submitted by Loop reader Mark Lane:

There are people who think I am knowledgeable about beer.   Probably because I drink a lot of it.  And because much of the time, no one has ever heard of the strange brands they find me with.  So the topic comes up a lot.  I try to steer people towards a good American-made craft beer, particularly India Pale Ales, which have become an art form in this country in the last decade.

I now have a fairly narrow range of IPA’s that I will drink.  Has to be a strict IPA, not some “chocolate IPA” or something.  I prefer “American style” IPA: basic stuff, not the “San Diego” or “Belgian” style IPA’s, which I regard as abominations and insults to an intelligent palate.

Anyway…you may have noticed, Stop-n-Shop doesn’t stock a wide selection of American craft beers, never mind the elite, high-end IPA’s that I, with my refined tastes, now require.  In fact, I’m hard pressed to find one bottle in the entire selection at any local grocery store, or even “gourmet food store”, that I would consider worth the electricity required to bring it to a proper temperature.

So…where does one get these Most Excellent Beers?   Rye Beverage.   You may have passed this place without much noticing.  It’s on the Post Road, on the left as you are heading into Rye, next to the Gulf station with all the Corvettes.  From the outside, it looks unremarkable.

Go inside, it’s a different story.  Owner Michael Bergenfeld is a true beer enthusiast, who knows his product and will gladly engage you in a discussion of which beer might best suit your tastes.

On one side of the store, you’ll find shelves lined with many of the finest brews available anywhere:   Dogfish Head, Lagunitas, Sixpoint, Heavy Seas, Redhook, Cigar City, Southern Tier, Brooklyn, Flying Dog, Dirty Bastard, and many others.  Plus, of course, all your standards, like Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada,  etc.  On the opposite side, most of these are also available chilled in a wall of coolers.  And in the back, growlers.

Growlers have been around for a long time.  Some variety of the thing was used at least as early as the 18th Century, to carry beer home from the local pub.  Modern growlers are ½ gallon glass jugs, which are filled from a tap and snugged with a metal cap.  A properly poured growler can generally be kept (cold) for around 24 hours, maybe a little more.  But what’s the point of that?  Just drink it.

Rye Beverage keeps six fine American craft beers on tap in the store for sale in growlers, including locally brewed Captain Lawrence (which is the same as the Larchmont Tavern’s trademark “LT” ale,) Sixpoint IPA, and Dogfish Head 60.  Stop in, pick up a growler, drink it, and bring the bottle back for more.

Cold turkey commute. Don’t even think about lighting up while waiting for your Metro-North train. Doing so could get you kicked off the platform, up to $50 in fines or a trip to jail.

The MTA‘s new ban on outdoor smoking starts today, following a months-long grace period the agency gave smokers to get used to the idea. The ban, which had a soft launch in November, prohibits smoking on Metro-North and Long Island Railroad outdoor platforms, as well as ticketing and boarding areas.

The ban does not apply to Metro-North stations in Connecticut.

Violators have gotten away with just warnings since November. But after several months of  leafleting, signs, announcements and electronic alerts, the MTA now expects passengers to play by the rules.

Pleasantville is the 2nd best smelling city in the world.

Or so says GQ.

Wedged in there between #1 sweet smeller Los Angeles (what?) and #3 New Orleans (probably the beignets) Pleasantville is getting some olifactory acclaim.

The magazine’s “scent critic” Chandler Burr compared it to a Norman Rockwell painting, saying “if Rockwell’s paintings emitted a scent, this is what it would be.” He cited the “Maple, oak, and pine smell cyclically different as the seasons turn.”

LoHud burst its bubble a little, pointing out that Pleasantville is not a City.

That stinks.

photo of Pleasantville : dougtone

U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, who represents most of Westchester and parts of Rockland Counties in Congress, made fast friends with a group of New Rochelle High School seniors during a classroom visit Monday, inviting them to meet again online Tuesday night during President Obama’s State of the Union address.

“I don’t want to talk at you,” Congresswoman Lowey, a Democrat who represents New York’s 18th District, said.  ”I want to have a conversation.”

Lowey’s visit to teacher Darren Gurney’s AP macroeconomics class was a precursor to the virtual Facebook and Twitter chat with students she has planned for before and after the President’s speech. Students can participate by going to Lowey’s Facebook page  or using the hashtag #LoweyChat on Twitter.

She also will meet with New Rochelle High AP government students in Washington later this week.

