Nyack Villager April · 2015. 4. 7. · TheNyackVillager April,2015 3 TheNyackVillager April,2015Vol.21No.8 Mailedonornearthefirstofeachmonthtoeveryresidentialaddressineightrivervillages—UpperNyack,

Rabbit in Clover graphic by Shel Haber

®The Nyack Villager

An independent monthly news magazine celebrating life and the arts in the Hudson River Villages

April2015

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5432 WHITEPLAINSNY

Se Nyack Villager is the only publication mailed to every residential address in all eight river villages—Upper Nyack, Nyack, Central Nyack,South Nyack, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont & Palisades NY, as well as many businesses and professionals in Rockland

and by subscription everywhere.

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2 The Nyack Villager April, 2015

The Nyack Villager April, 2015 3

The NyackVillagerApril, 2015 Vol. 21 No. 8Mailed on or near the first of each month to every residential address in eight river villages—Upper Nyack,Nyack, Central Nyack, South Nyack, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont and Palisades NY.

On the Internet atwww.nyackvillager.comE-mail news releases to us at [email protected] Deadline for our next issue, May 2015 is April 15.Please include a contact name and telephone number

In this issueDepartments

2 REPORTER AT LARGE• Nyack Ferry Service under discussion again• Our hats are off the the DPW• Community on edge after attempted luring of school girls• Pilot program puts smaller buses in service• Prayer for an end to the snow

6 LETTERS to The Nyack Villager

7 COMMUNITY NOTES Community happenings in April

14 APRIL EVENTS Art & entertainment this month

18 CALENDAR Highlights in April

19 OP-CALENDAR PAGE useful local phone numbers

Columns

9 THE LIFETIME GARDENER Jon Feldman on the hard winter

10 RIC’S PICKS Ric Pantale on recent film releases

11 HISTORY OF FILM What does a director do? by Ric Pantale

12 THE APP OF THE MONTH Vicki Schwaid on disposing of equipment

12 THE DOCTOR IS IN Dr. O’Dowd on reducing stress

13 FROM VALLEY COTTAGE ANIMAL HOSPITAL Kolby’s Story

15 BOOK TALK with Alison Stone

15 REMEMBER THE DAYS James Leiner on Nyack Post Office history

16 FROM ORANGETOWN TOWN HALL by Andy Stewart

17 THEY GOT WHAT?! Donna Cox on today’s real estate

Features

13 PETS FOR ADOPTION Meet Boots and Lady

On our April cover

Rabbit in Cloverby Shel Haber, © 2015 The Nyack Villager, Nyack, NY

REPORTERat large

Our readers writeabout Nyack

Post Office servicessee page 6

Backyard chickens for beginnerssee page 7

What, exactly, does amovie director do?

see page 11

How to dispose of yourold electronicssee page 12

Nyack Ferry service underdiscussion againFerry service for Nyack is being discussedagain. Twenty years ago the suggestion ofa ferry met vigorous opposition. Criticsthought the biggest problem would beheavy street traffic if, as was being sug-gested, the ferry pier and parking garagewere sited at the foot of Main Street.

Now other options are being examinedwhich would avoid increased traffic in thecenter of the village. One would locatethe terminal in South Nyack, just Northof the Sruway entrance to the TZ Bridge.

Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell, a memberof the TZ Task Force said, “Se consen-sus, especially among Westchester repre-sentatives, was that subsidy levels wouldhave to be enormous to make ferry serv-ice work.”

Last year, Nyack’s Mayor Laird-Whitepointed out that ferry service could getRockland residents from Nyack to Tarry-town in 10 minutes and then by train toManhattan in 40 minutes. All agree it isa difficult problem.

Our hats are offto the Departments of Public Works inNyack and the other river villages fortheir heroic work in clearing the snowfrom our streets again and again in snowstorm after snow storm.

We also thank the store owners and resi-dents who came out in the cold and shov-eled their sidewalks. It was a dreadfulwinter but most people kept their senseof humor as they dug their way though it.

Reporter at Large continues on page 4

Oe hunt for Kirby is on;a prize for the one who

finds himsee page 11

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REPORTERat large

Community on edge afteran attempt to lure girlParents and police are very concernedafter a detailed report of a man who triedto lure a 12-year old girl into his carwhile she was walking to the Nyack Mid-dle School.

In the reported incident, the student waswalking alone at 7:30 am when the girlwas approached by a middle-aged whiteman driving a late-model, white, four-door sedan with orange and blue NewYork plates.

South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief

Prayer for snow to endDear God: enough with the snow already.

Sat was the message a New York Jesuitpriest posted to Facebook in mid-Febru-ary, asking for divine intervention afterthe latest blizzard left an additional footof snow on Greater Boston.

Rev. James Martin, S.J, who studied inBoston for many years, told Oe BostonGlobe that his prayer, while done slightlyin jest, was meant to cheer up residents.He was surprised, however, when his ap-peal was shared more than 13,000 timesonline.

People enjoy a prayer that has a little bit ofhumor sometimes, he said. By the sametoken, a lot of people are seriously prayingfor the snow to end.

Martin’s prayer went on to say, Whatevermysterious point You’re making about en-durance, or patience, or Your own awesomepower, we get it: we’ve endured, we’re plentypatient, and we get that You can do thesnow thing.

He even promised to ask for nothingmore, at least until the Red Sox start play-ing.

And, just to be clear, when we say snow wealso mean freezing rain, sleet, black ice, anykind of flurries, and that new creation ofYours, thundersnow, he wrote in the mes-sage, which was accompanied by an imageof a house covered in icicles.

Martin said he was sympathetic toBoston’s snowy situation because of hisstrong ties to the city.

In 1990, Martin completed his Jesuitnovitiate in Jamaica Plain while alsoworking at a hospital in Cambridge. In1995, he returned to the area to begingraduate studies at the Weston JesuitSchool of Seology, now part of BostonCollege in Cambridge. It was there thathe received his master’s degree in divinity,and later, a master’s in theology.

I go back and forth between New York andMassachusetts frequently, he said, Boston isreally my spiritual home. I really feel so con-nected there. �

Pilot program to putsmaller buses in serviceBeginning Monday, March 9, Transportof Rockland (TOR) bus riders will beginseeing four smaller, 25-foot buses onTOR Loops 1, 2, 3 and 97. Se buseswill be white with green striping, willhave the TOR logo, electronic LED desti-nation signage, wheelchair lifts and fare-boxes, just like the larger TOR buses.However, the new buses have a different‘cut-away’ body style and are smaller, 19-passenger vehicles. Se pilot program isbeing implemented at no additional costto the County.

Se pilot program is part of the Depart-ment of Transportation’s overall Fleet

Brent Newbury reported, “Se man actu-ally pulled the car in front of her to blockher path and asked if she would get intothe car with him.” Se girl was able torun from the scene and later describedthe man to police as heavyset, bald andwearing glasses.

Similar luring incidents have occurred incommunities like Clarkstown, Orange-town and South Nyack.

Police are asking girls who walk to schoolto go in groups. Also, that all citizens bewatchful and immediately report any in-cidents and suspicious people or vehicles.

Police are asking anyone with informa-tion or any witnesses to call Orangetownpolice at 845.358.3700 or South Nyack-Grand View police at 845.358.0206.

Management Plan, which was put intoplace to address long-term maintenanceissues and to evaluate the use of smallervehicles as part of the County fleet. If thepilot program proves successful, theDepartment will consider incorporatingsmaller buses into future bus purchases.

Some of the anticipated benefits of thesmaller vehicles include increased efficiencyand flexibility, improved cost-effectivenessdue to lower cost of vehicles and fuelusage and improved customer satisfaction.

All of these potential benefits will bemeasured during the pilot program, alongwith other considerations of passengerload capacity, maintenance costs and ve-hicle performance.

Oe new smaller, 19-seat Department of Transportation bus to start service March 9.VaJF



DEAR READERS—Our note in the March Villager asking for your thoughtsabout the Nyack Post Office certainly touched a nerve. Manyof you wrote—and few had anything good to say aboutpostal service in Nyack.

If our postal workers are disaffected, it’s not easy to under-stand why. They do pretty well financially, at least. Thoughcompetition for these jobs is fierce, entry-level jobs do notrequire formal postsecondary education.

According to 2014 figures, mail carriers are paid between$30,000 and $59,000 annually. Postal mail processingclerks earn between $29,000 and $56,00 and the Postmas-ter gets between $26,000 and $90,000 a year.

We broke our own rule limiting the length of letters we printwhen we accepted the first letter below. Although it is extralong, we felt it articulated many of the complaints voiced bythe community and was well worth our space and your time.

All letters printed here were signed. As is our long-standingpolicy, The Nyack Villager will withhold your name if you re-quest it.

If Nyack post office people wish us to print their comments orrebuttals, we will be happy to do so.—Jan Haber, Editor, The Nyack Villager

LONG LIST OF POST OFFICE WOESTo The Nyack Villager—First I just want to let you know that I am a lo-ooong timeNyack resident and love The Nyack Villager. I have beenreading it religiously since its first issue and just want tothank you for all the work you do to make it happen.Please keep it coming.

