Don’t Miss
Sharing Our Blessings
The 53rd Rye Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will be held November 24 at 3 p.m. at Community Synagogue. A reception hosted by the Rye Women’s Interfaith will follow in the Social Hall. Bring food and monetary donations, which will be given to Holy Rosary Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry.
After the Turkey, Lose the Trimmings!
There’s nothing better after enjoying the Thanksgiving feast than burning off some of the calories. Take the dog and head to Rye Rec’s 37th annual Turkey Run and Paws Walk-A-Thon, Saturday, November 30. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. Registration forms are available online at ryeny.gov.
Here Comes Mistletoe Magic
Kick off the wondrous holiday season December 1 from 12-3 p.m. in downtown Rye. The Rye Chamber of Commerce has planned a magical winter afternoon for families and children of all ages. Stroll, shop, take part in fun activities, and watch the puppet show, and that’s just for starters.
‘Tis the Season
The Ceres Garden Club of Rye will sell decorated wreaths and arrangements of winter greenery from the porch of the Square House, December 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Home-made baked goods and hand-crafted ornaments will be for sale inside the Museum. The wreaths sell for $20 and the basket arrangements of greenery are priced according to size.
Money raised by this fundraising effort helps cover the cost of the cascading geranium baskets the Club hangs from the lamp posts in downtown Rye each summer. By supporting the annual sale of holiday greens, buyers not only have the pleasure of decorating their homes this winter, but also the satisfaction of bringing color and charm to Purchase Street next summer.
This Weekend
Pots of Gift Ideas
Browse and purchase the wares of the Hudson River Potters, Friday from 2-5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Rye library. The art group was formed over 30 years ago with the goal of sharing strategies, technical insights, failures, and triumphs in an atmosphere rich in creative energy.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the library.
Honoring Our Neighbor, Sandy Samberg
Sandy Samberg will receive the 2013 James A. and Marian M. Shea Community Service Award, Friday at the Lions Club Annual Charter Night Dinner at American Yacht Club. Cocktails begin at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
In 2007, Samberg founded SoleRyeders & Friends (soleryeders.org), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing and supporting local cancer-related programs.
For tickets, contact Dave Heller at Dheller813@aol.com or 967-7041.
A Native American & Colonial Thanksgiving
Talk about artisanal and heirloom! Celebrate the origins of Thanksgiving, Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the Square House. Participants will explore the tools, techniques, and foods commonly used by early inhabitants of the area. Taste a sampling of foods common to the Native American and colonial diet.
The cost is $10 per family. Call 967-7588. The program is co-sponsored by the Rye Historical Society and the Friends of Rye Nature Center.
Owl Hike
Learn about local nocturnal life while you hike the Rye Nature Center’s trails, Saturday at 5 p.m. Cost is $5 for members, $8 non-members.
Children’s Corner
Dear Santa
From November 25 through December 10, letters will be taken via reindeer express directly to Santa Claus at the North Pole before Christmas. Santa will answer as many letters as possible. The Rye Rec mailbox is located on the corner of Elm and Purchase Streets. No stamps are necessary, however a return address is required.
Ho, Ho, Ho!
Who’s that calling? Why it’s Kris Kringle! Rye Rec has made special arrangements to have Santa telephone your child at home. Registration is ongoing. Sign-up early. Calls will be made December 9 and 10 from 6-8 p.m. For residents only.
Just for Fun
A Toast to the Season
Enjoy a tour of Champagne and Burgundy with Maison Louis Jadot wines and Taittinger Champagne hosted by Christian Dalbavie, French Portfolio Manager at Kobrand Wine & Spirits, December 4 at La Panetière. All wines served will be commented on and questions gladly answered. A reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The price is $125.
To RSVP, call 967-8140.
For a Good Cause
Compassionate Laps
Join the Rye Y for the 9th annual post-Thanksgiving swim, November 30. Proceeds will benefit LIVESTRONG at the YMCA and the MAC Angels Foundation.
LIVESTRONG is a free 12-week small group program designed to help adult cancer survivors regain health by building muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility.
