Information:

Mamaroneck

New Rochelle

Rye

Rye Brook

Rye Neck

Scarsdale

White Plains

for those not listed above:

Ardsley | Bedford | Briarcliff Manor | Bronxville | Byram Hills | Chappaqua | Croton-Harmon | Dobbs Ferry | Eastchester | Edgemont | Elmsford | Greenburgh 7 | Harrison | Hastings | Hendrick Hudson | Irvington | Katonah-Lewisboro | Lakeland | Mount Pleasant | Mount Vernon |  North Salem | Ossining | Peekskill | Pelham | Pleasantville | Pocantico Hills | Port Chester | Somers | Tarrytowns | Tuckahoe | Valhalla |  Yorktown |

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

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From LWV Chapters in the Sound Shore Area:

The timely issue of campaign finance in the midst of this presidential election year is the focus of the League of Women Voters annual luncheon at noon on Friday, April 27th at the Orienta Beach Club in Mamaroneck.

Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause NY, will tackle the controversial topic, “Money in Politics – Can Americans Beat the Odds and Establish Fairness in Campaign Finance?” at the luncheon that is co-sponsored by the LWV chapters of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, New Rochelle and Rye, Rye Brook and Port Chester.

The event is open to the public. To make a reservation, please mail a check for $45 payable to LWV Larchmont/Mamaroneck to LWV, PO Box 811, Larchmont, NY 10538. Please e-mail questions to lwv10538@aol.com.

Common Cause New York, and its national counterpart, is the citizen’s lobbyist for clean elections and ethical standards for our elected officials. CCNY is a leading force in the battle for honest and accountable government. This nonpartisan, nonprofit organization often works together with the League of Women Voters on public interest issues.

Susan Lerner was the executive director of the California Clean Money Campaign before assuming her current post as the executive director of Common Cause New York. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU School of Law.

The Sound Shore Leagues will invite local high school students chosen to participate in this year’s Students Inside Albany Conference (SIA) to report on their experience at the luncheon. Students from throughout the state participated in the League’s 4-day public policy training program March 25-28th in Albany. The program brought these student leaders together to educate them on how they can influence public policy and provided them with an opportunity to meet and shadow their elected representatives, debate current policy issues, tour the capitol, and more.

The League of Women Voters of the United States was founded in 1920 by suffragists who had organized over decades for passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. The League’s mission is to promote informed citizen participation in government. Membership is open to all citizens 18 and older, regardless of gender, and associate membership to noncitizens.

This food truck in Mt. Vernon actually replaced the shuttered restaurant, below, where it is parked.

MOUNT VERNON, MAMARONECK, PORT CHESTER — We love our street food. But not every town does. Port Chester and Mount Vernon, home to lots of food vendors, are considering very strict regs.

In Port Chester, Abendroth Avenue and Don Bosco Place and the parking lots on Highland Street and Marvin Place would be off limits.

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PORT CHESTER– Perhaps buoyed by the buzz in Mamaroneck with Club Car at the Mamaroneck train station, the MTA says it’s bringing a Heartland Brewery to the circa 1890 station in Port Chester.

Published reports say Heartland plans to spend  $1.2 million to renovate the 5,630-square-foot brick building, which will include an outdoor garden, and name the restaurant “Port Chester Hall,” with a planned opening in June 2013.

What do you think? Are you on board?

Photo: Jacqueline Silberbush

At the Quick Cash on the Post Road in White Plains, customers receive a card that says,

 Pawning is the world’s oldest form of banking. Quite simply, pawning an item for money is the same as taking a collateral loan. A person in need to money can bring items of value to a pawn broker, and the broker will assess the value of the items and give out a loan based on their value. The person pawning the item has a specific amount of time to pay the loan back or they lose the item. They can also pay the due interest, and extend the loan. In a person fails to pay back the loan the item becomes property of the pawn broker.

