Compiled by Janice Llanes Fabry

 

This Weekend

Spicy Afternoon
All are invited to the Rye Free Reading Room on Sunday at 4 for a presentation by Madhur Jaffrey, the world authority on Indian food. An author of compelling books that celebrate her childhood in India, as well as her cooking expertise, the dynamic speaker will open the world of exotic yet everyday dishes.
Jaffrey has been named to the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America and has hosted a cooking show for BBC. In addition, she is an actress who has appeared in more than 20 films.
Books will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be served. 

 

Family Nature Outing
Children with special needs are invited to bring a family member with them to the Rye Nature Center on Saturday at 9:30. Everyone will enjoy animal programs, hikes, and other fun science and sensory adventures.

There is no fee, but pre-registration is required. Call 967-5150.

 

Enlightened One
On Saturday at 11, the Rye Free Reading Room will host a discussion on meditation, a simple way to reduce stress. Carol Chudo Costa, who has a rich background in Zen Buddhism, will teach attendees how to relax the entire body and how to use one’s breath to get to a place of peace and stillness.

 

Tribes and Totems    
Wainwright House is offering the first in a series of spirituality workshops by Native American Studies professor Evan Pritchard Saturday from 1-3. The topic is animal powers and will cover each animal’s place of honor on the great medicine wheel of life. A second more advanced workshop on the subject will follow from 3:30-5:30.

The fee for each workshop is $35 for members, $40 non-members. For more information, visit wainwright.org.

 

On Such a Winter’s Day…  
On Saturday, warm up with “California Dreamin,” a concert by Rye-based musician/songwriter Gary Adamson, at the Meeting House at 6 and again at 8. Proceeds will benefit educational programs at the Meeting House and Bird Homestead.

Adamson, founder of Woodstock tribute band Back To the Garden 1969, will be accompanied by percussionist Fred Wolcott. They will share stories and favorite songs by The Beach Boys; The Mamas and the Papas; Buffalo Springfield; the Byrds; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Joni Mitchell; Jackson Browne; and the Eagles.

Enjoy the Meeting House’s great acoustics. Suggested donation per person is $10. For information call 967-0099.

Arts & Entertainment

Winter Wonderland  
Embrace this month’s winter palette of bleak, gray skies with The Rye Arts Center’s new exhibit, “Winter White: The Absence of Color. ” Celebrate the first time the Center has presented an exhibit based on a single color at an opening reception on January 30 from 3-5.
Curated by Katharine Dufault, the exhibit runs from January 23 through March 5 and features the work of more than a dozen contemporary artists whose use of white defines and unifies their work.

 
Bluesy Brunch
Wainwright’s Winter Jazz Brunch series continues with the John Dentato Trio January 31 from 11:30-2. Sit back and enjoy the music over a delicious brunch buffet courtesy of Corner Stone.

The fee is $35 for members, $45 for non-members, $50 for walk-ins. Register at wainwright.org or call 967-6080. The next brunches in the series are set for February 21 and April 3.

 

To the Highest Bidder
Join the Rye Arts Center for a tour of Christie’s Prints and Drawings in New York City on February 5 from 10-12. This installment of the Center’s Eye on Art Tours will be led by Margot Clark-Junkins, M.A., History of Design and Curatorial Studies from Parsons School of Design.

Participants will get a glimpse of the works coming up for sale at one of the world’s best-known auction houses. Fee is $35. For more information, visit ryeartscenter.org or call 967-4495.

 

Bring on Da Funk
The Rye Arts Center will present a concert on February 5 at 7:30 featuring The Jones Factor with Emmy-winning artist Chieli Minucci, under the direction of John Fumasoli. The ten-piece funk, fusion, jazz ensemble draws its players from diverse musical backgrounds, many of whom have played with Frank Sinatra, Elton John, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, and Diana Ross.

Award-winning guitarist, composer, and arranger Chieli Minucci is a major force in the jazz and world music scene. In addition to writing and performing his original work, he has recorded and performed with Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, and Jennifer Lopez.

General seating is $30 per person, $25 for students and seniors.

 

Bird’s-Eye View
“On the Wing,” an exhibit of 80 exquisite photographs of birds by Nadia Valla, will be on view at the Meeting House on Saturday afternoons through June from 12-3. A member of the Little Garden Club of Rye, Valla captures her subjects from a kayak where she can photograph wading birds and swimming ducks at eye level.

The Meeting House and the Bird Homestead are adjoining properties on the banks of the Blind Brook estuary that are a haven for over 50 species of birds, so the exhibit’s setting is quite fitting.

Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted.

