WAG August 2014

CONDOLA RASHAD EMPOWERS HERSELF

TENNIS TODAY: John McEnroe’s juniors, plus racket power Getting a kick out of soccer Mount Kisco Country Club’s links to history Pilates, swimming, equestrian sports and more Our annual Back to School list Chic Choices

AUGUST 2014 | WAGMAG.COM

POWER

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WESTCHESTER&FAIRFIELD LIFE

proof ThaT advanced medicine and human compassion Go hand in hand.

Life doesn’t stand still. Life is ever changing. As is health care. At Greenwich Hospital, we believe in the promise of health care’s future. And as part of one of the country’s most advanced health systems, Yale New Haven Health, we bring you that future with more resources and more advanced technology. It’s one of the reasons Greenwich Hospital is recommended by patients more than any other acute care hospital in the Tri-State Area.* But with all that technology offers, we will always be a hospital where care, compassion and understanding bring as much to healing as science. ThaT’s The Greenwich hospiTal experience.

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ROMAN POWER PLAY IN THE AGE OF NERO | 12 POWER PLAY | 16 TOSS, SERVE, REPEAT | 19 COURT TIME WITH NICK | 22 COURSE CONFIDANTE | 24 A DIFFERENT KIND OF 1 PERCENTER | 26 POOLING OFFICE SERVICES | 28 EYES ON THE PRIZE | 30 REVAMPED ONE TWENTY ONE CATERS TO FOODIES, HORSEY SET | 32 SADDLE UP! | 34 STRETCH | 36 FAR FROM THE WORLD CUP | 38 THE NEW AMERICAN PASTIME? | 40 HOOKED ON SOCCER – AND CHILDREN’S SPORTS SAFETY | 42 NO ‘HARD CHOICE’ FOR HILLARY SUPPORTERS | 44 MIND GAMES | 46 GREASEPAINT AND A ROCK ’N’ ROLL HEART | 49 NET APPEAL | 63 FASHIONING THE NEXT CHAPTER | 66 A EUROPEAN SAMPLER | 71

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Condola Rashad, photograph by John Rizzo

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EDITOR'S LETTER GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

MARTHA STEWART Savors her Bedford life

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mag.com WHERE CLASS MEETS SASS FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF

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IN THE 1970S, AMERICA – never a globally minded place – nonetheless decided to go internationalist, embracing the metric system, Julia Child, “Masterpiece Theatre” and soccer. To that end, Pelé came to New York and the New York Cosmos were born, with Shep Messing as their goalie.

Those were “my salad days” – as Shakespeare’s Cleopatra might put it – “when I was green in judgment, cold in blood.” I fell hard for Messing, he of The Bronx upbringing, the Harvard education and the long, Dionysian black curls. Then Shep decided to pose nude for Viva magazine – which was supposed to be Playboy for women, the ’70s being an age of egalitarianism as Dress by Oscar de la Renta. Dress and accessories well as internationalism – and all courtesy of Mary Jane Denzer. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

Hades broke loose. The nation’s fathers (but not so much its mothers) took this as proof of our falling into Club is spurring him to write a club hislouche Euro ways and that was the end tory. If you’ve read our other sports/recreof our internationalist experiment, which ation issues, then you know we can never everyone agreed would’ve required a lot of resist our equine friends. So look no furmath anyway. ther than these pages for previews of the Still, I was fondly reminded of that American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm time recently as the U.S. men’s soccer in North Salem and events at the Greenteam made it all the way to the round of wich Polo Club, along with Roberto Du16 at the World Cup. Those who are still tesco’s sumptuous new coffee-table book, going through Cup withdrawal will enjoy “The Wild Horses of Sable Island.” our interview with Greenwich orthopeBut we play on “power play,” too, in dist Mark Vitale, who went to Brazil with our interview with Bard College professome doctor buddies to take in the action, sor James Romm, author of the wellincluding the U.S.’ taut game against the received “Dying Every Day,” about the eventual champ, Germany. You’ll also power struggle among the philosopher want to check out Wagger Mark LungaSeneca; his tough young charge, the emriello’s evocative piece on the Westchester peror Nero; and Nero’s ever-loving mama, Flames, a local team with big dreams, and Agrippina. his new pop culture column, in which he “Power play” takes a poignant turn in weighs in on America’s long ambivalence Heather’s revealing interview with cover to the game known universally as “footsubject Condola Rashad, a charmingly ball.” Soccer even figures into Ronni’s frank young actress who’s experienced encounter with former Secretary of State terrific highs (a starring Broadway turn (and not surprisingly American team supas Juliet to Orlando Bloom’s Romeo) and porter) Hillary Rodham Clinton at her terrible lows (abusive boyfriend, racism, hometown book signing in Chappaqua. cancelled TV series) and come through Such was the power of the World both admirably stronger.

Cup that it eclipsed a particularly thrillNot every story fits the theme. We had ing Wimbledon, in which August 2013 hoped to bring you a piece on Mary Jane WAG cover guy Novak Djokovic took Denzer’s new couture store near The Ritzdown Roger Federer and regained the No. Carlton, Westchester in White Plains last 1 ranking. Now it’s on to the US Open, month. But here it is now, none the worse which we salute with legendary coach for wear. For years, Mary Jane dressed my Nick Bollettieri’s predictions, Patricia’s elegant Aunt Sue, now gone. Mary Jane profile of up-and-coming women’s player was kind enough to style me for my ediLouisa Chirico and our visit to the John tor’s photo.

McEnroe Tennis Academy in Eastchester.

Somewhere up there I know Aunt Sue Our “Power Play” issue also includes approves. profiles of Roger Kahn, a New Rochelle Georgette Gouveia is the author of the businessman who still swims competinew novel “Water Music,” the first in tively, and Garth Bishop, whose love affair her series, “The Games Men Play.” Read with golf and the Mount Kisco Country her blog at thegamesmenplay.com.

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Sculpture of Agrippina crowning her young son Nero (circa 54-59), Aphrodisias Museum, Turkey.

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ROMAN POWER PLAY IN THE AGE OF NERO

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

R

evenge, they say, is a dish best served cold.

And few understood that better than the Roman philosopher Seneca – whose intricate dance of power with the emperor Nero, his onetime pupil run amok and Agrippina the Younger, Nero’s controlling, manipulative mother, would prove his undoing.

Though Seneca has been cold since the year 65, he comes back with a vengeance in James Romm’s “Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero” (Alfred A. Knopf, $27.95), an absorbing study of moral compromise that has disturbing echoes for a time in which leaders are often more concerned with polls than with the public.

It’s a distinct tale from Romm’s last forays into the classical world, “Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the War for Crown and Empire” and “The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander,” which The New York Times Book Review called “thrilling.”

“It’s a very different kind of story than Alexander,” says Romm, the James H. Ottaway Jr. professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. “There’s no military campaign, no battles, no action.

“At the same time, there’s great psychological drama. I’ve always been interested in Seneca and the disconnect between his words and his deeds. And yes, we see it all the time in politicians not measuring up to the ideal of what we want them to be.”

The psychological drama Romm refers to in this tale of blood and bloodlines is multilayered and begins with the peculiar, precarious perch that was the power of the Julio-Claudian emperors known as the Caesars, of which Nero was the last.

(The title would continue to be used by subsequent emperors.)

The early Caesars may each have been princeps, or “first man” – the executive office loosely established by Augustus, the superb administrator who was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar and founder of the dynasty – but, Romm says, they had no constitutional authority in a republic

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Coin of Nero and his mother, Agrippina the Younger.

THOUGH SENECA HAS BEEN COLD SINCE THE YEAR 65, HE COMES BACK WITH A VENGEANCE IN JAMES ROMM’S “DYING EVERY DAY: SENECA AT THE COURT OF NERO” (ALFRED A. KNOPF, $27.95), AN ABSORBING STUDY OF MORAL COMPROMISE THAT HAS DISTURBING ECHOES FOR A TIME IN WHICH LEADERS ARE OFTEN MORE CONCERNED WITH POLLS THAN WITH THE PUBLIC.

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with a Senate. Rather they derived their power from the Praetorian Guard that served as protectors and henchmen and the army – which had to be maintained, an expensive proposition.

In such a fragile environment, the stronger the princeps’ blood ties to Augustus, the more solid his position. This was no easy thing among the Julio-Claudian men, as some were assassinated outright while others died under mysterious circumstances. So the family was essentially matrilineal, with descent – and the possibility of an imperial inheritance – from the mother’s side.

Enter Agrippina the Younger, a woman who one day really must be played by Angelina Jolie.

Great-granddaughter of Augustus, daughter of the late, lamented Roman hero Germanicus and sister of the nut-job emperor Caligula, Agrippina was a beautiful, willful survivor with dynastic ambitions for Nero, her only child. To that end, she seized the opportunity to marry her uncle, Claudius, who had succeeded Caligula; demoted his children, Britannicus and Octavia, in classic wicked-stepmother fashion; and hired Seneca to tutor the preteen Nero.

Though a Stoic philosopher who extolled reason, virtue and moderation in his fluid writings, Seneca demonstrated a taste for wealth, power and the good life in his actions. The appetite for power would play itself out not only as Seneca and Agrippina vied to control Nero, who succeeded Claudius at 16, but as Agrippina and Nero tussled for imperial supremacy. At first, Agrippina was able to exert her influence by marrying Nero off to Octavia. (Later she would try to play the long-suffering Octavia and the unfortunate Britannicus off against Nero.) But once Nero grew older and began making his own choices, sexual and otherwise, he became a truly lethal figure.

“I don’t know if Nero had good qualities to begin with or if the Romans ide-

alized them onto him,” Romm says. “I think he was a bad seed to begin with, with a taste for the dark side and delusions of artistry. The image of him fiddling while Rome burned was probably a myth and rumor that stuck, because it conveyed something of his personality.”