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Missy Palmisciano of County Harvest

Anne Avenius, St. Augustine's

The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound (JLWOS) Spring Fling Benefit will honor “Sound Shore Superwomen,” says  member Sonya Cronin, Saturday March 31 at 7:30 at The Winged Foot Golf Club.

“We will pay tribute to five local women (non-JLWOS members) making significant contributions to the Sound Shore Community:

Anne Avenius of St. Augustine’s Church (Larchmont, NY)

Deborah Blatt of The Sharing Shelf of Family Services of Westchester

Melinda Lehman of Larchmont-Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force

Marissa Massa of Our Lady of the Rosary Church (Port Chester, NY)

Missy Palmisciano of County Harvest.

This special evening also hosts a silent auction accompanied by food, cocktails, and live music.

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Joe Carvin

Strap yourself in, folks, and try to follow this.

Joe Carvin announces today he’s running for Nita Lowey’s seat in Congress.

This is the Rye Town Supervisor that originally announced he would run for Senate against Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand.

Then on March 16, the day of the Republican convention in Rochester, he announced that he was bowing out of the race for U.S. Senator.

Wednesday, Mar. 21, Republican candidate Mark Rosen dropped out of the race and endorsed his friend Carvin.

Rosen dropped out of the race because a magistrate judge redrew the district lines, and Larchmont,  where he lives, and much of the Sound Shore, was drawn out of the district in which he intended to run. Harrison and Rye Town remain in the District, as doe Rye Brook, where Carvin lives.

The new Congressional districting  reduces New York’s congressional districts from 29 to 27, combines the southern portion of Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel’s 17th District (Mt. Vernon and Yonkers) and the southern portion of Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey’s 18th District (the Sound Shore area) to form the state’s new 16th District.

photo: Town of Rye

New 18th Congressional District. Sound Shore area was in the 17th

Congressional redistricting has claimed its first victim.

Mark Rosen, a Larchmont Republican who had announced his intention to seek the Congressional seat now held by Democrat Rep. Nita Lowey, dropped out Wednesday.

“Given the redistricting that was just announced, I regret that I can no longer run the effective race we envisioned with Congresswoman Nita Lowey. My kids go to Murray Avenue School. This is our home. And, we are not moving. The redistricting has me living outside of Ms. Lowey’s district, and I regret that I must leave the race.”

He lives in Larchmont, which like other areas of Westchester County,  moves into Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel’s district.

Lowey is getting all of Rockland County, which Engel had mostly represented, as well as the Bronx.

Rosen will endorse Joe Carvin, Rye Town Supervisor,  who dropped out of a run for U.S. Senate against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand last week.

On the State Senate side, Democrat George Latimer, current State Legislator, announced a run, which he told us will also be harder–to Democrats– due to redistricting:

“More Republicans in communities like Bronxville, Eastchester and Yonkers and Democrats in New Rochelle and White Plains were artfully carved out,” he told theLoop.

“This will be a much tougher seat to win than under Suzi (Oppenheimer)”

map courtesy Mark Rosen for Congress

George Latimer at one of his "Coffee with George" meetings in Mamaroneck

Assemblyman George Latimer,  Rye Democrat, may not have voted for the re-configured State Senate districts, as he told us last week, but he’s going to run for the seat being vacated by longtime Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer.

Latimer announced the run in a letter that went out to district leaders this week, which, according to LoHud, reads:

“The changes we need – the changes I have fought for all my life – involve sacrifice from everybody, not just from ‘the other guy’,” Latimer wrote. “Property taxes are too high, and I have worked hard to address that major worry many of us face; it always comes up as the #1 local issue homeowners are concerned about.”

At least two Republicans have announced their intention to run for the seat: Bob Cohen, a New Rochelle businessman who was narrowly defeated by Oppenheimer in 2010; and Diane DiDonato-Roth, a North Castle councilwoman.

