Record Turnout for Ladies’ Comedy Night
More than 250 women — the highest turnout ever — packed the house for The Rye Arts Center’s Ladies’ Comedy Night on Nov. 7, raising more than $33,000 for the organization and breaking its own fundraising record.
Co-chaired by Simone Bonnet and Christie Bonasera, the event was held for the first time at Community Synagogue of Rye, where attendees enjoyed a happy hour (with wine by Wine at Five) and busily bid on the raffle prizes. More than 20 packages were filled with prizes from more than 50 local businesses and artists.
“This year’s Ladies’ Comedy Night was indeed our best,” said arts center Executive Director Adam Levi. “Our diverse audience ranged from women in their 30s to their 80s, and the intergenerational community we brought together speaks to our mission of bringing quality arts and performances to people of all ages.”
Rye resident and stand-up comedian Kim Berns emceed the evening, adding her wit and humor between acts. The performers included Janet Regensberg, Ruthy Ferrera, Michele Balan, and a special surprise comic: Rye’s own Pat Geoghegan, who last year took Berns’s stand-up comedy class at the Rye Arts Center and was granted this special opportunity to perform by her proud teacher.
Sponsors of the event included Community Synagogue of Rye, Spectrum Skin and Laser, Fiona Dogan, Lisa Murphy, Rye Pediatric Dentistry, Kathy Wood, Carpet Trends, and Liz Woods of Ryemarkable Moms.
Middle Schoolers Go Under the Sea
Rye Middle School’s cast and crew wowed an enthusiastic crowd with their performance of “Little Mermaid, Jr.” at the high school’s performing arts center on Nov. 8 and 9.
The musical was directed by Tom Snowden and choreographed by Cathy Cunningham. The technical director was Jeff Loddo and the musical director was Victoria Jesse.
“Little Mermaid, Jr.” is the story of King Triton’s youngest daughter, a mermaid, as she travels to the surface of the ocean and falls in love with Prince Eric.
She makes a Faustian bargain with Ursula, the evil sea witch, trading her voice for legs so she can live where the prince lives. While the mermaid receives support from a crab, a seagull and a flounder, she fails to win Eric’s heart in three days and has to return to the sea. There, she battles Ursula to win back the trident that her father had traded for her freedom.
Spoiler alert: She does end up marrying the prince and living happily ever after.
New Pre-School Program At RAC
A new program that uses art and music to teach pre-school age children about teamwork, motor skills and instill confidence in their own abilities is being offered by the Rye Arts Center.
Called Young Creators Studio, it exposes children to composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and the works of visual artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, Yayoi Kusama, Antoni Gaudí. It integrates painting, drawing ceramics, music and dance to develop their creativity and motor skills.
The lessons also use art exercises to develop the children’s problem-solving skills and teach them the value of teamwork. The creation of their own artwork also encourages the children to express themselves and to start to appreciate the creative arts. It also includes activities that tie in concepts of science, technology, engineering and math.
The number of spaces in the classes is limited. Sessions are scheduled for Mondays through Fridays, for both morning (8:45 – 11:45 a.m.) and afternoon (11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.). There are fees and registering a child for multiple days qualifies for a discount. For more information, contact Heather Rinello at the arts center at 914-967-0700 ext. 23.
Photo Gallery of World War II-Era Papua New Guinea
As part of a month-long effort to honor the nation’s veteran, the Rye Free Reading Room featured an exhibition of photographs of aircraft downed during World War II in Papua, New Guinea.
The photographs have discernible grayish fuselages and wings, broken, bent, or with holes in them, being slowly engulfed by the deep green vegetation of the New Guinea jungle. They were taken by Joel Carillet, the son of missionaries who worked in Papua New Guinea. He saw his first wrecked plane there as a child and returned decades later to photograph them.
The aircraft were shot down or crashed during the Pacific fighting in World War II, but many went undiscovered in the jungles until the 1960s — some as recently as the 2020s.
Carillet works with Pacific Wrecks, a not-for-profit organization that researches the history of the war in the region. Pacific Wrecks also tries to identify the aircraft and the men who flew them and document any of the fliers who were classified as missing in action.
Paula Piekos, the curator of the exhibit, said the intention is preserve the memory of military personnel in the viewers’ minds and increase awareness of those from all wars who are still missing in action.
Gala Benefits White Plains Hospital
The Friends of White Plains Hospital hosted their annual Gala at Westchester Country Club in Rye last month.
The gala is the organization’s signature fundraising event and this year’s celebration was attended by more than 700 people and generated than $1.2 million to support the 292-bed hospital, which is part of the Montefiore Health System.
San Miquel Celebrates 20th Anniversary
The San Miguel Program of Newburgh held its 20th Anniversary Scholarship dinner at the Westchester Country Club Nov. 1, drawing 425 attendees and raising $900,000 for the school’s programs.
The donor list was led by Rye residents Lauren and Bob Steers, who contributed $500,000 to the program’s new Grandview Scholarship for post-secondary school opportunities. Bonnie and Tom Grace contributed $50,000, as did Suzanne and Frank Shiner, to the program’s scholarship fund.
The San Miguel Program began in 2006 as a middle school. It has evolved into today’s San Miguel Program, which involves a 12-year curriculum and has more than 250 students.
Paintings Inspired by Poetry at The Osborn
Hilda Green Demsky, a celebrated artist and resident of The Osborn, was inspired by the poetry of more than 30 U.S. State Poets Laureate and has turned their words of gratitude into oil paintings.
Her works were displayed recently at The Osborn.
On Nov. 12, The Osborn hosted a reception and gallery tour for Green Demsky’s “The Gratitude Project: Paintings & Poetry of the U.S. Poets Laureate.”
Green Demsky’s paintings interpret the poetry, which was written in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The poets shared their thoughts on what their communities were thankful for, verses that were originally published in The New York Times.
Each canvas combines geographic elements, symbolic color, and a subtle outline of the represented state, offering a visual representation of the poets’ gratitude.
Garden Club Plants Flowers and Delivers Cheer
Sartina, a new boutique featuring women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, and accessories, has opened at 1 Theodore Fremd Road.
The boutique, created by owner Carrie Heffernan, has an interior that features vintage furniture and curated art and fashion lines such as Alix of Bohemia, Rachel Comey, Lisa Marie Fernandez, Guest in Residence, Figure and others. The first floor comprises the retail space while the second floor features an atelier for private shopping and trunk shows.