Around Town- Week of June 6, 2015

This Weekend

Just Daddy and Me
Fathers and their kids can drop in at the Rye Nature Center on Saturday at 9:15. A fun-filled animal adventure awaits. The program is $10 for members, $15 non-members.

Artists All Around Us
The Rye Free Reading Room will have the works of four local artists on display through June 29 with an opening reception on Saturday from 2-4. Oil painters Shirley Wolf and Doris Peet of Port Chester, Kathleen Joyce of Greenwich, and Terry Eppridge of Harrison represent a wide range of subject matter and personal style. One common thread is that they all studied with Enzo Russo at the Greenwich Art Society Studio School.

Couples’ Yoga
On Saturday from 1-4, Wainwright House is offering a couples’ yoga and art workshop aimed at strengthening the relationship connection. Psychotherapist Sherri Snyder-Roche will weave in the nurturing and playful aspects of Kundalini partner yoga and creative expression.

The fee is $90 for members, $100 non-members. Register at wainwright.org or call 967-6080.

Anchors Aweigh
The Rye Historical Society hosts its annual gala benefit on Saturday from 7-10 at a waterfront home, where guests will enjoy live music, a light supper menu, and specialty cocktails.

Live auction offerings include a week’s stay in the heart of Nantucket.

Attendees will also have an opportunity to donate to the 2015 Giving Tree, which includes underwriting some of the Society’s most popular programs — Pumpkin Carving and Hands-on-History summer camp among them.

Tickets start at $150 per person for members. For reservations, call 967-7588 or visit ryehistory.org.

Sweet Dreams
Join pianist and energy healer Kazzrie Jaxen for a “Dreaming in Music” workshop at Wainwright on Saturday from 2-4:30. Jaxen will inspire creativity and evoke images and emotions that transcend the mundane through music.

To register, call 967-6080 or visit wainwright.org. The fee is $35 for members, $38 non-members.

Rye Arts Center’s Own
Celebrate the works of the talented students, instructors, and members of the Rye Arts Center at an exhibit that opens with a reception on Saturday from 3-5. This community favorite, which runs through June 27, is a culmination of works by young and old, novice, and accomplished.

Feel the Earth Move Under Your Feet
Explore the dancer in you at the Wainwright House on Sunday from 10:30-12. Jill Doornick will teach participants how to express their inner selves and explore their relationship with the earth. Dance through the basic rhythms of the five elements, water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. No experience necessary. Call 967-6080 or visit wainwright.org. The fee is $27 for members, $30 non-members.

Sunday Strolls Through History
The Jay Heritage Center’s weekly docent-led tours of the 1838 Jay Mansion begin this Sunday from 2-5. See the ongoing restoration efforts of this Greek revival masterpiece, where one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, John Jay (1745-1829), grew up.

Visitors and volunteers who enjoy history and meeting new people are welcome. Enjoy the beautiful vista with a glass of iced tea! The tours continue through October.

Arts & Entertainment

Jazz Ascending
The Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet will shake things up at Wainwright House June 18 at 8, following a wine and beer reception at 7:30. Jazz Weekly calls the quartet’s music “artsy and atmospheric.”
Tickets are $28 for members, $32 for non-members. For reservations, visit wainwright.org.

Eye on Chelsea Art Scene
Check out the hottest art in town while gaining an understanding of the Chelsea gallery scene on June 18 at 10:30. As part of the Rye Arts Center’s “Eye on Art” series, Rye’s Margot Clark-Junkins and Katharine Dufault will guide participants through the inspiring New York City art landscape.

Meet at the David Zwirner Gallery at 537 West 20 Street. To register, call 967-0700 or visit ryeartscenter.org. The cost is $35 per tour, transportation not included.

High Notes for the World

Rye’s own soprano Daniele Hager, accompanied by pianist Eric Thomas, will perform at a fundraiser, conducted by Robi Wager, for We Sing For The World June 21 at 4 at Wainwright House. The other featured performers are Molly DeLuca, Theo King, Sasha Spitz, and Tara Irwin.