Cohen spokesman Bill O’Reilly responded:

“We welcome Mr. Latimer into this race, but find it head-scratching, frankly, that he would bring up property taxes in his announcement. Westchester families pay the highest property taxes in America because of what George Latimer did as a county legislator and as an assemblyman. He and the other career politicians are directly responsible for the staggering property taxes Westchester families pay today. On top of that, Mr. Latimer voted against last year’s historic property tax cap vote and he went MIA for Governor Cuomo’s pension reform vote last week that will ease costs on local governments. We look forward to discussing all these issues at length throughout this campaign.”

Latimer spokesman Brian Hegt:

Bill O’Reilly is a mouthpiece for the Senate Majority who has once again proven that the misrepresentation of facts is the only way they can hold onto their gerrymandered majority. Here’s the truth: George Latimer worked with the Governor to establish the lowest individual income tax rates in decades and repeal the MTA Payroll Tax for Small Businesses. In 2009, he voted against the State budget, which included a series of taxes and he also opposed the soda tax and entertainment tax. As Chairman of the County Board of Legislators, property taxes decreased for 3 years consecutively while George was in that position. We thank Mr. O’Reilly for his warm reception into this race and look forward to debating the FACTS, with Mr. Cohen, Ms. Roth or Mr. Terenzi, whoever the Republicans choose to nominate.

If you have seen our stories on this great organization, now is your chance to see them for yourself! If you can’t make this open house, they will take your donations of children’s clothing almost anytime in Port Chester and at other locations in Mamaroneck.

Who needs Manhattan when what you Crave is right here at home?

The 2-year-old women’s boutique, located at 48 North Main Street in Port Chester, is at once chic, sophisticated, casual – and affordable – so you can look like a million bucks (or even several hundred) without spending it.

Just as good: you don’t have to worry about everyone else in town showing up to the Big Event in the same outfit you’ve chosen; Crave purposely does not carry a lot of any one item, so the inventory stays fresh and moving. Tell them what you need – and they will help get it.

The appeal and offerings of the Port Chester Crave are based on the 30 years experience the boutique has been in business in New York and Greenwich.

Crave, 48 North Main Street, Port Chester. 305-1600.

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

Ridge Hill, Yonkers

Speaking of why some towns get shopping and others do not, (and thanks for your comments on the Armonk supermarket story,) with Whole Foods’ announced move into Port Chester, and Ridge Hill opening in Yonkers, Talk of the Sound recently asked what

Best Buy
Whole Foods
Fairway
Target
Barnes and Noble
and Kohl’s

had in common?

They are “some of the retailers who recently took a pass on New Rochelle. The old adage in real estate is location, location, location. Well, for the purposes of future development in New Rochelle, it should be parking, parking, parking.”

How do you think New Rochelle can begin to attract the kinds of businesses it wants, if there are any left?

It’s the end of the day at The Kneaded Bread in Port Chester and Jeff Kohn has sold 800 rolls and 300 loaves of artisinal bread: pullman square loaves, provolone, olive, multigrain and more.

“This is no museum bakery,” he says, proudly. Opened in 1998, long before Port Chester was a hot foodie destination, The Kneaded Bread’s downtown vibe, delicious breads and welcoming, warm bright cafe had no trouble creating a following.

“People didn’t think this concept was going to work in Port Chester 15 years ago, but we believed,” Jeff says, referring to his wife Jennifer. “Half way between the Rye and Greenwich train stations seemed like a natural. When we saw the ‘for rent sign,’ we thought ‘why not?’”

He also knew a little about the area, growing up in Rye Brook. “I was 12 when Rye Brook seceded from Port Chester.” Now, his children go to the same High School (Blind Brook) that he did.

The Kohns’ faith in the area paid off. The Kneaded Bread is a success and 7 years ago, they opened the popular Q restaurant and bar, known as the only authentic barbeque for miles.

photos: Polly Kreisman

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.

Deborah Blatt at The Sharing Shelf

Deborah Blatt got the call last week from the school. A devastating fire destroyed a local house and three little boys lost everything.

