Northern Westchester

David Arturi, a senior at Somers High School, is hosting a car show this weekend to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

 

“Engines of Excellence” will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the school, 120 Primrose Street in Lincolndale (10504).

 

This project started from an independent study program through WISE.  The car show started off being for the class and to benefit a charity, “but the more time I put into it, the more important it became to me,” he said in an email exchange  today with The Journal News/LoHud.com

 

Arturi  said the show is in honor his uncle who passed away from Leukemia. All of the proceeds will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

 

“I’ve spent a great amount of time recruiting cars, organizing the event, dealing with legal work, and advertising,” he said.

 

The show is mainly focused on classic cars, but there will be high-end foreign imports such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, Mercedes along with some as “funny cars and dragsters.” The cars, he added, will come from local car clubs and residents of Somers.

 

There will be no cost to attend, but donations are suggested. Food and beverages will be available. For those who want to donate to Arturi’s cause before or after the car show, go to this website.

 

Rain date  is June 2.

 

 

Lisa Mitchell  and Valerie Goodwin  are organizing a second annual Somers Walk for Stroke. It’s set for  May 20th, a week after Mother’s Day.

The goal is to raise money and awareness  for Strokes and Goodwin and Mitchell, sisters and registered nurses, emphasize  that May is National Stroke Awareness Month.

“Our mother is a 52-year-old stroke survivor. In August of 2009, she woke up to her alarm clock but was unable to turn it off. She had no use of her left arm. When she went to get out of bed, she felt dizzy and was off balance. She tried waking up our dad to tell him how she was feeling, but he couldn’t understand her slurred speech. We took her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a Stroke. After speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy, our mom has 95 percent recovered. Our mom was a healthy, young, physically fit and active woman with no known health issues. That is why we want to raise awareness in our community and the surrounding communities,” the women wrote in an email to The Journal News.

The event is a 3-mile walk. All proceeds will go to the National Stroke Association.

Last year, the Mitchell sisters drew more than  200 walkers and raised close to $9000, surpassing their goal, they said.  This year they hope to raise $10,000.

The Somers Walk for Stroke will take place at Somers High School on Primrose Street. Registration starts at 9 a.m.; event will start at 10 a.m. The Somers Lions Club is sponsoring this event.

The walk will end at Reis Park  with a brunch/lunch under the pavilion. The Somers Lions Club is sponsoring the event.

To  participate in this walk, there is a minimum donation of $25 which can be paid to the website (below) or by check/cash on the day of the event, or sent to PO Box 46 Baldwin Place, N.Y. 10505. Make checks payable to National Stroke Association.

For more information or to register, go to  the event website or on the Facebook page.

UPDATE: We’ve corrected the Facebook link.

 

 

Somers’ Kevin Cousin, left, stays ahead of Mahopac’s Johnny Astrologo during the boys lacrosse game at Somers High School on May 3, 2012. (Xavier Mascareñas / The Journal News)

See more photos from the boys lacrosse game between Somers and Mahopac at Somers High School in a photo gallery, and go to LoHud.com for the story.

A proposed dog park off Route 100 in Somers is gaining some steam.

 

Progressive Animal Hospital in Somers will be hosting  a fundraiser for the effort this weekend to support the effort. A committee of residents  are seeking to raise the money to build fencing and benches at the site off Route 100 that the Town of Somers says they can use an off-leash dog park. Read a previous story from LoHud.com. While there isn’t water at the park, there will be benches and a place for the dogs do get some exercise and socialize.  Organizers say they are we are still undecided if non residents can use the park and there will be some fee to participate which will go toward maintenance—but these issues are still being worked out.

 

It is at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lovell Street Grill & Alehouse. 152 West Lovell Street, Lincolndale/ Somers.  Information, call 914-556-6400.

 

There will be be live music by Robin and The Hoods and Stealing the Finest Classic Rock beginning at 9 p.m.

 

Admission: $10.00.  Proceeds go to the Somers Dog Park.

 

BEDFORD  — An evening of wine, jazz and art is planned Friday at St. Patrick’s School.

Sample light fare, listen to live entertainment from the jazz group The Flux, and browse art work for sale from local artists and student artists.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Everyone 21 and older is welcome.

For more information contact Dorothy Monaco at 914-234-7914.

The Somers Education Foundation Gala will be April 28 at Brynwood Country Club in Armonk.

