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JULY 2007 COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
Majority Leader Patricia D. McDow
First District Council Member
City Hall, Room 407
40 South Broadway
Yonkers, New York10701
914-377-6311
Happy
Welcome to the Community Bulletin. Included is information that I believe is of interest and benefit to all of our community. This is a monthly mailing, dedicated to community news and views. If you wish to receive it on an ongoing basis, or know someone who wants to receive it, please call or e-mail me. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends, family members, and business associates. If you would like to include information in the Community Bulletin, please forward the information to , fax it to 914-377-6309 (attention Tracy) or mail it to City Hall Room 407, Yonkers, NY 10701, AT LEAST ONE MONTH BEFORE THE EVENT. Two months, if it takes place early in the month. Thank you.
Table of Contents
Section / PageAROUND TOWN IN JULY& More Summer Concerts than you can shake a stick at! / 2
BECZAK EVENT CALENDAR / 6
HUDSONRIVER MUSEUM / 7
YPL / 7
ATTENTION SENIOR CITIZENS / 11
OUR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES / 13
FYI / 16
WHAT’S NEWS IN THECOMMUNITY / 41
NEWS FROM SOCIAL SECURITY / 43
BUSINESS / 46
EMPLOYMENT / 50
EDUCATION / 59
AROUND TOWN IN JULY
(Please note that all events take place in Yonkers, unless otherwise noted)
Saturday, July 7, 20074-9pm
The City of Yonkers Violence and Gang Prevention Coalition will sponsor a July 7th Gospel Fest for Peace from 4pm-9pm at the Larkin Plaza Municipal Parking Lot. Please call NepperhanCommunity Center at 914-965-0203 for more information.
Friday, July 20 through Sunday, July 22, 2007
The Yonkers African-American heritage committee will host a festival from July 20th thru July 22, 2007. A Pan-African flag raising ceremony will be held on the steps of City Hall on Friday, July 20th at 4:00 pm. On the 22nd at 2:00pm there will be parade leaving from Cerrato Park- Riverdale Avenue, which will end at Trevor Park on Warburton Avenue. The festival will take place at Trevor Park on Saturday, July 21 and Sunday July 22. For more information, please call 914-346-1360.
Saturday, July 21, 20072pm
The Yonkers NAACP will sponsor a forum on police brutality at MessiahBaptistChurch, 76 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, which will include Rev. Al Sharpton. If you have concerns in this regard, this is your chance to speak out.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
The Yonkers Firefighter Local 628/ UFOA Scholarship fund will be holding their 12th Annual Golf Outing at Dunwoodie Golf Course in Yonkers. The Scholarship Fund awards fourteen $1,500 scholarships per calendar year. The cost of a Hole Sponsorship will $100.00 per hole. If you require further information, feel free to contact the Uniformed Fire Officers Association at 914-476-9244.
Things to Do: Fourth of July Weekend
Tuesday,July 3 / KensicoDamPlaza: Music Fest& Fireworks - KensicoDamPlaza, Valhalla. KensicoDamPlaza will open at 5 p.m. for pre-concert picnicking. Entertainment starts at 5:30 p.m. with the Cal Payne Project, performing a mix of jazz, Latin, R & B and rock. At 8 p.m. the Westchester Philharmonic performs. Fireworks will follow the music at approximately 9:15 p.m.
Admission and parking are free. Seating is informal; concert-goers should bring blankets or folding chairs. The event will be held rain or shine.
Refreshments will be sold at the concession stand.
Wednesday,
July 4th / Celebration of Our Nation's Birthday at St. Paul's Historic Church / South Columbus Avenue (between South 3rd & South Fulton Avenues) Mount Vernon.
Free Concert @ 10:30 a.m. & Ceremony @ 11:00 a.m.Additional Information: Rosemarie Cornacchio, Chairperson914-665-2312 / Mount VernonCity Hall. E-mail: or visit
Wednesday,
July 4th / A reading of the Declaration of Independence and music concert on the front lawn of the John Jay Homestead @ 11am. Bring a picnic to enjoy! Free admission to outdoor event; normal house admission fee for historic tour. John Jay Homestead in Katonah, NY. Additional Information: or call 914-232-5651.
Wednesday,
July 4th / Boy Scouts of America will host a flag raising at ConorPark in Yonkers at 12pm.
