NEW ROCHELLE– Nice piece in New Rochelle Now about 4 modern movies about, or filmed in, New Rochelle:  Catch Me if You Can,  Michael Clayton,  Good Fellas and City Slickers 2.

Let’s not forget the Thanhouser Film Studios of 1909-1918 was one of the first movie studios in the country, The studio is noted for filming the first serial in motion pictures, named The Million Dollar Mystery, as well as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The Rockefeller State Park Preserve is a wonderful place.

Conveniently located, with entrances in Pleasantville and Tarrytown it has an extensive network of trails, originally for carriage use.  It’s an ideal location for a morning run, afternoon hike or evening stroll.

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A selection of Friday- Sunday events from theLoop Events Calendar:

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Trainjotting once again is commissioning the Unofficial Best Commuting Town on Metro North poll. Last time’s winner? Larchmont, USA.

This year’s winner? You decide, here.

photo: Elisabeth Pollaert

There’s a growing rap sheet against the “commuter robber.”

Olivier Fanby, 19,  will be charged by Harrison police in two robberies, and one each in the village and town of Mamaroneck, and in New Rochelle.

Famby is being held without bail. He was expected to be in Mamaroneck Town Court on Monday and in Harrision Town Court today.  As LoHud reports:

Famby reportedly  told Pelham detectives that he had planned to rob someone at the Larchmont station around 5 a.m. Friday, but didn’t see anybody who looked promising, so he drove to Pelham. He parked on Corlies Avenue, in a no-overnight parking zone.

Sgt. Christopher Casucci saw the parked car about 5:20 a.m. and knew it hadn’t been there earlier, Benefico said.

While he was writing a ticket, he noticed someone in the car and pulled up to talk to the driver. When he got out to investigate, he noticed a gun on the floor and black gloves.

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.

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Notes from the Tasting Room at Capt. Lawrence Brewery in Elmsford

The beauty of the brewery tour, whether it’s Guinness in Dublin or Heineken in Amsterdam, or Captain Lawrence right here in Westchester, is that it’s a day at the brewery–plus an education. You walk out not only having sampled some of the freshest beer you’ll ever taste, but you’ve nourished your intellectual curiosity as well.

It is, in modern business parlance, a win-win.

And so I embarked on my first guided tour of the Captain Lawrence brewery, with a special wingman in tow. Every time I visit the place, with its silos and tubes and mouth-watering smell all around, I come back to reading about Willy Wonka’s beloved chocolate facility as a kid. And since my six year old son also adores Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I brought the boy along.

Our tour guide John walks about 20 of us through the brewery’s modest beginnings (owner Scott Vaccaro, as a teen, brewing out of his parents’ home on, yes, Captain Lawrence Drive in Lewisboro), to the 8,000 barrels (a barrel equals two kegs) brewed last year, and the 10-12,000 that are on pace to roll out of the Elmsford digs for 2012.

More

Check theLoop Events Listings

Collect eggs at Stone Barns

What’s at Jacob Burns

What’s at the Emelin

What’s at the Picture House

What’s at Paramount Center for the Arts

What’s at Tarrytown Music Hall  (Joan Osborne April 7)

Some ideas from Found in Yonkers:

• Benjamin Manry and the Crimson Journal by Owen Palmiotti Signing B&N Central Plaza Apr 7
• Easter Bunny Photos @TheWestchester through April 7
• City of Yonkers FREE Easter Egg Hunt April 7

33 Films in this year’s Jewish Film Festival at Jacob Burns. Beginning April 11:

• My Lovely Sister   Apr. 11, 13, 15
• Free Men   Apr. 12, 14, 15, May. 12
• Remembrance   Apr. 12, 14, 19
• God’s Fiddler: Jascha Heifetz   Apr. 12, 16

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Spoken Interludes literary salon kicks off its 2012 season on Tuesday, March 27^th at 6 pm with a great line-up of three critically-acclaimed best-selling authors.

We wrote about Spoken Interludes back in January.