The round robin of three was a game only one could win. Fed up with his mother’s political and romantic manipulations, Nero decided to get rid of her. In a scene worthy of Aeschylus’ “The Oresteia” – or at least Seneca’s own versions of “Medea” and “Phaedra” – Agrippina, whose sex enabled her to be a kingmaker but never a king, faced down her assassins by telling them to stab her in the place that had been the seat of her power and her destruction – the womb.

Romm doubts that Seneca had a hand

Double herm of Seneca and Socrates, Antikensammlung Berlin.

in any of Nero’s murders, including Agrippina’s. But there’s no doubt that Seneca was part of the matricidal coverup – only to find in the end that the wheel does indeed come full circle. When Seneca failed to report an attempt on Nero’s life, his number was up. He slit his veins (as did his wife, Paulina), drank hemlock in the fashion of Socrates, slipped into a hot bath and finally expired.

We’ll never really know, Romm says, whether Seneca was really a moralist trying to stem the tide of a villainous age or a manipulator done in by his own ethical compromises. Maybe he was just a complex man who realized too late that you can’t have it both ways.

“Dying Every Day” ends before Nero’s own death. He forced his secretary, Epaphroditos, to do the deed in the year 68 after Rome turned on him. Subsequent Roman emperors like Trajan and Marcus Aurelius would reign not by birthright but by Alexandrian ability – although that would not put an end to the intrigue.

Romm next turns his attention to a place and time that is a distant mirror of ancient Rome – Renaissance Florence and the house of Lorenzo de’ Medici. In the meantime, he has given us a book that ironically underscores one of the tenets of the movement that would be the empire’s unmaking, Christianity: “For whoever would save his life will lose it.”

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PLAYING BIG

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

J

ohn McEnroe described the 2013 French Open semifinal between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, in which Nadal prevailed over Djokovic, as the best clay-court match he had ever seen.

Here’s how Brian Phillips of the superb sports/pop culture site Grantland described it: “Rafa Nadal’s best matches against Novak Djokovic are the closest tennis gets to a metal concert – sweaty, technically proficient, fury-bellowing men assisting each other in the commission of extreme assaults on the senses. If you watched their testosterone-soaked, sixhour doomfest in the Australian Open final (in 2012), you know this already.

There aren’t really strategies in play when they meet, because that would imply that either of them had exploitable weaknesses. Instead, it’s just an all-out frenzy to play faster, louder, longer, and with less mercy. It’s phenomenal theater, even

Novak Djokovic, here, and Rafael Nadal, perhaps the two greatest exemplars of power tennis, at the French Open. Photograph by Yann Caradec.

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if the laser projections of dragons bursting from the eye sockets of red skulls are mostly left to your imagination.”

Phillips’ heavy-metal analogy crystallizes what tennis buffs have long since known: Tennis has become a power game played by tall, buff, highly trained adults who can slug it out from the baseline for hours on end, producing long, deep rallies.

The story of how tennis became a test of power and endurance really begins in 1967 with the advent of the metal racket, popularized by Jimmy Connors. But Connors’ racket (Wilson Sporting Goods T2000) had a small head. Enter the oversized Prince Classic of 1976 – with its big, flexible sweet spot beloved by those of us who couldn’t hit the proverbial side of a barn.

The early oversize rackets, however, proved too volatile for the pros, who needed a stiffer frame, which resulted in the “graphite” racket (actually a mix of carbon fibers and plastic resin). The tita-

nium racket is mostly graphite.

The graphite racket with its larger head (100 square inches as opposed to the 85 inches of the older rackets) has revolutionized the sport, says John F. Murray, clinical and sports performance psychologist and author of “Smart Tennis” (John Wiley & Sons, 1999).

“Talent is talent,” Murray says, “but a high school player using a graphite racket could beat a Wimbledon champ of the 1950s.” (Said player, however, couldn’t beat a Wimbledon champ of today. More on that in a bit.)

What the graphite racket has done, Murray says, is to transform the game from one of serve and volley, in which a subtle touch is important, to that of blast from the baseline. It’s rather counterintuitive.

“You would think the technology would produce better serve-and-volley players,” he says. “The serve is much faster (up to 135 mph), but the return is faster. Everything is faster and that takes

away from the time to come in and dominate the net. Not that you shouldn’t mix it up and come in on the net.” Which is presumably why Djokovic hired Boris Becker, who was a serve-and-volley specialist, to coach him.

Djokovic was 24 when he became world No. 1 in 2011. Today, male pros peak at a later age than they did years ago – 24 to 26, says Fritz Buehning, director of tennis at Sportime Lake Isle in Eastchester and annex director of tennis at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy there.

(See related story.) The women peak slightly earlier. Some top players – Roger Federer and Serena Williams, to name two – are in their early 30s. Gone are the days of the ponytailed Chrissie Evert, the pigtailed Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger and Boris Becker winning Wimbledon at age 17. (Although at this year’s tournament, 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios took down Nadal en route to the quarterfinals, where he lost to another young gun, Milos Raonic.)

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Earlier this year, Federer, himself a prodigy, addressed the teen question, noting that the last teenager on the tour to win consistently was the guy who would ultimately beat him at his own game, Nadal. That’s because today’s power game doesn’t serve extreme youth.

“The average male tennis player is 6 feet 2 inches, 6 feet 3 inches; the average woman, 5 foot 9 inches, 5 foot, 11 inches,” says Nick Bollettieri, who coached 10 No. 1 players, including Andre Agassi and Monica Seles, and is the author of the new “Changing the Game” (New Chapter Publisher, $26.95). “How can a teenager compete with that?”

Not that height is everything. If it were, John Isner (6 foot 9 inches) and Jerzy Janowicz (6 foot, 8 inches) would be top five. But along with bigger players comes better nutrition and conditioning.

“If you look at Nadal and Djokovic, you’re looking at all the time spent on the court and all the training time at the beginning of the summer and December,”

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says Harel Srugo, general manager of Sportime Lake Isle and associate director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

That translates into about four hours of tennis and one to two hours of conditioning and strength training a day. Even with all that conditioning, injuries occur.

A recent article in The New York Times’ sports section talked about the rise in wrist injuries among today’s players.

It’s not just the player’s physical fitness that has been influenced – and in turn influences – the power game. It’s his or her mental outlook as well.

“You’ve got to be sharper mentally,” Murray says. “You’ve got to be ready to react. It’s not so much about the point as getting ready for the point. Getting your mind off the previous point and getting focused.

“The thing about tennis is that it’s about making a thousand decisions. The brain is the best computer there is. To be able to make those decisions and stay calm, that’s the challenge.”

Murray is credited with turning around the career of former pro Vince Spadea, known as “the Giant Killer” for wins over Agassi, Federer, Nadal and Pete Sampras, among others. But Spadea also earned the nickname “the Charlie Brown of tennis” for a record 21 losses in a row from October 1999 to June 2000.

To bring Spadea, who had been No. 19 in world, back to his peak from a low of No. 237, Murray used a combination of techniques with him – including tensing and relaxing the muscles; deep breathing; discussing his passions and inspirations; but perhaps most important, 25 “quality” minutes at a time of guided imagery, in which you visualize your success on the court.

“Talk is cheap. Knowledge is nothing compared to doing,” Murray says. “The only way to change your mental game is to experience it. At that level of play, it all comes down to mental skills.”

For more, visit johnfmurray.com.

Rafael Nadal

18

TOSS, SERVE, REPEAT Progressive teaching heart of tennis academy

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

T

ucked away in a corner of Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester – which bustles with athletic activity on a bright, sweltering day – is Sportime Lake Isle, which bills itself as “lower Westchester’s premier tennis destination.” It’s a club program in which you or I can hone our backhands.

But Sportime Lake Isle is also home to the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, where juniors (under age 18) who are serious about learning the game and excelling competitively can get the training they need.

“John lives in Manhattan, so he opened his academy four years ago on Randall’s

Island,” says Fritz Buehning, director of tennis at Sportime and annex director of the academy. “That’s the flagship.

He opened the academy at Lake Isle in September 2012, and there’s also one in Bethpage on Long Island.”

Sportime – which leases the property from the town of Eastchester, owner of Lake Isle – put $6.5 million into creating a facility with a cheery, contemporary 5,000-square-foot clubhouse and eight Har-Tru courts. McEnroe – a former world No. 1 singles and doubles player who serves as a commentator for NBC and plays on what he calls “the old fogeys’ tour” – still finds time to coach regularly at his academies.

He has done all this, Buehning says,

“so that good players from the eastern section of the country don’t have to leave their homes and schools to be able to get good coaching.”

Both McEnroe and Buehning – a former tennis pro who was ranked No. 21 in singles and No. 4 in doubles, he and Van Winitsky having lost the 1983 US Open doubles final ironically to McEnroe and Peter Fleming – were the beneficiaries of coaching in their own backyard. They, along with Fleming, Vitas Gerulaitis, Mary Carillo and Peter Rennert attended Port Washington Tennis Academy, where the legendary coaches included Tony Palafox and Harry Hopman.

For Buehning and Harel Srugo – general manager of Sportime Lake Isle and associate director of its academy – tennis

is a serious business. Students as young as age 5 begin with the Pathway Red programs (larger, lower compression red balls, smaller rackets, a 36-foot court) and progress to the Pathway Orange programs (orange balls, 60-foot court) and then on to green and finally the regulation yellow balls. The number of times the students play is important, Buehning and Srugo say. The academy recommends a minimum of two, two-hour clinics a week, plus a one-hour private lesson.

That’s in addition to two tournaments a month. Many of the players are training more than nine hours a week, doing their homework on their way to and from the courts, which are under protective bubbles in winter.

Cross-training is also encouraged – “anything that involves running and a ball,” says a laughing Srugo, who still competes on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF Futures as a singles and doubles player. Growing up in Israel, Srugo also played basketball and soccer.

“Playing other sports helps your coordination and conditioning,” Buehning says, adding that the best complement to

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John McEnroe. Photograph by Fred Mullane.