I am writing in response to your request for comments aboutour experiences with the Nyack Postal Service. Ugh! Wheredo I even begin? Any time I have mentioned the subject toother village residents, they have all had the same response:"HORRIBLE." They then proceed to give examples of theirutterly frustrating experiences. I was truly shocked to read(in the March Villager) Mr. Flood's claim that Nyack does notget an unusual volume of customer complaints. Maybewe’ve just grown tired of being ignored and have given up.What a shame.

The examples I am listing (and these are just the worst ofthe examples, not all), come from myself, friends, and familywho all live in the Nyack Villages (Nyack, Upper Grandview,South Nyack, Upper Nyack,) for between 25 and 45 years.We are not newbies and know that it didn't use to be likethis. (We miss Darcy!) Here goes.

1) At the posted opening time of the post office, one shouldbe able to walk in and find postal workers ready to serve thefirst customer, correct? Not at the Nyack post office! Some-

times the doors open 5 or 10 minutes late, and then no onecomes out of the back room to serve customers for 10-20minutes after that. No joke. (By then, as you can imagine,the line is now already to the door.) As if it isn't lateenough, they now first turn on the credit card machine, so ifyou're paying with plastic, you have to wait even longer.During business hours, only one worker is assigned to servecustomers. Whenever you go to the post office, the wait isexcruciatingly time-consuming and downright painful. Let'snot even get into the fact that the agents are rude and makeit perfectly clear they don't give a hoot.

2) Most of the time, my mail is delivered to my house onlyonce (or rarely, twice) a week. After receiving no mail fordays on end, I’ll find my mailbox stuffed or overflowing witha week's worth of mail. The postmarks confirm that theseletters have been sitting at the post office for up to a week.This has caused me to miss deadlines on time-sensitive re-quired responses. My neighbors have all called the post of-fice to report these occurrences, but as usual, it’s to no availand nothing changes.

3) The mailman sometimes leaves the mail on the hood ofthe car in the driveway—and sometimes on the ground upagainst the garage door.

4) For the past five years I have been regularly receiving,and sending back, mail for people who have not lived at myaddress for a decade. Throughout these years I have beenwriting "no longer at this address" on every single one, thenleaving it for the mailman to take back (which, by the way,tells me how infrequently my mailman comes. LOL) I havealso gone to the post office to have this corrected but all myefforts have been to no avail as I am still receiving this mail.

5) Let's talk about having a PO Box. First, mail (sometimescorrectly addressed to other people) keeps appearing in myfiance's PO box. This happens regularly. Nyack’s postalworkers don't pay attention and make it clear that they justdon't care.

Here's a specific incident: Although my neighbor’s accountfor his PO Box was paid up in full for the entire year, due tosome 'payment documentation’ mistake on the disorganizedpost office's part, the Nyack Post Office decided to terminatehis PO Box lease without any prior warning. The PO Box isused for a local business so you can imagine the damagethis did. No checks, license renewals, or tax notificationswere received. What's worse—all the mail that shouldhave come to that PO Box was returned to the senders withthe message that the box was no longer in service so, ofcourse, no one tried to re-send. Again, the owner was nevernotified by the post office, as should be SOP when they havenot (or think they have) not received payment. Had myneighbor been notified, he could have corrected the error andavoided the damage. When their mistake finally came tolight, not only were the postal workers unapologetic, butthey were rude about it. Now, six months later, my neighboris still dealing with the mess that resulted.

6) For the past few years, when a neighboring couple go onvacation, though they fill out the 'hold mail' card, mail isstill delivered to their house. They have called and calledand called, appealed in person at the post office, but it neverstops. The agent always claims the card is there, that theydon't know what happened but they will fix it—but the mail

is still delivered. After years of this, it has become a joke.The problem is, it's not funny. The accumulating mail an-nounces to the world that the house is unoccupied.

7) Whether you’re dealing with your mail deliverer or theagents at the post office, there is an overall attitude of lazi-ness, unfriendliness and even sometimes nastiness. They re-ally seem to hate their jobs. I find it very sad for all partiesinvolved.

I hope this helps your efforts to get to the truth about what isgoing on with our postal service. We need help and we feelthat we have no options. You are our last hope to get themto make the changes necessary to serve our town properly(and hopefully like their jobs again!)

If my comments are used, leave me anonymous as I’mafraid they will figure out who we are and retaliate by mak-ing it even worse.

Thank you very much for your time and efforts in this matter.With regards,—Exasperated Nyack resident

DECLINE IN POSTAL SERVICETo The Nyack Villager—I received the March issue of the Nyack Villager in yesterdaysmail, March 7. I used to receive the Villager on the first orsecond of the month. I had just made a mental note to callthe post office on Monday and complain about our deliveryproblem when I read your article, Post Office complaints.

We live on Sixth Avenue in Nyack and in the past severalmonths we have experienced a noticeable decline in mailservice. We receive mail maybe 4 days a week, instead ofthe six days a week delivery schedule. On at least two of thedays that we do receive mail, we receive other people’s mailas well. For example yesterday, out of eleven pieces of mailreceived, four were for another address. In the past fewweeks our postman has left a note saying, "please get amailbox". We have a mailbox, but I guess he doesn't likeour mailbox. It's the same mailbox that was on the housewhen we purchased it 21 years ago and has never been aproblem until now. It seems strange to me that the postmanseems more concerned about the mailbox than delivering themail each day and to the correct address.

In the past Nyack's postal service was great, no problems,delivery every day. Inside the Post Office there were no waitsand friendly, efficient counter help. It might not be a coinci-dence that it was also run by women!—Laurie Steinhorst

RATHER GO TO GUAMTo The Nyack Villager—First our delivery service is wonderful—and no problems.But rather than go to mail something at the Nyack Post of-fice, we would rather go to Guam. It is slow, slow, slow….Why does the postal worker ask me if i would like a passporttoday? (Duh.) Why does she ask me if i want to mail thislarge envelope by overnight express, when i have it markedMedia Mail. (Duh.) When I ask why she’s asking me this—and do people ever change their minds and then pay forovernight express, she says…“yes, once in a while.” Hardto believe. Why ask me if there is anything fragile in the

Lettersto the editor

An open community forum.

Opinions expressed are those ofeach letter writer; The Nyack Villager

need not agree.

Letters continue on page 8


Community Notes continue on page 9

Community notesTell The Villager and we’ll tell the community.

E-mail brief news release to: [email protected]

BACKYARD CHICKENS FOR BEGINNERSInterested in raising a small flock of hens for fun, profit, orboth? Come learn all about• Your town’s rules and regulations for backyard

chicken-keeping• Getting started with chicks or hens• Housing, feeding, and watering needs• Weather and predator concerns

Tuesday, April 7 from 5 to 7pm at Rockland County CCEEducation Center, 10 Patriot Hills Drive, Stony Point.

Registration deadline is April 6; cost is $10 per person;children 12 and under with an adult are free.

To register contact: Samantha Wilson, 845.429.7085ex105 or e-mail [email protected]

For more info call Annie Christian-Reuter, Horticulture Com-munity Educator 845.429.7085 ex108.

AT BIRCHWOOD CENTER85 South Broadway, Nyack. Info: 845.358.6409 online atwww.birchwoodcenter.com e-mail [email protected]

• Saturday April 18 at 10am Harriman State ParkPrice $35; Take a guided hike with Jerry Cincimino in Har-riman State Park. The hike will be four to five hours andwill include stopping for asana practice and meditation.Pre-registration required.

• Saturday April 11 from 2 to 4pmRestorative Yoga. Price $40. This workshop offers studentsthe opportunity to receive the benefits of complete relax-ation while resting on comfortably supported poses. Appro-priate for students of all ages, sizes and experience.www.birchwoodcenter.com

REGENTS REVIEWhas been helping students prepare for New York State Re-gents Examinations for over 35 years. All classes are from9am to 4pm.Classes on Sun, May 3— U.S. History, European History,Chemistry, Psychology, Env Science.Classes on Sun, May 10—US Gov’t & Politics, World His-tory, Statistics, Biology.

Course location: Iona College, Rockland Graduate Center2 Blue Hill Plaza, Pearl River, NY. Visit www.passthere-gents.com or call 914.420.0732 to enroll.

package, when I have Fragile Stickers all over the package?

it’s all amazing to me and so we go to anywhere else—Palisades Mall, Blauvelt, Nanuet, anywhere but the NyackPost Office. Time for a new postmaster for sure.

Sorry to carry on, but it’s very frustrating to find services atNyack, so we have stopped.