Wednesday,
July 4th / Fireworks!! on the YonkersHudson Waterfront.
Wednesday,
July 4th / Peekskill Riverfront Concert Series Enjoy a great night of entertainment on the banks of the Hudson River. Time: 7pm -9 pm. Location:Peekskill Riverfront Green / Route 9 & Hudson Avenue / Peekskill, NY. Additional Information: 914-734-7275; or
Wednesday,
July 4th / A concert and fireworks take place @ 7:00pm at the gazebo overlooking the Hudson River, PiersonPark / Tarrytown, NY. Information: 914-631-8347.
Thursday
July 5th / Opening Day, St. John's Farmers Market, Getty Square, Yonkers.
Friday,
July 6th / Jazz & Blues @ Dusk - Friday nights at the Yonkers Pier Amphitheater: Blues Experience Band, a five-piece blues band that was last year's winner of the 2006 International Blues Challenge. Based in Long Island, the band has played countless venues throughout the New York metro area.
Friday,
July 6th / 6:30 pm - 8pm. Jazz @ Pierson Park, W. Main Street, Tarrytown. Featuring the Carmen Leggio Quintet's tribute to Gene Krupa.
Friday,
July 6th / Hudson RiverMuseum, Yonkers: La Vita Williams Guitar Duo: Rising stars of the New York classical guitar scene play music from Spain and Latin America - de Falla, Albeniz, Piazzolla, Assad, and Ginastera. Look Again! Family Gallery Tour With Dorothea Basile. FREE Museum admission and performances.
Friday,
July 6th / Hudson RiverMuseum Planetarium, Yonkers - "Crazy-Invention Movie Shorts." Inspired by David Macaulay's whimsical genius for explanation, Ben Model offers live piano accompaniment to silent-movie comedy shorts and early science educational films like The Wonders of Magnetism (Edison Company, 1915) and The Making of the Light Bulb (Ford Motor Company, 1922).
Sunday,
July 8th / Irish Heritage Festival, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., RidgeRoadPark, Hartsdale, NY.
Sunday,
July 8th / 4 pm - 6 pm, Jazz @ Untermeyer Park, 945 North Broadway in Yonkers. The DeForest Raphael Quintet performs. In case of rain: event will be in ColaSeniorCenter. Click for a schedule of more free Jazz.
CONCERTS GALORE!!!!
Friday, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer…
Jazz and Blues at Dusk Summer Concert Series at the Waterfront
Yonkers, NY (June 2007) Friday nights will sizzle this summer in Yonkers as the Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront Business Improvement District (YDWBID), in partnership with Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone and the City of Yonkers, will present a weekly “Jazz and Blues at Dusk” Summer Concert Series at the Yonkers Waterfront amphitheatre. Sponsored by Con Edison, the Friday night concerts from 6:30 to 8:00 PM will run from July 6 through September 7. Listed below is the summer lineup:
July 6
Blues Experience Band, a five-piece blues band that was last year’s winner of the 2006 International Blues Challenge. Based in Long Island, the band has played countless venues throughout the New York metro area.
July 13
The Element Band, a nine-piece, multi-cultural band playing Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Jamaican, Funk, Dance and Jazz music. Founded in 2003 by world-class performer Charlie Lagond, The Element Band has toured both locally and internationally, playing venues such as BB Kings, The Knitting Factory and Swing 46. Earlier this year, the Element Band released its third CD, “Future Proof.”
July 27
Quimbombo, a seven-piece Cuban Jazz & Salsa Band that has excited audiences at many venues throughout the tri-state area including LincolnCenter's Midsummer Night's Swing, SOB's, The Empire State Building, the BrooklynMuseum, Sweet Rhythm, The Blue Water Grill, and Bistro Latino.
August 3
Jan Leder, a born-and-raised New Yorker, leads her own jazz ensemble in the metro New York area, appearing at nightclubs, festivals, cultural functions and other public and private engagements. Her repertoire includes standard bebop, swing, blues and her own unique jazz compositions. She is also a member of a group of jazz flutists called the NY Jazz Flutet. She is a writer and publisher member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
August 10
Deborah Latz, a jazz singer who has performed both locally and internationally. Originally from the San Fernando Valley in California, she studied music and theater in San Francisco and Oxford, England. She made her debut album, Toward Love, in 2004, and has continued to delight audiences with her sultry tones.
