RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

By BONNI BRODNICK

The daffodils have captured the poet and his pen
And live in golden words engraved with loving art
And still they open bravely dancing once again,
To springtime and renewal, the rebirth of the heart.

I muse in wonder at this plot of splendid grace
New daffodils are opening to meet the morning bright,
Their radiance inspiring shines across the place,
Some hidden birdsong praises with notes of pure delight.

By Richard A. George, Poet Laureate

Internationally renowned photographer Lisl Steiner has an enviable portfolio. Through the years she has photographed Henri Cartier-Bresson; Pat and Richard Nixon, Pablo Casals, Carmen Amaya; Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Tito Capobianco and Leonard Bernstein, Betty Parsons, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Miles Davis, Dizzie Gillespie, B.B. King, Norman Mailer, and even Fidel Castro’s boots. “These days I am into small things,” Lisl said. “Now that everything is written about ‘the best,’ ‘the most perfect and extraordinary,’ I am attracted to minimalism and recently photographed a daisy, the most humble and romantic of flowers. Tearing off each petal and asking, ‘Does he love me or does he not?’ is an old custom in many parts of the world.” Lisl’s very big daisy is now on exhibit at Plum Plums in Scotts Corners. Go see what all the buzz is about as you do your chores in Scotts Corners this weekend.

Annual Derby Day is at the Gate. The Pound Ridge Republican Town Committee will hold its Annual Derby Day Party on Saturday May 1, beginning 4 p.m. at the residence of Lisa and John Sauro. Folks of all political persuasions are welcome to attend the buffet dinner, open bar, fun and conversation, in addition to watching/cheering the Kentucky Derby. Also included is the opportunity to meet neighbors and friends, along with local, state and national office holders and candidates. The cost is $35 per person. For additional information and to make reservations, call Frank Sisti at 764-5622.

“I Love You Because” … well a bunch of reasons. It also happens to be the name of the wonderful, romantic musical comedy brought to us by the Pound Ridge Theater Company and Acting Company of Greenwich. It is practically guaranteed that you’ll be humming the songs at intermission and beyond. Performances at Conant Hall are April 23, 24, 25*, 29, and 30; May 1, 7, 8 and 9. Greenwich performances at The First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich are on May 14, 15, 16*, 21, and 22. (*Captioned for the Hearing Impaired on April 25 and May 16.) To reserve tickets to “I Love You Because,” call 764-1902 or email prtc01@yahoo.com.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9 and there’s a new book called “Dinner for Busy Moms” that offers lots of tips and sanity savers for how to get dinner on the table (without the guilt of being rushed, or feeling like you don’t have enough time to prepare and cook). The book is written by Westchester author/writer/fellow harried mom Jeanne Muchnick, former editor of Baby Magazine and senior editor of InTown whose parenting stories have also appeared in a slew of national consumer magazines including Woman’s Day and Parenting. Jeanne’s book offers a basic message to encourage families to eat together — and yes Chinese and pizza count (as does breakfast for dinner). Her doable can-do mantra: It’s not about what you’re serving that matters, but that you’re all sitting together to enjoy a meal. “Study after study shows that time spent gathered at the kitchen table is a significant way to strengthen family bonds,” Jean wrote. “Dinner for Busy Moms’ isn’t a cookbook, but rather a strategy guide filled with expert advice. Proceeds from profits of the book benefit Family-to-Family, an organization (www.family-to-family.org) founded by Westchester mom Pam Koner which creates a bridge between suburban communities with enough to share and some of our country's most impoverished areas. The other “Mom Power” connection is the fact that the company that published the book is owned by Julie Trelstad, a mom of twins in White Plains, and is printed on paper that’s sustainable and earth-friendly. PleasemayIbeexcused? Yes, you may. But don’t forget to push in your chair and order “Dinner for Busy Moms” at www.jeannemuchnick.com.

RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

By BONNI BRODNICK

Come to a full stop at the stop sign. Obey the speed limit. Signal before turning. No passing on double-yellow lines and definitely no passing on a curve. Remember the rules of the road? If you need a refresher, Pound Ridge Library is doing a service to the community by sponsoring AARP's Driver Safety Program on Saturday, April 17 (tomorrow) and Saturday, April 24 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants must attend both sessions to satisfactorily complete the course. Upon completion, you qualify for reduction of auto insurance premiums and up to a 4-point reduction by the Department of Motor Vehicles for violations incurred during the 18 months prior to completion of this course. It’s your turn to call the Library to register: 764-5085.

It’s not too late to register for the Katonah Museum of Art 11th Annual Literary Lunch (= interesting speakers) on Monday, April 19, from noon-2:15 at Abigail Kirsch’s Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown (= great food). Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the Museum’s education and exhibition programs. Luncheon speakers include Ben Cheever, Elizabeth Berg and Sue Miller (= worth coming out for). $90 members/$105 non-members. For more info, call 914-232-9555, x. 2978 (=that was easy.)

Do you ever make too much food for dinner and wish you could share it with someone? Here’s a chance not to feel guilty for cooking for a crowd (Why is my memory being jolted on this one? “Mom, why are you cooking so much? It’s just you and us. Dad’s at the office.” “But, but, but… I love to cook.”) Well, keep on cooking and think about brightening a senior’s day by sharing your epicurean bounty. Pound Ridge Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) has started a new program called “Share Your Supper Club” for senior citizens who would like a little variety in their meals. Here’s how it works: 1. Any time you have an extra dinner meal, give N2N a call. 2. They will connect you with a Pound Ridge senior citizen who would enjoy a good home-cooked meal. 3. You deliver the meal to the person that evening or the next day with reheating instructions. No pre-planning necessary — it can even be at the last minute. If you’d like to do this on a regular basis, N2N will provide you with disposable containers in which to place the food. And don’t go away, you bakers out there. If you’d like to provide baked items to senior citizens that can be arranged, too. No pressure: you can give/make a meal and/or yummy confection once a week or once a year – it’s up to you and there is no set level of commitment. If you have a meal to share, contact Jody Froehlich at Froehlich5@aol.com or 764-9490. If you have any questions re: N2N, call Louise Paolicelli, coordinator of Pound Ridge senior programs, which is affiliated with our town Recreation Department: 764-8201 or PRSeniors@townofpoundridge.com.

When Vince Manna came to Pound Ridge, he never thought he would fall so much in love with the town that he would A.) Write a book about our history (“Images of America: Pound Ridge” – co-authored with Dick Major) and B.) become our Town Historian. Vince will also be a narrator on the Pound Ridge Historical Society bus tour which takes place on Sunday April 25. Following the Society’s annual meeting at the Town House (from 2-2:15 p.m.); all are invited to board the bus for a tour along our windy, daffodil-lined country roads. Vince will highlight homes and places of historical significance along Trinity Pass, Barnegat Road, Westchester Avenue and Fancher Road. The tour is $5 for Historical Society members and $10 for non-members. To reserve a seat, call 764-4333 or email prhsmuseum@earthlink.net. Incidentally, if you’d like to bone up on Pound Ridge history before the tour, “Images of America: Pound Ridge” can be found at such cyber-bookstores as Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. You can also pick up copies at the Pound Ridge Museum, located in the hamlet, and now open for the season from 2-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