Please withhold my name. I still want to receive my mail.—Name withheld at the writer’s request

VILLAGER LATE TO THE PARTYTo The Nyack Villager—You are a little late to the party. I have been spearheadingthis effort over the past few months. My advice to you is notto take what the PO spokesman tells you at face value. Ifyou want to actually report honestly on this situation andfind out what is really happening, you should talk to me.Best Regards,—Joe Carlin

7PM MAIL DELIVERYTo The Nyack Villager—I was glad to see you addressing this problem. I live onSummit Street. Our mail has been getting later and later,arriving around 6:30 to 7pm. But worse than that, it doesn'tcome at all. No delivery on our street. Calls to the postmas-ter elicited nothing but hostility and nonsensical excuses.Things have improved somewhat since the Journal-News ex-posé. If you publish this letter, please don't use my name.—Name withheld at the writer’s request

YESTERDAY’S MAIL TODAYTo The Nyack Villager—I'm glad this problem is finally getting some needed atten-tion. I have lived in several different towns over the years,but never experienced such terrible and disconcerting mailservice until I moved here to South Nyack about a year anda half ago. I have experienced missing holiday cards, invita-tions, and even bills. I regularly receive mail that isn't mine,which leads me to believe that my missing mail has endedup at some other address. To try to avoid at least one majorproblem resulting from this terrible mail service, I now paymy bills online to avoid late payments or other problemswith credit.

My mail usually arrives late in the afternoon. One morning,the mail carrier was arriving as I was leaving. I commented,"You're early today." She replied, "Oh, this is yesterday’smail." Really?—Ann Davis

MAIL GOING ASTRAYTo The Nyack Villager—I just opened to page 4 of the March issue of The Nyack Vil-lager and I can't believe there is actually a write up aboutthe post office in Nyack!

I do not have one good thing to say about this location!

I recently moved one block within Nyack, filled out thechange of address online, and when I had not received onepiece of mail in over a month, I went into the post office tocomplain and ask where my mail was. I was told by the su-

pervisor they had no idea and that I should fill out anotherchange of address form, and check back to see if they hadfound my mail. I did just that but still to no avail. About aweek later my neighbor with a different address put a pieceof my mail into my mailbox and on that piece of mail washis address, not mine.

I went back to the post office to ask why the wrong changeof address was listed and I was told to fill out a third form tocorrect it with no explanation as to why it was entered in thecomputer incorrectly.

Long story short—about 3 weeks after that (now February)I received about 10 pieces of mail, dated from Decemberdumped into my mailbox.

In addition I have complained more than once about themail carrier constantly dropping all of the mail for the threeapartments in my building into one mailbox. Whoevercomes home first has to sort through everyone else's mail tofind his own—which is an invasion of privacy as far as I'mconcerned. And it's still happening.

I'm fed up and could complain for hours, but I'm glad to seeI'm not the only one with an issue.

They need to retrain their staff immediately.Angry and mail-less in Nyack,—Christine Z

LIKE A TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODETo The Nyack Villager—I only use the Nyack Post Office as a last resort because it is,hands down, the slowest post office I've ever been in. I'veleft the line several times because I couldn't take it. It oftenfeels like an episode of the Twilight Zone! I go out of myway to avoid it.—Chip James, Nyack

LATE DELIVERY IN CENTRAL NYACKTo The Nyack Villager—My only complaint with Nyack Post office is that my mailgets delivered too late. I live in Central Nyack behind theHub Shopping Center. I've gotten my mail as late as 6pm.It usually arrives at 5pm.

In the winter this is a hardship. I arrive home at about 3pmand have to to make a special trip to pick up my mail afterdark at 5 or 6pm.

I was told there is a shortage of staff. Maybe that is the rea-son for the long lines at the post office. I also feel the staffat the post office is extremely slow and complacent.

Thank you for letting me vent.—A. Rodriguez

The NyackVillagerwelcomes letters onall subjects fromour readers.E-mail letters to theaddress on page 19in this issue.


Letters to The Nyack Villager start on page 6


The Lifetime Gardenerby Jon Feldman

I feel the earth moveunder my feet. I see thesnow tumbling down,tumbling down.

Unlike the romanticcause of this turmoil inCarol King’s song, my imbalance comesfrom a heaving of the ground around me.

Sis unevenness is a result of fluctuationsto the ‘frost line’, the subterranean pointbelow which soil does not freeze. Siswinter’s barrage of wet snow and ridicu-lously cold temperatures pushed this freez-ing point deeper than I can remember.

As water below the surface freezes and ex-pands upward, everything is lifted out ofthe ground, fracturing existing stability.Sese actions are known as ‘frost heaves’.

Se most common effect of frost heavesare roadway potholes. Resulting condi-tions this year also see concrete paverwalkways buckle like roller-coasters, brickand stone patios bulge as if pregnant, andmortar joints in stone walls and steps popas if crowbars were used to forcibly sepa-rate them.

Houses and other buildings are not af-fected by a deepening frost line. Sese per-manent structures are built on solidconcrete footings at least three feet belowground—beyond any possible disturbanceof a lifting frost. Landscape elements aremore susceptible because they are notbuilt atop concrete, only requiring a baseof dry-laid compacted material one footor so deep.

As a garden designer and builder, mylivelihood depends on observations of theweather. My company’s installations muststand the test of time, and as more fre-quent and forceful rain and snowfalls chal-lenge historic projections for ‘hundredyear floods’, our construction techniquesare being adapted to withstand the seem-ing ‘new norm’. Because of the accumu-lated precipitation this year, evenwell-established garden elements, someover fifteen years ago, were upset for thefirst time.

What to do?

Se remedy depends on the surface mate-

rial involved. Streets are patched with newblacktop, although once a spot is weak-ened it seems to become a perennial prob-lem.

Disturbed brick and precast pavers mustbe re-laid. Se affected areas must be re-graded, leveled and compacted before thesurface material is righted.

Concrete patios and walkways set on slabsat least four inches thick usually aren’t af-fected by frost. If they are, repairs areminimal and generally limited to cleaningout and reapplying the mortar joints be-tween stones. Sese joints are the outdoorequivalents to the grout between ceramictiles inside your home.

Se winter of 2014 - 2015 penetrated theearth to new depths and left a wake ofdamage to our environment.

Writing this on one of the first mild daysof late winter, I do feel hope on the hori-zon. True to lore, March came in like alion. Hopefully it will go out mellow asthe month of May.

Jon Feldman is the owner of G. biloba GardenEnvironments. Reach him atwww.gbiloba.com or at 353-3448. � Community Notes continue on page 11

Community notes start on page 7

TWO-DAY BEE KEEPING EVENT• Conscious Beekeeping: Special Session for Beginners:an orientation for beginning beekeepers, covering basics ofworking with bees: April 24 from 2 to 5:30pm at The PfeifferCenter, 260 Hungry Hollow Road Chestnut Ridge NY. Priceof admission: $50.

• Conscious Beekeeping: Practical Organic Approachesfor Healthy Bees and Growing Apiariescovers what can we do to help bees thrive and flourish inthe present-day environment: April 25 from 9 to 5 at theaddress above. Admission: $95. For more info visitwww.pfeiffercenter.org or telephone 845.352.5020.

CARFIT DRIVING SAFETY FOR OLDER DRIVERSSaturday, April 25 from 9am to 12pm at Parking Lot G,Helen Hayes Hospital, Rte 9W West Haverstraw—CarFit technicians will spend approximately 20 minuteswith each driver and his or her vehicle, making changesto seat and mirror positions, helping drivers achieveproper foot placement, and aiding with other adjustmentsthat tailor each car to its driver.

Drivers will also receive a packet of community resources,info about driving safety and options that may help theperson find a better fit in his or her car. To make anappt, call 845.786.4809 or visit http://www.car-fit.org/

Ric’s Picksby Ric Pantale

April is finally here, and al-though it is a good month fortheatrical releases, it is not asexciting as new movies on DVDor On Demand. The big news is—though AMERICANSNIPER will be released this month, no firm date hasbeen set as of this writing.

APRIL date TBA (R) ��

BRADLEY COOPERAMERICAN SNIPERThe top box office war movie of all time will be comingto DVD in April.There is no need for controversy when examining thisfilm. It simply tells it like it is.Chris Kyle was sent to Iraq with a mission to protect asmany American lives he could. His means were assimple as his orders and Kyle was very good at whathe did: take out any insurgent or threat no matter howdistasteful. There is, however, another aspect to hislife, that of his family back home. In harrowing, gut-wrenching detail, AMERICAN SNIPER visualizes what acombat soldier goes through both on the battlefieldand when he returns home to his wife and kids. Thefilm shows how his war-time experiences affect themall and it is very sad.Clint Eastwood is a master film director who shouldproudly put this achievement on top of his long and fa-bled career.

APRIL 7 (R) ��

OSCAR ISAACA MOST VIOLENT YEARThe most violent year in this movie is 1981, and this isa crime drama that takes place in New York City atthat time. The movie is probably the sleeper of the


year—it came and went without much fanfair. It ba-sically follows an immigrant's rise in a world full ofcorruption and vice. Rivalries abound and the immi-grant must face all sorts of threats to his family allwhile trying to do what he thinks is morally right.Though not for everybody, this film is hard-hitting anddark, but if you love film, you should see this to ap-preciate good filmmaking.

