Don’t Miss

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream, for Ice Cream!

Longford’s will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its delicious brand with a neighborhood block party June 10 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Elm Place. The event is co-sponsored by Al Dente Pizzeria. There will be activities for all ages as well as plenty of ice cream and pizza.

Take part in an eating contest and a variety of games. Bounce high in a jumping castle and have your face painted, while listening to great entertainment. A 50/50 raffle will benefit Autism Speaks.

Ready, Set, Read!

Wondergy’s CoolScience will entertain with dazzling scientific tricks at the Rye library’s Summer Reading Program “Dream Big – Read!” kick off event June 22 at 3 p.m. The program motivates children to maintain and improve their reading skills during the long school vacation break. Participants can track their reading and listening and take part in an array of activities throughout the summer including films, craft sessions, and more.

Children ages 4 and up can sign up at ryelibrary.org.

For a Good Cause

Relay for Life at Rye Town Park

The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life will take place Friday and Saturday at Rye Town Park. At the overnight event, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., teams take turns walking around a track and participating in activities, entertainment, and ceremonies honoring those who fought cancer.

The Relay begins with a Survivors Lap June 8 at 7 p.m. This is an inspirational time when survivors are invited to circle the track together and help everyone celebrate their victories over cancer.

At 9:30 p.m., loved ones lost to the disease will be honored during the Luminaria Ceremony.

To register, visit relayforlife.org.

Help Change the World One Story at a Time

Calling all readers! Open Door Family Medical Centers seeks volunteers to join their Reach Out and Read program. Open Door, an official site for the national literacy program Reach Out and Read, offers the program at its Port Chester and other three Westchester sites. 

As part of the program, Open Door volunteers read to children in the waiting rooms, provide instructions on reading techniques to parents, and help children choose a book to take home. Pediatricians and family physicians also distribute new age-appropriate books and demonstrate reading techniques at each well-child visit for ages 6 months to 5 years.

In 2011 Open Door’s volunteers read to 2,708 children and provided 6,707 books to families to help promote and foster a love of reading at home.

In addition to needing readers, donations of gently used children’s books, particularly board books, are always needed to support the Reach Out and Read program. 

For more information about volunteering and to donate books, contact Alicia Ward, Volunteer Coordinator at 502-1468 or award@odfmc.org.

Talks, Workshops and Just for Fun

Draw from Sculpture

Ages 12 and up are invited to compose sketches that explore the varying figures throughout the “Beyond Rodin” exhibit at the Rye Arts Center June 9 from 2:15-4:15 p.m. Fundamentals of drawing will be covered. This class is free.

Turn the Page

“Coming Apart: The State of White America 1960-2010” by Charles Murray is the selection of the Rye library’s Current Events Group. The meeting is June 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Rye’s Next J. K. Rowling

Rye resident Annabel Monaghan will discuss her new young adult novel, “A Girl Named Digit”, June 14 at 7 p.m. at the Rye library. Farrah Higgins started high school with one thing on her mind, ditching the math geek image that earned her the name Digit in middle school. By her senior year she’s figured out how to fake normal, until she notices some faint numbers in the corner of her TV screen and cracks the communications system of a murderous eco-terror organization. Kidnapped by the FBI for her own protection, half in love with her captor, and running for her life — can she end world terror and get her life back before the prom?

Monaghan is the co-author of “Click! The Girl’s Guide to Knowing What You Want and Making it Happen”, a non-fiction manual on positive thinking for teens. Monaghan is also a columnist for The Rye Record.

Refreshments will be served and books will be available for purchase and signing.

Cultural Landscapes: Design and Historic Preservation

Charles A. Birnbaum, founder and president of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, will give a talk at the Jay Heritage Center June 15 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.. The presentation will reveal both the opportunities and constraints in this rapidly emerging discipline. Larger philosophical challenges such as adopting a holistic stewardship ethic and the recognition of a landscape’s palimpsest will be explored. Case study examples will be local to the region, with special emphasis placed on seminal area projects by regionally significant, pioneering practitioners.

Couponing 101

Learn how to maximize your food budget June 16 at 10 a.m. at the Rye library. Susan Samtur, the “Original Coupon Queen”, will explain how to utilize couponing and refunding to save up to 50% on the grocery bill every time you shop.

