Sound Shore

From the library:

Do all your holiday shopping at the Mamaroneck Village 1st Annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair being held on Saturday December 10, 2011 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on the lower level of the Mamaroneck Public Library. The Village of Mamaroneck Council of the Arts in cooperation with the Mamaroneck Public Library will present over 35 local artists who will be selling beautiful, one of a kind pieces including jewelry, knit and crochet items for adults, babies and pets, hand painted scarves, paintings of all sizes, functional and art quilts, photographs, ornaments, bags, hand painted glassware and more!  All items have been lovingly handcrafted by an accomplished artist and will make interesting and thoughtful gifts for everyone on your holiday list. Prices range from three dollars and up.  Admission is free and a percentage of sales will go toward purchasing an additional temporary hanging system for the library to accomodate larger art exhibitions in the community room.  This will allow community artists to showcase their work in the future.  For further information, please email the Village of Mamaroneck Council of the Arts at vomartscouncil@gmail.com.
 

With winter knocking on our door, the Westchester Joint Water Works in Mamaroneck is reminding customers to have lawn irrigation systems inspected and winterized to avoid costly leaks and, potentially, backflow of pollutants into the water supply. Winterizing procedures include blowing all of the water out of the system, shutting off the water supply, wrapping valves and othr parts and checking the backflow prevention device. In the spring, homeowners should also have the system re-inspected to check for any leaks that might have developed over the winter, the utility added.

Democratic leaders on the Westchester County Board of Legislators vowed to support a balanced budget without a tax increase, aiming to create savings for taxpayers.
Now they want the public to come out and be heard as part  of the process. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Somers High School.

“The Board of Legislators has received the County Executive’s proposed budget, and now is the time to work with you, the people of Westchester, to craft a final budget that reflects your values and presents cost-savings to taxpayers,” said Majority Leader Peter Harckham, D-Katonah.

In a one-minute video message, Chairman Ken Jenkins, D-Yonkers, said the board is committed to not raising taxes while protecting vital services.

Planning to shop local this year? The Rye Chamber of Commerce’s “Mistletoe Magic” shopping event will close down downtown’s Purchase Street on Sunday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with the main event starting at noon. Features include horse-drawn carriage rides, train rides, Santa, a holiday farmer’s market, crafts and musical performances.

Another highlight will be the annual event’s first-ever chili cook-off, also from noon to 3 p.m. Local restaurants, regional chefs and local police and firefighters all have been invited to participate. Judges for the top honors are Lauren Grovemen, an internationally celebrated cook and author and John Turiano, food editor from Westchester Magazine. People who want to be a chili taster and vote for a “people’s choie” award can buy a mug at the event, which comes with two free chili samplings. Additional samples are available at further cost.

The 2011 Rye Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics New York is set for Sat., Dec. 3 at Rye Playland. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. and the plunging is at noon. Anyone who raises at least $100 gets an official Polar Plunge sweatshirt. As of last week, more than $18,000 in pledges had already been collected. For more information contact Teresa Gilli at 845-765-2497 tgilli@nyso.org

Democrats in the state Legislature, along with union leaders and some Occupy Wall Street members, have called for renewing New York’s so-called “millionaire’s tax,” which slaps an income tax surcharge on individuals earning $200,000 or more, $300,000 or more for families. Gov. Andrew Cuomo opposes extending the surcharge, which expires at the end of the year. Should the “millionaire’s tax” be extended?

Cast your vote in our Editorial Board poll:

Camille Linen, an ESL teacher and arts coordinator in Port Chester, shared some reflections with us about Thanksgiving. As you prepare for the holiday, consider this food for thought. And happy feasting.

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Have you noticed how we happily jump from Halloween to Christmas? What happened to Thanksgiving?
The month of November used to be filled with legends of Pilgrims and Indians and school plays, Squanto. Miles Standish, Priscilla Alden. Though their stories have turned out to be more fiction that fact, Thanksgiving was always a major part of the end of the year holiday count-down. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
But, where did it go?
I’m afraid it’s been gobbled up by the flat screen.
The truth is in the year 2011, 390 years after it was first celebrated, Thanksgiving means television, television and more television: We watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in the morning, football bowl games in the afternoon and evening and squeeze the “traditional” feast somewhere in between. There’s narry an Indian or Pilgrim in sight ….
And to add insult to injury, Santa is the star of the Thanksgiving parade and everyone tunes in just to see and hear a range of performers from the latest Broadway musicals to the country’s top high school bands. I’m not complaining because our Port Chester High School Marching band was chosen to march in the parade and even starred in the re-make of Miracle on 34th Street!
But, how did Thanksgiving, that most American of all holidays, get lost in the media shuffle? Maybe it was too young and immature to fight back.
Unlike the ancient feasts of All Hallows Eve and The Festival of Lights which have both been Christianized, Thanksgiving is a very recent holiday. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November a national holiday in the middle of the Civil War, 1863.
And the traditional Thanksgiving feast varies as much as the people who prepare it. My German grandmother made bread stuffing for her turkey, my Italian grandmother used a more spicy sausage for hers.
The logical conclusion; Thanksgiving is as American as you can get, a melting pot of feasts that interpret and define cultures from all over the world. Of course it’s overshadowed by the media, it’s personal and familial, just as it was during the fall harvest of 1621 when a staunch group of English settlers welcomed the native people into their settlement. First, the colonists thanked the natives who helped them survive their first winter; half of the original group died. Then together, natives and pilgrims thanked their Creator for a bountiful harvest.
Over the years, I’ve tried to get our family to recreate that spirit by introducing a Native American Thanksgiving prayer for everyone to read aloud before the feast. They did it to please me … but they weren’t thrilled. (A copy is posted below.)
In our family, like so many others, Thanksgiving traditions work better when it comes to food. We usually say what we’re thankful for and love to sing together, but I always get to make the candied sweet potatoes. Amen!

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Thanksgiving is two days away. We’ll bring you stories of your Lower Hudson Valley friends and neighbors who’ve overcome tragedy and other tests of strength in these challenging times.

In the face of a still-struggling economy, wars, devastating storms and general dissatisfaction with American political leadership, what are you thankful for?

Let us know in a comment below or send me an e-mail at eforbes@lohud.com.

The Wartburg Adult Care Community’s home care programs recently relocated from its Mt. Vernon campus to new space in New Rochelle, in the center of their service area. The Wartburg Long Term Home Health Care Program and Licensed Home Care Services Agency are now located at 56 Harrison St., Suite 503, New Rochelle, 10801. The new phone number for the LTHHCP is (914) 278-9131 and the LHCSA’s new phone number is (914) 278-9140.

From the Mamaroneck Library:

Computer classes are scheduled to start in the Tech Lab the first week of January. Computer beginners will learn how to use a mouse and learn other basic computer skills. Each class consists of two sessions over the course of a week and participants must attend both sessions. Registration is required as space is limited. Please call the Reference Desk at 698-1250×3 to reserve a space.

Class schedules are:
Tuesday and Thursday • 10:00am – 11:00am
January 10 & 12; January 17 & 19 or January 24 & 26

Monday and Wednesday • 10:00am – 11:00am
February 6 & 8; February 13 & 15; or February 20 & 22