Within a day, she had packed up enough clothes, in the right sizes, to get each of them through the winter.

Deborah, who lives in New Rochelle with her own family, founded the Sharing Shelf in 2009, working with Family Services of Westchester. “I was looking for a way for families in need to get clothing for free if they have no money, or in times of crisis and without too much red tape,” she says. And unlike many of the “clothing closets” at many agencies, her warehouse-full of donations are matched to the recipients by size and season.

Next week, she’s getting a donation of 40,000 diapers.

“I want to be doing this,” Deborah says. “It’s unbelievably rewarding. An idea so simple helps a lot of people.”

Donate directly at the Sharing Shelf Warehouse at 47 Purdy Ave., Port Chester, or at one of the drop-off locations in Mamaroneck or Port Chester. or email thesharingshelf@fsw..org

A little behind on the Valentine’s thing?

It’s a party planner’s secret. Last year, Larchmont caterer Karen Malpass did a Gilligan’s Island Luau and a 1960′s theme 50th Birthday and she came straight here, to the Strauss Outlet. “Brilliant,” is how she describes it.

It’s not much to look at from the outside, but inside, there’s always a party.  Strauss is a no-frills explosion of party favors, plates, plastic tableware, snacks, balloons, tiki torches, confetti, pinatas, you name it, all at discount prices.

The regulars at Kneaded Bread in Port Chester were all a-buzz yesterday about a rumor that Port Chester’s vacant A and P- over in the Kohl’s Shopping Center- would become a Whole Foods, but we confirmed it with the company. By the end of 2013, Westchester will welcome a third Whole Foods store. White Plains opened in 2004 and a second location came to Ridge Hill in Yonkers in October.

photo: ximzero on flickr

You may recall our conflicted feelings about the new M-8 rail cars on the Metro-North Red Line.

Your chances of riding a cleaner, more comfortable | more sterile, computer-voice   train between Connecticut and Grand Central just increased. Metro-North and the State of Connecticut added more new cars to the New Haven Line.

As of Monday, 78 new cars are operating on the line — enough to cover about 24% of regular weekday rides.  The new M-8 railcars will cover an even higher percent of weekend travelers.

It will be years, though, before the entire existing fleet is replaced.  There are a total of 380 new cars on order. More sticky floors to enjoy for years to come.

7% of the families in Westchester live below the poverty line. And you might have a pile of warm clothes that don’t fit your kids anymore.

The Sharing Shelf, which provides gently used clothing to low-income Westchester children, needs clothing right now size 4T through 7.

“I can virtually guarantee anyone who donates winter clothing in size 4T or 5 that their hand-me-downs will be on the backs of children in need within a week or two,” says coordinator Deborah Blatt.

Run by Family Services of Westchester, The Sharing Shelf also needs several items for its new Port Chester facility including shelving, rolling coat racks and heavy-duty hangers.

For information or to donate, email thesharingshelf@fsw.org or visit the program’s website.

submitted by Meryl Schaffer, photos courtesy Sharing Self

As seen in Port Chester by jphresh

Submit your funny, ironic, weird, ridiculous, etc. local photo to our looppool on flickr, and we’ll post one at the end of every weekday.

So, the custom shoes and handmade bag (or rather the $4,000 price tag) may not be in the cards. But it’s well worth visiting Occhicone Fine Leather Goods in Port Chester even if there’s nothing bigger than a resole or luggage repair on your to-do list, just to soak up the expert craftsmanship.

Customers describe repairs and leather fixes here as “just amazing.”

The family-run store has at its helm 81-year-old Joseph Occhicone, an Italian-born and taught leather expert who honed his skills like a true artisan. “You get a couple of years training and then experience for your whole life” he says.

Occhicone had shops in Italy and Manhattan before settling down on Main Street 31 years ago. And sharing his affinity for fine Italian goods does not have to put you in the red.  His shop sells ready-made leather accessories and shoes, some with a very palatable price tag under $100.

