, engagements, weddings, new babies and grandchildren to
towntalk@optonline.net. All topics are appropriate for inclusion in this column. Alternatively (but not preferred), you may mail info to The Record-Review, P.O. Box 455, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, or leave a message at 244-0533, ext. 13.

January 19, 2009

THE RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town" January 16, 2009

By BONNI BRODNICK

Okay, so you’re 17 days into 2009. Are you exercising more? Eating less? Spending more “quality” time with the family instead of on the computer? It’s still early and not too late to reform. Some of the resolutions I’ve overheard are to get rid of old books in the attic (donate them to the Hiram Halle Memorial Library book sales), show more affection to our beloved pets (my heart is still aching after putting my bearded dragon lizard to sleep. I know, I know. A reptile?!? I was as surprised as anyone to fall in love with a beardie. You never know what the day will bring.) This takes us back to New Year resolutions. You can always put the calendar back two weeks, wake up to Jan. 1st (for a second time) and exclaim, “Today I will . . .”

Think you’ve heard everything? Pound Ridge musician and sound artist Taylor Deupree has a new project called “One Sound Each Day 2009”. Go to 12kblog.wordpress.com/ to hear the minimalist and surreal sounds of something as simple as snow melting and dripping beneath a deck in Pound Ridge. For his audio diary project, Taylor carries a small handheld digital recorder that’s capable of recording at very high quality. His objective is to capture a single moment (could be only 30 seconds), in sound, each day. “Sound is among the most under-appreciated of senses,” Taylor said. “You can find intense beauty, calmness, and interest everywhere if one just stops and listens, whether it is to the common sounds of birds or the subtle hum of a vending machine down the hallway in a public building. 2009 will be a year of listening.” (Sounds like an excellent New Year’s resolution to me.)

Overheard at Scotts Corner Market, a source was delighted to share the news that their tortoise laid 20 eggs and 4 hatched. “We are hoping that more will hatch in the next few days. In the meantime, though, mother and babies are doing well. Daddy MIA.”

On Monday, Jan. 19, we honor the great American hero Martin Luther King, Jr., chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement that challenged racial discrimination. Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of the Japanese city of Hiroshima and a visible peace activist, also observes this important day by hosting a special banquet in his office as an act of unifying his city’s call for peace with Martin Luther King’s message of human rights.

Inauguration Day is soon upon us. In honor of President Barack Obama, the
Pound Ridge Democratic Committee invites all in town to “An Inaugural Celebration” this Saturday, Jan. 17 from 7-10 p.m. at Conant Hall in the Hamlet. Along with special guest music artists (who will it be?!) there will be light dinner buffet, and dancing. Cocktail attire. Please make checks payable to “Committee for a Better Pound Ridge.” This inauguration is a great moment in our country’s history. Come celebrate it with your friends and neighbors! For more info, please contact Ellen Kearns at 764-1504 or email prdemocrats@hotmail.com.

Save the evenings of Thursday, Jan. 22 and Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. for two great performances of this year’s long-awaited, “PRES 2009 Cabaret” at Pound Ridge Elementary School. The first performance will feature the musical, choreographic, and comedic acts by Kindergartners through second graders. The second performance (two weeks later) will spotlight third through fifth graders as they strut their stuff on stage. Behold our local junior talent for these two fun nights that will be the perfect venues for sharing levity on wintry nights.

I recently heard from Nancy Rainsford, who grew up in Pound Ridge in the 1960s. (Her mother, the inimitable Grace Rainsford, was the inspiration for “Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk.” “I always considered ‘Fun & Frolic’ night at Pound Ridge Elementary School as the BEST night of the school year!” Nancy wrote. “How fortunate we were to have such brilliant and inspirational music and art teachers.”


We enjoy hearing about what’s happening to Pound Ridgers near and far, present and past. Please send your quips, blips and blurbs regarding town activities, nature notes, travels afar, scholastic accomplishments, sports achievements, engagements, weddings, new babies and grandchildren to towntalk@optonline.net. All topics are appropriate for inclusion in this column. Alternatively (but not preferred), you may mail info to The Record-Review, P.O. Box 455, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, or leave a message at 244-0533, ext. 13.