Samtur has written four books on couponing and refunding. Her original book, “Cashing In at the Checkout”, sold over one million copies. She has also appeared on

“Good Morning America”, “The Today Show”, “Fox and Friends”, “20/20”, and “Oprah”, and was a guest on “Live with Regis” nearly a dozen times.

Arts and Entertainment

Summer Sounds

Don’t miss the summer kick-off concert at Rye Rec featuring The Bossy Frog Band, June 24 from 1-2 p.m. Children can dance along to fun and funky music and enjoy snacks and a raffle. 

Cost is $10 per person, $25 per family through June 16. After June 16, tickets are $30 per family. For tickets, email Jenna.Jacobs@Heartsong.org. 

Portraits by Rye Artist

Paintings by Rye resident Luis de Mena are on display at the Harrison Public Library through June 29. An opening reception will be held June 9 from 2-4 p.m. The

Madrid-born artist trained in academic realism by studying the techniques of the Spanish and Dutch old masters in depth, under the personal direction of artist Victor Zaldivar.  

The World Back Together Again

“The Mystery of the Shattered Vessels, or Humpty Dumpty Re-Visited,” an exhibit of work by Mitchell Flaum, will be on display at the Rye library through June 28. An artist’s reception will be held June 19 from 7-9 p.m.

Flaum uses collage as a medium to reconnect the broken pieces, literally and metaphorically, of a shattered universe seeking healing and redemption.

Sunset Concerts in the Park

Rye Town Park is holding a free concert series this summer at the South Pavilion by Dearborn Avenue. All concerts run from 7:30-9 p.m. Parking is $2 after 6 p.m. Picnicking is welcome.

June 26: Twist of Fate, led by Adam and Dayna Reist, is a five-member band built around the tropical sounds of the steel drums. The band’s playlist includes Reggae, Ska, Jamaican, and American Pop.

July 3: The seven performers of Pocket Change connect with the crowd and the rhythm section stirs up a recipe of authentic party music. Their mix of soul, R&B, pop and, country songs will have you dancing all night long.

July 10: Carlos Jimenez and Mambo Dulcet, a popular Yonkers-based band, features many styles of Latin music for dancing and listening. With the setting sun and gentle waves of Long Island Sound, enjoy a night of sweet tropical romance.

July 17: The Reddy Valentino Orchestra swing band began back in 1938 at New York’s Hotel Edison. By the late 1990s lead alto sax and male singer Scott Wenzel of Rye took over. The band features trumpets, trombones, and reeds.

July 24: Founded by Billy Frenz, Billy & The Showmen is a rhythm and blues Greenwich-based band. Their revue features soulful vocals, along with a strong horn and

tight rhythm section.

July 31: The Rye based six-member band The Derivatives has been part of the concert series for many years. Bring the family and dance the night away.

August 14: The Angelo Rubino Band performs a wide range of musical styles from the 1940s to the 1990s — everything from “In The Mood” to “I Will Survive”. Their selections include Big Band dance tunes, soft rock, Doo-wop, and Latin pop.  

For more information, call 967-0965 or visit ryetownpark.org.

Into the Woods

Learn approaches used to interpret a forest’s history June 16 from 1-5 p.m. at the Jay Heritage Center. Tom Wessels will lead the program, based on his book “Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England”. Using evidence such as the shapes of trees, scars on their trunks, the pattern of decay in stumps, the construction of stonewalls, and the lay of the land, it is possible to unravel complex stories etched into our forested landscape.

Wessels boils it down into a manageable guide that you can take out to the woods and use to start playing forest detective. You’ll feel like a woodland Sherlock Holmes. No walk in the woods will ever be the same.

A Star Attraction

Jill Kargman, author of the bestselling “Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut” and “The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund”, will discuss her new book, “The Rock Star in Seat 3A”, at the Rye library June 20 at 7:30 p.m. The novel’s premise is the fantasy we’ve all had of suddenly finding ourselves face-to-face with our dream celebrity crush. That’s exactly what happens to an ordinary girl, whose life is just fine as it is, when she’s upgraded to first class and seated next to her favorite rock star. What ensues is surprising, humorous, and entirely satisfying.

Called “the new David Sedaris” by the Los Angeles Times, Kargman seasons her writing with signature wit and hilarious dialogue.

Learn to Excel

Review the basics of Microsoft Excel June 21 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Rye library. Identify the parts of the Excel window, build a budget, use the Sum function, and develop a formula.