The MAC Angels Foundation is dedicated to supporting families with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Their mission is to enhance the quality of life for patients, family members, and caregivers by providing the compassion, education, and unique resources needed to manage the effects of this disease.
Check-in for high school students begins at 7:15 a.m. and at 8:15 a.m. for adults. Post-swim refreshments will be served from 10-11 a.m. Pre-registration free is $50, $75 the day of the event.
For more information, email livestrong@ryeymca.org or call 967-6363.
Arts and Entertainment
Teen Centennial Project
Come and explore the results of the Hometown History Week project in which Rye’s teens created displays based upon what they discovered about the factual tidbits, fashions, fables, mystery, myths, and milestones that have made Rye what it is today.
The exhibit will be on display at the Rye library December 2 through 23.
Hudson Valley Through a Lens
“Art within Nature,” an exhibit of photography by Robert Uricchio, will be on display at the Rye library December 4 through January 4. Uricchio spends his time hiking and photographing the many different landscapes of the Hudson Valley. His images have been exhibited in area libraries as well as galleries in Hudson Valley towns and New York City.
A Dickens of a Weekend
Be among the first to browse and shop for the holidays at the opening festivities of Wainwright House’s artisan marketplace, The Old Curiosity Shop, featuring limited edition handcrafted works from local artists. Meet the artists at a wine and cheese reception, December 5 from 6-8 p.m.
Festivities begin December 6 at 7 p.m., with a marionette performance by Kim Profaci and her class of puppeteers who have worked diligently with writer Maureen Amaturo to create “King George and the Royal Tree.”
From 7-9 p.m. New England Silhouette artist Andrea Peitsch will be on hand to capture your images. Cost is $35 per subject.
At 7:45 p.m., Charles Dickens himself will read “A Christmas Carol.”
On Saturday, December 7 from 1-5 p.m., enjoy a day of live music and caroling, dancing, and seasonal treats. At 2 p.m., the whole family can learn Victorian folk dancing with live music. Also, sit for a silhouette artist or shop in the Victorian market.
On December 8 from 2-4 p.m., grownups can enjoy a performance of “Unscrooged,” a new adaptation of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” presented by The Small Town Theater Company. A meet-the-actors reception will follow the show.
For more information, visit wainwright.org or call 967-6080.
Capturing the Moment
Harrison Council for the Arts presents “Moments in Light and Motion” photographs by Lewis Bogaty at the Harrison Public Library through December 6. Bogaty’s work focuses on the outdoor world in motion.
The challenge that most intrigues him is capturing the magical moments of that motion — whether stopping a train hurtling down the track, freezing a bird in flight, or capturing an evanescent instant of fog enveloping a pond — moments that are gone almost before they can be recorded.
Musical Evenings by Mannes
Gifted young musical artists from Mannes College will perform in a salon series at Wainwright House beginning December 7. Each of the four evening programs — two of piano and two of chamber music — begin at 8 p.m. After the concerts, guests are invited to a reception with the artists.
Tickets are $100 for the series, $30 per event. Seating is limited. For reservations, call 967-6080 or visit wainwright.org.
Classical Holiday Concert
Soprano Kristina Bachrach and tenor Daniel Molkentin will perform with the Westchester Choral Society, December 8 at 3 p.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church. Enjoy selections from Gustav Holst’s “Christmas Day,” Ralph Vaughan-Williams’s “Hodie,” Three Settings of James Agee’s “Sure on This Shining Night,” Franz Schubert’s Hebrew setting of Psalm 92, and more. The Music Director is Frank Nemhauser. David Baranowski will accompany the vocalists on piano and organ.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 students. Visit westchesterchoralsociety.org.
A Colonial Musicale!
Drawing on a tradition of celebrating the holidays with music, Grant Herreid and friends, Andrew Rutherford and Daniel Swenberg, will perform a pastiche of 18th and early 19th century arrangements that would have been enjoyed by generations of residents of the Jay Estate. The concert will be held December 8 from 6-8 p.m. at the Jay Heritage Center.