THE RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town" January 9, 2009

By Bonni Brodnick

As the New Year begins, it is timely to begin new projects. I am thrilled to be taking the “Talk of the Town” reins from columnist Mary Legrand. She turned out wonderful and thoughtful columns which will surely be missed.
I launched this column 15 years ago in 1993 under the moniker “Around the Town” for The Pound Ridge Review, the predecessor of the Record-Review. It seems like eons ago, especially when I recall the archaic way in which I gathered information and submitted those early columns for what was then our new town newspaper.
As there was no Internet, news scoops were collected in person, by telephone, fax or snail mail. I wrote the column, printed it out, and then had to drive to Scotts Corners to put in a specified Pound Ridge Review mailbox next to The Wine Connection, which was next to Westminster Bank (now Bank of America). My editor drove from Bedford Hills to pick up the manuscript, retype it, and steps later, there it was in the paper the following Friday. We eventually figured out how to translate the document into DOS and dial it in. It sounds like the dinosaur age, doesn’t it?

Now that the Internet is here and communications has taken leaps and bounds, it will be much easier to be in touch. Please send your story ideas to towntalk@optonline.net. I look forward to hearing from Pound Ridgers present and former, near and far. Living oversees or students on an abroad program? Write and tell us about it. As author of “Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk,” I will also share reminisces that continue to be sent in from those who formerly lived in town. Last week I heard from Dan Isaacson, whose family lived in Pound Ridge in the 1940s. Dan, who now lives in Boca Raton, Florida with this wife, Marie, wrote “Our house was on Donbrook Road. It had a different name when the place was bought, but my dad used the name of one of his family businesses to rename it ‘Donbrook,’ the sweater division of Donmoor, a boys knit shirts manufacturer.”

After the freshly fallen snow, we spoke with Bill Schelling, superintendant of our amazing Pound Ridge Highway Department. As a helpful reminder, please remember that it is illegal to plow or throw snow into the road, and is actually considered littering! Be sure that your plow people are aware of this. By dumping snow into the road, it makes more work for the highway department. “There’s nothing worse than having the roads all cleaned up and then find out we have to go back out and plow them off,” said Bill. “Not only does it cost tax payers more money in overtime, it can also cause accidents if it freezes.” If you have any questions on where the snow should go, please call Highway Department at 764-5690.

Are you a new mother in town? Hiram Halle Memorial Library has “New Mother’s Coffee” meetings on Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m. The program on January 22 is “Stroller Strides,” presented by Kristen Riolo of Fit Moms. Learn how you can get complete total body workouts while your babe comes along for a ride in the stroller. In addition to learning about a great workout, it will give an opportunity to meet other new moms and kids in town. Refreshments are served and registration is required. Give a call to 764-5085.

Speaking of shaking a booty . . . with the cold weather here, Westchester residents can enjoy excellent and nearby outdoor recreational activities. Keep your eye on the sign at the Town Park entrance. When the sign is flipped to “Skating Today,” lace up your skates and get out there for a few figure 8’s. While you’re in the garage or barn pulling out the skates, keep the sled, toboggans and cross-country skis available. Once snow cover allows, sledding and cross-country skiing are permitted in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. To check conditions here and at other parks, ponds and preserves in the county, go to www.westchestergov.com/parks.
New Year wishes to all of our readers. May 2009 be filled with happiness, good health, laughter and friendship.


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We enjoy hearing about what’s happening to Pound Ridgers near and far, present and past. Please send your quips, blips and blurbs regarding town activities, nature notes, travels afar, scholastic accomplishments, sports achievements, engagements, weddings, new babies and grandchildren to towntalk@optonline.net. All topics are appropriate for inclusion in this column. Alternatively (but not preferred), you may mail info to The Record-Review, P.O. Box 455, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, or leave a message at 244-0533, ext. 13.