APRIL 14 (PG-13) ��AMY ADAMSBIG EYESA Tim Burton film without Johnny Depp? What goeson here!?Burton Directs a fine movie about the true life charac-ter, Walter Keane, who was very famous, in the1960s, for his paintings of big eyed child waifs. Theman gained fame and fortune and revolutionizedkitschy commercial painting—or did he? Actually,he didn't. The paintings were later found to be con-ceived and painted by his wife. For years the couplelived a gigantic lie. The film centers on MargaretKeane and her awakening.The movie is enjoyable and credit must be given to thedirection as well as the brilliant cast—ChristophWaltz and Amy Adams.

APRIL 28 (R) ��JENNIFER LOPEZTHE BOY NEXT DOORJennifer Lopez has become such an American phenom-ena in music that we sometimes forget what a goodactor she really is.

In THE BOY NEXT DOOR, she plays a single parent, anEnglish teacher, who is struggling to get back into dat-ing and how it works. She’s also struggling to find theright place in her life for her adolescent son. Every-thing is fine until a handsome 19 year old boy movesin next door.In a moment of weakness she spends the night withhim. The relationship quickly turns into a violent ob-session for the boy, and well ... you can probablyguess what ensues.We've seen this plot dozens of times before—some-times done better. But still, JOLO is worth watching.

MARCH 17 (R) ��JOAQUIN PHOENIXINHERENT VICEJoaquin Phoenix is a good actor and always fun towatch; he can take any movie and move it up anotch.INHERENT VICE is the kind of film that will hold youspellbound all the way through. Phoenix plays a pri-vate eye in seedy downtown LA at the end of the Psy-chedelic Sixties. Naturally, a femme fatale, his exlover, shows up one day with an impossible story ofhow her present billionaire boyfriend, whom she reallycares for, is going to be the victim of a kidnapping plotthat will eventually lead him to an institution.Sound complicated? I forgot to add that the cast ofcharacters includes surfers, dopers, rockers, police de-tectives, and a shady group called the Golden Fangwho all contribute to the mayhem. The movie is funand easy to watch and passes much too quickly.

Also this month—TAKEN 3 (PG-13) April 21PADDINGTON (PG) April 28

Ric Pantale, writer and director, is an independent filmmaker. �

OUR RATING SYSTEM—� 1 STAR Forget about it: go for a walk.�� 2 STARS Fair�� 3 STARS Good�� 4 STARS Excellent


History of Filmby Ric Pantale

What, exactly does amovie director do?

When you watch a movie, everything you see and hearis in some way connected to the movie's director.Through a vast collaboration of just about everybodyworking on the picture, the final product you are view-ing is a creation of the director.

The mood, tone, camera placement, angles were alldone with the director’s influence. He (or she) is re-sponsible for the acting also. Directors work veryclosely with the actors to find common ground thatworks best for all concerned.

After reading a script, the director has a vision of howthe scene should be played. We all know that moviesaren't like stage plays that run uninterrupted from startto finish.

A movie is broken into about 160 scenes, each scenehaving a life of it's own. They might not even be inchronological order, because scenes are shot and influ-enced by lighting, mood, locations, costume changesetc.

The editor has the enviable task of piecing most of the160 scenes together, to make a comprehensiblestory—but let’s start at the beginning. Of course Iwill simplify the process. I will describe the normal,trouble free, production, though these are rare, if theyexist at all.

The script usually starts with an agent, who thenpasses it on to a production company. The productioncompany hires the producers.

The producers set the budget and then hire the directorthey think is best suited for the material. So In reality,the producers are the number one bosses.

The director reads the script and, with the producers,

discuss budget, mood, locations, and possible casting.

Sometimes (not always) the director is free to choosehis favorite cinematographer, and together they willdiscuss, how the movie will look—what will be themood, the tone, and what will be the best camera an-gles.

Then a casting director is hired, and phone calls go outto agents and actors, offering them a chance to be inthe movie.

After the casting is set, all the main actors will sitaround a large table and go over the script. It is herethat characterizations are formed and decisions aremade about how the parts should be played.

The director and cast all contribute in this process. Itis here that the movie first takes shape. Scenes aregone over in detail and decisions are made by thegroup about what is likely to work—and what won't.

After as much as six weeks of rehearsing and refining,the day comes when everyone is assembled to beginprinciple photography.

In an atmosphere of high excitement, the first day offilming finds the director slightly crazy, but fueled withcreative energy and joy.

On set, the director works closely with everybody. Hedisplays his influence, show his leadership and a greatamount of patience. He lets his creativity show, butmust never overpower.

A good director works with his actors and accepts chal-lenges without giving away his vision. Everyone hassomething to contribute, and everyone is trying tomake the best movie possible—though it doesn't al-ways turn out that way.

Tempers may flare, things often go wrong, but in theend, all those involved in the film become a closely-knit family and the production takes on a life of itsown, creating permanent bonds of friendship. �

NYACK COMMUNITY CLEANUP & EARTH DAYSaturday, April 18 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm; raindate:April 19.

Join the Nyack Community Cleanup Event and help re-move tons of litter from village streets, parks and water-ways as part of Keep Rockland Beautiful’s GreatAmerican Cleanup Campaign. Volunteers will meet up inthe lot adjacent to Veteran’s Park in Nyack (Main &Cedar St.) to pick up supplies andexchange ideas with neighbors be-fore heading out to a chosen site.Students earn community servicecredits for every hour they volunteer.JOIN IN THE HUNT FOR“CLEANUP KIRBY”Kids, of all ages—anyone whofinds the garden gnome (KRB mas-cot) wins a prize.

Community Cleanup days currently scheduled for 2015include: Nyack: Sat, April 18 / Central Nyack: Sat, April25 / Valley Cottage: Sat, April 25.

Join in the fun—live music, craft projects, educationalexhibits and games. More info: www.KeepRockland-Beautiful.org or telephone 845.708.9164.

NYACK’S ARBOR DAY COMPETITIONNyack’s Tree Committee plans an Arbor Day competitionhonoring local trees in pictures and words. Submit aphoto of your favorite tree in Nyack, Central Nyack,Upper Nyack, or South Nyack with a brief statement (50-500 words) telling what makes the tree special to you.

Tree photos and messages will be added to a photogallery and tagged on a map on the Village of Nyackwebsite. You can use a smart phone, upload from acomputer or mail your entry. The Tree Committee willevaluate the submissions and select winners based onphoto quality and on effective storytelling through pictureand words. Winners will be announced on SaturdayApril 25 at a celebration in the upper level of Memorial


�

Community Notes continue on page 12


The App of the Monthby Vicki Schwaid

What To Do WithYour Old ElectronicsI think we’re all in the sameboat: we try to repurpose ourgear as much as possible butthere does come a time whenit’s time to let things go. When it comesto electronics—how to do that?

Over the past five years or so, federal andstate requirements have been gettingstricter as to how to dispose of electron-ics. Se government has been training usgradually, to get usinto responsiblehabits.

In 2010 New YorkState commencedthe Recycle andReuse Act, in whichmanufacturers of-fered a convenientway to recycle elec-tronics. Followingthat, starting in2012, most busi-nesses, private andpublic, were re-quired to keep theirdiscarded electronicsout of landfills.Now, beginning onJanuary 1, 2015 no-body is allowed to dispose of electronicsas trash. Here in Rockland County, elec-tronic waste must be brought to PomonaWaste Management to be properly dis-carded. Sis includes printers, TV, com-puters, small electronics such as receivers,gaming consoles, and VCRs. You can goto wwwrocklandrecycles.com to learnmore about how to recycle your electronicthrow-aways.

If you have Apple gear, Apple has a rebateprogram that may give you an Apple giftcard for your old electronics. Items haveto be evaluated, however—you can fill

out a form to figure out what somethingmight be worth. Here is the address

https://www.apple.com/recy-cling/gift-card/

I also want to propose anotheroption as to how to rid your oldelectronics including mobilephones. Sere are companiesthat will take your old phoneand put it to good use. One of

the more popular organizations is the Na-tional Coalition Against Domestic Vio-lence (NCADV). (www.ncadv.org). Segoal is to keep the equipment out of thelandfill and put it to good use for those inneed. NCADV works with an organiza-

tion that fixes thephones, sells them,giving a portion ofthe profits back toNCADV to help sur-vivors of domestic vi-olence.

Sere is also CellPhones for Sol-diers—www.cell-phonesforsoldiers.com According tothis website Our mis-sion is to provide cost-free communicationtools to active-dutymilitary members andassist veterans as theytransition into post-combat life.

So, you can find an organize that mattersto you. Just remember, no more electron-ics out in the trash!

And here’s your monthly reminder: Don’tforget to backup. �

Vicki Schwaid is the owner of “Oe MacShack” in Nyack. Oe Mac Shack doeson-site service and support for Mac Com-puters and devices. Vicki has been in thecomputing industry for 25+ years with afluid understanding of networking, pro-gramming, video and graphic production.

Why Recycle Electronics?

Industry experts estimate that U.S.consumers throw away 400 millionunits of electronic equipment per year.