We Sing For The World, founded by Daniele Hager in 2011, operates on the guiding belief that “music brings people together and has the power to heal.” Proceeds from the concert will directly fund their outreach program.

The organization presents free concerts at hospitals, nursing homes, and youth centers, featuring their own students and guest artists. It also offers home piano and voice lessons, workshops, and camps to children and adults throughout Westchester and New York City. Suggested donation is $20.

Window to the Soul
Join SPRYE for a tour of the Chagall stained-glass windows at Union Church in Tarrytown June 25 at 11:30. Afterwards, attend lunch at the Red Hat Grill in nearby Irvington. The tour is $7; lunch is a la carte. Email director@sprye.org for more information.

Talks, Workshops, and Just for Fun

The Lightness of Being
Be inspired by 96-year-old Tao Porchon-Lynch at Wainwright House June 16 from 10:30-12. The World War II French Resistance fighter, model, actress, film producer, and ballroom dancer, and modern yoga master will show participants — through a talk and meditation — how to live life to its highest potential.

Porchon-Lynch’s new memoir, “Dancing Light”, shows us the infinite possibilities. Admission is $15 for lecture, $45 for book and lecture. To register, call 967-6080 or visit wainwright.org.

Bug Off!
Wainwright House will present a program on bugs, ticks, and Lyme disease June 9 from 7-8:30. Learn how to protect yourselves and your pets through natural preparations with Master Herbalist Andrea Candee. Also, discover how herbal detoxification and a cleansing program will strengthen the body.

The Power of Acrylics
The Rye Arts Center is holding a free lecture and demonstration on Golden Acrylics June 10 from 10-12. Patti Mollica will give an overview of their varied application, pigment types, characteristics, heavy body, paints, gels, fluids, mediums, pastes, iridescents, and much more.

Acrylics are infinitely versatile, and artists of all levels will gain fresh new insights to feed their creative expression. Participants will all receive samples of Golden products. Pre-registration required at ryeartscenter.org.

Camera Ready
The Rye Free Reading Room is offering a photo information session on June 11 from 10-12. Besides learning to transfer pictures from cameras and other media to the computer, attendees will discover how to set up folders and how to use flash drives.

Waging the Good Fight in Albany
The League of Women Voters-Larchmont Mamaroneck invites all to its annual meeting June 11 at 7 at 1616 North James Street in Mamaroneck. The hot-button topic is “Governing in Albany as Our Legislative Leaders Are Charged with Political Corruption.” The guest speaker is State Assemblyman Steve Otis, who will explain how Albany moves forward despite the fact that the senate majority leader and the former assembly speaker are under investigation.

Steamy Prose
Join Rachel Burkot, an editor at a major romance publisher, for a workshop at the Rye Free Reading Room June 13 from 10-12. Topics covered will include how to create exciting love stories, characters, dialogue, and plot lines. Burkot will also share tips on what editors are looking for and how to submit manuscripts.

Dreamscape
Have you ever dreamed of a departed loved one? Was it a visit or wishful thinking? Dream teacher Janice Matturro will discuss such encounters at a meaningful workshop at Wainwright House June 14 from 10-1.

Experience a conscious dream journey to a departed one and learn how to get in touch with your own psychic abilities in dreams. Register by calling 967-6080 or visit wainwright.org. The cost is $54 members, $60 non-members.

Westchester Warming
Join SPRYE with Rye resident and environmental lawyer Carolyn Cunningham at Wainwright House June 17 from 3-4:30. The longtime activist with the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County will discuss the effects of climate change on the County. Free. Email director@ sprye.org for more information.