Courtesy the John McEnroe Tennis Academy

tennis is soccer. And what of recent reports linking soccer players’ proclivity to head the ball to subconcussions and brain damage?

“Things will happen in any sport,” Buehning says. “You protect children and players with proper movement and technique.”

Fortunately, there are not too many, if any, concussions in tennis. But there are muscle and joint problems that result increasingly from what has become a power game. (See related story.) And then there is the psychological aspect. Perhaps more

20

than any other sport, tennis is a game that ultimately rests on the (sometimes fragile) psyche of the individual.

“We’re teaching life lessons,” Buehning says of the staff of 11, “skills of listening, decision-making.”

“Time management,” Srugo says, “so (the students) can deal with their schoolwork. … One of the biggest skills is leadership, taking responsibility for what happens on the court.”

The players, Buehning says, have to learn to fight to win. But once the match ends, they also have to own the victory or

defeat and let it go.

“Tennis,” he adds, “is not for the faint of heart.”

Nor is it cheap. Parents may have to lay out some $15,000 for a 32-week program, although there are scholarships and club discounts.

Among those who’ve come through the academy is Ossining’s Jamie Loeb, the No. 1 female college player, who’s considered a blue-chip prospect by TennisRecruiting.net. At the 2013 US Open, she competed in the Main Draw Qualifier, defeating Veronica Cepede Roug (No.

193 at that time) 6-1, 6-3.

Another of Tennis Recruiting’s blue chip prospects is Noah Rubin, who trains at the McEnroe Academy on Randall’s Island and received text messages from Mac himself on his way to winning the boys’ singles final at Wimbledon over fellow American Stefan Kozlov, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

“You can see it in their eyes, if they have it,” Srugo says of the heart and art of a champion.

And then you know.

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COURT TIME WITH NICK

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

LEGENDARY TENNIS COACH NICK BOLLETTIERI has had 10 No. 1-ranked players, including Monica Seles and Andre Agassi.

So who better to turn to when we want a little sage court talk? The Pelham native is as busy as ever, coaching in the IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis Program in Bradenton, Fla. – “that’s where I’ll remain,” he stresses – and promoting his new book, “Changing the Game” (New Chapter Publisher, $26.95). WAG caught up with him on his return from Wimbledon, where he did commentary for the BBC early in the tournament, and from Newport, R.I., where he was among those enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 12.

LOOKING INTO YOUR CRYSTAL BALL, WHO DO YOU LIKE THIS YEAR TO WIN THE US OPEN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TITLES AND WHY? “There have been many surprises both at the French and Wimbledon. Chief among them are Serena (Williams’) early exit from each tournament and the emergence of several young men and women players who made strong statements in those events. If Serena is 100 percent, I’d have to put her as the favorite. If she’s not 100 percent, I’d have to put Maria (Sharapova) as the favorite. On the men’s side, each of the big four are the favorites (Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic, Wimbledon finalist Roger Federer, French Open champ Rafael Nadal and former Wimbledon and US Open champ Andy Murray). On both the men’s and women’s sides, however, I’m very interested to see if the veterans can keep their places or if the young players will be able to unseat them as they began to do at the French and Wimbledon.”

WHO ARE THE UP-AND-COMING STARS WE SHOULD BE WATCHING? “On the men’s side it’s (Wimbledon semifinalist Milos) Raonic, (Wimbledon semifinalist Grigor) Dimitrov, (Kei) Ni-

22

shikori, and (Nadal slayer) Nick Kyrgios.

On the women’s side it’s (French Open and Wimbledon semifinalist Simona) Halep, (Wimbledon finalist Eugenie) Bouchard and Sloane Stephens.”

WHAT ABOUT THE AMERICANS: ANYONE EXCITING ON THE HORIZON? “At this time the men’s side is truly struggling. On the women’s side, however, we do have several promising ladies coming up. These include Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Victoria Duval and Lauren Davis.”

WHY IS THE UNITED STATES NO LONGER A TENNIS SUPERPOWER? “In the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, there were only a handful of countries where tennis was popular and played. Today the whole world plays tennis. In many of these countries, tennis is the second or third most popular sport and the best athletes are attracted to it. In the U.S. however, most of our best athletes are going into basketball, football and now soccer, which are all very inexpensive for parents. Tennis, on the other hand, is expensive for parents.”

WE TALKED ABOUT TENNIS BECOMING A POWER GAME WITH PLAYERS SLUGGING IT OUT FROM THE BASELINE. HAS THAT RENDERED THE GAME ONE-DIMENSIONAL? “The trend is definitely going that way.

However, to be the best on the ATP or WTA tours, players must learn an allcourt game where they can come in when given the opportunity. To reverse the trend of one-dimensional players, there will have to be a few players who have success coming in a lot. The tours may also have to place more importance on that style of play by speeding up some courts and also promoting a fall indoor season with fast courts.”

WE HEAR A GOOD DEAL OF TALK ABOUT THE GOAT (GREATEST OF ALL TIME).

RECENTLY, ANDRE AGASSI STIRRED UP A HORNET’S NEST BY SAYING HE THOUGHT RAFAEL NADAL WAS THE GOAT. WHO IN YOUR OPINION ARE THE GREATEST MALE AND FEMALE PLAYERS TO DATE? “I do not disagree with Andre. Rafa may very well be the GOAT, but I don’t think it’s been established as of today.

Rafa is definitely the GOAT on clay. A few more Grand Slams on other surfaces will give more strength to Rafa being the GOAT. When you go to the ladies, you must include Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Monica Seles, Billie Jean King and Margaret Court.”

TENNIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST

“Changing the Game” cover. Photograph by Manuela Davies, courtesy Nick Bollettieri.

INDIVIDUALISTIC OF SPORTS. WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT IN TENNIS – TALENT OR TEMPERAMENT? “Talent alone will not make you a champion. Mental strength, the desire to win and total commitment to the process are equally important. A champion has the right combination of all of these. I also judge a champion by the way he/she can find a way to win in the face of all variations of adversity.”

YOUR BOOK HAS BEEN OUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW. HOW’S IT DOING? “‘Changing the Game’ has had wonderful reviews and is picking up steam. It’s the story of a guy who grew up on the wrong side of the (tennis) tracks with only his dreams and through determination and with the support of great friends was able to fulfill some of his dreams. It’s an honest look at my ups and my downs, my successes and failures, and what it took for me to do what I’ve been able to do in the sport.

To me, that’s why people should read the book. It’s about pursuing your dreams.

Autographed copies can be purchased on my website (bollettierithebook.com). It’s also being sold in bookstores.”

YOU WERE SO EMOTIONAL AS MONICA SELES INTRODUCED YOU AS AN INDUCTEE IN THE INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME DURING WORLD TENNIS DAY AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN MARCH 3. YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE JULY 12 INDUCTION. “The International Tennis Hall of Fame weekend was an extraordinary event. I was humbled and at a loss for words, not something I’m used to. I am extremely grateful for the honor and to all of my family, friends, players, and coaches who supported me at the event and throughout the years. My parents would be very proud.”

IF YOU COULD PLAY DOUBLES WITH ANYONE IN THE WORLD AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY, WHO WOULD IT BE? “I’m thinking of the great doubles teams that impacted me – Mac (John McEnroe) and (Peter) Fleming, the Woodies (Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde), the Bryans (Bob and Mike), (Brian) Gottfried and (Raúl) Ramírez, (Max) Mirnyi and (Daniel) Nestor, and (Leander) Paes and (Mahesh) Bhupathi are some of my favorites. In terms of one player in history I would liked to have had the chance to play doubles with, I’m taking the Fifth.”

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Garth Bishop. Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

COURSE CONFID NTE

BY RONNI DIAMONDSTEIN

BRITISH HUMORIST P. G. WODEHOUSE once said, “To find a man’s true character, play golf with him.” If you are lucky enough to play with Garth Bishop of Hopewell Junction, you will not only learn about him and get his take on the Mount Kisco Country Club’s storied history, but you’ll have a good sense of Bishop’s passion for both the club and the game.

Born and raised in Mount Kisco, Bishop, 59, began caddying at the club at age 12. “I was just there to make money and didn’t play until I was a junior in college,” says Bishop, who rode his bike to the club from his home just up the road on Route 117.

Perhaps observing good golfers wore off on Bishop. One day he picked up a putter and started to swing. “The assistant pro at the time, Kevin Morris, asked me what my handicap was and said, ‘You have a nice swing.’”

Bishop began to play and within a couple of years broke 80 and won the club championship and handicap championship in 1984. “I ended up playing with a lot of people I caddied for,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play with the first three pros of the club dating back to

24

the first from 1930, William Goldbeck.

Bob Johnson, the second pro, took me under his wing and I’ve played with him, Goldbeck, Nick Manolios and the current pro, Chris Case.”

“I think most clubs have some sort of history and I know that it’s important for every club to have a book,” says Bishop, who plans to write one about the club.

Bob Mogil, a member of the club’s board of governors, is impressed with Bishop’s enthusiasm. “Garth has such a passion for the club and is so genuine. No one else seems to know as much as he does,” says Mogil, who is hopeful for Bishop’s book.

“It’s a great story for our members about the history and a great story for the area.”

Bishop affectionately refers to the club as a Westchester “gem” and shared what he knows about its history.

“From the Wampus Indians to the pioneering settlers, to industrialist Moses Taylor V and developer Dudley B. Lawrence, the land on which the present Mount Kisco Country Club clubhouse and golf course exists was once sought after and valued as a place to hunt, live, farm, develop and, presently, a place to play golf.” Bishop writes in “Mount Kisco

Country Club: A Westchester Gem With a Storied Past” on NewCastleNOW.org.

“This area of New Castle was one of the last settled parts of Westchester.”