Occhicone Fine Leather Goods is located at 42 N. Main St., Port Chester. 937-6327. No website.

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

Less than half mile over the Port Chester border, there are a whole lot of burgers being flipped – just the way they should be.

In fact, Burgers, Shakes & Fries in Byram – a Connecticut neighborhood once known as East Port Chester – has so remarkably refined the American classic that the eatery is cranking out up to 300 burgers a day. “That’s what we do,” says owner Kory Wollins.

Carnivorous or not, you can’t help but love the simplicity of this place, which captures everything burgers, shakes and fries (and onion rings too…) are about. The shop doesn’t have a whole lot more then a grill, the fixings, stuff to make fabulous shakes and about dozen stools lining a bar to eat on.

Four years old, Burgers, Shakes & Fries is reaping the rewards of being oh so good.  Wollins has opened a second shop in Darien. As he says, “Everyone likes a burger.”

The website at thecapisback.com proudly proclaims:

The Capitol Theatre is back! Once one of rock and roll’s most historic venues, The Capitol Theatre will make its triumphant return to Port Chester, NY in 2012. A former home to legendary acts such as The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and more, the Capitol Theatre is returning to its prestigious roots and is ready to reclaim its place in music history.

By summer we should be hearing about ribbon cuttings and concerts at The Capitol. According to the New York Times, Peter Shapiro, an owner of Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg, hopes to produce about 100 concert performances a year in the 1,835-seat theater.

It will be a great turn-back of events for the beautiful and historic theater, which had been used most recently for Bar Mitzvahs and a circus. Rock on!

George Latimer at one of his "Coffee with George" meetings in Mamaroneck

Have you received an anonymous robo-call opposing George Latimer, the Democratic State Assemblyman representing a District, the 37th, stretching from part of New Rochelle to Port Chester?

The automated calls – which slam Latimer’s record – started just 12 hours after Democratic State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer announced on Thursday that she would not be seeking reelection. The recorded caller never states his name or affiliation. One recipient described the message as “nasty.”

The calls have been traced to an Albany-area law firm, McClung Peters & Simon, that represents the State Senate GOP, says Latimer, who is considering a run for Oppenheimer’s seat.  Repeated phone calls to the law firm were not answered.

These calls are also apparently illegal.  Anonymous robocalls that are political or advocacy in nature are prohibited under federal law, according to a campaign law expert.

Latimer says he views the calls as “very sad,” as much for what they represent as the skewed message they deliver.

“Attack politics before there is even a campaign underway,” he says.

He added, “It does tell me if I run, it will be an expensive, contentious race; less so because of Bob (Cohen, who already has a 2012 election website up), whom I think is a good guy, and more because of the Senate Republican majority that wants to capture the seat.”

photo courtesy George Latimer

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.

Rye Brook is a Village within the Town of Rye that established in 1982, when a group of citizens began a movement for independence from the Town.

I have always been told that Rye Brook seceded from Port Chester, but can find no documentation of this. Does anyone know if this is true or urban legend?

photos: Jacqueline Silberbush

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

The State of New York is studying the cost efficiency of dissolving the Town of Rye, which contains the Villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook along with a portion of the Rye Neck section of the Village of Mamaroneck.

There has been much discussion in recent years about merging redundant services, such as Fire and Police Depts. in many areas of Westchester.

Come to a public forum January 12 at 7:00 pm at the Village of Mamaroneck Court Room to hear more and speak with representatives of these areas, who will discuss dissolution.

As if heading back to work today isn’t hard enough, it is costing some Metro-North commuters more, too.

New Haven line riders who travel to or from Rye and Port Chester pay about 4% more than they did last year.  Monthly passes between Grand Central Terminal and those stations now cost $247; a one-way peak ticket costs $11; and one-way off-peak fare is $8.25.

Those fares reflect tickets bought from ticket booths or machines.  Tickets bought onboard are higher.