• Kathryn Harrison will read from her new novel, Enchantments.
• Lucette Lagnado will read from her new memoir, The Arrogant Years: One Girl’s Search for Her Lost Youth, from Cairo to Brooklyn, and
• Ben Marcus will read from his new novel, The Flame Alphabet.

Praise for Enchantments:

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Vegetarians and Vegans have more and more options when dining in restaurants in Westchester. Our friends at StacyKnows have compiled a list you should have if you don’t eat meat. And if you know any more, please add them in the comments section.

Their Up County picks are:

• Moderne Barn
• Cheesecake Factory
• Haven
• North
• Fig and Olive
• Blue Hill

Read more.

photo: Fotopedia

Some upcoming Westchester events posted by Found in Yonkers:

“The Kid with a Bike” Screening Jacob Burns Film Center March 23-29 ~Pleasantville~
SOURCE: http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Rosetta, L’Enfant) are acclaimed for their intense portrayals of people at the gritty fringes of society. They reveal a more hopeful face in this new drama about a sensitive but uncontrollable 11-year-old and a woman who believes in him. Winner of a raft of festival honors, including [...]

The LOFT Open Mic Nite March 24 ~White Plains~
SOURCE: http://www.loftgaycenter.org Time: 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Cost: $10.00 includes snacks, finger foods, and beverages Each person or group will have seven minutes to do a stand-up comedy act, a song sung, played, or karaoke, a poem or story, a song or dance, just about anything. Come share yourself and your talent at the [...]

REI FREE Bike Maintenance Workshop March 27 ~Yonkers~
SOURCE: http://www.rei.com This class is an informative presentation that will teach you how to lube a chain, fix a flat tire in record time, and make other minor adjustments to your bicycle. No experience necessary! REI is located at Ridge Hill, 49 Fitzgerald Street in Yonkers. For complete class details visit http://www.rei.com.

Dance Theater of Harlem Ensemble at Paramount Center for the Arts Band March 30 ~Peekskill~
SOURCE: http://www.paramountcenter.org Tickets: $25.00 to $45.00 Dance Theater of Harlem Ensemble will host a lively program that featured a variety of short ballet performances and excerpts, giving the audience a behind-the-scenes look at the making of an artist, from the barre to the stage, and exposing them to the company’s “unique yet classic” brand of [...]

Louie Anderson Tarrytown Music Hall March 30
SOURCE: http://tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org Tickets: $34.50 to $99.50 (Meet & Greet) Louie Anderson is one of the most versatile and successful comedians working in Hollywood today, loved by the television audiences who never missed his nightly hit series “Family Feud” or his appearances on late night chat shows. He is adored by standing-room-only crowds in Las Vegas [...]

Hand-to-Mouth Players Call for One Act Plays Deadline April 16
Manuscripts should be twenty-five minutes, minimal staging and sets, with casts of fiver or less. The winning five plays will be performed August 24-26 in Montrose, New York. For complete details visit http://www.htmplayers.com.

Towers similar to those proposed on another highway

As of last night, the Saw Mill River Parkway will remain one of the nicer Westchester roadways, and Pleasantville will be free of gigantic surveillance towers.

Neighbors have won their battle against the State’s proposal to install seven, hulking traffic-watching towers along the parkway from Hawthorne to Chappaqua. The Department of Transportation officially nixed their plans on Tuesday after Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer, Mount Pleasant Town Supervisor Joan Maybury and New Castle Supervisor Susan Carpenter led an effort to get concerns from the community heard in Albany.

More than 1,000 residents petitioned against the project. The DOT towers, which stand 125-feet tall and have a camera on top, watch for heavy congestion and accidents.

“At this point in time, NYSDOT has decided not to install communications towers along the Saw Mill River Parkway,” state transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said in a statement.

Photo: wikimedia commons

If you spend any time following #westchester on twitter, you may know the chatty girls at the Chat Shop. We think of it as a virtual talk-fest where no one yells and you can come and go as you please.

Readers have come up with a Westchester “bucket list,” each making a list of some of the local treats they’d like to experience before they well, you know.

Have a peek.

photo: Jacqueline Silberbush

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.