Bishop is well-versed on the landowners as well. “The property on which the club is situated was once farmland owned by Moses Taylor V,” he writes, noting that Taylor, a 1893 Yale graduate, was a business magnate with a résumé that included chairman of the board of Lackawanna Steel, director of Bethlehem Steel and railroad official. Taylor created Annandale Farm, a dairy designed to raise and show prized, nationally ranked Guernsey cows, saddle horses, Thoroughbreds and Percheron (a breed of draft horses).

When Taylor passed away in 1928, Lawrence acquired about 1,000 acres, including the 456 acres that belonged to Taylor, for Lawrence Properties of Westchester County.

The Lawrence family of Bronxville (Sarah Lawrence College, Lawrence Hospital, Houlihan Lawrence real estate.) recognized the need for growth north of New York City. They planned to build a 90acre modern suburban village center they would call Lawrence Farms. The acreage

would be divided into substantial estates sheltered from business and heavy traffic.

A golf course would also be created. Architect Thomas Winton, an immigrant from a well-known golfing family in Scotland, was hired to design the course and supervise its construction, giving rise to the Lawrence Farms Country Club in 1930.

“Winton touted his creation as unique to the region, a course which incorporated no blind shots to the greens, quite an accomplishment and a difficult challenge to overcome at the time, given the lack of equipment required to move large amounts of land over the naturally hilly terrain of the area,” Bishop writes. “He created a wonderful array of holes over the 163 acres, utilizing the rambling Brook River, a tributary of Kisco River, on six of them. He carved fairways lined with hardwoods and the occasional pine, offering shots to many slightly elevated and wellbunkered greens while still offering the player the option of a run-up shot in lieu of a forced carry. Sixteen of the 18 holes run north and south, minimizing shots into the rising or setting sun.”

Once the playground of prized cows, dogs and horses, the club became the

prized playground of its golfing members.

Serious economic challenges faced the new club early on. The Great Depression and the onset of World War II were difficult to survive and two other courses in town, the nine- hole Kisco River Country Club and the 18-hole Mount Kisco Golf Club declined in membership and play.

“Members of the adjoining Mount Kisco Golf Club sold the property and the bulk of the membership moved over to its neighbor, the Lawrence Farms Country Club, subsequently renaming it the Mount Kisco Country Club on April 26, 1941,” Bishop writes.

In the 1970s, the Nixon Administration-imposed wage and price freeze affected membership. Bishop wants to interview people who helped save the club at that time. “A campaign for new members was adopted with a big push made for young members to join. I got in at age 23 with a low initiation fee of $1,000. Dues were significantly reduced and increased proportionately until you reached the age of 36.”

Bishop knows where the bodies are buried, too, at least those of the bovine creatures that once roamed the dairy farm

Mount Kisco Country Club, then and now.

on the property owned by Moses Taylor.

Three cows and two bulls were interred on the property with headstones that were removed when female members successfully campaigned to have them taken away, because they were near their locker room entrance.

The Mount Kisco Country Club, which has 350 members today, celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2013. Members enjoy full country club activities for the entire family that include golf, tennis, swimming and casual and fine dining as well as an active summer children’s program. The club holds many tournaments, including

(with Fairview Country Club in Greenwich) the annual Guiding Eyes for the Blind Golf Classic. The 14 top blind golfers from around the country compete for the Corcoran Cup, with New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning serving as host.

A total golf enthusiast, Bishop has been a member of the Golf Collectors Society for 20 years and owns an extensive collection of golf memorabilia, everything from vintage golf balls and antique clubs to a 1920 watercolor map of the Mount Kisco Golf Club designed by A.W. Tillinghast, the premier course designer of his day.

Golf and the Mount Kisco Country

Club have shaped Bishop’s life and made him who he is today. “I met quite a crosssection of people. I’ve observed how men and women handle victory and defeat. It was a great experience that carried into my life.”

Bishop reflects on his fascination with golf and Mount Kisco Country Club: “What is most appealing about the club is that I grew up there and learned a lot about life. I know I’m not alone.” And he wants to pay it forward by writing a book.

“I have a deep rooted love for the club and what it has done for me. Now I see what I will be able to do for it.”

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FEED THE DREAM 25

A DIFFERENT KIND OF 1 PERCENTER

BY PATRICIA ESPINOSA

WHAT IF YOUR CHILD WERE OFFERED A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO PLAY TENNIS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY BUT TURNED IT DOWN TO FOLLOW HER DREAM? That’s exactly what happened when 18-year-old Harrison resident Louisa Chirico made the decision to turn pro instead of going to college this fall. At the time of her signing, Chirico was considered the No. 1 college recruit in the nation and could have gone to any school she wanted, including Duke, USC and Yale, which tried in vain to woo the young athlete.

It’s a decision that might surprise many, especially parents, for whom getting their child into an elite college can be an obsession, spurring an entire industry. So winning a full ride to an elite university is like finding the elusive golden ticket in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”

Still, as tempting as the offers were for the promising prospect, she bucked the trend and followed her heart. It helped to have incredibly supportive parents in Carol and John Chirico, who didn’t succumb to the college parenting pressurecooker but instead allowed their daughter to choose her own path.

“My parents obviously wanted me to go to college and get an education, but it was definitely my decision to go pro,” Louisa says.

“We always said it would be her decision,” Carol says. “The best we can do is support her. Obviously, if we felt she was making a bad decision, we would have as parents said, ‘No, you’re not at that point.’

We also had a lot of people who said at this stage, it makes a lot of sense for her to go pro if she wants to go pro.”

Those people included coach Jay Gooding, who has been training her for the past few years at the USTA Training Center - East in Flushing Meadows, Queens, which opened its doors in 2010 to elite junior tennis players and their personal coaches in the Northeast.

“My coach was very supportive and helpful in my decision,” Louisa says.

Patrick McEnroe, former captain of the United States Davis Cup team and USTA

26

general manager of player development, has also coached her and offered guidance. “Patrick McEnroe has definitely had a role in my development,” she says.

“When I first saw her, I remember thinking ‘Wow, this girl can really move,’” McEnroe told a journalist at the US Open last year after watching her play in 2011 against Sam Crawford, (2012 US Open girls’ singles champion) and Taylor Townsend (2012 year-end junior No. 1).

And it was McEnroe who sat down with her parents to explain the pros and cons of being homeschooled so that she could advance her tennis. At the time, she was attending Rye Country Day School.

“In the beginning of 10th grade, after a month she switched over from Rye Country Day School and became a Laurel Springs student, an online accredited high school education,” Carol says about the school, which allows students to work at their own pace. Because of the rigors of training, which for her include four hours of tennis and two hours of fitness a day, it doesn’t allow for a full day of school.

In his role at the USTA, McEnroe has said that 99 percent of junior players should aspire to play collegiate varsity tennis and only the truly exceptional players should turn pro. By all accounts, Louisa is part of that 1 percent who have the chops to make their dreams come true, which in her case means “winning at least one Grand Slam, preferably the US Open, and one day being ranked No. 1 in the world.” Spoken like a true champion.

More and more highly ranked boys are choosing to play college tennis before embarking on a professional tennis career, because of the physical demands of the game and the fact that most young men have not physically matured at the age of 18, like the current No. 11 singles player, John Isner, who turned pro at age 22 after being a four-time All American at the University of Georgia and carrying the Bulldogs to the NCAA title in 2007.

Even brothers Patrick and John McEnroe made the decision to play college tennis at Stanford, though John turned pro after his first year.

But the landscape for their female

Louisa Chirico playing in the Junior Wimbledon quarterfinals.

counterparts looks quite different, considering they hit their physical prime earlier, thus making the decision to go to college more difficult. If you look at the current top 100 players in the Women’s Tennis Association, not one has played in college.

Last year as a junior player, Louisa reached the semifinals of the girls’ tournaments at the French Open and Wimbledon, both times losing to Belinda Bencic, the eventual champ. Interestingly, Louisa beat Bencic at a pro qualifying event earlier that year.

Since going pro six weeks ago, Louisa has been off to an impressive start, winning her first $25,000 ITF tournament on clay in Padova, Italy, reaching her best singles WTA ranking of No. 268. She also collected a doubles title in Switzerland with partner Sanaz Marand, putting her at a No. 281 doubles ranking.

While her tennis idol is Belgium player Kim Clijsters, who retired in 2012, it’s the hard-hitting Aussie, Samantha Stosur, whose game she most admires and tries to emulate.

“I really like Stosur. ... I definitely try

to model some of my plays off of her, just the way that she plays, how she uses her forehand, because she plays different from a lot of the women. She plays with a lot more shape and spin and just, her balls are different.”

Like the 5-foot 8-inch Stosur, Louisa (5 feet 6 inches) has a big forehand, which she says is her greatest weapon.

Her hard-hitting style and speed on the court display her raw athleticism. (As a kid she played all sports but unlike most professional tennis players didn’t commit exclusively to the game until the ripe old age of 13.)

With any big dream come big sacrifices.

“I definitely had to give up a lot of things that normal teenagers get to experience. Like I didn’t get to walk at my graduation.”

But the teenager says she stays in touch with her friends whenever she’s home.

“I’m still trying to have a social life as much as I can, because that’s important too, I think. But it all pays off for me.

The rewards of being able to do what I love every day definitely outweigh the sacrifices.”

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POOLING OFFICE SERVICES

Competitive swimmer Roger Kahn does business virtually

A diving Roger Kahn at the Pan-American Masters Championships in Sarasota, Fla., in June of last year.

Courtesy Roger Kahn

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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ew Rochelle resident Roger Kahn is not the elegiac sportswriter who penned “The Boys of Summer,” though when he graduated from college and moved to New York City, he did get phone calls from ballplayers looking to reconnect with the author.

This Roger Kahn is also a baseball fan (New York Yankees) and enjoys watching college hoops and lacrosse.

But his real connection to sports is swimming, something he’s been doing since age 3 and which he continues to do in the U.S. Masters Swimming program for adults 21 and over. Kahn was named an All-American after earning the No. 1 ranking in the 200-meter short course medley relay for men ages 50 to 60. He also holds the No. 3 national and international ranking in the 200-meter long course medley relay for men ages 60 to 70. And he’s now preparing for the U.S. Masters Swimming Summer National Championship, a long course event that takes place Aug. 13 through 17 at the

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“SWIMMING CLEARS YOUR MIND AND University of Maryland in College Park.

