Sound Shore

Students in the Park Avenue Elementary School march in the Port Chester Memorial Day Parade. The parade was kicked off after a ceremony at Memorial Park.

The Westchester County Department of Health, in conjunction with the New York Blood Center, is hosting a community blood drive on Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., outside the Health Department’s main office building located at 145 Huguenot Street in New Rochelle. Call Maria Palumbo at (914) 813-5012 to schedule an appointment. For medical eligibility questions, call 1-800-688-0900.

The health department asks that participants:
•Eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of fluids prior to donating blood.
•Wear clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up
•Bring a list of medications they are taking
•Bring their donor card, if you’ve given blood before.
•Bring a photo ID

A publicist for Wheel of Fortune let us know Mike Wait, a musician formerly from New Rochelle, will be a contestant on Wheel of Fortune tonight. According to the announcement, Wait is now living in Los Angeles and working on a hip-hop album. “Mike applied online at WheelofFortune.com to become a contestant and was called for an audition,” it says.

Fred Runfola of Mamaroneck, who served with the U.S. Army 101st Calvary in WWII, salutes during a Memorial Day ceremony at Kemper Park Memorial in Mamaroneck.   Runfola is the past commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars 271 of the Bronx.

Eugen Longhi of New Rochelle, a member of American Legion Post 8, puts a flag at the site of his friend, Pvt. Demetrius Caridi, who serve with him in WWII at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery in New Rochelle. Local veterans, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts and members of the community swapped out American flags at the grave sites of veteran.

I was out at Kemper Memorial Park in front of Mamaroneck High School today for Mamaroneck’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony. The park is named after Richard Kemper, a World War II Veteran and Mamaroneck High School grad.

Around 40-50 people attended, most of whom were war veterans and their friends and relatives. Richard Cantor, a Scarsdale resident and Kemper’s nephew, said turnout should have been much stronger to the event.

“One cannot help but notice that there are far too few of us here,” he said. “We are at the Mamaroneck High School, in one of the most priviledged communities in our nation. But where are all the students? Where are their parents? Where are the teachers? In fact, where are the overwhelming number of residents in our community.”

Later today, the Memorial Day parade takes place at 5 p.m at the Mamaroneck Avenue School. The parade will head down Mamaroneck Avenue, turn onto Prospect Avenue and finish up at the American Legion Post 90 at 189 Prospect Avenue.

I’ll have a story in Monday’s Journal News detailing the ceremony.

PELHAM
Pelham Middle School: Someone stole a student’s shorts and a leather bag containing a cell phone and Nikon camera from her unlocked gym locker during a noon gym class Tuesday.
Lincoln Avenue: Someone stole a sign for Pelham Collision that had been put at the curb in front of the 75 Lincoln Ave. business May 22. It was discovered missing Monday.

PELHAM MANOR
Pelham Parkway: Two people opened accounts at the 895 Pelham Parkway Citibank branch Thursday  with fraudulent checks in excess of $3,000.
Pelhamdale Avenue: A fight between two brothers over a loud TV at 4:10 a.m. Wednesday  left one charged with felony assault. Police said William C. Landers’ younger brother, 56, was sitting on the curb in front of a neighbor’s house bleeding from his head after jumping from a first-floor window fleeing his brother who had struck him with a piece of wood. The victim may have come at Landers with the wood first, but police had not yet interviewed the victim who, after being treated at Sound Shore Medical Center, could not be found. Landers of 523 Pelhamdale Ave., who had been awakened by his brother’s loud TV, was charged with second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, felonies. He was treated for hand wounds at Sound Shore Medical Center and his brother was treated for head and leg trauma.
Thefts From Cars: Four cars on Grant Avenue, two on Manger Circle and one on Washington Avenue were entered late May 20 and early May 21. Music CD’s, an iPod, loose change, a wallet and credit cards were stolen. All the cars had been unlocked.

MAMRONECK TOWN
Weaver Street: Two people were injured when a 17-year-old Eastchester boy swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting a squirrel at 7:34 p.m. Tuesday. The teen was not injured and not cited. A 66-year-old Bronxville woman in a 2002 Kia was semiconscious, bleeding severely from her shoulder, and a Yonkers woman, 30, in a 2009 Honda had a cut head. Both were treated at Sound Shore Medical Center.
Boston Post Road: Someone stole a woman’s wallet containing $70 and 10 credit cards at the 1326 Boston Post Road Stop & Shop in the 40 minutes she was in the store at 3:50 p.m. Friday.
Prince Willow Lane: A GPS and credit cards were stolen from a car between 7 p.m. May 18 and 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The Pelham Chamber of Commerce’s annual Street Fair is on Saturday, June 5th from 10am to 5pm in Pelham, on Fifth Avenue from 1st Street to Lincoln Avenue. Along with free rides, family entertainment, music, dance programs, art exhibits, and food, this year’s fair will showcase a Classic Car Show by Moonlight Cruising and a free concert by Streets of The Bronx, Jackie Dimaggio and Victoria Herrmann. Chamber merchants in Pelham foot the bill for the annual event, and offer fairgoers special discounts on Fair Day. The Fair is held rain or shine. For more information on the Fair, call Dennis Brooks at 914-738-6705.

From the county:

“Summer’s just around the corner, and there are still openings in Westchester County’s summer programs, with something to appeal to all age groups and interests. Best of all, they’re all conveniently located and offered at very affordable prices.

• Children’s Summer Ecology Program, which introduces children in grades 1 through 6 to the natural world at Cranberry Lake Preserve in North White Plains; Marshlands Conservancy in Rye; Trailside Nature Museum in Cross River; and Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers. At Lenoir Preserve there is also a Discoverers program for kindergartners, ages 4 and 5.

• Westchester Summer Music Center at the Westchester County Center is a six-week music instruction program for young people in grades 3 through 12, providing daily class instruction in band and orchestral instruments, as well as keyboard, guitar and recorder.

• Slam Dunk Basketball Camp offers young people in grades 1 through 9 an opportunity to learn and sharpen their basketball skills at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. A one-week evening camp offering high level instruction is also available for grades 6 through 10.

• Girls Volleyball Camp at the Westchester County Center offers a one-week evening program for girls entering grades 6 through 10.

• Junior Golf Camp teaches the fundamentals of golf for aspiring youngsters ages 10 through 17 as they hone their skills at six county golf courses: Dunwoodie and Sprain Lake in Yonkers; Hudson Hills in Ossining; Maple Moor in White Plains; Mohansic in Yorktown Heights; and Saxon Woods in Scarsdale.

All programs are sponsored by Westchester County Parks. Log on to www.westchestergov.com/parks or call (914) 864-7000.”