April 10, 2010

"Talk of the Town"
By Bonni Brodnick

Rock the Ride & Run. This is the mantra of Rica Mendes, LIVESTRONG leader for Westchester and Fairfield counties, who is at the front of this race that kicks off on Sunday, April 25 at noon at Scotts Corner Market. Runners will enjoy the scenic daffodil-lined roads of Pound Ridge with a 5k single loop, a double, or any number of loops they’d like to take from the Market and back. Cyclists will have their choice of a 20k, 40k, or 60k weave through New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford and Westport. Routes will be made available in advance to registrants for training purposes only. (Oh, and all registrants will receive a cool T-shirt.) Rica hopes to raise $5,000 for the day, and is well on her way to making the $25,000 mark in 2010 so that she and her son Zach can participate in the LIVESTRONG Ride for the Roses challenge in Austin this October. “The Westchester/Fairfield race is a great way for runners and riders to test their legs for later events in the season,” Rica said. With the Market as the beginning and end of the race, Billy Fortin and SCM will host a BBQ and donate all proceeds to LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation to fight cancer. (Athletes wearing their new cool T-shirts can eat for free.) To read about Rica and her commitment to LIVESTRONG, go to her blog, http://ricalivestrong.blogspot.com/. For more info on the upcoming race, you can also contact her at 914-384-3648 or rmendes.livestrong@gmail.com. Rock on. Ride on. Run.

Pound Ridge Library is much more than a collection of books. For more than 50 years it has been a great place to read, hold a meeting, run into friends, have a gallery exhibit, and listen to concerts, authors and speakers. On Saturday, April 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., it will also be the hot spot in town for its Spring Book Sale. (It’s not too early to start stock-piling your summer reading.) While at the library, you might also make it a one-stop shop and pick up tickets to Amy Hunt England’s benefit concert on Sunday, April 18 at 5 p.m. This Pound Ridge-raised singer/songwriter will be fine tuning new songs on her soon-to-be released CD, “Crossing Rivers/Crossing Highways”. Tickets to the concert are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information on this, that, or practically anything (it is a library, after all), call 764-5085 or go to www.poundridgelibrary.org.

Antiques & Tools of Business & Kitchen will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Scotts Corners on Sunday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come join Joan Silbersher, a.k.a. La Doyenne du Funk, at a BBQ fundraiser for Pound Ridge Library, a free raffle from noon ‘til 2 p.m., plus the shop’s “Second Sunday Antiques Market” and “Every Sunday Farmers Market”. You’ll find antiques dealers with vintage items like jewelry, furniture, silver, china, ephemera and bibelots. Local farmers and artisans offer duck/geese/chicken eggs, smoked meats and fish, breads, cookies, scones, pasta sauces, dips, wraps, jams, soaps and more. And that’s just outside on Westchester Avenue. Step inside the shop and you’ll find antiques and tools that range from nautical, to medical and musical, to fishing, equestrian and western. For more information, call Joan at 764-0015 or 5122.

The Pound Ridge Theatre Company invites all townsfolk to a “Wine Tasting & Entertainment” benefit, graciously hosted by Colette and David Dow, on Saturday, April 17 from 4-7:00 p.m. Fee is $30 per person/$50 per couple. There will also be a preview of the PRTC and Acting Company of Greenwich joint-production and long-anticipated spring musical, “I Love You Because,” a modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Performances in Pound Ridge at Conant Hall are April 23, 24, 25*, 29, and 30; May 1, 7, 8 and 9. Greenwich performances at The First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich are on May 14, 15, 16*, 21, and 22. (*Captioned for the Hearing Impaired on April 25 and May 16.) Showtime on Fridays and Saturdays are 8 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. The New York Times called the play “Infectiously entertaining! Filled with wit and zest!” The Bedford-Pound Ridge Record-Review is calling the show a must-see for those who love theater but don’t want to schlep into the City. For more info on both the wine tasting benefit and “I Love You Because” performances, email prtc01@yahoo.com or call 764-1902.

RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town" - April 4, 2010

April 4, 2010

"TALK OF THE TOWN"
By Bonni Brodnick


Writes Pound Ridge-raised singer/songwriter Amy Hunt England in her CD “Crossing Rivers/Crossing Highways: “Show me where I’ve been before, take my hand, take me home moonlight, show me a path back to that door.” At a benefit concert for Pound Ridge Library, Amy is fine tuning some new songs for her upcoming CD, “Nantucket to Nashville.” “I was influenced by a lot of music in our house,” said Amy, who comes from a large family of six children. Her lyrics are, not surprisingly, steeped in family tradition. “Dad loved country music, and mom was always playing the piano and singing.” Her father, Walter Hunt, was an editor at Reader’s Digest and played banjo on the side and her mother, Diane Hunt, is a local artist. On coming home to give a benefit performance for our town library, Amy said, “Returning to Pound Ridge makes me feel like I’m amidst friends and welcome surroundings. I feel lucky to have grown up here. At my Mom’s house, we have an apple orchard where I used to go to sit and think and dream, while my siblings and cousins ran around playing. The Pound Ridge Reservation was an amazing place to explore as a child (and now, too). Having so much wild, spacious nature to roam had a big influence on my life and my songwriting.” “Maverick Magazine" has called Amy England “A writer and singer destined to make a major impression on the Americana scene." Come hear the magic as she performs on guitar and sings songs along with her brother, Andrew Hunt, and sister, Samantha Hunt. The concert is Sunday, April 18 at 5 p.m. at Pound Ridge Library. $10 suggested donation. More information on Amy England is available at www.amyengland.net. 

The conference room at Elaine and Nick Vazzana’s Pound Ridge Office Suites was overflowing when more than 50 friends, neighbors, elected officials and business owners came to Scotts Corners to share their vision and ideas for improving our business district and learn about Pound Ridge Partnership, a new organization launched by Ali Boak (a refreshing catalyst for change) and Charles Guilianti, proprietor of Salon Perri. Both are committed to making Scotts Corners a more vibrant “downtown” area that provides basic services while creating a better reflection of our beautiful and historic town (e.g. isn’t there a Code of Aesthetics on Westchester Avenue for banning neon-painted rocks around painted old rubber tires used for “planters”?) "The Pound Ridge Partnership meeting brought to light the passion, love and strong feelings of community that we as Pound Ridgers hold for our town and our business district,” said Ali Boak. “It was an important first step in shifting the dialogue from a 'can't do' mentality to one of positivity, action, and inspiration. The meeting showed how people are eager to offer their energy, advice and expertise to being a part of the transformation process. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together as a community.” Town Supervisor Gary Warshauer said, “When you get people together like this, it’s great. This kind of open communication builds enthusiasm and helps make our town stronger.”

The Pound Ridge Historical Society Museum will unveil a new exhibit curated by Ebie Wood, “The Benders – An Extraordinary Pound Ridge Family, 1928 - 2010” on Saturday, April 10 at 2 p.m. Robert (Bob) and Helen (Hebe), and their daughter, Beverly, left an indelible mark on our community. Bob Bender, a news correspondent with the United Press, was famous for his travels with President Woodrow Wilson and for his coverage of the Hindenberg Disaster. He was also a founding member of the Pound Ridge Fire Department. Hebe, after her husband’s death, began the development of Bender Way and the reconstruction/renovation of antique homes. Beverly is a well-respected artist and sculptress. A number of her lovely pieces will be on display at the exhibit. Fortunately, the Benders kept record of their lives and Pound Ridge activities, allowing us a fascinating glimpse of earlier times in town. In 2004, during an interview for my book, “Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk,” Beverly said, “Our town has always been a lovely spot … There was a gentleness here. It was relaxed, no pressures. What I love about Pound Ridge is the location, the people and the atmosphere. Perfect.” “The Benders” exhibit will open with warm reception and fanfare on Saturday, April 10 at 2 p.m.

Joan Silbersher will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Antiques & Tools of Business & Kitchen in Scotts Corners on Sunday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a barbeque fundraiser for Pound Ridge Library and a free raffle from noon – 2 p.m. The celebration will also mark the seasonal opening of the shop’s Second-Sunday Antiques Market and Every-Sunday Farmers Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mrs. Larkin’s Scones and John Boy the Farmer, amidst many others, will be back in their places at Antiques & Tools, located at 65 Westchester Avenue, which is open every day from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in Joan’s shop, you don’t need it. For more information, give a ring to 764-0015 or 764-5122.

Happy Passover and joyous Easter to all of our readers.