Enjoy historic works by European and American composers performed on English and Spanish guitars, theorbo, and lute. The dynamic program, tailored to the history of the site and the culture of old New York, promises to be unforgettable.
Herreid is on the faculty at Yale University, where he directs the Collegium Musicum and is the Artistic Director of the Yale Baroque Opera Project.
Light refreshments and tastes of the season will be served following the concert. Cost is $15 per person, free for members. For reservations, call 698-9275 or email jayheritagecenter@gmail.com.
Talks and Workshops
Cover to Cover
The Rye library book groups have announced the selections for their upcoming meetings. The Current Events Group’s next book is “Who Owns the Future?” by Jaron Lanier. The meeting is November 26 at 6:30 p.m.
The Thursday Afternoon Group will meet December 5 at 1:15 pm to discuss “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich.
The Friday Book Café title for its next meeting, December 8 at 9:30 a.m., is William Faulkner’s “Intruder in the Dust.” Call the library at 231-3161 for this meeting’s offsite location.
SPRYE-Wise
SPRYE is offering a variety of programming next month.
At the last tech workshop of the year, get help with smartphones, tablets, and laptops before the holidays from Rye High School students. Meet December 3 from 3-4 p.m. at RyeTV Studios in the High School.
Head to Morgan’s Fish House for the Holiday party, December 12 at 12 p.m. Cost is $25.
On December 18, from 3-4:30 p.m., Maureen Adams, an experienced health care manager, will discuss recent and ongoing changes in the health care system. Adams is Director of Clinical Operations at WESTMED and recently joined the SPRYE Board. Refreshments begin at 3 p.m., followed by the program at 3:15 p.m. at Wainwright House.
Spin a Yarn
Join adult story lovers at the next Rye Storytellers’ Guild meeting, December 3 at 6 p.m. at the Rye library. The theme is “Precious Gifts.”
Insta-Share Your Holiday Snapshots
Learn how to transfer the holiday photos you’ll soon be creating from and to CDs and flash drives, December 5 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Rye library. Handling data, setting up and renaming folders and files, and backing up critical files and information will also be covered.
Those All-Important Connections
At the next Lives in Transition meeting, learn tips and gain information on LinkedIn, December 5 from 7-9 p.m. at Rye Presbyterian Church. Whether you are just looking to get started or already an advanced user the workshop will help you get the most from this powerful resource. Trainers will demonstrate the specific features of LinkedIn based on an individual’s experience, competencies, and areas of interest.
Advise as to your level of proficiency when you RSVP. Last month’s LinkedIn presentation can be downloaded at LivesinTransition.com. RSVP to livesintransition@gmail.com.
De-Stress Workshop
Learn how to beat holiday stress with on-the-go meditation techniques, December 7 at 10 a.m. at the Rye library. Whether you are standing on a long line at the mall, riding a crowded train, or stuck in a tense business meeting, spending just a few moments in meditation will restore your calm and inner peace.
Carol Chudo, who has a rich background in Zen Buddhism and has taught the art of meditation for many years, will gently guide you in a practice certain to help your coping skills at this busy time of year.
Family Ties
Searching for Those More Fortunate Turkeys
Join a Rye Nature Center naturalist in search of local turkeys in the forest, November 30 at 1 p.m. Wear clothing appropriate for hiking. Cost is $5 for members, $8 non-members.
Seasonal Tunes
Rye Rec will hold its Holiday Show & Sing-A-Long, December 8 in Rye Rec Park. The show begins at 4 p.m. followed by a bonfire and sing-a-long at 5 p.m. For more details, call 967-2535.
Daddy & Me Animal Show
Stop by the Rye Nature Center for an animal adventure, December 7 from 9:15-10 a.m. Cost is $10 for members, $15 non-members.
Save the Date
Sign-Up Time
Rye Rec resident registration begins December 9 at 9 a.m. and non-resident registration begins December 16 at 9 a.m. For a complete list of programs and costs, visit ryeny.gov/recreation.cfm.