That’s Kahn’s avocation. By day, he runs Champion Office Suites in Garden City on Long Island, where he’s from. It’s a virtual office with six employees who answer the phones for various companies that contract with Kahn. He also rents space and provides office services to people like trial lawyers who have need of an occasional workplace. Kahn’s corporate clients include Westchester, New York City and Long Island businesses as well as European companies that want an American presence.

Prior to that, he was in commercial real estate in Manhattan and commercial insurance.

“I think the smaller-scale, entrepreneurial bug was always there,” he says at the JCC of Mid-Westchester in New Rochelle, where he swims and is on the board. “I was always interested in having my own thing.”

Kahn’s had his own thing now for 10½ years. He describes his company’s progress as “decent, steady growth.”

The same might describe his swimming, which he did competitively throughout his education (University of

GIVES YOU BALANCE. I GET IN THE POOL AND I FIND IT TAKES ME TO A WHOLE OTHER WORLD.” Pennsylvania, Wharton School). A summer at an Olympic training camp led to a shoulder injury. Kahn, a modest, honest man, says that although he might’ve had a shot at the Olympic Trials, he would have never made the Olympic team.

“It’s a totally different level,” he says.

“And you have to put a lot on the line to accomplish that dream.”

To meet his own goals – his specialty is the 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter freestyle – Kahn swims four one-hour sessions a week at the JCC. He also does a 1/2-hour dryland workout, which includes using a Vasa trainer, an inclined bench with pulleys that enables you to mimic swimming strokes; jumping rope; and doing push-ups and calisthenics. Kahn also trains with TRX Suspension cables, developed by the Navy SEALs, for greater strength, flexibility,

balance and core stability.

He sees a definite correlation between business and swimming.

“You have to stay focused and have the ability to balance and juggle your priorities.” Both business and sports, he adds, also require you to make a commitment, adapt to change, cope with stress, be self-confident, listen to others and value teamwork.

In other ways, however, swimming (physical, experiential) is not the business world (sedentary and increasingly virtual).

“I enjoy what I do for a living,” Kahn says, “and so it’s easy to keep working without a break. Swimming clears your mind and gives you balance. I get in the pool and I find it takes me to a whole other world.”

For more on Champion Office Suites, visit virtualofficeny.com.

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EYES ON THE PRIZE

BY NIKKI DAVIDSON

YOU CAN HARDLY WALK ACROSS the floor of Mendez Boxing in Manhattan alongside Stivens “Steve” Bujaj without having to stop every two feet to greet fellow boxers and their trainers. There’s always a hug, a backslap or a handshake, so friendly and popular is the cruiserweight champion in the facility where he, until recently, has been training.

As much as he’s a people person, the confident Bujaj is also driven, with the seriousness of a man who knows what he has to work at and what he wants to work for. His current record of 12 and 0 (12 wins, 9 of them knockouts, no losses, and one draw) saw Bujaj pick up a New York state title in Brooklyn in February, and, a month later, in Washington State, the vacant WBC (World Boxing Council) U.S. Cruiserweight Championship honor – a large, decorated green belt that he proudly showcases. And he’s only 24.

Born in Albania, Bujaj came to New York at 6 months old with his parents, Nikolla and Franceska, and older brother Eli. (He also has another brother, Chris.) Growing up in the Bronx, Bujaj had a way of getting into trouble in and out of school.

“I needed something to do to keep me busy,” he says. “I picked up boxing as a hobby and I just went all the way with it. I just walked into a gym one day.”

That gym was the Morris Park Boxing Club, where he trained for a couple of years, fought in some amateur tournaments and ultimately won the New York Golden Gloves as a heavyweight in 2009-10.

“It really made me stand out when I won those tournaments, and right after that I turned pro,” he says. It was at that point that the family moved to Yonkers, where he now lives with his mother and two brothers.

Bujaj boxes mainly in New York City, but is looking to stage more of his upcoming fights in Westchester County, where he is keen to build up his local fan base. His fights, heavily attended by family, friends and local supporters, have a definite “home-field” advantage.

“Steve is a very popular and talented fighter in the New York area, billed as one of the top upcoming fighters in the world,” promoter Dmitriy Salita said at a press conference before Bujaj’s most recent fight.

That May fight – against Chicago’s Junior Anthony Wright (10 and 0, KO 9) at Brooklyn’s Millennium Theater for a vacant WBC international title – was Bujaj’s toughest to date, he says. Going into it, both boxers were undefeated, records that remain intact as the fight ended in a draw. Will there be a rematch? Possibly in the fall, says Bujaj, who, with the WBC sanctioning body behind him, is eager to contest once more for the still up-for-grabs honor.

Even though he feels he came up a little short, Bujaj is proud that he took on the challenge. “I stepped up, fought a kid 10 and 0, even though it wasn’t on TV. Most fighters don’t fight tough fights unless they have to. I didn’t mind.

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I took a tough fight.”

Boxing isn’t quite as popular as it was in the 1980s and ’90s and has become somewhat complicated by the bureaucracy that besets it, so few fights are televised. The ones that do get covered are often on niche channels like SNY, MSG or Universal Sports. Still, Bujaj has ambitions of getting more of his fights televised on more mainstream networks like ESPN. The trick to achieving that, he says, is “you have to be a TV-friendly fighter, an exciting fighter. The network has to want to watch you.” He mentions Roy Jones Jr., whom he watched often while growing up, as a good, charismatic fighter.

Having the right manager is essential as well. Bujaj’s manager, Don Majeski, who believes that Bujaj can go on to be a world champion, and his team work hard to get the best for the boxer. Such is Bujaj’s assurance in himself and his manager that he is determined that whatever his next fight – whether it is the rematch with Wright or another – it will be in front of a television audience.

As a boxer, Steve prefers to focus on defense.

“Not getting hit, caring about your body, because in 20-30 years, I don’t want to be damaged from the sport. So I definitely try to practice a lot on my defense and try to keep myself healthy.”

On an average day, Bujaj trains for two to three hours with a physical trainer at the gym, where he works on strength and conditioning exercises to get ready for fights. Then he rests and goes running at night. Recently, Bujaj has decided to change gyms and work out with a new trainer.

“I have to … make a lot of small changes in my life. Technical changes, get used to my new trainer, start running more, condition myself better. I was in good condition in my last fight, but I could be better. I’m my own worst critic.” His father, who passed away in 2012, also serves as a strong inspiration for him.

So what is he looking for in a new trainer? “Somebody who has a lot of experience, that’s been around the game a long time, who knows what they’re doing. I definitely want the best of the best. I’m at a different stage of my career. I have to perform the best. Who have they trained?

Have they made anybody champion? Because that’s what I want to become. I want to be a champion.”

Steve Bujaj.

Photograph by Ernie Sapiro

REVAMPED ONE TWENTY ONE CATERS TO FOODIES, HORSEY SET

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Chicken Pepites with a trio of sauces.

Photograph by Melissa Hom. Courtesy One Twenty One.

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WHILE YOU’RE ORDERING YOUR TICKETS FOR THE AMERICAN GOLD CUP (SEPT. 1014 AT OLD SALEM FARM), you might also want to make reservations at neighboring One Twenty One, which features a trifecta of talents – chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten alumnus and executive chef Beck Bolender, general manager Jeffrey Skiba and designer Pamela Dailey.

The trio led a four-week renovation of the restaurant, opening May 7 just in time for Old Salem Farm’s Spring Horse Shows. One Twenty One catered the spring shows in May and will once again be the caterer for the Gold Cup. Call the look young and modern meets country chic. The 15-seat bar is all glossy black lacquer and marble with copper and steel structures for barware suggesting the area’s fences. Mid-century seating teams with petrified wood stumps and reclaimed maple slabs that can serve as tables or additional seating in the lounge area, which can seat up to 20.

A vestibule graced by a photo mural of waves of grain against a blue sky leads to a lower-level dining gallery that seats 48.

The walls are shimmering gray eel skin;

the sconces, black, copper and modern.

The upper-level dining area, seating 50, looks onto the redesigned kitchen and wood-burning oven. Both dining rooms feature reclaimed oak tabletops and chairs in a warm, tobacco-colored linen that rest on steel bases. There are also banquettes in charcoal vinyl and community tables with metal-framed glass tops on wood bases.

Come for the design, as they say, stay for the food. Beck – who grew up in North Salem before going on to Nougatine and Jean-Georges in Manhattan, becoming the youngest sous chef in J-G history – whips up any number of locally sourced Hudson Valley treats. They include hangar steak chimichurri, crispy veal sweetbreads with wilted greens and chili aioli, seafood cioppino, snapper with spring vegetables and spring garlic; pan-fried shishitos with parmesan and lemon and goat cheese fritters with bacon jam.

There’s a “smear” menu with creative combos like duck terrine and blackberries and bone marrow and cauliflower, along with wood-fired oven favorites

like pizza and prawns and pork. The service is overseen by Skiba, who honed his skills at such Big Apple faves as Craftbar and Gotham Bar & Grill. Pair the delectable offerings with one of 20 whites or 20 reds, a selection of American Craft beers or one of the imaginative cocktails. They include the Tennessee Cola (Michter’s Whiskey with root syrup, Sorel liqueur, Averell Damson gin liqueur and Coca-Cola, poured into a flask-shaped bottle); and Passion in Phuket (Tito’s vodka, passion fruit and Thai chilies).

It’s all designed for the adventurer in any horse or food lover. Says Beck: “My plan is to make sure the customer leaves the restaurant having tried two to three new dishes. I want to open our guests’ eyes to a new world of food and flavor trying dishes that they have never had before, especially in North Salem.”

Chef Beck Bolender.