Recycling electronic waste• protects human health and the en-vironment by diverting thousands ofpounds of waste from landfills andincinerators,• keeping toxins such as lead, mercuryand cadmium from contaminatingthe air, water and soil,• conserving natural resources by al-lowing valuable materials to be re-claimed and reused, rather than usingvirgin material.

The Doctor isby Charles O’Dowd, M.D.

Some usefultips onreducingstressLife is full of challenges,deadlines, frustrations anddemands. Stress has be-come a part of life for children and adults alike. In someinstances, limited amounts of stress can help you achieveyour goals by performing better under pressure. Stress inlarge doses can take a toll on your mind and body, oftenleading to illness.

Take some time to look at what is causing tension in yourlife and take steps to relax more. Even if you can’tchange the source of your stress, you can get some reliefby following some of these tips:

• Exercise regularly to increase the feel-good brainchemicals called endorphins. A hike, a game of tennis orrunning all can make you feel better and help you feelcalmer. Plus exercise can improve your mood and sleep.

• Find 15 minutes each day for yourself. Relax throughdeep breathing or yoga. Take a close look at how you arespending your time. For three days, write down every-thing you do and look for ways you could be using yourtime better so you have more time for exercise or otheractivities.

• Make time for friends. Research indicates people whoencounter major life stresses can deal with them moreeasily if they can lean on friends or family for support.

• Take charge of stressful events by learning as much asyou can in advance about them and plan ways you canaddress them. For example, if you are shy in social situa-tions, think about finding someone who’s even more shythan you are, and helping them reduce their stress bytalking with them.

• Don’t make a habit of drinking to relax. Alcohol pre-vents your brain from entering a deep sleep.

• Laugh. Humor can be one of the best antidotes to stress.

• Know when you need to ask for help. Good places tostart are your employee assistance program at work, oryour doctor.

While it’s unrealistic to think you can get rid of all yourstress, you can take steps to manage it. By trying thesestrategies, you can help prevent stress from taking overyour life.

Charles O’Dowd, MD, of Highland Medical PC, ClarkstownMedical Associates is on the staff at Nyack Hospital �

IN

•

Park at the stump of the old elm tree. Prizes will be an-nounced on the website in early April. Send photo andtext entries with your contact information and the addressof the tree to Nyack Tree Committee, Nyack Village Hall,

Community notes start on page 7 9 North Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960. We will get yourtree into the gallery and on the map.

Questions? Contact: [email protected]

Community Notes conclude on page 13


Boots, a lovable tuxedo catBoots is a 2½-year-old neutered tuxedo with an adorablelittle white halo around the tip of his tail. He was surren-dered to the shelter because his owners were moving.Boots is good with kids of all ages, and with other cats,though he’s not sure about dogs. Boots is very outgoingand friendly. He loves to play and loves to be petted. Feefor adoption is $150. For more information, please con-tact Hi Tor Animal Care Center.

Pets for Adoption

Lady, a puppy who loves walkiesLady is a 2-yr-old spayed female pit bull mix who wassurrendered to the shelter. She is playful and active sowould do well in a house with teens. She is good withother dogs, but it will depend on the dog. She does notcare much for cats. Lady is housebroken and knows herbasic commands. She just loves going for long walks withour volunteers. Lady sits quietly in her kennel and followspeople with her beautiful, thoughtful eyes, waiting to bechosen for a walk. Won't you choose her to take home?Fee for adoption is $250. For more information, pleasecontact Hi Tor Animal Care Center.

For more information, call or visit

Hi Tor Animal CareCenter

65 Firemen’s Memorial Drive, Pomona, New York 10970,845.354.7900 or email [email protected]

Photo: Hi Tor

Photo: Jane Zippili

the load of worms in her heart, more worms can mean ahigher risk of a clot which could be fatal. I couldn’t bearthe thought of losing her. So anytime we did these injec-tions I feared for the worst. I hospitalized her for severaldays following each of the injections to make sure that ifanything were to happen I knew she was in good hands.And the medications in between the shots also had sideeffects. She was always thirsty, always peeing and theantibiotics were not so easy on her stomach due to itbeing such a high dosage. She was constantly vomitingand not eating, it was a battle each day for her.

At the end of her treatment Kolby had survived AND shewas tested 6 months later and was negative for herheartworm test! The treatment had worked! Unfortu-nately her medical bill was an eyesore, but to me thatdidn’t matter because she was healthy and she was alive.I couldn’t have been more blessed to work with a staffthat cared about her as much as I did. Through it all shenever lost her loving nature; she’s the happiest and mostaffectionate dog I’ve ever known. I’m lucky to have herhere with me.

The battle to treat heartworm disease isn’t easy. It’s99% preventable and there are several products out thereto protect our dogs from it. Talk to your veterinarian aboutheartworm prevention if your dog isn’t on anything. It’sfrom experience that I say it’s just not worth the fear ofuncertainty and pain that Kolby and I had to go through.A simple monthly preventive is all you need to keep yourpet healthy and your pocketbook full. �

Kolby’s story

by Nicole Rizzi, LVT

This is the short story of Kolby Rizzi, the strongest dog Iknow. She’s a beautiful female Labrador Retriever whocame all the way from Arkansas to steal my heart. Littledid I know how much she was going to change my life.When we adopt our first dog we understand that they relyon us for just about everything. They are vulnerable andit’s our responsibility to protect them. When I found outmy baby had heartworm, the sadness I felt inside is im-possible to explain. I can remember it like it was justyesterday.

I brought Kolby in for her annual examination and labtesting. A couple of days later, Dr. Tortorice reviewedKolby’s blood test results, and she was very quiet. Sheturned to me and with remorsefulness in her voice shesaid “Nikki, Kolby is heartworm positive”. I nearlyfainted. I could literally feel my heart drop into my stom-ach and before I knew it tears began to fall from myeyes. My co-workers all comforted me and Dr. Tortoricepromised no matter what we will help Kolby to getthrough this.

Day by day it was a struggle. It was endless amounts ofantibiotics, antihistamines and steroids for severalmonths. On top of strict cage rest (we all know how hardthat is for a 1 & a ½ year old dog) with three immiticideinjections to kill the worms in her heart. The injectionshad risks. We are unable to do any diagnostics to know

From Valley Cottage Animal Hospital


SAY NO TO THE BAG CAMPAIGNIsn’t it time to stop using plastic bags once and thenthrowing them away? In fact, do we really need to usethem at all? Most plastic bags are used once and thendiscarded—yes, really!

So Maria Luisa Whittingham of Nyack is leading thecharge to get people to simply pause, and ask, as a mer-

chant, employee, or volunteer in a retail setting: “Did youbring your own bag today?” If no,”Will you need a bagtoday?”

As a consumer: “I pledge to forego a bag and bring myown bag when shopping.” �

Send your brief Community Notes on or beforethe 15th of this month for next month’s Villager to—

[email protected]


GRACEMUSIC PRESENTS THE IMPERIAL BRASSPrepare to be lifted out of the pews! GraceMusic presentsthe Imperial Brass, a 30 piece brass ensemble, coming toGrace Church to perform an eclectic mix of popular andclassical pieces.

At 4pm April 26 at Grace Episcopal Church, 130 First Av-enue, Nyack. Admission $20; Seniors, $15; Children;kids under 12 admitted free. Fore more info, call845.358.1297.

• RUN AWAY AND JOIN THE CIRCUS(without leaving home)with Nyack’s ownMr. Amazing (aka, CarloPellegrini) as Ringmasterand MC of the event—40years a circus professional.

Circus Professionals Per-form! Teen PerformingTroupe—7 to 12 members

in full circus costumes and make-up.End of Evening Raffle for Circus Classes/Camp.

The event includes Midway with games, cotton candy &popcorn. Lunch available for purchase Adults $20. Chil-dren 12 and under: $15.

Saturday, April 11 at 2pm 55 West Railroad Avenue,Garnerville NY. Info: Janey Tannenbaum, 845.304.4318

JURIED ART EXHIBIT & SALE TO BENEFITVCS ROCKLAND PRIDE: MAY 31—JUNE 14Artists are invited to submit up to three (3) pieces of art,with no retail price limit. Accepted pieces will be sold ona 60% / 40% basis with 60% of the selling price goingto the artist.

There is a $25 submission fee (for up to three pieces).You may pay online or by check made out to VCS andsent to: The Corner Frame Shop, 40 South Franklin Street,Nyack, NY 10960. For details visit http://www.gaypride-rockland.org/juried-art-exhibit--sale-artist-invite-2015.html

Now celebrating its sixth year at Rockland Center for theArts (RoCA), Phyllis B. Frank, Director of VCS RocklandPride and Hal Parker, Chairman of the Art Exhibit andSale expressed their gratitude to RoCA’s Executive DirectorJulie Ramos, Artistic Director Lynn Stein and the RoCABoard of Directors for their generous support and collabo-ration on this widely recognized annual exhibition. April Events continue on page 16

Art and Entertainme

nt

April events

FROM HOLLAND TO HEREThis exhibition examines the Dutch heritage of Orange-town through the collection of George Way, America’spremier collector of Dutch 17th century art. On loan willbe a stunning display of paintings, miniatures, silver,brass, Delftware, prints, drawings and furniture. The col-lection significantly contributes to the backstory of whothe Dutch were in the 1680s, when a group of Dutchfarmers left Manhattan to settle here.