Don’t Do Windows?
Learn simple Window’s features to help keep your computer running smoothly at the Rye Free Reading Room June 18 from 10-12. IBM veteran Mike Negrelli will cover disk cleanup, settings, mouse and keyboard improvements, and program additions/ removals. Guests are encouraged to bring their fully charged laptops to follow along.

America as the World’s Policeman
Join the Current Events Book Group at the Rye Free Reading Room on June 23 at 6:30 for a discussion of “America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder.” Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens, the book is sure to spur lively discussion on foreign policy. Copies are available at the library’s Circulation Desk.

Drumming Up Wellness
Learn how to use a variety of timbal instruments in a circle of rhythm and soul at Wainwright House June 19, July 10, and August 14. Trained facilitator Damon Jackson will cover the benefits of group drumming as a way to reduce stress, boost the immune system, and gain intellectual stimulation. It’s fun, too.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Honor Mother Earth at a summer solstice ceremony at Wainwright House on June 21 from 6:30-8:30 with facilitator Leigh Reeves. This sacred time of light is an auspicious time and opportunity to release your limitations and to create new dreams. Bring your own drum or other instruments. Suggested donation is $5.

Teen Times

Flapper Fashion
The Rye Free Reading Room invites teens to a 1920s Rye Fashion Flashback workshop on June 12 from 3:30 to 5. Square House Museum Educator Devon Pentz will share what life was like in Rye during the Roaring 1920s and the high fashions of the time. Participants will then design their own flapper-inspired accessories.

All materials will be supplied. Register online at ryelibrary.org.

Children’s Corner

Neon Lights Bright at Broadway Camp
Wainwright House is also offering a summer camp for aspiring performers (ages 10-13) August 17-21 from 1-4. Kids will learn essential audition tools and techniques. They’ll work with a music director and participate in master classes presented by Broadway performers.

A showcase performance will be held on the last day of camp. The cost is $245 for members, $298 non-members. Register at wainwright.org.

Kingdom of a Camp
Wainwright House is offering kids ages 6-9 a special music and art program designed for young performers August 17 to 21 from 9-12:15. The summer camp will incorporate all things “princesses and princes” into fun-filled mornings of music, dance and art. The royal staff will help the children make their own crowns, activity books and will enjoy royalty-themed movies during their snack break.

The camp will conclude with a presentation and an official crowning ceremony. The cost is $245 for members, $298 non-members. Register at wainwright.org.

The Goods Behind the Gadgets
Future scientists and engineers in grades 3-5 will have the opportunity to explore hands-on experiments at the Rye Free Reading Room’s science fun club on June 19 from 3:30-4:30. Kids will see how much fun science, technology, engineering, and math really are. Space is limited, so register at ryelibrary.org, beginning one week in advance.

School’s Almost Out
Middle schoolers will be treated to an end-of-the-year-party at the Rye YMCA June 13 from 7-10. Supervised by the Y’s teen staff, the celebration will include a barbecue, bouncy boxing, a bounce house, basketball, and fun in the game room.

Off to the Reading Races
Tweens entering grades 4-6 can head to the Rye Free Reading Room on June 20 at 1 to join the library’s team to compete in the Westchester Library System’s “Battle of the Books”. Parents/guardians must accompany their children at this initial meeting.

Participants will read five pre-selected books over the summer, attend meetings and, compete as a team in the county tournament on October 17. Win prizes, trophies, and bragging rights!

Family Ties

Both Sides of the Story
On June 29 at 2, the Rye Free Reading Room is presenting Artist/Storyteller Christopher Agostino’s Every Hero Has A Story. Kids ages 5 and up will enjoy his Story Faces show, where volunteers get up on stage to be face-painted to illustrate Agostino’s tales. Families will be captivated by engaging folktales and hero stories, coupled with a visual arts performance.

The event will kick off the 2015 New York State Summer Reading Program, sponsored by the Auxiliary Board of the Rye Free Reading Room and the Woman’s Club of Rye/Children’s Philanthropy Section. Visit ryelibrary.org to sign up.