The increase brings Rye and Port Chester ticket prices in line with fares to other New Haven line stops in New York, which experienced a 9% increase in 2010.

Connecticut commuters are ringing in the new year with an even bigger price hike. Connecticut riders, regardless of whether they instate or not, now pay 5.3% more then in 2011.

–Photo of Rye Train Station courtesy of Jim Henderson.

John Gitlitz and Bishop Wayne Powell of Strait Gate Church

Paula Eisenberg and Judy Silberstein

When theLoop launched in 2007, some people called us digital pioneers. But “Paula and Judy,” as they came to  be known, had already been at it in Larchmont for five years, and The Larchmont Gazette would continue for three more.

Around the same time, it was a pivotal period for local immigrants. John Gitlitz would serve as co-president and then president of the Hispanic Resource Center.

Gitlitz and Paula Eisenberg and Judy Silberstein will be the special honorees at the 25^th public Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 11^th at the Hommocks Middle School Auditorium.

Gitlitz, an associate professor at Purchase College, will receive the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Award  for carrying on the ideals of equal opportunity championed by Dr. King. A special tribute will also be given to Eisenberg and Silberstein, and the reporters and photographers at the publication before it was suspended in September, 2010.

The Celebration, entitled “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” is hosted by the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Committee on Human Rights, with the help of the Local Summit.

– Article and photos submitted by Harold Wolfson. Additional reporting by Polly Kreisman and Diana Marszalek.

Tarry Market

“It’s the Lower East Side of Westchester,” said Morgan Pruitt, manager at Mario Batali’s year-old gourmet  Tarry Market. “I was surprised at the ethnicity when I came up here from the City.

Port Chester has for many years been known as a mecca for foodies, with ethnic offerings from Peru to Italy to Southern BBQ. But now, there’s an Upscale edge.

Tarry Market lies on North Main Street, at the heart of downtown Port Chester. And it may have come to the right place. “There’s a culture of serving quality food here,” Pruitt says.

Says Barbara White of Bronxville,  “I came here last November and saw their black pasta. Now I come up here just to get it.”

Just up the street, you’ll find Port Chester Beer Distributors, a warehouse stocked with a variety of imported European and Asian beers, as well as local micro brews.

And we love Kneaded Bread a few steps away (and they got here first in the wave of new businesses.)

And if you spend almost all of your money, the 3-story Salvation Army thrift store is a bargain hunter’s paradise – a favorite among students, according to manager Anthony Olivo.

“I love it,” said Zoë Browne, a sophomore at Purchase College, who says she goes there every other week. “I can always find something unique.” The best item she ever found? A “white full-body snowsuit, belted, seven dollars.”

 Reporting and photos by Ole Skaar

The original Life Savers candy factory is on North Main Street in Port Chester, not far from the Connecticut line. Check out the life saver rolls on the side.

Today, it’s condos. According to a 1989 article in the New York Times, Life Savers company abandoned the building in 1984 after 65 years there.  “The five-story structure had turned out as many as 616 million rolls of Life Savers a year during its peak period in the 1960′s, said Ray Sammarco, former plant manager. Indeed, old-timers recalled that residents always knew which flavor was being produced by the aroma that wafted over the town.”

(photos: top: Westchester County Archives; bottom: LandmarkHunter.com)

From the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound:

For 60 years, the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound (JLWOS) has helped women and children in the Sound Shore area in countless ways.  Beyond its community projects and volunteer efforts, JLWOS funds the initiatives of other non-profit organizations through monetary grants.  This year, thirty-four applications were received totaling more than $117,000 in grant requests.  After close evaluation of all applications, JLWOS awarded $60,000 in grants to twenty organizations throughout the Sound Shore area.  Decisions were based on each program’s merit, effectiveness in meeting a documented need, and compatibility with the Junior League’s mission.  The full list of awards is as follows:

Boys & Girls Club                           $2,500   New Rochelle

With the grant, the club will provide the Music Technology Institute program in which children learn to play an instrument, write their own song, and record it. The children will also have the opportunity to attend a live musical performance.