At Orangetown Historical Museum & Archives, 196 ChiefBill Harris Way, Orangeburg NY. The exhibit will be onview from April 18 thorough November 15.Info: 845.398.1302, [email protected]

• GET ON YOUR DANCING SHOESBeginning in March at Piermont Library—a two-monthcelebration of dance highlighting different styles of dance.The first performance: Flamenco Guitar & Dance: GregMelnick, Flamenco guitarist accompanies dancer, JuanaCala. Mr. Melnick trained in Flamenco guitar in NY Cityand Malaga, Spain. During the concert, Mr. Melnick willdiscuss Flamenco culture in addition to performing. Ms.Cala has over 30 years of dancing experience and hasperformed, lectured and taught Flamenco dancing in theUS and Italy.

SHIMMY AND STOMP: DANCE AROUND THE WORLDSunday, April 19 at 1 pm at Piermont Public Library,25 Flywheel Park W., Piermont, 845.359.4595.

• SAVE THE DATE—Sunday, May 17 at 1 pm,our second performance will be Middle Eastern BellyDance. Ms. Amira Iriz will be our featured performer ac-companied by a small troupe of professional dancers.

• SPRING HOLIDAYS FLORAL WORKSHOPIn this hands-on workshop, participants will build abeautiful centerpiece for their spring holiday celebrations.Flowers include an array of tulips and other springtimeflowers and greenery. Participants should bring a pair ofheavy duty scissors or pruners to the workshop. Fee: $30(includes $20 materials and $10 program fee.)

Wed, April 1 from 7 to 9pm at Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion, 10 Patriot Hills Drive, Stony Point, NY 10980RSVP Samantha Wilson 845.429.7085 ex105.

• NEXT MONTH: MOTHER’S DAYFLORAL WORKSHOP

Just in time for spring, create your own living wreath withvarious succulent plants. This is a great gift idea in timefor Mother’s Day and a great class to take with your Mom(children over the age of 8 are welcome to participate.)Participants should bring a pair of heavy duty scissors orpruners to the workshop. Fee: $40 fee (includes $30materials fee and $10 program fee.)

Mon, May 4, from 7pm to 9pm at Cornell Cooperative Ex-tension, 10 Patriot Hills Drive, Stony Point, NY 10980RSVP Samantha Wilson 845.429.7085 ex105.

IN APRIL AT NYACK LIBRARY59 South Broadway, Nyack. [email protected] 845.358.3370. All events free unless noted

• Wed, April 8 at 7pmJohn Scott Armchair Walking Tour: The History of Nyackin 55 Sketches—Bill Batson, author of Nyack Sketch Logand artist-in-residence at the Nyack Farmer's Market, willpresent the history of Nyack in 55 sketches. Register atext. 214.

• Wed, April 15 at 7pmLincoln's Assassination—150th Anniversary Presentationby John Muranelli. Join us for a look back into our coun-try's history, complete with building models, diagramsand photographs. There will be time for questions afterthe presentation. Register.

• Sat, April 25 at 11 amConcert with Kurt Gallagher for ages 2 thru 7 and theirfamilies. Be ready to make as much music as possibleduring the performance as Kurt invites you to clap, shake,spin, stomp, and sing along! Register ext. 228

• Poetry Read-Out in the Carnegie-Farian RoomThurs, April 9, from 5 to 8 pm.In honor of National Poetry Month, local poets, students,Staff and Library Board will read their own poetry or thatof a favorite poet consecutively for 3 hours. Interested inreading? contact Elizabeth Hobson at ext.235www.nyacklibrary.org

EXHIBITS AT HOPPER HOUSE IN APRIL• HOPPERESQUE DANCERS AMONG USEdward Hopper House Art Center is pleased to present aselection of works by Jordan Matter from Dancers AmongUs, a collection of photographs of dancers celebrating allaspects and emotions of everyday life. This exhibition willbe on view from April 17 to June 14; reception Friday,April 17, from 6 to 8pm

• EDWARD HOPPER: MEMORABILIA AND EARLY WORKOngoing in the Sanborn Gallery and Hopper Bedroom.Early drawings, paintings, and etchings; memorabilia, in-cluding model boats made by Hopper, paint boxes, andan easel, presented on an ongoing basis.

EVENTS• EDWARD HOPPER HOUSE SPRING BENEFIT: HOPPER

ON THE HUDSONSunday, April 19 from 3 to 5:30pm at the Nyack BoatClub. Enjoy light fare, informative talks, entertainmentand a silent auction.

FIRST FRIDAY EVENTS• Artist of the Month: Ken Carbone. Reception April 3

BOOK SIGNINGDaniel Wolff will launch his new book of poetry, “TheNames of Birds” with a book signing on Mon, April 13.from 5 to 7pm at O'Donoghue's Tavern 66 Main St.Nyack, NY. Books available for purchase at the event.


Remember the days?by James F. Leiner

Nyack’s Post OfficeIt seems to me whenever I pickup a newspaper the UnitedStates Postal Service is makingheadlines. It seems the USPShas billions of dollars in opera-tion deficits and is proposing aseries of various cuts in our maildelivery services. I don’t knowa thing about running the post office so Idon’t think I can help them but I would liketo take a look back in their history for a so-lution.

Official USPS historians note that WilliamO’Blenis was appointed on April 3, 1833 asthe first Nyack Postmaster. However, my re-search shows Mr. O’Blenis lived in what isnow West Nyack and was appointed NyackTurnpike Postmaster on June 25, 1834.

Rockland Historians Dr. Green and JudgeTompkins both say the first Postmaster inthe Nyack area was John Van Houten, whoopened the first post office in 1835 in hisstore at the landing in Upper Nyack aboutwhere Petersen’s Boatyard is located. Mailwould arrive and be sent out by steamboats.Sere were not a lot of rush hours or prioritydelivery, and in those primitive days thelocal mail was kept in a cigar box. Whensomeone came into the store and inquiredabout a letter Van Houten would handthem the cigar box and allow them to dotheir own sorting.

In 1836 Samuel Canfield was appointedPostmaster and the post office was moved tohis Dry Dock Hotel located at the corner ofMain and Canfield (now Gedney) Streets.Moved is a bit of a misnomer, as Canfieldsimply carried Van Houten’s cigar box to hisoffice in the hotel. Charles Humphrey wasthe next Postmaster in 1844. He was suc-ceeded by William B. Collins from 1849and served to 1853. Daniel Demarest tookthe job from 1853 to 1861 and moved thePost Office to his Dry Goods store at thecorner of Broadway and Burd Street.

President Lincoln appointed Aaron L.Christie Postmaster in 1861. He held thejob until his death in July, 1880. Hisdaughter, Sarah L. Christie, who was veryfamiliar with the job, kept the position untilOrlando Humphrey was appointed by Pres-ident Cleveland in July 1886. After Presi-dent Harrison was elected, Miss Christie

was again appointed. With Cleveland’s sec-ond term he appointed Philip Doersch Post-

master. George B. Helmke tookover the job when he was ap-pointed by President McKinleyon January 13, 1899. Helmkebegan work immediately to es-tablish free delivery of the mail.Postal authorities approved hisrequest and free mail delivery tothe homes and businesses inNyack and South Nyack area

began on May 1, 1899. Helmke also had thepost office refitted, at considerable expense,with all the latest fixtures and appliances.

Se Upper Nyack Post Office was estab-lished on August 31, 1885 under PostmasterGeorge C. Stephens. It was discontinued onNovember 11, 1886. Andrew Jersey wasPostmaster when the office reopened on Jan-uary 5, 1887. With the extension of free de-livery from the Nyack Post Office in 1899the Upper Nyack Post Office was closed for-ever.

On July 14, 1901, free delivery was estab-lished in Grand View, and the post officethat operated there for more than twentyyears by William H. Platt was abolished. In1901 the Nyack Post Office was using sixmail carriers with annual receipts in excessof $15,000. In July of 1902 free deliverywas extended to Central Nyack when Medalof Honor recipient John Auer was hired andgiven a horse to deliver the mail. In 1902Se Nyack Post office was the first and onlyPost Office in Rockland County with freemail delivery.

In 1901 the Nyack Post Office operated outof a small store on the northeast corner ofRemsen St. and South Broadway. In 1909 itoccupied a building across the street next tothe Broadway Seater. Se volume of busi-ness continued to grow and the ChristmasHoliday rush periods were a nightmare inthe two buildings. In 1933, our currentpost office, built under the direction of Pres-ident Roosevelt’s Works Progress Adminis-tration (WPA), opened under PostmastersJames Kilby and W. Frank McNichols.