Photograph by Melissa Hom. Courtesy One Twenty One

One Twenty One serves weekday lunch and Saturday and Sunday brunch while offering dinner seven nights a week and a late-night menu. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sundays. The restaurant is at 2 Dingle Ridge Road. For reservations or more information, call 914-669-0121 or visit 121restaurant.com.

90th Annual

Yorktown Grange Fair September 4 — September 7

Grange Fairgrounds • 99 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights

Rides ~ Exhibits ~ Livestock ~ Contests Exhibits & Contests

Produce ~ Flowers ~ Art ~ Baking ~ Legos Needlework ~ Photography ~ Square Dancing

Audience Participation Contests Join Us A Celeb s We rate Years 90 !

Live Music

• Misty Creek • Unfunded Mandate • Lost Soulz Band • Chain of Fools • Andrea & the Armenian Rug Riders

For the Kids

Antique Tractor Parade Saturday at Noon

Annie & the Natural Wonder Band Ventriloquist Jonathan Geffner

www.yorktowngrangefair.org 33

SADDLE UP! Take a seat as the equine elite strut their stuff

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

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McLain Ward on Cadence.

Photograph by Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group.

Courtesy the American Gold Cup.

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Three great equine events ride into WAG country late summer – two at the Greenwich Polo Club, the third, the American Gold Cup, at Old Salem Farm in North Salem.

The polo club – which was founded in 1981 by businessman and art collector Peter Brant – kicks things off Aug. 31 with the Virginia’s House of Hope Charity match from noon to 5 p.m. The second annual “Benefit of Hope” will feature an open bar, tastings, entertainment and the time-honored tradition of halftime divot stomping, all in support of the charity’s Tugboat Program, which provides qualified candidates from underprivileged backgrounds with a career start in the maritime industry. (After the three-week program, each student is certified to work as a tugboat deckhand, which could ultimately lead to becoming a captain with a six-figure salary. House of Hope guarantees that each graduate is hired.) Tickets are $350 VIPs, $250 individuals, $50 children ages 11-15. Children 10 and under are admitted free. For more, visit virginiashouse.weebly. com/.

Then on Sept. 7, it’s the annual 20-goal USPA Royal Salute Jubilee Cup, complete with a Scottish piper and a host of celebrities. Polo player Nick Manifold, who helps run the club, calls it “one of the best days I’ve ever seen.”

WAG caught up with Manifold – who began playing at age 19 in his native Australia and has been with the club since 1992 – just as the season was about to get underway in June. For spectators, he says, the club is more than a place to see greats of the game like 9-goalers Mariano Aguerre and Hilario Ulloa, who helped the Alegria team take the U.S. Open title in April. (Ten goals is the highest level you can achieve in polo.) The club also provides an opportunity for you to relax in Greenwich’s verdant, undulating back country, a short drive from Manhattan.

“For a family to come out here and have a picnic, there are few more beautiful places in the world,” he says. The gates open at 1 p.m. and the match starts at 3 p.m. Admission is $40. For more, visit greenwichpoloclub.com.

The equestrian season comes to a thrilling conclusion Sept. 10-14 with the return of The American Gold Cup to 120-acre Old Salem Farm for the third year.

Last year Brianne Goutal, aboard Nice de Prissey, took top honors at the $200,000 American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI*-W, a qualifier for the FEI World Cup that concludes this show jumping competition. Tracy Fenney, riding MTM Timon, and Beezie Madden, aboard Coral Reef Via Volo, finished second and third respectively amid a field of 36. Who will it be this year?

One thing is certain: Many of the faces outside the ring will be familiar for the event, which will award $436,000 in prize money. Suncast, a leading storage manufacturer, is back as a major sponsor. So is neighbor-

The presentation ceremony at the 2013 American Gold Cup. From left: Winners Beezie Madden, Brianne Goutal, Tracy Fenney and Suncast’s Richard Bourns. Photograph by Carrie Wirth/Phelps Media Group. Courtesy the American Gold Cup.

ing One Twenty One as the caterer. And NBC will again broadcast the Gold Cup on Sept. 21 at 4 p.m.

Last year the event, organized by Stadium Jumping and Old Salem Farm, received the Most Improved Top 25 award from the North American Riders Group, moving up nine places to third.

Admission is free weekdays and $20; $15 for children ages 4 to 12 and senior citizens, on Saturday and Sunday. (Children age 3 and under are admitted free.)

Gates open 8 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday and noon Sunday. For tickets and more information, visit theamericangoldcup.com.

Tales of Two Cities: New York & Beijing

An exhibition of artworks resulting from exchanges of ideas between five pairs of artists: Joan Snyder & Wei Jia Alois Kronschlaeger & Lin Yan Michelle Fornabai & Qin Feng Jorge Tacla & Li Taihuan Simon Lee & Chen Shaoxiong

BRUCE MUSEUM

May 3–August 31, 2014

Greenwich, Connecticut 203.869.0376 | brucemuseum.org 35

S-T-R-E-T-C-H Pilates catches on with men STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY JANE K. DOVE

THE NUMBER OF MEN TAKING PILATES CLASSES is on the rise and with good reason.

The perfect complement to cardiovascular and resistance training, Pilates increases strength and stability, especially in the core muscles of the abdomen and back.

“I have been working with men since I opened The Pilates Greenhouse in 2009,” says owner Jane Bradley. “The men I teach tell me they find the focus on strengthening the body’s core muscles to be of great benefit to them in many ways, whether they are interested in Pilates as a tool for rehabilitation or as a valuable addition to their overall fitness program.”

Bradley, a multi-certified instructor with more than 15 years experience teaching Pilates, offers a full range of individual classes at The Pilates Greenhouse in Ridgefield. Two of her male clients, Chris Schabacker of South Salem and John Zembron of Ridgefield, agree.

“I started Pilates about three years ago, because I was having lower back problems and was diagnosed with lumbar

stenosis,” Schabacker says. “It got to the point where I had such serious pain from sciatica that I couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes at a time. I went to physical therapy for a while, but it didn’t do much good. My wife, Carol, a client at The Pilates Greenhouse, suggested I give Pilates a try and I have gotten great results and am now pain-free.”

Zembron came to The Pilates Greenhouse for entirely different reasons.

“I retired from my career as an accountant last June and was offered a wellness package,” he says. “I was evaluated by a physiologist and told my aerobic and strength training was fine, but I was paying no attention to my core. For example, I found it hard to balance on one foot during the assessment. My wife, Linda, a client of Jane’s, said I should try Pilates and I decided to add it to my personal fitness regimen. What I find most interesting is the focus on the body and mind together to work on controlling and strengthening the body’s core. I find it a great part of a balanced fitness routine and have seen a major improvement.”

INTELLIGENT EXERCISE Bradley explained the origins of Pilates and what the popular discipline aims to accomplish.

“Joseph Pilates, an asthmatic boxer, developed and refined the regimen in an effort to overcome his physical disabilities and rehabilitate bedridden patients, opening the first dedicated Pilates

studio in New York in the 1920s,” she says. “The method he created uses a series of movements that engage the mind and body in developing strong, flexible muscles without adding bulk. Pilates emphasized developing deep torso strength and flexibility, or centering. He also drew on Eastern traditions of controlled breathing and movement while adding the Western approach of resistance training.”

When illustrating the objectives of his new technique, Pilates often described the lithe musculature and ease of movement possessed by a cat, an image that still often comes to mind because Pilates improves posture, balance, coordination and flexibility.

“When evaluating which of the many ‘schools’ of Pilates to subscribe to, I chose Stott Pilates, because I believe it offers the most progressive and contemporary approach to core stability training,” Bradley says.

According to her, Pilates exercises require concentration, control, precision, conscious and specific breathing patterns and dynamic, fluid movements. Deep abdominal muscles remain fully engaged during the workout, while fluid torso, arm and leg movements are performed against body or machine resistance.

“Pilates is well-known for its ability to exercise, tone and lengthen muscles, increase abdominal and back strength, improve posture and body mechanics and reduce joint and lower back stress,” she says. “Balancing flexibility with strength while reducing stress and tension, Pilates is a perfect addition to a fitness program.”

GREAT RESULTS Schabacker and Zembron have both reaped the rewards of the discipline.

“For me, the biggest benefit has been the relief from pain,” Schabacker says. “I no longer have to be uncomfortable standing at an event or just doing routine things around the house and yard. It has greatly improved the overall quality of my life.”

Schabacker, an attorney, takes Pilates twice a week and says it is far better than the physical therapy he started out with after his diagnosis.

“I needed rehabilitation, Pilates Greenhouse owner Jane Bradley.

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but in my case this worked out better.

My male friends are interested and supportive, and I feel there is a growing consciousness among men in my age group (60-plus) about just how valuable this can be.”

Zembron takes three classes a week and says he now has a much more balanced fitness regimen.

“I believe that men taking Pilates is a trend that is going to grow. It has great preventive benefits and can help you stay healthy and fit as you grown older. Hopefully it will one day be covered by insurers. My male peers are much more focused on their health than even a few years ago.

Taking Pilates is a fresh new idea for many of them but I believe it will take hold.”

Bradley says she is gratified that her male clients take so well to the discipline.

“Many men are geared to thinking in terms of a weight workout and building body mass. It is my job to break through that and get them to focus internally while I educate them about the importance of strengthening their bodies’ core.”

Another area that requires extra work with men is developing flexibility, she says.

“Men tend to be tight and locked into certain postures,” she says. “Some of this comes from sitting at a desk all day in front of a computer screen. Many muscles become shortened and tight and it is my job to loosen them up.”

As a point of interest, both Bradley and her two clients say there are few jokes out there about Pilates being a “girlie” workout.

“On the contrary, Pilates is now taking hold with athletes,” she says. “The benefits are different from other forms of athletic training and are now getting recognition. More and more athletes and their trainers are now recognizing Pilates as technology for functional living in a healthy body.”