 

The highlight of The Parent Prom will be the induction of five individuals , including two married couples, into the SEF Hall of Fame for all their work to improve the lives of children in Somers through their involvement in teaching, coaching, PTA or support in general.Tickets are $110 per person, $95 per person for teachers. Go to the organization’s website to reserve a ticket, get information on the program or to participate in the silent auction.

 

The foundation was established in 1994 and is comprised of parents, community members and school representatives. Its mission is to promote community awareness of the schools and school issues, and to raise money for programs and projects not funded by the school budget. The objective is to support the initiatives and enrich the educational experience.

 

The Inductees as described by the Somers Education Fund:

Roy Arnesen has left his mark on thousands of students in Somers over a nearly 30-year career. He has been a physical education teacher at Primrose Elementary School since 1985 and also taught physical education at Somers High School for seven years. He has been coach of the winter and spring track and field teams at Somers High School since 1985. His teams have won 24 league titles, four county titles, 10 sectional titles in indoor track and seven sectional titles in outdoor track. He has coached 11 high school All-Americans during his career. He also has served as the Somers High School assistant cross country coach since 2000 and will become the head coach this fall. He has also taught special education during the summer for 26 years at BOCES Southern Westchester, working with autistic children. He helped establish the Special Olympics program in Somers in 1998. Arnesen also helped establish and has run the Taconic Road Runners Summer Youth Running Track & Field program since 2001 with over 400 children participating each summer. He also started the Westchester Summer Twilight Track and Field Series 20 years ago and still directs the meets. He has also served as the race coordinator for the Lynn Adams Memorial 5K run and 1-mile walk for the last three years.  A graduate of Kings College and the College of New Rochelle, he has been married for 28 years and has three children.

 

Cesar Callan has been extremely involved in the Somers community since moving from New York City in 1990. A native of Ecuador and an attorney specializing in personal injury litgation, Callan, a former amateur boxer, has coached an array of youth sports, including AYSO and FC travel soccer, girls and boys basketball, boys baseball and girls town and travel softball teams. He was a catalyst in the growth of the FC Somers Soccer program as it expanded from seven teams to 25 during his years of involvement. He co-directed a tournament for two years involved 175 teams and raised $170,000 for soccer programs . He helped establish the FC travel programs that helped many players compete at a high level, enabling them to go on to play successfully at the collegiate level. He still serves on the FC Somers Soccer Club board. A graduate of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Hofstra Law School, he has been married for many years to Judi Callan, also being honored this year, and has four grown children who graduated from Somers schools. He is a member of the Somers Lions Club as well.

 

Judi Callan has been a community and school leader in Somers for many years. An attorney who graduated from Hofstra University and New York Law School, she helped found the Somers PTA Council and was very active for 17 years, since its inception. She served as president of the Council as well as president of the Primrose and Somers Middle School PTAs, and vice president of the Council and the Primrose, Somers Intermediate School, Somers Middle School and Somers High School PTAs. Judi has also served as volunteer at Guiding Eyes for the Blind for many years, and has also served as a religious education instructor at St. Joseph’s Church and a tutor in English as a second language at Literacy Volunteers of America. She has been married for many years to Cesar Callan, also being honored tonight and has four grown children who graduated from Somers schools.

 

Nicholas Vece has been a Somers resident for 19 years and has practiced general and cosmetic dentistry in Mount Kisco since 1989. He recently opened a second practice there. A native of Yonkers, he is a graduate of Iona College and the Fairleigh Dickinson College of Dental Medicine. He has been very generous with his time and overall support of education initiatives and fundraisers and youth sports programs in Somers for many years. He has coached youth football, baseball and basketball teams since 2006. He and his wife, Missy, also being honored tonight, have been married for more than 20 years and have three children, one of whom has graduated from Somers schools while two remain in the district.

 

Missy Vece is a native of Yonkers who moved with her husband, Nicholas, to Somers in 1993. She has a degree in organizational management from The College of New Rochelle, Iona College and Ashford University. She became involved with the Primrose PTA in 1995, eventually serving as president. She also served as president of the Somers Intermediate School PTA. In 2000, she was elected to the Somers Board of Education and served for 11 years, the last several as president. During her leadership the district renovated and expanded the schools and successfully planned for the growth in Somers and the increase in student population. She has always been very generous with her time and overall support of education initiatives and fundraisers. She currently manages one of her husband’s dental practices. She and Nick Vece have been married for more than 20 years and have three children, one of whom has graduated from Somers schools while two remain in the district.

 

 

 

 

 

To celebrate the 30-year birthday of Somers Library being in Reis Park, library leaders are planning a whole day of family activities on Saturday, April 14th.