Now the USPS tells us, thanks to computersand the Internet, that their business is de-clining. I have an idea. Does anyone havea few old cigar boxes they can lend the PostOffice? John Van Houten and SamuelCanfield seemed to get the mail out prettywell using them!

The Nyack Villager thanks Jim Leiner for an-other good column �

with Alison Stone

April is NationalPoetry MonthApril is National PoetryMonth. For poetry lovers,that means extra readings,book releases, and events.Some of us will even takethe April Poetry Challenge and commit to writing a poema day for the month. For the 99.07% of Americans whodon’t read poetry, it means nothing. And that’s sad. Notjust for poets, who could really use the audience, but be-cause nonreaders of poetry are depriving themselves ofpleasure and enrichment.

Fear of poetry seems to be an American phenomenon. Irishbards are treated like rock stars, and Pablo Naruda filledfootball stadiums. Perhaps poor teaching is to blame, turn-ing poems into puzzles to be deciphered rather than en-joyed.

Why not use Poetry Month as a time to change this? I chal-lenge you to read a poem a day during April. Just onepoem, a few minutes of your time. For those unsure whereto begin, Maya Angelou, Billy Collins, and Mary Oliver areaccessible starter poets. Perhaps an anthology— thereare collections on almost every subject, from rock ‘n roll tomathematics. Or head to the local authors section of theNyack Library, where you’ll find collections by former Rock-land Poet Laureate Dan Masterson, Gerald McCarthy, andMaxine Silverman.

Come on—take the challenge. You’ve got nothing tolose, and a lot to gain.

As Williams Carlos Williams said,

It is difficultto get the news from poemsyet men die miserably every dayfor lackof what is found there.

Alison Stone is the author of four poetry collections, including“Dangerous Enough” (Presa Press 2014), and “They Sing atMidnight,” which won the 2003 Many Mountains Moving Po-etry Award and was published by Many Mountains MovingPress. Her poems have appeared in The Paris Review, Poetry,Ploughshares, Barrow Street, Poet Lore, and a variety of otherjournals and anthologies. She has been awarded Poetry’s Fred-erick Bock Prize and New York Quarterly’s Madeline Sadinaward. She is also a painter and the creator of The Stone Tarot.A licensed psychotherapist, she has private practices in NYCand Nyack, where she treats individuals, couples, and fami-lies.

The Nyack Villager welcomes review copies of books on allsubjects. Send them to Book Talk, c/o The Nyack Villager, POBox 82, Nyack, NY 10960. We promise we’ll look them overcarefully but we can’t promise we’ll review them all. �

BOOK TALK

April Events A&Estart on page 14

CORNER FRAME SHOP ARTIST OF THE MONTHis Lorraine Avery Pawlowski. Her exhibit entitled “Windand water” is a showing of her recent Acrylic and water-color paintings. The Exhibit runs from April 1 thru 30,with an artist reception Sunday April 12 from 2 to 5pm

Ms. Pawlowski is a fifty year resident of Rockland; herwork has been shown in various venues around thecounty for the past 5 years.

She studied at the Old Church School in Bergen withPhyllis Rutigliano, The Bronx Botanical Garden withLouisa Rawley Tinney, privately with Carolyn Pedersen, atRockland Center for the Arts with Jo Blanchett and mostrecently with John Creagh.

SHOW OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN PIERMONTFilmmaker David Croll’s photographs will be on display atBunbury Coffee Shop, 480 Piermont Ave. in Piermont,through the month of April. Mr. Croll, a Nyack resident,photographs man-made objects as they decay and are re-claimed by the natural world.

FREE CELEBRATION OF POETRY MONTHFriday, April 24 at 6:30 pm— an Evening of Poetry incelebration of National Poetry Month will be held at Pier-mont Public Library, 25 Flywheel Park W, Piermont.

Three distinguished local poets, Nancy Gerber, AlisonStone, and Marjorie Tesser, will each read selections oftheir work; audience members will have the opportunityto participate in an open mic session during which theymay read their own original work.

PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW AND BLUE ARTIFACTSIris Brooks will show her mostly monochromatic photo-graphs along with her curatorial selection of blue artifactsfrom around the world. The show features an interactivegallery walk and talk on Saturday, April 11 from 4 to6pm. The show runs through June 6 at The Union ArtsCenter, 2 Union Ave in Sparkill. Info: 845.359.0258.

PIERMONT EASTER EGG HUNTPiermont Civic Association’s annual Easter Egg Hunt forchildren will be held in Flywheel Park, near the library on

All films presented digitally. Info: 845.353.2568Tickets: $11 gen’l adm; $9 students seniors & gen’l members;

$8 student & senior members.Purchase tickets at door, in advance from 800.838.3006

or online at www.rivertownfilm.org Deadline for our May issue is April 15, 2015E-mail brief items for The Nyack Villager’s

Arts & Entertainment & Community Notes columns [email protected]

Please include your name and a number where we canreach you with questions.

April A&E Events conclude at right

From Orangetown Town Hallby Andy Stewart, Orangetown Supervisor

With Earth Day coming up soon, it’s a great time to talkabout some of the ways local government and localgroups are working to protect our environment and keepour community clean, green and beautiful.

PROTECTING LAND AND WATER:1) Road salt is a safety necessity in winter, but can hurtwater quality. By mixing salt and water to create a“brine” to spray on roads before snowstorms, we use lesssalt to treat more road surface, saving money and the en-vironment.

2) Street sweeping and storm drain cleaning stop dirt,chemicals and other pollutants from entering waterways.

3) Our Sewer Department has invested heavily in detec-tion of inflow and infiltration of fresh water into sewerpipes, including recent major repairs to Nyack’s agingsewer infrastructure. This prevents sewage overflows, de-creases energy use, and keeps water clean.

4) The Building Department enforces a wide range of ero-sion control, drainage and energy efficiency laws.

5) The Town’s “Critical Environmental Areas” zone pro-tects steep slopes and ridgelines overlooking the HudsonRiver from improper construction and deforestation.

SAVING ENERGY:1) We are negotiating with Orange and Rockland to buyback the approximately 2,700 street lights which we cur-rently lease from them, so that we can convert thesestreetlights to energy efficient LED bulbs. Even with theupfront cost of purchasing the street lights, the energysavings from the new bulbs should save town taxpayers atleast a quarter million dollars a year. Speaking of O&R,Orangetown has joined many other local governments inopposing the utility’s proposal to raise electric rates by11.5% and gas rates by 35%. These steep rate hikes willhurt residents, small businesses, and local governments.

2) Our Town Highway trucks run on a 20% biodiesel fuelthat decreases air pollution and the Town is making in-creasing use of hybrid vehicles to increase average fuelefficiency.

3) We’re working with a localcompany to build a com-pressed natural gas station be-hind the Highway Department.If all goes well, this project willnet the Town about $100,000per year in lease and royaltypayments, and provide accessto cleaner and cheaper fuel for

the town and local businesses.

4) The Town has a five year energy efficiency performancecontract with Siemens that has included installation andmaintenance of more energy efficient heating, coolingand lighting equipment, with significant documented en-ergy savings.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT:1) The Town partners closely with local environmentalgroups like Keep Rockland Beautiful to organize volunteercleanups of local streets, parks, and public spaces. The2015 Community Cleanup in Nyack is on April 18th from9:30am – 12:30pm. For more information about thisyear’s cleanup events in Piermont, Sparkill, Blauvelt,Pearl River and elsewhere visit KRB’s website.

2) The Orangetown Environmental Committee advises theTown Board on environmental priorities and policies, re-cently tackling the issue of invasive species.

3) The Town is a signatory to the U.S. Mayors ClimateProtection Agreement (2008) and has inventoried itsgreenhouse gas emissions.

4) We take care of our trees through the volunteer ShadeTree Commission and certification as a “Tree City USA.”Sadly, we said goodbye earlier this year to the venerableSparkill white ash tree, which succumbed to old age after400 years standing by the Sparkill Creek. Wood from thistree has been donated to local artists for use in keepingits memory alive. The passing of this ancient tree shouldbe a reminder that we must do what we can during ourtime on Earth, to leave the planet in better shape for ourkids and grandkids.

—AndyAndy Stewart is Orangetown Supervisor; reach him at [email protected] or 359-5100, ext. 2261. �


Wed, April 8 at 8pm at Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave, Nyack

� Two Days, One NightDirected by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne2014, Belgium/France/Italy, 95 minutes, in French,

Arabic and English, rated PG-13

A working mother returns to her job after a medical leaveonly to find that the company has offered her co-workersa bonus if she is laid off; if they refuse, she can keep herjob. With Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress,Marion Cotillard.


Sat, April 4 at 10am.

Fee: $5 per child, or $10 per family. Parents are encour-aged to sign up early. To register call Kathleen Puder at845.304.4838

FIRST FRIDAY GROUP ART SHOWby Nyack Art Collective will be on view First Friday—April 3, from 8 to 10pm at Prohibition River, 82 MainSt., Nyack. On display will be a variety of media, frompastels, acrylics and oils and 3-dimensional works. Agreat way to enjoy Spring. For more info visit our web-site: www.nyackartcollective.com

ANIMAL SPIRITSArt by Piermont artist Paula Lennard will be on display atPiermont Public Library, 25 Flywheel Park West, Pier-mont, throughout April. An Artist's Reception will be heldSunday, April 12, from 2 to 4pm.