August 17
The Connors/Hemberger Band, a seven-piece band performing a wide variety of American music from vintage to present day standards. Its music runs the gamut from Cole Porter and George Gershwin to Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and Sting. The band has played through the tri-state area at venues such as the New YorkBotanical Gardens, The New York City Police Foundation, Bernard’s at The Inn at Ridgefield, Connecticut, among others.
August 24
Grupo Los Santos, a four-piece jazz band featuring all original music that offers an eclectic mix of jazz and the worlds of Cuban, Brazilian and Flamenco sounds. The band has performed throughout the tri-state area, and has received accolades from local and national publications.
August 31
The Tim Oiumette Big Band brings back the sounds of yesterday with standards from the jazz greats like Count Basie, Ben E. King, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and more. The band has played venues such as The Blue Note, The Rainbow Room, LincolnCenter and others throughout the New York metro area. Bandleader Tim Oiumette has toured nationally with Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons as well as The Four Tops, The Temptations and Martha Reeves.
September 7
Roxy Perry, known as the “New York Blues Queen,” recently received the 2007 Artist of the Year Award from the Westchester Arts Council. She has performed nationally, has produced three CD’s and has received rave reviews for her original songwriting and vocals.
The Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront Business Improvement District (YDWBID) was created to promote and implement the economic revitalization of the District and the City of Yonkers. The BID is also designed to maintain the downtown streets, contribute to public safety, landscape the district, market special events and create promotional opportunities to highlight the area. Additionally, the BID will preserve and encourage the cultural, historic, tourist and civic interest of the District and the City of Yonkers.
UNTERMYER ON BROADWAY
Untermyer Performing Arts Council presents their continued tradition of free events throughout the summer, Saturday evenings at Untermyer Park, 945 North Broadway, Yonkers.
This year’s lineup includes:
July 7Beatlemania
July 14Thalia Spanish Theater presents ‘Viva Colombia’
July 21Kinding Sindaw: Music & Dance from the Philipines
July 28The Supreme Dream, featuring Linda Miller and the Girls Next Door
Aug 11Yonkers Philharmonic
Aug 18Silvana Magda and the Viva Brazil Band
Aug 25The Kit McClure Band
Sept 1The Connecticut Ballet presents ‘All in a Summer Evening’
UPAC also collaborates on Sunday afternoons at 4pm with Jazz Forum Arts for ‘Jazz at Untermyer’, including,
Info:
(Indoors in Cola Senior Center, on site, in event of rain)
MUSIC IN THE MUSEUM
7:00 – 8:30 pm, four Friday evenings in July
Join us for groovin’, jazzy, sophisticated and unique arrangements of jazz and classical music in the galleries of the Hudson RiverMuseum, 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, New York. Ambient music filters through the museum as talented New York musicians liven up Friday evenings in July. Admission is FREE.
• July 6 – La Vita Williams Guitar Duo
Rising stars in the New York classical guitar scene, this virtuosic classical guitar duo features music from Spain and Latin America by composers Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albeniz, Astor Piazzolla, Sergio Assad, and Alberto Ginastera.
• July 13 – Dave’s True Story
Groovy, spontaneous and entertaining, this “jazz noir” combo features Dave Cantor’s quirky lyrics, the silky voice of Kelly Flint and the upright bass of Jeff Eyrich laying down a solid rhythm track. Dave’s True Story gives the term “eclectic” a whole new meaning.
• July 20 – Yukijurishi
A Bossa Nova band whose primary focus is modern Brazilian folk forms, Yukijurishi mixes Bossa Nova and jazz standards with their own compositions. The instrumental and vocal trioperforms theirsubtle hypnotic rhythms and haunting melodies with a style all their own.
• July 27 – Lipbone Redding
Inventive “voicestrumentalist” Lipbone Redding creates original songs that effervesce with New Orleans swing, Memphis grooves and New York City style. Witty, soulful, and sincere, his booming mouth percussion, hilarious side moments and esoteric lyrics delight audiences of all ages.
Save the Date: Youth Explosion 2007
Youth are invited to join KingdomBaptistChurchon Friday, Aug.24 for workshops: dance, step, choir & more, followed by a musical on Friday evening. Youth musicians are also encouraged to attend.