Cancer Support Team                      $1,000    Sound Shore

Funds will be used to support and increase distribution of Chemo Comfort Kits to Cancer Support Team patients. The kits provide cancer patients with products that help manage nausea, mouth sores, hair loss and the other side effects of chemotherapy.

County Harvest                                $2,500   Sound Shore

County Harvest rescues excess food from restaurants, caterers, supermarkets, bagel shops, beverage distributors, and private clubs and delivers it to soup kitchens, food pantries and homeless shelters. Grant monies will be used to purchase supplies needed to rescue excess food for donation.

Family Services of                            $2,500   New Rochelle

Westchester (Sharing Shelf)

The Sharing Shelf aims to fill the gap in efforts to collect and distribute clothing and other items for families in need. This grant will go to help defray costs of moving the location from Rye to New Rochelle as well as purchasing shelving units and supplies for the new warehouse.

Furniture Share House                    7,500     Sound Shore

The mission of the Furniture Share House is to collect gently used furniture from the public and redistribute it free of charge to needy families in Westchester. Monies have been awarded to in form of a partial grant to fund the purchase of 30 mattress sets for the ―Mattresses for Moms‖ Program.

John F. Kennedy Magnet School     $1,000    Port Chester

Literary magazines can highlight the importance of writing and encourage each child to find his inner author. This grant will cover publication of the JFK literary magazine, The Kennedy Kronicles, and provide every student with a copy.

John F. Kennedy Magnet School     $1,395     Port Chester

Funds to support the school’s nutrition garden that provides students with hands-on instruction about the life cycle of plants and vegetables.

Harrison Youth Council                  $2,500   Harrison

The Harrison Youth Council was founded to provide a broad range of mental health and social services to at-risk children, teens and families. Funds received are being used to assist the Harrison Youth Council in bringing to the community renowned national parenting expert on bullying prevention, Dr. Joel Haber.

Legal Services of Hudson Valley      $2,000   Westchester County

The organization provides legal counsel in civil matters to low-income individuals where basic human needs are at stake. Grant monies will be used to assist clients in emergency situations by providing transportation and meal vouchers to victims.

My Sister’s Place                           $7,500       Westchester County

This grant will fund a county-wide conference called Love Shouldn’t Hurt, which features a large group presentation as well as small break-out groups.   Students will have the opportunity to explore aspects of teen dating violence and, alternatively, healthy teen relationships. The conference is expected to be held in the Sound Shore area.

New Rochelle Campership Fund       $3,529    New Rochelle

JLWOS funds will pay for over 20 needy children to have a summer camp experience. Children will attend one of the non-profit summer camps serving the New Rochelle community.

New Rochelle YMCA                        Provisional Project    New Rochelle

JLWOS will use our fall provisional class to help refurbish the childcare room in the New Rochelle Family Courthouse.

New Rochelle Youth Bureau            $5,000   New Rochelle

Funds will be used to support the Community Tutorial Center that will train thirty high school students as Peer-to-Peer tutors. The center will provide academic assistance to sixty 3rd – 12th graders.

Open Door Family Medical Center   $1,000    Port Chester

This grant will allow Open Door to host a series of self-defense classes for 25 Latina women and teen girls in their Port Chester location.

Pace Woman’s Justice Center          $2,000   Westchester County

Funds will pay the partial cost of language translation services for domestic violence victims with limited English proficiency.

Pajama Program                                $5,000   Westchester County

Funding will provide new pajamas and books to more than 300 pre-teen and teenage children in the Sound Shore area.

Port Chester Town of Rye               $1,000 Port Chester, Rye

Council of Comm. Services

Funds will support the intergenerational, cross-cultural, oral history project for youths and seniors in the community. This social development program created by Susan Perlstein, founder of ―Elders Share the Arts‖ suggests that the positive bonding to an adult will help reduce the risk of youth being involved in problem behaviors.

