Bulletin Board March 2010
New Restaurant Opens in Tappan
Daniel Foti, former proprietor of The Baker’s Wife, has
opened “Commissary” in the prior location of the Village
Grille (65 Old Tappan Road, Tappan, N.Y.). Commissary
features contemporary American cuisine, highlighting
local and seasonal fare. Daniel, a Culinary Institute
graduate, has previously worked for the Santo Restaurant
Group in Manhattan, including the “Sign of the Dove.”
Commissary is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Reservations accepted. Available for private events.
(845) 398-3232.
Palis-Agers
Next meeting is at 2:00 pm on March 18 at the Community
Room of the Palisades Presbyterian Church. We will
have a special guest at this meeting. Palisades resident
Roger Bester is a British multimedia artist who graduated
from the Regent Street Polytechnic School of Photography
in London. As an international photojournalist, editorial
and advertising photographer, he has lived in London,
Amsterdam, Sao Paulo and New York. His personal work
is focused on nature and the mystery of life.
Roger is the creator of WowPowerNow!, a revolutionary
new path to outrageous health and longevity. He has presented
this program at the Esplanade in Palisades and is
currently teaching a class on it at the Jewish Home for the
Aged in Rockleigh. Our meeting will give you a chance
to hear about his work and ask him questions.
Palisades Market Update
For those of you anxiously awaiting the opening of the
Palisades Market on 9W – don’t despair. Owner Diane
Fuhrmann has a new partner, Danny Tanner, and she assures
us the market will be opening in the near future.
Attention Local Photographers
We would love to include your photographs of the area on
our Palisades website, www.palisadesny.com. Send jpeg
pictures to Alice Gerard at: gerard55@verizon.net.
GraceMusic’s 40th Season presents:
Happy Birthday, Johann!
Sunday, April 25, 2010: 4:00 pm.
Sebastian Bach & his mentors: cantatas & concerti performed
by the Grace Church Choir & Orchestra conducted
by Robert Barrows to celebrate Bach’s 325th,
including birthday greetings from Dietrich Buxtehude &
Antonio Vivaldi.
Meet-the-Artists reception follows the concert. Free child care available. Admission $15, Seniors $10, Students $5.
Grace Church, 130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY 10960, 845-358-1297, extension 16.
Haitian Artist comes to Palisades
Internationally acclaimed Haitian sculptor André Eugène
visited Palisades briefly in February. The Gerard-Little
family hosted the artist during his stay. Mr. Eugène came
to New York to meet with several organizations interested
in showing his work and hearing about his experiences.
The artist, whose studio is in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was
being interviewed by Belgian TV in his studio’s courtyard
when the first earthquake struck. “All of a sudden,
in the middle of the interview, the ground beneath me
turned into a rolling sea. My legs told me to run before
my mind could understand what was happening and so I
ran toward the openness of the street,” Mr. Eugène said.
The Belgian reporter and cameraman weren’t as quick
thinking. One of the artist’s very large sculptures fell on
the reporter, slightly injuring him. The artist commented,
“The reporter was very lucky he was only hit by art, the
people of Haiti have been hit with much worse. For them,
their lives have been changed forever.” The artist’s home,
studio and artwork survived with only limited damage.
Currently André Eugène is in London, England, for a month lecturing at the University of London about Haiti, the earthquake’s aftermath and his art work.
Panther Watch
If you have a sighting, e-mail Pantherhotline@gmail.
com. All leads are investigated and the cameras continue
to be monitored.
Burglaries
In January, many Palisades residents experienced a disturbing
helicopter search that spanned route 9W into the
Horne Tooke Road neighborhood. Helicopters hovered
above homes shining floodlights into yards while police
cars raced along the streets from 8:30 pm until well after
midnight. Around 9:30 pm most received a pre-recorded
message informing people of a burglary, recommending
calling 911 if a suspicious person was spotted and keeping
doors locked. The good news is the residents of the
robbed home were unharmed. (The bad news is that, a
week before, there had been a robbery on Closter Road
near Horne Tooke, another a few weeks prior in Sparkill
and, supposedly, yet another in Palisades.)
The January burglary occurred around 6:00 pm. One man was apprehended in a car but the other escaped on foot. They were members of a New Jersey burglary ring. An extensive manhunt followed. Because many did not know about the burglary until 9:30 pm, the lag time prevented residents to be of help. A call to Chief Nulty recommended that he contact the Palisades Community Center right away so that word can get out sooner. A situation such as this brought up the issue of how can we get accurate information out to our neighbors in times of crisis and avoid misinformation. If you live in Palisades and did not receive the pre-recorded phone message, call the Fire Training Center at 845-364-8800 and ask for City Watch.
The Palisades Community Center has a large e-mail list and sends out community alerts. If you do not receive PCC e-mails, sign up at PCC@Palisadesny.com. Indicate you live in Palisades so that you are added to the Palisades list. If you have an alert of a serious nature, contact PCC@Palisadesny.com.
Form “Neighborhood Watches.” Designate someone on your block to be your point person who will spread the news to others. Let your neighbors know when you will be out of town or if you see something suspicious. Studies reveal that “Neighborhood Watch” programs are the number one method of crime prevention.
Seeger Children Honored
On January 5, 2010, during the Swearing-in Ceremony
for the new offi cers of the Town of Orangetown, incoming
Supervisor Whalen generously extended the honor
of recognizing the Seeger children, Max, Sam, Ben and
Lily Jean, for their collective years of service to the
community in the capacity of videotaping the Town Hall
Meetings since 2001, when Max, now 23, was a freshman
at Tappan Zee High School. Over the years, Sam
took over for Max, Ben took over for Sam and this past
September, Lily Jean, a sophomore, assumed the mantle
of carrying on the tradition.
Reporters Wanted
We are looking for people throughout Palisades who will
let us know about happenings in their neighborhood. A
wedding, a new baby, someone being honored, anything
that merits a mention in the newsletter would be appreciated.
Drop us a note to our post offi ce box (10964
Newsletter, P.O. Box 201, Palisades, N.Y. 10964) with
your name, email and a phone number if you are interested
and we will get back to you.
The Outside In Piermont: Pottery Blowout
A pottery clear-out weekend sale is planned for the end
of March. All pieces will be priced to move. This will be
followed in April with a show focusing on the outdoors
– planters, fountains, sundials, birdhouses, birdbaths,
lanterns, benches and more. Call for times and dates:
(845) 398-0706. The Outside In is located at 249 Ferdon
Road in Piermont.