Talks, Workshops, and Just for Fun

Fire Up the Kindle
Learn to download library e-books to your Kindle at the Rye Free Reading Room January 28 from 10-11. See how to use the overdrive catalog to find popular titles in order to access them on the mobile device.

 

Bird Calls
The Bird Homestead nonprofit will present a guided bird walk for beginning and experienced birders alike on January 30 at 3 at the historic Meeting House. Vice President of Central Westchester Audubon Christopher Mignone will discuss the photographs of birds by Nadia Valla that are on exhibit, followed by a walk on the grounds. The free program, co-sponsored by Central Westchester Audubon, showcases the beauty and diversity of birds in our own backyard.

Donations gratefully accepted. For more information, call 967-0099 or email birdhomestead. meetinghouse@gmail.com.

 

Centers of Spiritual Power
Spiritual teacher and healer Suzy Meszoly will explore the energetic chakra system at Wainwright House January 30 from 12:30-3:30. Learn the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual elements of each chakra. Healing techniques, nutrition, crystals, and oils will also be covered.

The fee is $135 for members, $150 non-members.

 

 

Path to Serenity
Wainwright is offering a meditation class for beginners with Dee Yergo on January 31 from 4:30-6:00. Learn about the powerful shifts one can make towards peace and happiness by establishing a regular meditation practice. Various approaches and breathing practices will be discussed.

The fee is $36 for members, $40 non-members.

 

Fat Tuesday, Tall Tales
Join the Rye Free Reading Room’s Storytellers’ Guild February 2 at 6 for an evening of French stories in time for Mardi Gras. Traditional and personal tales are shared at the library on the first Tuesday of every month. Listeners, as well as tellers, are always welcome. For more information, contact Angela at booksamc@ aol.com.

 

Cheers to Good Health in 2016
Dr. John Thomas Giudice will hold two wellness presentations at the Rye library on February 4. At 10, he will discuss how thyroid health affects one’s weight. Natural solutions to some thyroid problems will also be covered.

At 11, Giudice will address pain and inflammation. Anti-inflammatory diets, foods that alleviate and eliminate pain, and rehabilitative exercise are all on the agenda.

 

Everything You Wanted to Know About SPRYE
The community is invited to an informational Open House at SPRYE’S new offices at 55 S. Main Street (One Gateway Plaza), 32rd floor, in Port Chester February 4 from 10:30-12. Light refreshments will be served.

Serving the communities of Harrison, Port Chester, Rye, and Rye Brook, SPRYE creates opportunities for older adults to choose how they want to age. RSVP 481-5706.

 

Family Ties

Daddy and Me
Fathers can drop in to the Rye Nature Center with their kids on January 30 at 9:15. A fun-filled animal adventure appropriate for ages 3-6 is in store. The fee is $10 for family members, $15 non-members.

 

Monkeying Around
The Rye YMCA invites families to join the fun on February 5 from 6:30-7:30. Their First Family Fridays offer activities, crafts, snacks, and fun. The evening’s theme is the Chinese New Year’s year of the red monkey!

No fee for members, $10 for non-members.

Teen Time

College-Ready
A presentation at the Rye Free Reading Room will cover what counts in college admissions on January 28 from 6:30-8. Keith Berman, founder of Options for College, will take the guesswork out of the process and discuss the importance of finding the right match for each student.
Berman holds degrees from Harvard and Yale, and has worked as a college counselor at Rudolf Steiner School, Yeshiva University, and Yale.

 

Getting Into the ACT
College-bound students can get a free heads-up on the ACT at the Rye library on January 30 from 10:30-1. A presentation by Applerouth Tutoring Services will introduce the major testing strategies, broad concepts of each section, and ways to master and apply test prep.
Attendees will receive the abridged version of “Get Your ACT Together.” To register, visit applerouth.com and enter event code ACT2351.

Children’s Corner

Snacks & Chats   
The library is holding once-a-month book clubs that will explore narrative and expository texts through picture books. Grades 1 and 2 will read “Little Melba and her Big Trombone” by Katheryn Russell-Brown to be discussed on February 27 from 3-4. The selection for grades 3 and 4 is “A Taste of Colored Water” by Matt Faulkner. That meeting will be held on the same day from 4-5.

Pre-registration is required at ryelibrary.org. Copies of the books are available in the Children’s Room.

 

Young Bookworms Unite
Next month’s selection for the Rye library’s I-Read-A-Latte tween book group is “The Safest Lie” by Angela Cerrito for grades 5 and 6. Students will meet on February 20 to discuss the powerful historical novel. Register at ryelibrary.org.