Lowey reiterated several times her commitment to staying non-partisan during the classroom discussion, which touched on her priorities: creating jobs, investing in education and tax relief.

She did, however, come right out and say how important she thinks it is for young people to get involved in their government as soon as they are old enough.

“It’s sad to me that in this great country of ours such a small percentage of people vote,” she said.

“Whatever you do with your life, I hope you will take some time for public service because it is very rewarding.”

Photo courtesy of Paul Costiglio

Willy Wonka at Murray Avenue

Brrrrr…there’s a Winter Storm Watch in effect from tonight to Saturday afternoon…

Some warm picks this weekend:

Willy Wonka at Murray Avenue School, Larchmont. 

note: all Saturday performances cancelled due to snow. All shows will take place tomorrow, Sunday, January 22. 
Cast A performances will be held at 9:30 and 11:30am.  Cast B performances will take place at 2:30 and 4:30pm.  Saturday tickets will be honored at any Sunday performance.

Four performances of the musical based on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by students in grades 2-5. Golden tickets available at the door for performances Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm.

At New Rochelle Library:
Saturday, January 21, 1:00 pm, Magic and Comedy with Jim McClenhan.
Sunday, January 22, 1:30 – 3:30 pm: Sunday Afternoon Music with Eric Jennings: Celebrating America’s Almost-Forgotten Composers:  Lehar, Weill and Korngold.   Franz Lehar’s Merry Widow created a waltz frenzy that made it Broadway’s biggest hit in 1907, with songs and melodies that still thrill audiences today. Kurt Weill and Erich Korngold may have disappeared into Hollywood’s musical history, but Professor Jennings will show why their legacy continues.

The Picture House, Pelham. Family Flicks Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville. A screening of seven short films from the Sundance Festival. Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. $6 and $11. Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road. (914) 747-5555; burnsfilmcenter.org.

At Larchmont Library: Larchmont Music Academy presents the second in the series of the introduction to the orchestra concerts at 3:30. Featuring flute, clarinet, oboe and all members of the saxophone family from the tiny soprano saxophone to the huge baritone saxophone. Children will enjoy an interactive concert, exploring each instrument and even a fun make your own wind instrument project.

to list your event here, please email thisweekend@theloopny.com beginning 1/23/12.

PLEASANTVILLE– The Jacob Burns Film Center tonight presents the work of film students at Purchase College, tonight (Thursday) at 7:30 pm:

See the work of up-and-coming young filmmakers from one of the country’s most esteemed programs, Purchase College’s School of Film and Media Studies. In this program of six shorts—we’re told it’s the best batch of films ever to come out of a senior class—we present an eerie thriller, a documentary, the animated story of a closet monster, and more.

Q&A student filmmakers from Purchase College’s School of Film and Media Studies and Associate Professor of Film Robert Siegel, an award-winning writer and director.

Various Directors. 2011. US.

Tickets: $6 (members), $11 (nonmembers)

photo: courtesy the Burns Center

Shopping carts are rolling away. Cars are shaking. Hold onto your hats — and just about everything else.  The strong winds that blew into Westchester this morning, prompting a National Weather Service Wind Advisory, are expected to stick around at least through midnight.

The gusts could reach up to 50 miles per hour, according to the Weather Service, meaning travel could be hazardous.

Flight delays at area airports were already growing long by early afternoon.  Flights at La Guardia, for example, were running an hour and 40 minutes behind schedule at 1 p.m. The speed limit on area bridges, including the Tappan Zee, had reportedly been reduced.

Although the winds are expected to die down overnight, forecasters are calling for a weekend that feels like winter. The Weather Service forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 37 on Saturday and just 29 on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to bounce back a bit on Monday, the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, to a high of 39.

In honor of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. the Volunteer Center of United Way has organized a day of service projects at the organizations below on January 14. Interested? sign up here! Or call 914-948-4452 for more information.