ROCKLAND SYMPHONY’S CONCERTFOR YOUNG PEOPLERockland Symphony ‘s Young Person’s Concert in conjunc-tion with the Rockland County Music Teacher’s Guild,holds its Concerto Competition for young performing stu-dent artists who are planning careers in music.

This years’ winners are 14-year old Neerav Kumar whowill perform Concertino fur Klarinette und Orchestra, Op.26, by Carl Maria von Weber and Hannah Lin, who willperform the first movement of the Piano Concerto in AMinor by Robert Schumann. In addition, The RocklandSymphony will perform the Erste Orchester Sinfonie byC.P.E. Bach (son of J.S. Bach), the Impresario Overture byW.A. Mozart & Kamarinskaia by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka.

Performances are scheduled for April 12 at 4pm at theRose Concert Hall Arts Building at the Green MeadowSchool, Chestnut Ridge Road (Route 45, just south ofHungry Hollow Road) in Chestnut Ridge, N. Y.

General Admission tickets at the door are $20 for adults,$15 for senior adults and $10 for students; online ticketpurchases and further info on this and other up-comingevents: www.rocklandsymphonyorchestra.org

NAACP FREEDOM FUND MEMBERSHIP DINNER56th Annual Membership, Renewal and Recruitment Din-ner, sponsored by NAACP Nyack Branch, will be held April16 at 6:30pm at The Pearl River Hilton. Admission$80pp. For more info, readers should call845.268.6626.

NYACK’S THIRD ANNUAL AFRICAN-AMERICANDAY PARADEOn Sat, May 14, there will be a parade down Main Streetfollowed by a multicultural festival in Memorial Park.Nyack NAACP President Francis Pratt and Everett Swan,recipient of the Honorary Buffalo Soldier award, will bethe parade Grand Marshals. Music will be provided by thefamous East Ramapo Marching Band, winner of over 250awards in 20 years. �

by Donna Cox

Se spring market is infull force and whatI should be writing about is how, largely as a result of the extra snowy winterwe had, there has been a surge of buyer activity this spring. Inventory isstill low and well-priced homes are selling quickly. All true. But what Iwant to write about is what an amazing community we live in. Over thepast few months, I have witnessed so many heartwarming instances that un-derscore just how special the people in our community are. A woman postedon Facebook she needed to pick up balloons for her son’s birthday party butthey wouldn’t fit in her car and asked if anyone could help. Another posted her car had broken downand she needed assistance. Se number of people offering to help was staggering. Recently, two firesdisplaced local residents. Within minutes, friends established fundraising sites and within hours thou-sands of dollars were raised. Neighbors and a local caterer braved a snow storm to welcome new home-owners to the area. Se acts of kindness big and small are endless. While the river villages are rich innatural beauty, it is the people who live here and care about one another that make the river villages ex-traordinary. With that, here are the homes that sold in February.• THE HOMES LISTED BELOW WERE SOLD BY A VARIETY OF BROKERS PROUDLY SERVING THE RIVER VILLAGES.

Summary Source: GHVMLS YTD Comparison Report

October 2014 YTD vs. October 2013 YTD - Single Family HomesNew Inventory (the number of homes coming on the market) decreased 6.5% (231 YTD 2014 vs. 247YTD 2013). Sere was a 24.5% decrease in the number of sales (80 YTD 2014 vs. 106 YTD 2013). Seaverage sales price for homes that have sold decreased 4.7% to $647,106. Overall, the average sales price forhomes that have sold in Rockland County (inclusive of the river villages) was $432,266, up 1.6% over thesame period last year.

October 2014 YTD vs. October 2013 YTD - Condos/Co-opsNew inventory (the number of condos coming on the market) increased 5.0% (84 YTD 2014 vs. 80 YTD2013). Sere was a 5.4% decrease in the number of sales (35 YTD 2014 vs. 37 YTD 2013). Se averagesales price of condos that have sold decreased 4.3% to $356,382. Overall, the average sales price for condosthat have sold in Rockland County (inclusive of the river villages) was $221,119, down 2.8% over the sameperiod last year. �

ColonialBiLevelColonialCape CodColonialColonialColonialColonialColonialColonialColonialCondoCondoContemporary

1 Old Ox Rd14 Vine St218 Jewett Rd409 Cedar Ave6 Sugarhill Rd58 Washington St111 Jackson Ave97 Cedar Hill Ave88 Brookside Ave110 Hillside Ave108 River Rd208 Harbor Cove311 Ash Street26 Woods Rd

$ 380,000310,000515,000240,000830,000360,000350,000280,000172,300165,000800,000688,000110,000

1,200,000

$ 347,500315,000530,000279,000849,000375,000379,000309,900175,000199,000899,990699,900119,900

1,349,000

2.123.123.1121.111.13213

54454333123203

C. NyackC. NyackU. NyackU. NyackNyackNyackNyackS. NyackS. NyackS. NyackGrandviewPiermontPiermontPalisades

STYLE LOCATION ADDRESS BEDROOMS BATHS LIST PRICE SALE PRICE

They got what?!

Jim Leiner tells us his Florida writer’s group holds a Punography Day every once in awhile. A recent harvest included these.

• What does a clock do when it’s hungry? It goes back for seconds.• Broken pencils are pointless.• I attended a performance about puns. It was a play on words.• I tried to catch the fog this morning. I mist.• I met a guy who was addicted to sniffing brake fluid. He told me he could stop any time.• I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.• I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. I can’t put it down.• Doctor told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type O.• Energizer Bunny arrested; charged with battery.• Class took a field trip to the Coca Cola factory. Gee I hope there won’t be a pop quiz. �

:) Smile


April 2015q cFlower:SWEET PEAsymbol oftenderness

Birthstone:DIAMONDsymbol ofinnocence

SUN MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT

2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

R

R

D

1st quarter

last quarter

newmoon

Sfull moon

Concert forYoung Peoplesee page 17

CelebratePoetryMonth

see page 16

CARFIT forolderdrivers

see page 9

DanceAround theWorld

see page 14

GraceMusicpresentsIMPERIALBRASS

see page 14

Nyack in55 draw-ings by BillBatson

see page 14

1hands-onFLORAL

WORKSHOPsee page 14

Backyardchickens forbeginnerssee page 7

Poetryread-outin CarnegieRoom at

Nyack Librarysee page 14

CommunityClean Up &Earth Daysee page 11

NAACPFreedom

Fund Dinnersee page 17

First FridayGROUP

ART SHOWsee page 17

Easter EggHunt inPiermont

see page 16

Run Awayto theCircus !

see page 14

Oe good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.—Neil deGrasse Tyson, 1958-

April Fool’s Day

Easter

Passover begins

Thomas Jefferson’sbirthday

National Garlic Day Arbor Day

Tax Day

Take Your DaughterTo Work Day

Bat AppreciationDay

GUITAR LESSONSat your home or my studio

all styles all levels reasonable ratesCALL BRIAN BABCOCK

348 0992


Only The Nyack Villager is saturation mailed.It’s called “saturation” because EVERYBODY living in the 8 great rivervillages gets a copy of The Nyack Villager at home every month—that’s EVERYBODY—not only those with a computer,not only those who remember to pick up a copy at the coffee shop.

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The Nyack VillagerEditor JAN HABERContributing Editor SHEL HABERCorrespondent BILL DEMARESTPublishers JAN & SHEL HABERCommunity advisor FRANCES PRATT

Founded in 1994, The Nyack Villager is published monthly, mailed on or about the first of each month to every postal address in eight Hudson Rivervillages—Nyack, Upper Nyack, Central Nyack, South Nyack, Grand View, Upper Grandview, Piermont &Palisades (zipcodes 10960, 10964 & 10968).

Columnists JIM LEINER • DAN SHAW, LCSWJON FELDMAN • RIC PANTALE • VICKYSCHWAIDHARRIET CORNELL • HOLLY CASTER • DONNA COXBILL DEMEREST • SUPERVISOR ANDY STEWARTTHE VETS AT VALLEY COTTAGE ANIMAL HOSPITALTHE MEDICAL STAFF OF NYACK HOSPITAL

NYACKVILLAGERADDRESSES PO Box 82, Nyack, NY 10960-0082 e-mail: [email protected]• Editorial / advertising phone (845) 735-7639

on the Internet at www.nyackvillager.com The Nyack Villager is on the Internet courtesy of Devine Design.Published monthly by Nyack Villager, LLC © 1994—2012

All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission is forbidden.

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Documents

Nyack Villager April · 2015. 4. 7. · TheNyackVillager April,2015 3 TheNyackVillager April,2015Vol.21No.8 Mailedonornearthefirstofeachmonthtoeveryresidentialaddressineightrivervillages—UpperNyack,