And, as they note quite wisely, it is also National Library Week and there will be special events throughout the week in Somers Library.

But on Saturday, the big day, there will be a whole line-up of events from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. These  include clowns, face painting, chamber music concert, raffles and even fine amnesty day. Of note, the librarians are asking residents to share a personal story of 1982.

Says Director Patricia Miller: “Thanks for supporting your library and for making it the intellectual and cultural hub of the town.”

Here is the blurb on the library’s newsletter that sets out the history and reason for the birthday celebration:

Where were you in ‘82? If you were anywhere near Somers, you may have noticed contractors putting finishing touches on the new Somers Library in Reis Park. After evolving from a chicken coop in the 1880’s and a small house at the intersection of 116 and 202 (still standing), the Library finally had a place of its own in a real library building. To celebrate the 30-year birthday of this event, we are planning a whole day of family activities on Saturday, April 14th. As this is also National Library week, we’ve lined up exciting events the week before. See details below, on the website, and in the press. We hope to see you here and if you want to share your personal story of what you were doing in ‘82, we’d love to hear that too!

Check out all the details on the library’s website. 

You know winter is virtually done and the warm weather is just around the corner when the ever popular King Kone ice cream chalet on Route 100 in Somers opens up after its annual winter hiatus.

It happened quite unceremoniously Wednesday when suddenly around noon the lights went on and a “we’re closed” sign was washed off the front window.  Ice cream was ready to be dished out even if there was a bit of rain.

Deb Hopkins, who has owned the roadside stand with her husband Brian for 10 years, said last week when the weather was unseasonably warm might have been a better time to reopen, but who knew that was coming and they had to paint the inside floor and make some repairs.  She said the warm weather prompted them to reopen a little earlier than usual.

King Kone sells soft-serve and hard ice cream along with a growing list of food items, like hamburgers and fried chicken nuggets. It has been on that spot just north of Route 35 since 1953, said Deb Hopkins.

Somers resident William Spence Reilly, an experienced event planner and television-movie producer,  is working hard to put on a big event this Saturday that he hopes becomes an annual tradition for everyone who loves Irish culture.

Sober St. Patrick’s will be from 3 to 7 p.m. March 17 at Regis High School on East 85th Street, New York City. Set up like a nightclub with light food and non-alcoholic drinks, the program will feature many entertainers displaying the diversity of the Irish culture.

This is “for anyone looking for an alternative St. Patrick’s Day Experience….(and) the best in Irish music, dance and comedy,” says the flyer posted on the event’s website, which also provides information on who will be on hand.

Tickets are $12 per person and must be ordered online.

Reilly is calling this the first annual and expects to do this next year as a way to highlight the culture of Ireland and the Irish people on St. Patrick’s Day rather than encouraging people to drink green beer and party too hard.

Performers include the Mulvhihill-Lynch Irish Step Dancers, the John Whelan Band, Brian Conway and KT Sullivan.

Sponsors for the event include Caron Treatment Centers and the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, the Freedom Institute, the Betty Ford Center and the William C. Dowling Jr. Foundation.

Read a full article on Reilly and his efforts to create this program Saturday in The Journal News and at www.lohud.com

On St. Patrick’s Day Mae Collins of Shenorock will turn 107 years old and those who love her are  sharing some information on her life and some of her wisdom. On March 11, she will continue a 10-year tradition and participate in the popular Mahopac-based St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Her longtime friend Caroline Dumont, who has known Mae since 1989 and refers to her as her adopted grandmother, sends along this history of Mae Collins to honor her near her birthday:

Mae was born in Bohola Co, Mayo, Ireland  on March 17, 1905 and was the oldest of 10 children. She came to America through Ellis Island and arrived on Oct. 22, 1922.  On Oct. 17, 1931, Mae married Martin Collins from Co. Limerick at St, Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan; Martin died in 1981.

Mae has  two children, Peg Heslin and Marty Collins; eight grandchildren; and 13 great grandchildren. She  is a parishioner of St. John’s Parish, Mahopac.

She said that people frequently ask her to attribute her longevity and here is the answer sent by her family.

 

“I have worked hard all my life.

I lead a regular life – get up at 8am and go to bed at 9 p.m.

I eat meals at the proper times.

I have a drink of rye and water every afternoon at 4 p.m.

I don’t bear any ill will to anyone.”

Mae still resides at her home, with the assistance of her aide Gloria. Last year Mae was at the Patterson Relay for Life—she is a breast cancer survivor of 20 years.