Bradley says she was gratified when a client goes from being in constant discomfort when he first comes to her to emerging pain-free after a few weeks.

“Helping my clients achieve a pain-free existence is very important to me,” she says. “I want my clients living in physical ease and happiness and enjoy working with them to achieve that state.”

For information, call 203-431-8900 or visit thepilatesgreenhouse.com.

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FAR FROM THE WORLD CUP

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Area players dream of making it to the pros

HE LOCKER ROOMS at Alan R. Skidelsky Memorial Field in New Rochelle are what you might call a work in progress – which is to say right now there are no locker rooms.

Members of The Westchester Flames, the soccer team that plays its home games at Skidelsky, can’t take showers on match days and have to change into their playing gear in their cars or on the sidelines before matches. The Flames, ever the courteous hosts, send visiting teams to nearby Monroe College to use its locker rooms.

On the Sunday following Independence Day, the GPS Portland Phoenix, from Maine, were scheduled to arrive by the 7:30 p.m. start.

But the clock on the pre-digital scoreboard clicked down to kickoff, 0:00 came and went and still no Phoenix. About 30 spectators in the five rows of bleachers waited during the extended warm-ups.

When the opposing team showed up shortly before 8 p.m., Flames supporters admitted to being impressed by Portland’s jerseys: Unlike Westchester, Portland has players’ last names on the back of the shirts. One person refused to be impressed, though, when he noticed that one of the Phoenix players was borrowing a teammate’s jersey and therefore two people with the same name and number were warming up for Portland.

Gus Skoufis, the Flames’ head coach, is a short man with graying hair, a mustache and hints of the Greek accent he brought to the U.S. when he moved here at age 12. He sports leather loafers and a nice watch, wearing a Polo shirt tucked into pleated pants. He watches warm-ups from a distance, and when he speaks to players he gets close to them. He never seems to face them directly, but stands alongside them and pivots in their direction. He speaks with his hands. When he is calm, it’s with the fluid, rhythmic motions of splayed fingers, like a conductor. When he is being critical, it is with closed fists banging on an invisible table and karate chops through nonexistent two-by-fours.

“If they want to make it to the pros,” he says of his players, “here they show it to me. The No. 1 attribute to a quality player is character, then come skills, commitment and toughness. Everyone can call themselves an athlete, but only a few can go on from here.”

Jerry Fischoff, the public address announcer and scoreboard operator, got things going in the cramped press box, with its faded lavender paint and fluorescent lights. It has no air conditioning

38

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK LUNGARIELLO

The goal for the members of the Flames is to continue to play professionally, catching on with a Major League Soccer club or with a team in a foreign league.

and only three metal folding chairs for Fischoff and members of the local television station who were filming with one camera.

The P.A. system consists of one 200-watt speaker blaring out of an open window in the press box. Fischoff was the DJ, switching between a few Sharpie-marked CDs in an Insignia brand portable CD player.

Think a circle-shaped version of a Sony Discman. He was also the announcer, introducing players on a hand-held microphone, pulling back his New York accent while reading off crinkled papers through bifocals on the end of his nose. And he was also the official stat keeper for the game.

It was the Flames’ last home game of the season and third to last game overall.

The season hadn’t gone well, with Westchester having won only two games and tied two others the entire season, losing seven on their way to finishing second to last in their division. Portland wasn’t exactly a powerhouse of the division, having won only three with no ties. The Flames knew they had a chance to win their last home game, and, smelling blood in the water, they took the lead in the 26th minute on a goal from midfielder Ryan Williams.

The Westchester Flames play in the Northeastern division of the USL Premier Development League, which is the fourth-tier professional league in the country. The rules of the game are similar to international rules, with the exception being that the development league teams are allowed six player substitutions rather than three.

Westchester’s players are a mixture of college soccer players keeping up their conditioning during the off-season and a few postgrads still holding out hope they’ll catch the eye of a scout and play on a higher level. The team also hosts youth camps and fields an under-20 squad.

Josh Maley, a midfielder from Poughkeepsie, graduated college two years ago and played for two seasons in Holland on a team called ADO Den Haag. He now works full-time for Merrill Lynch but is able to make practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays because they are after office hours. He’s not willing to give up on soccer just yet.

“It’s tough,” he says. “It just kind of sticks with you.” He’s hoping to catch on with a U.S. Major League Soccer club.

Rilwan Salawu was born in Nigeria

and now lives in Brooklyn. He played for SUNY Binghamton and went on to play for Maxbees FC, a third division team in Ghana and Kartalspor in the Turkish league. He hopes to return to play in Turkey and has been playing in Westchester to recover from a leg injury.

“I seize every opportunity,” says Salawu, who is 26 and has the confidence of a young Magic Johnson. “I just need to get the right eyes on me.”

The Flames formed in 1999 and won the championship in 2001, the same year they began playing at Skidelsky Field.

Over the years, the team has seen several alumni go on to play at higher levels, including Charlie Davies. A member of the U.S. National Team, Davies didn’t see time during the 2010 World Cup when he was injured in a car accident. He now plays for the New England Revolution in MLS. Coach Skoufis says getting the best players to the pros is always the goal.

“That’s our job,” he says. “(Soccer) is their life, believe it or not.”

In recent years, as Skidelsky Field is in the process of renovation, the team has seen major changes to its roster. It hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006.

Portland stormed back in the second half, with Westchester goalkeeper Thomas Spenser facing a firing squad of attacks.

The Phoenix tied the game in the 64th minute and jumped ahead, 2-1, in the 88th minute.

Spenser, who plays for the University of Rhode Island, was a bit downtrodden coming off of the field but positive about the game experience. He is 21 years old.

In the end, he says, he knows dedication is what separates a college athlete from someone who elevates his game to the professional level. “It comes down to how hard you work,” he says. “You can’t go on raw talent all the time.”

One by one, the Flames’ players made their way off the field to their cars. The head coach, head down, walked slowly across midfield toward the exit. Next year, he says, he hoped work on the facilities would be completed. As for the roster, a development league team is always a work in progress. With more professional facilities, he says he was aiming for more professional-level players.

“Hopefully, next year will be the year we go back up where we belong.”

For more, visit uslsoccer.com

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39

THE NEW AMERICAN PASTIME?

BY MARK LUNGARIELLO

S

ome Americans still hate soccer because it’s an assault on the sanctity of the American rite of snack time.

That must be the reason. Nothing else makes any real sense.

Persistent soccer haters try to justify their dislike of the game in many ways, but the snack argument is the only one that holds any real weight (more weight than we care to admit perhaps). American sports’ timeouts, clock stoppages and football downs and huddles are built-in opportunities to raid the kitchen (or hit the loo).

Soccer has none of these pauses, just an ever-ticking, unforgiving clock that counts up, not down and that forces you to focus on the actual game. You might say, then, that the World Cup is the exact opposite of Super Bowl Sunday. People at World Cup gatherings actually have to watch the game and nothing but the game for 45 minutes at a time, leaving very little time to talk about other things or concentrate on navigating a buffalowings-and-blue-cheese-dressing platter.

That anti-soccer set looks increasingly silly to the rest of us who are having a blast at the party. They like to say the sport is boring. I suppose the best suggestion then for a little excitement is to add some commercial breaks to the game, because nothing says compelling television more than advertisers interrupting a game to try to sell you things you don’t need.

Another argument is that Americans don’t like soccer because we don’t like floppers, fakers and actors who exaggeratedly pretend to have been fouled to draw a penalty. If I were being sarcastic – I would never do that – I’d say our athletes in the NBA never pretend to be fouled, and Major League Baseball players never pretend to tag a runner out when he hasn’t even come close. Our players would never cheat, I’d say if I were being sarcastic.

We also still hear silly arguments that soccer is hard to follow even though it’s about as simple to understand as the rules of playing catch. And we hear crazy criti-

40

World Cup fever.

cisms that soccer players are inferior athletes. But then, the heckler in the corner of the bar might have missed where U.S. striker Clint Dempsey played through the entire World Cup with a broken nose.

My money is on Dempsey and not the heckler in an arm wrestling match, by the way.

Perhaps the issue goes deeper than snack and bathroom breaks. A very vocal group we’ll call “The Fun Police” continue to cling to the idea that it’s cool for Americans to hate soccer even as many have been swept up in soccer fever. Ann Coulter received much backlash for a column in which she called the increased interest in soccer a sign of the nation’s “moral decay.”

“I promise you: No American whose great-grandfather was born here is watching soccer,” she said. “One can only hope that, in addition to learning English,

these new Americans will drop their soccer fetish with time.”

It’s an American sport, after all, to be slightly uncomfortable about the country’s place in the international conversation, and maybe soccer’s newfound popularity is a manifestation of that. P.J. O’Rourke famously said in a critique of American foreign policy that, “Americans hate foreigners, because Americans are foreigners. We all come from foreign lands, even if we came 10,000 years ago on a land bridge across the Bering Strait.”

Maybe that’s why we still have an aversion to the metric system, the agreedupon system of measurement everywhere but here and by all accounts a more-efficient method than ours. The U.S. Congress tried to push the country toward the metric system in 1975 legislation, which for a time led to signs on highways that listed the speed limit in kilometers as well

as miles (not to mention baseball stadium dimensions measured in meters as well as feet). Our attempt at internationalism, however, didn’t last long. In 1999, NASA lost a Mars probe, because a Lockheed Martin engineering team didn’t convert its linear measurements to NASA’s standard metric ones. Cost of the booboo – a cool $125 million.

Then again, American cuisine is pretty international (albeit with a Yankee Doodle spin). And we Yanks do love our Brit and Brit-inspired TV (“Downton Abbey,” “American Idol” and “The X Factor”).

Don’t worry, Fun Police, no one is taking away snack time. But it is time to go with the flow and admit that hey, maybe the rest of the world was right about soccer all along.

As for those bidets, well, that’s another story.

