When we wrote about the local filmmaker nominated for an Oscar, for Best Documentary (see the trailer in the link- very powerful) we didn’t realize there were more!

Westchester Mag writes, “One of the nominees, God Is the Bigger Elvis, is directed by Rebecca Cammisa of Tarrytown, produced by Julie Anderson of Scarsdale, and centers around Bethlehem, Connecticut, native Dolores Hart. Hart was a successful actress, with a claim to fame that she received Elvis Presley’s first on-screen kiss in the movie Loving You. ”

photo: miheco on Flickr

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.

The Voracious Reader

Westchester may have more writers per capita than any place in the country. You, too, can learn about writing prose, poetry, blogging, memoirs, food writing, young adult fiction….here:

The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center– is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1988 with a mission to advance the art and craft of writing by encouraging writers and readers at all levels to participate in and enjoy the literary arts. It offers classes for professional and amateur writers, presents public readings by well-known and emerging prose writers and poets, does outreach work in several community sites, and publishes at least one book of poetry each year under the imprint Slapering Hol Press.

The Center’s headquarters is the restored Philipse Manor railroad station, which overlooks the Hudson River in the village of Sleepy Hollow.  Workshops include Blog Writing, How to Write Page Turning Fiction, Memoir Writing, Writing About Food, as well as workshops for young adults.

Learn to Tell: Storytelling Workshops at The Rye Library: This winter and spring the Rye Storytelling Guild will offer a course in how to spin a good yarn.   Classes held on the first Tuesday of each month from 6.30 to 8.30 pm and will focus on how and where to find a story you yearn to tell, how to shape and prepare the story, how to enhance its telling, the presentation of your story, and a celebration of storytelling graduates. Workshop led by celebrated storyteller Carol Birch. To sign up call 914.231.3161 or email Neva Winter at newinter4@optonline.net.

Adult and Young adult workshops at The Voracious Reader: Got a Work In Progress? Register now to prevent the winter blahs!  Adult fiction classes will be held Thursdays, 12:00-2:00; 
February 5-April. 5^th. 
Workshop Fee: $825.00.   For adults writing YA or middle grade fiction: finish your work-in-progress or start a new one in this 10-week workshop with author, Phyllis Shalant, author and adjunct professor in the Graduate Writing Program at Manhattanville College.  Call The VR at 914.592.2278 to register.

WritopiaLabs at The Voracious Reader–As part of its dedication to nurturing young writers, The Voracious Reader has partnered with WritopiaLab, a wonderful national non-profit that offers writing workshops for kids from 8 to 18 years old. The Voracious Reader is the southern Westchester home of this group, with engaging and inspiring workshops led by director Lena Roy.  “The kids practically run through our front door to get to their class!” says owner Francine Lucidon.

As layers of government weigh in on building a new Tappan Zee Bridge, a group of walkers and cyclists have their own plans for the existing one.

The Tappan Bridge Park Alliance (click here to sign a petition) is proposing turning the 3-mile, 33-acre span into a recreational path across the Hudson — sort of like a High Line for Westchester. The group already has several local leaders on board including White Plains Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona, whose vision for the park you see here.

At this point, the proposal is just that — an idea. But advocates say reusing the massive structure for recreation makes perfect sense.  As committee member David McKay Wilson puts it, “The bridge – now in the prime of middle-age at 56 years old – will have plenty of life left in him when the new bridge opens. ”

“This bridge is our heritage, the iconic image of the lower Hudson Valley and the northeast corridor. Why not preserve it? Why not make it a preserve?” he says.

Up in Highland, NY, Walkway Over the Hudson turned an old abandoned railroad bridge into a pedestrian park that opened on October 3, 2009.

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

Westchester Symphonic Winds, is a wind ensemble in residence at the Tarrytown Music Hall.

Sunday, November 6th at 3pm is its first concert of the season.

“This is a great opportunity for students to hear a professional level band playing a great program,” says Denise Ruchala, a Band instructor in the Mamaroneck public schools.

The concert will feature trumpet soloist Rick Henly, as well as a lively percussion feature by John Mackey.

You can find out more about the group or the concert here.

Headless Horseman, Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow, home of the Headless Horseman himself, is all about hosting a super-haunted Halloween with a range of events for all ages this month.  The Sleepy Hollow Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce sent us this roundup of what’s on tap in our fellow Westchester community:

Sleepy Hollow, NY, birthplace of the most famous Halloween legend of all, beckons with haunted happenings all month long.  Named one of the top three Historic American Towns by a national survey and one of the 10 Great Spooky Adventure Destinations in the world by National Geographic Traveler, the Sleepy Hollow area draws thousands of visitors unable to resist what lurks in the dark corners of the night.

“There is no escaping the lure of Halloween in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown,” said Bill Hammer, who heads a new sub-committee focused on branding Sleepy Hollow. Halloween has evolved into a season that now starts in September.  The internationally recognized Sleepy Hollow Brand is projecting record numbers of Tourists expected to visit this season.  In addition to large sponsors like Kraft, TD Bank, Mahopac Bank, CARS Inc, The Village of Sleepy Hollow, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and FLY Communications over 30 other Sleepy Hollow area businesses and organizations contributed over $50,000 in money & services. “The dark night holds centuries-old, scary secrets and we welcome all visitors to our sequestered little glen.”

• Climb aboard Sleepy Hollow’s annual Haunted Hayride and hold on to your head! For two nights only on October 28 and 29, the Hayride rumbles off into the dark following Ichabod Crane’s flight from the Headless Horseman.  A block party on Beekman Ave. will keep you entertained before and after your hair-raising ride.

• Historic Philipsburg Manor takes the tale of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” to its darkest extremes on weekend nights in October with Horseman’s Hollow, a half-mile candlelit path winding through a terrifying landscape.

• Creep though winding roads and soaring monuments on an evening lantern tour of the famous Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, final resting place Washington Irving. You may even enter the crypt of vampire Barnabas Collins, star of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows.

• On weekend nights in October hear the Legend of Sleepy Hollow brought to life at the Old Dutch Church by master storyteller Jonathan Kruk. Accompanied by live organ music Kurk’s 45-minute performance captivates.

The fun continues with events for all ages.

• Hear tales, both spectral and earthly, of the area’s eerie and legendary past on walking tours of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow on October 9, 15, and 23.
• Tarrytown’s magnificent 10^th Annual Halloween Parade on Sat, 10/29 brings out the best in local residents whose creative costumes and enthusiasm for their “national holiday” do not disappoint.

• Washington Irving’s home Sunnyside, offers daytime events for children, including games, magicians, live music, puppet shows, ghost stories, and delicious picnic fare

• On Oct. 9, 500 Scarecrows will invade the grounds of Lyndhurst, a gothic revival mansion in Tarrytown for the Scarecrow Autumn Festival on October 9th (rain date on October 10th).  Or get the whole family involved in making your own scarecrow at the very popular scarecrow making event at Patriot’s Park in Tarrytown on October 15.

 For information and how to purchase tickets for all events listed above see www.visitsleepyhollow.com or www.visittarrytown.com

Photos courtesy of the Sleepy Hollow Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce and Historic Hudson

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.