Pregnancy Care Center                   $2,000   New Rochelle

The center reaches out to distressed pregnant woman to support her through her unplanned pregnancy with education, housing, counseling and other services in order to ensure they reach a point of self-sufficiency. The monies granted are to purchase two new four-seat strollers for the Elinor Martin Residence for Mother and Child.

Sound Shore Medical Center           $5,000   Sound Shore

This grant will be used to create Girls Night Out, a social support group for women with breast cancer and survivors. The group will meet once a month with the goals being (1) to provide a respite from the daily stresses of breast cancer by providing recreational activities; (2) to provide a social support network for breast cancer survivors; and, (3) to provide current medical information to assist in improving quality of life.

Westchester Children’s Museum      $5,076    New Rochelle/Port Chester JLWOS grant will provide equipment and allow the WCM to hire Barbara Allen, an accomplished musician and educator, for a series of drumming workshops for children participating in the Museum Without Walls program at the Port Chester Carver Center and the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle.

WestCOP                                       $2,500       New Rochelle

Scholarships for Head Start eligible children for a 9-week summer program to continue the federally funded early childhood program that is not funded through the summer months.

A History of the Junior League and JLWOS

The Junior League is an international organization of women devoted to working together to improve the communities in which they live. The Junior League was originally founded in New York City in 1901 by Mary Harriman to help improve the lives of those living in settlement housing, with the first project at the College Settlement on Rivington Street in today’s Lower East Side of Manhattan. By 1921, Mary’s league was emulated in over thirty locations across the United States, and even went international with the creation of a Junior League in Montreal, Canada. To date, there are 292 Junior League chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Today, the Junior League is an organization of professional women working together to continue Mary Harriman’s vision of improving their communities.  The Junior League of Westchester on the Sound is proud to share a tradition of working to improve our Sound Shore community with so many other women worldwide.

The earliest beginnings of what is now the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound was formed in 1933, during a time of financial and global crisis in the United States, as a group of women who had moved to the suburbs from New York City, looking for a way to connect to and improve their new suburban community. Their first projects centered on improving area hospitals by sewing layettes and rolled bandages, establishing the Welfare Fund for the community, and creating a library for pediatric heart patients to use. While the League was originally known as the Eastern Westchester Unit of the Junior League of New York, in 1950 when the Junior Service Group of New Rochelle joined with the Eastern Westchester Unit, a Junior League charter was officially granted. This marked the beginning the Junior League of Larchmont, which eventually expanded to also include the Sound Shore Communities of New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Harrison, Rye, Rye Brook, and Port Chester.  With this expansion, the Junior League of Larchmont eventually became the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound.  Similar to other Junior Leagues the mission of JLWOS is to “promote volunteerism, develop the potential of women, and improve the Sound Shore communities, through the effective leadership of trained volunteers.”

Currently, the Junior League’s main fundraiser is the Golden Shoestring thrift shop, located on Larchmont Avenue in Larchmont. Through these fundraising efforts, JLWOS is able to donate $30,000 in grants annually, as well as a scholarship to students who demonstrate a natural willingness to volunteer in the Sound Shore Community.  This year JLWOS awarded the scholarship to Thomas “Tucker” White, a senior at New Rochelle High School, in the amount of $4,000.  Tucker provided more than 1500 hours of community service including restoration work in New Rochelle parks such as Wildcliff Manor, Hudson Park, and Wykagyl Wetlands.

JLWOS President, Dana Diersen Buehrer, has been working on archiving the vast history that the League shares with the sound shore community. Dana said of her experiences with the League during it’s 60^th anniversary, and her hard work commemorating our past “It has been a wonderful experience to help our League celebrate it’s rich history through researching our archives and highlighting past projects and community initiatives. Our volunteers have made, and continue to make, a difference!”

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.