January 11, 2009

THE RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town" (premiere column 1/9/09)

By BONNI BRODNICK


As the New Year begins, it is timely to begin new projects. I am thrilled to be taking the “Talk of the Town” reins from columnist Mary Legrand. She turned out wonderful and thoughtful columns which will surely be missed.

I launched this column 15 years ago in 1993 under the moniker “Around the Town” for The Pound Ridge Review, the predecessor of the Record-Review. It seems like eons ago, especially when I recall the archaic way in which I gathered information and submitted those early columns for what was then our new town newspaper.

As there was no Internet, news scoops were collected in person, by telephone, fax or snail mail. I wrote the column, printed it out, and then had to drive to Scotts Corners to put in a specified Pound Ridge Review mailbox next to The Wine Connection, which was next to Westminster Bank (now Bank of America). My editor drove from Bedford Hills to pick up the manuscript, retype it, and steps later, there it was in the paper the following Friday. We eventually figured out how to translate the document into DOS and dial it in. It sounds like the dinosaur age, doesn’t it?

Now that the Internet is here and communications has taken leaps and bounds, it will be much easier to be in touch. Please send your story ideas to towntalk@optonline.net. I look forward to hearing from Pound Ridgers present and former, near and far. Living oversees or students on an abroad program? Write and tell us about it. As author of “Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk,” I will also share reminisces that continue to be sent in from those who formerly lived in town. Last week I heard from
Dan Isaacson, whose family lived in Pound Ridge in the 1940s. Dan, who now lives in Boca Raton, Florida with this wife, Marie, wrote “Our house was on Donbrook Road. It had a different name when the place was bought, but my dad used the name of one of his family businesses to rename it ‘Donbrook,’ the sweater division of Donmoor, a boys knit shirts manufacturer.”

After the freshly fallen snow, we spoke with Bill Schelling, superintendant of our amazing Pound Ridge Highway Department. As a helpful reminder, please remember that it is illegal to plow or throw snow into the road, and is actually considered littering! Be sure that your plow people are aware of this. By dumping snow into the road, it makes more work for the highway department. “There’s nothing worse than having the roads all cleaned up and then find out we have to go back out and plow them off,” said Bill. “Not only does it cost tax payers more money in overtime, it can also cause accidents if it freezes.” If you have any questions on where the snow should go, please call Highway Department at 764-5690.

Are you a new mother in town? Hiram Halle Memorial Library has “New Mother’s Coffee” meetings on Thursday mornings at 11:00 a.m. The program on January 22 is “Stroller Strides,” presented by Kristen Riolo of Fit Moms. Learn how you can get complete total body workouts while your babe comes along for a ride in the stroller. In addition to learning about a great workout, it will give an opportunity to meet other new moms and kids in town. Refreshments are served and registration is required. Give a call to 764-5085.
Speaking of shaking a booty . . . with the cold weather here, Westchester residents can enjoy excellent and nearby outdoor recreational activities. Keep your eye on the sign at the Town Park entrance. When the sign is flipped to “Skating Today,” lace up your skates and get out there for a few figure 8’s. While you’re in the garage or barn pulling out the skates, keep the sled, toboggans and cross-country skis available. Once snow cover allows, sledding and cross-country skiing are permitted in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. To check conditions here and at other parks, ponds and preserves in the county, go to www.westchestergov.com/parks.

New Year wishes to all of our readers. May 2009 be filled with happiness, good health, laughter and friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We enjoy hearing about what’s happening to Pound Ridgers near and far, present and past. Please send your quips, blips and blurbs regarding town activities, nature notes, travels afar, scholastic accomplishments, sports achievements, engagements, weddings, new babies and grandchildren to towntalk@optonline.net. All topics are appropriate for inclusion in this column. Alternatively (but not preferred), you may mail info to The Record-Review, P.O. Box 455, Bedford Hills, NY 10507, or leave a message at 244-0533, ext. 13.

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