Volunteers can choose from 29 service projects at Academic Pathways (New Rochelle), Charles Brieant Community Center (Ossining), Children’s Creative Response to Conflict (Nyack), Family Services of Westchester (Yonkers), Ferncliff Manor(Yonkers),  FSW Sharing Shelf (Port Chester), Green Chimneys (Carmel), Groundwork Hudson Valley (Hastings), Institute of Applied Human Dynamics (Tarrytown), Mount Vernon YMCA, My Sister’s Place (Yonkers), Nepperhan Community Center (Yonkers), New Rochelle Public Library, Richmond Community Services (Yonkers), Rockland Country Day School (Valley Cottage) , Somers Manor, Therapeutic Equestrian Center (Cold Spring), Wartburg Adult Center (Mount Vernon), White Plains Youth Bureau, White Plains YMCA, White Plains Public Library, WJCS Kid’s Kloset (White Plains), and Yonkers Public Library – Will Branch.

photo: flickr

Doesn’t hiding with the kids in a dark movie theater seems like a perfect respite from the holiday rush? But if fighting your way into this season’s blockbusters — complete with first-run prices and crowds — nips that fantasy in the bud, consider the Jacob Burns Film Center’s movies for kids and families film series running now through February.

Showing classics like A Boy Named Charlie Brown, the South Korean-made My Beautiful Girl Mari and Return to Oz, the series gives kids the chance to explore films beyond the current mass releases. And, get this: kids get in for just $1 through this week.

The Jacob Burns Film Center theater is located at 364 Manville Road in Pleasantville. The Film Center also shows current releases and officers film-related courses. 

– Photo courtesy of Rsampogna 

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For those of us who can’t wait for Spring (uh…everyone…?), we’ve compiled a garden checklist to help combat winter blues, indoors and out.

Plan ahead
Now’s a great time to assess your garden. Perhaps you want to add some plantings or move things around. Some people keep a notebook or take photos during the growing season. These are really helpful when staring out at your snowy white canvas.

• Order seed starting kits, vegetable and flower seeds from catalogs, if you like starting from scratch.
• Start growing seeds. Some helpful tips here.
• Peruse magazines for gardens that you like, See how you can incorporate some of the ideas into your own property.

Heavy snow can break the branches of evergreens. Give plants a dusting off after a heavy snowfall.

Maintenance
You may be tiring of the snow cover that’s been hanging around since Christmas, but the snow is actually a protective, frosty blanket, insulating the plants below. During winter’s home stretch, we may get days that swing between warm(ish) and arctic. That will be the time to check on your newer plantings, making sure the warming and re-freezing has not heaved them above the soil line. If you see that’s starting to happen, try to push them back in and cover root zone with extra mulch.

• Prune away storm-damaged branches, which can tear the bark off shrubs and trees.
• After a heavy snow, take a broom and brush off the shrubs and tree branches that are bent under the snow’s weight.
• Take cuttings of forsythia, pussy willows, cherries for forcing indoors. Late February, early March is the time to prune most shrubs and trees, before they start to leaf out.

Indoors
Sun-loving houseplants are probably looking a little sad right now. Shorter days=sadder plants (and people!). Make sure they are in a southern-facing window.

• Houseplants grow more slowly during winter, so increase the time between waterings. The single biggest killer of houseplants is overwatering.
• Clean the large, smooth-leaved houseplants with a damp, soft cloth. Or give them a shower. They are probably a bit dusty by now, which interferes with photosynthesis.
• Inspect for insect pests. Browning leaves are a good indication you have spider mites. Look for fine spider webbing between the leaves or between the stem and leaves. The mites are easily killed by spraying them with a homemade soap solution. Simply add a teaspoon of dish liquid detergent to a 12 or 16 ounce spray bottle filled with water. Shake, then spray. The soap smothers their soft bodies. You may have to apply two or three times, whenever you see the webbing again.
• It’s a good time to repot plants, especially if it’s been more than a few years since the last transplating.  Plants do best in terra-cotta pots because the clay is porous, which allows for water and air exchange. If your old clay pots have a white, powdery mineral deposit on the outside, you can clean them by soaking the pots overnight in a solution of 1 gallon of water, 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup bleach. Or, remove as much as you can with a wire brush and then apply linseed oil. This will make the mineral deposits invisible.
• Go over your gardening contracts carefully. Many companies apply pesticides and herbicides. They are required to supply you with a materials data safety sheet for each product they apply. One note from this organic gardener: data sheets only cover the labeled, “active” ingredients. Ninety percent of most products are “inert” ingredients. The composition of inert ingredients are considered “proprietary information” and do not have to be disclosed. Many of these “inerts” are more dangerous than the labeled ingredients. Of course, you can always hire a landscape company that practices organic controls. Keeping your property in a natural balance is the best way to ensure a healthy environment.

Catherine Wachs is a Larchmont-based landscape designer. Her company, The Lazy Gardener, creates low-maintenance, high-style designs for residential and commercial properties.