Saturday, Aug. 25ththere will be various workshops for the Youth as well as Youth workers beginning in the morning. For information, please visit their website at or call KBC at 914-375-1110.
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BECZAK ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATIONCENTER
EVENT CALENDAR
Beczak Environmental EducationCenter
35 Alexander Street
Yonkers, NY10701
914-377-1900
Saturday, August 4, 2007, 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Beczak Environmental EducationCenter
FREE! Donations appreciated.
Campfire at Beczak - Enjoy a summer night along the Hudson River!
It’s been a while since we held this event, but we’re bringing it back by popular demand, this year in collaboration with Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club! Have you ever wanted to paddle a kayak or go seining in the Hudson River? Well now you have the chance! Join us and other members of the community to cozy up by a campfire, and enjoy a night of food and entertainment. Get ready to wear waders while dragging a 30-foot seine net through the river or paddle up with a kayak. An unforgettable way to enjoy the last few weeks of summer! For more information, call (914) 377-1900.
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Dear Friend of Beczak: Please take a few minutes and take our on-line survey at our website. Link is provided below.
Beczak Seeks Input Through Beczak Website
BeczakEnvironmentalEducationCenter invites the community to provide input using Beczak’s on-line survey now posted on Beczak’s website at
BeczakEnvironmentalEducationCenter, a regional education resource located in Yonkers, has embarked on a strategic planning process to determine its future direction. The community is invited to take the survey and provide feedback on environmental education and Beczak’s programs. Beczak will compile the information and use it to plan for the next several years.
To access the survey, enter the Beczak website at The link and introduction for the survey appear after the website is entered.
Beczak offers an extensive curriculum of interactive educational programs designed to teach students about the complexity of the Hudson River and inspire them to become better stewards of this magnificent resource. Each year more than 5,000 school-age children visit Beczak on class trips and with youth organizations. Many more children and adults come to our InterpretiveCenter as a family, or to one of the many public events or adult programs.
Beczak's mission is to educate people about the ecology, history and culture of the Hudson River by providing interactive educational experiences focused on the river.
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HUDSON RIVERMUSEUM
Public Programs at the Hudson RiverMuseum
Summer 2007
“SWEET AND SAVVY” – A Saturday for Families
Saturday, July 14, Drop-in workshops, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
All workshops FREE with Museum Admission.
• Sweet Stitches: Create whimsical cupcakes, tarts and berry pies from found objects and a few basic crochet stitches. Artist Orly Cogan will work with kids to make faux desserts that look just like the real thing.
• The Way Things Light Up: Learn how electricity works and build your own battery-powered flash-light, with science educator Greg Benedis-Grab.
• KAPLA Blocks Open Studio: Build outside the box with these mathematically-proportioned blocks. Try a tower or a flower, then knock it down and build again!
SENIORS & THE ARTS (every other Wednesday, 1:30 pm)
Programs are FREE with Museum Admission, unless otherwise noted.
Museum Admission: $3 (62+), Members FREE.
• July 11 - Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music - The Johnson Girls sing authentic, a cappella sea shanties and maritime songs with the spirit and vigor to raise the anchor or haul a canvas sail up to the yardarm.
• July 25 - Sugar ‘n Spice, and Everything Nice - Discover the mix at the Domino Sugar refinery in Yonkers in aQ&A session with Paulette Meltzer, the company Historian and Information Specialist, and Museum Curator Bart Bland.
• August 8 – The Summer Sky – Join planetarium coordinator Marc Taylor on this ramble through the summer skies. He’ll bring life to the ancient stories told in constellations, and take you through recent discoveries on the workings of the universe.
• August 22 – “Swim for the River” - Chris Swain braved whitewater, sewage, snapping turtles, hydroelectric dams, and PCB contamination to become the first person to swim the entire length of the Hudson River from the Adirondack Mountains to New York City. In this PBS documentary film, you meet heroes fighting to protect the Hudson against a range of threats as well as seeing how ordinary citizens make a difference in this cause. “Swim for the River” is a hopeful film that avoids preaching to the choir.
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YPL
There is always a lot going on at the library; more than can be printed in this section of my email newsletter. Please check out the Library’s website at for its calendar of events, or call the Library at 914-337-1500 to ask that a copy of its calendars be mailed to you.YOUR LIBRARY HAS IT!
Yonkers Public Library Offers Free Courses and Practice Tests Online