Follow the Clues

Author Amy Beth Arkawy will discuss “Killing Time”, the first entry in her new mystery series featuring the newly-widowed Eliza Gordon June 21 at 7 p.m. at the Rye Library. When the former soap opera star opens an eating spot in her small town, she soon finds herself privy to secrets and can’t help following the clues to solve a puzzling situation. The delightful read also includes a couple of delicious recipes from her Soup Opera Luncheonette.

Teen Times

Y Nights

Grades 9-12 can enjoy basketball, swimming (swim caps required), working out, video games, air hockey, ping-pong, and socializing with friends June 8 from 7-10 p.m. Grades 6-8 can have a Pool Party June 9 from 7-10 p.m.

At fifth-grade night out, the popular Velcro Wall is back June 9 from 7-10 p.m. Admission is free for members, $5 for Teen Access members.

Fashion Illustration Workshop

Bring your designs to life with Maureen Amaturo June 16 at 2 p.m. at the Rye library. Design basics, color theory, common fashion mistakes, and how to apply design

rules when shopping for a wardrobe will be covered. Amaturo has 25 years of experience as a professional writer and layout/ad/package designer in the fashion and beauty industry.

To register, call 231-3172.

Kids’ Corner

June Fest

Grades 5 and 6 can enjoy games, rides, the skate park, music, and more at Rye Rec June 8 from 7:30-9 p.m. Popcorn and cotton candy will be served. To register,

call 967-2535. Admission is $20. The event is for Rye residents only.

Family Ties

Grab a Paddle

Kayak in the Long Island Sound with Rye Rec June 12 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Licensed guides and instructors will provide a brief instruction. Guides will lead games, activities, and a tour. Great for ages 8 and up. Cost is $30 per person.

To Your Health

Reduce Back Pain

Neurosurgeon Dr. Andrea Douglas will speak about degenerative lumbar spine disease June 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Rye library as a part of Community Health at

Greenwich Hospital. Learn about the most common causes of low back and radiating leg pain and the new minimally invasive techniques for treating it. Ongoing clinical trials of spinal fusion techniques at Greenwich Hospital will be presented.

To register, call 203-863-4277.

Celebrated Surgeon at the Y

Dr. Andrew D. Pearle, Hospital for Special Surgery Orthopedic surgeon, will discuss how robotics is refining the treatment of knee arthritis at the Rye Y, June 20 from 7:30-9 p.m. Learn how you can rapidly return to work and play with treatment options for knee pain. 

Dr. Pearle specializes in Sports Medicine and Robotic Surgery. He is a Team Physician for the New York Mets. He developed one of the first Computer Assisted Surgery programs in the United States. He chaired the NIH international symposium on the use of computer-assisted surgery and robotics in orthopedics.

Refreshments will be served. To register, call 212-774-2878 or email clyburnj@hss.edu. For more information, visit andrewpearle.com. 

Calling all Campers

Share, Play, Connect

Rye Y’s Mini Camp is a great way for children ages 3-5 to remain active, engaged, and safe while their nursery schools are closed. Activities include swimming, arts and crafts, and creative movement.

Dates are June 11-15 and June 18-21 from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. For details, call 967-6363.

Have a Creative Summer

The Rye Arts Center is offering an array of programming beginning June 25. Classes include Creative Arts, Digital Photography, Ceramics, Music and Voice Classes, Drawing, Painting, Cartooning, and more.

Registration is ongoing. For more information and complete class descriptions, visit ryeartscenter.org or call 967-0700.

Colonial Camp

Travel back in time with the Rye Historical Society’s Hands-on-History Summer Colonial Camp (ages 8-12). Children will spend two fun-filled weeks immersed in colonial history at the Square House from July 10-20 from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Campers will experience what life was like more than two centuries ago through fun hands-on activities including painting portraits and landscapes, learning about colonial gardens and food, and old-fashioned games.

The cost per child is $300 for members, $350 non-members. Call 967-7588.

Take Center Stage

Westchester Sandbox Theatre in Mamaroneck is offering its second year of theater camp. Ages 7-13 can hone their acting, singing, and dancing skills and also enjoy field trips to local pools, zoos, and parks.

Camp runs Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., July 9-27. Cost is $850, with a 10% discount for siblings. For more information, call 630-0804 or visit WestchesterSandboxTheatre.com.