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FOR THE LOVE OF SOCCER ... AND KIDS’ SAFETY

M

ark A. Vitale was waiting for his plane to leave Brazil for the United States – and waiting. And waiting.

Why the holdup? Brazilian passengers refused to board before the conclusion of the football – that is, soccer – match between Brazil and Chile.

Welcome to World Cup fever, which Vitale and some of his pals caught during their recent visit.

“It’s one of the great sporting events in the world,” he says of the tournament, which ended July 13 with Germany triumphing over Argentina 1-0. “There’s nothing in the U.S. like the World Cup. The fans are more enthusiastic than the fans of baseball, football and basketball.”

Especially in this cup’s host country, which unfortunately collapsed against Germany in the semifinals, 7-1. “For Brazil, soccer is a religion. They’ve had so many great players, from Pelé to (the recently injured) Neymar Jr.” Vitale – an orthopedic surgeon with ONS in Greenwich who specializes in hand, wrist and elbow treatment – had the chance to experience that enthusiasm firsthand at two of the 12 World Cup sites in

42

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Brazil. At Fortaleza, he and his friends saw Greece deny Côte d’Ivoire’s (Ivory Coast’s) sleeper team a chance to advance to the knockout round, 2-1.

Then came a biggie, the United States versus Group G rival (and ultimate champ) Germany at Recife, a match in which the Americans lost 1-0 but were still able to advance under the tournament’s point system.

(They would be eliminated in the Round of 16 by Belgium, 2-1.) Nonetheless, Vitale was heartened by the Americans’ progress in a sport that is becoming more popular in this country, but that remains at present largely a children’s activity.

“The level of play was so high. If that had been years ago, we would’ve lost 6-0,” he says. “The U.S. had the second best team in its group. We were clearly better than Portugal and Ghana. And we had real stars in (goalie) Tim Howard, whose 16 saves (against Belgium) were the most in a World Cup, and (team captain) Clint Dempsey.”

He also praises U.S. team coach (and former German star) Jürgen Klinsmann, whose effectiveness and willingness to draw attention to himself as a way to take pressure off his players has been compared both as a compliment and a criticism to that of 49ers’ coach Jim Harbaugh.

“There’s no question that Klinsmann’s a genius,” Vitale says. “Tactically and strategically, he’s known as a great coach.”

Vitale, however, wasn’t just observing

the matches as a fan. In his practice, he’s all too aware of the injuries that can result from a sport like soccer. A goalie such as Howard might be at risk for a hand injury from swatting away a ball that’s coming to the net with terrific speed and force.

Players of racket sports are more at risk for hand, wrist and elbow injuries, particularly wrist injuries, although Vitale notes that tennis elbow tends to be even more common among those who don’t play sports but rather engage in repetitive activities like typing.

By far the biggest medical concern with soccer is the brain. Soccer, he says, is the number two sport for concussions among youngsters, after football. Far more is known today than it was a quarter of a century ago about the relationship of concussions and subconcussive incidents to brain trauma. Recently, several stars of the 1999 U.S. World Cup women’s championship team, including Brandi Chastain, Cindy Parlow Cone and Joy Fawcett, used the global focus on soccer to call for an end to heading the ball by youngsters.

It’s a position that Vitale supports for children younger than 10, who don’t have the techniques and body control and awareness to avoid head-to-head contact.

Children’s sports safety is a cause close to his heart. He’s on the board of Alexandra’s Playground, an organization founded by his brother, pediatric orthopedic surgeon Michael Vitale, and his wife, Andrea, after

Michael Vitale

their daughter, Alexandra, was killed in an accident while at sailing school in 2008.

Sports were a big part of Mark Vitale’s youth. He played soccer and lacrosse at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, lacrosse at Tufts University and rugby on a championship team at Columbia University, where he earned his medical degree and a master’s in public health.

At Columbia, Vitale was the starting hooker (so-called because the player hooks or rakes the ball with his foot back to his teammates during the scrum.) But Vitale knows what you’re thinking.

“That probably doesn’t sound good,” he says with a laugh.

For more on Mark A. Vitale, visit onsmd.org. And for more on Alexandra’s Playground, visit alexandrasplayground.org.

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NO ‘HARD CHOICE’ FOR HILLARY SUPPORTERS

BY RONNI DIAMONDSTEIN

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO STAGE A BOOK SIGNING – ESPECIALLY WHEN THE VILLAGE IS CHAPPAQUA AND THE BOOK, “HARD CHOICES,” IS BY ONE OF ITS MOST NEWSWORTHY RESIDENTS, HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON. “We’re always pleased to support and highlight local authors, but when such a prominent person agrees to hold an event or signing at the library, it’s extra special,” said Chappaqua Library Director Pamela Thornton. “It indicates that they value and support the work we do for the community.

“The library staff, Secret Service, Ms. Clinton’s staff and Yvonne and Roy Solomon from The Village Bookstore all worked together to make sure that everyone had a positive experience.” Thornton said she overhead people – who began arriving at 8 a.m. for the 3 p.m. signing, some from as far away as Mexico – say that they had made friends while waiting in line. “And that’s what the library is all about – bringing people together who share a common interest.”

The object of that interest arrived just before 3 o’clock. Security was tight for the former secretary of state, especially after a sign promoting the event had been vandalized the previous week. But coming off a month-long, coast-to-coast book signing tour for her memoir of her time at the State Department, Clinton was all smiles. Dressed in one of her signature pantsuits, this one in luminous aqua, she posed briefly for the press and then got down to the business of signing. She shook hands and chatted as people from all walks of life passed through the line.

44

People of all ages were on hand to meet the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. Photograph by Ronni Diamondstein.

Clinton took a moment to talk World Cup with 12-year-old Clay Haddock of Hastings-on-Hudson, who was wearing a soccer T-shirt. “She really wants the U.S. to win and she asked me which team I thought would win,” said Clay, who presciently picked Germany (the ultimate winner) and the Netherlands (the third-

place finisher).

Dana Dince of Chappaqua, a teaching assistant, had a few words with her, too.

“A beautiful photo of my daughter and Hillary appeared in the recently televised Diane Sawyer interview. I told her that it was my daughter, Lea, in that photo and that it was taken at (the Douglas)

Grafflin Elementary School on Election Day years ago. She asked me how old my daughter is now.”

And Kelly Leonard, a digital marketing strategist, thoughtfully asked her how she was doing. “She said, ‘Thanks so much for asking,’ and said that she was doing well. I mentioned that I’d worked

in book publishing for 25 years and know firsthand that book tours are not easy and she said that the book means so much to her, it’s worth it.”

Attendees echoed those words about Clinton.

Ira Siegel of New Rochelle, first in line at 4:30 a.m., sported a “Hillary for President” T-shirt.

“It’s about time we have a female in the Oval Office,” he said. “I’m a big supporter of President Clinton and Hillary.

My brother got to meet her at the book signing in LA. I missed the one in New York so I had to make this one.”

Seth Baumgartner and his girlfriend, Gabby Normandeau, made sure they didn’t miss this one either, driving 200 miles from Fairhaven, Mass.

“We love Hillary and drove eight hours to the University of Buffalo to hear her speak this past October.”

Also at the head of the line was Lee Teich of Chappaqua, who was holding a place for his 92-year-old mother-in-

law, Margaret Vaccaro. Julia BlanchardYoung was 300 pages into her copy of “Hard Choices,” which some critics have called substantive but not personally revealing. “It’s given me an incredible idea of the work that she has done (as secretary

fought hard to have women succeed.”

They came from near and far. As The Village Bookstore of Pleasantville began to distribute wristbands and sell copies of “Hard Choices” at 10 a.m., Vanessa Esma of Yucatan, Mexico, joined the line. “I’d

“WE LOVE HILLARY AND DROVE EIGHT HOURS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO TO HEAR HER SPEAK THIS PAST OCTOBER.” – Seth Baumgartner

of state) and how she is ready to be president,” said the 75-year-old social worker from Tarrytown, who was an activist in the 1960s. “I really want her to run. I want my granddaughter to know that we

have a better chance to get to meet her in a small town,” said Esma, who had flown in for the event the night before.

Ready for Hillary, the nationwide grassroots PAC encouraging the former

secretary of state to run for president in 2016, was there in full force, distributing “I’m Ready for Hillary” stickers and recruiting volunteers. The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival set up a lemonade and water stand. Its first customer was one of the very few protesters who showed up that day.

The hundreds of attendees were joined by numerous volunteers, among them former New Castle Town Board member John Buckley.

“This is a celebration in our town and I wanted to be part of it,” said Buckley, who was sworn into office twice by Clinton.

Roy Solomon, who co-owns The Village Bookstore in Pleasantville with his wife, Yvonne von Cort, (and helped stage a similar event for President Bill Clinton’s “Back to Work” several years ago), found the day exhilarating.

“I’m grateful that Secretary Clinton was willing to do this event in Chappaqua and that we could be a part of it.”

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45

Mind games Hypnotist Bob Pargament helps athletes up their performance

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPH BY BOB ROZYCKI

BOB PARGAMENT IS USED TO THE MIX OF SKEPTICISM AND MISINFORMATION. After all, his profession is not one most encounter every day.

“People don’t know too many hypnotists,” he said. “We’re a rare breed.”

A certified hypnotist and founder of the Westchester Hypnosis Center in Harrison, Pargament knows countless people associate hypnosis with the most visible element of the field, stage hypnosis.

“I’m always getting asked that, ‘Can you make me cluck like a chicken?’” he said with a wry smile.

But that’s not what he’s been doing in his decade in the field.

“I don’t believe in playing tricks on people. I want them to be able to get something good out of it.”

After a career in television production, Pargament tapped into his long-held interests in meditation and hypnosis to create a most-fulfilling second act. The native New Yorker trained with Gerald Kein of Omni Hypnosis Training Center in DeLand, Fla., where he formalized his skills.

And ever since, Pargament has applied his training working successfully with hundreds of clients.

Someone who has smoked for decades is suddenly free of the habit. Someone who has been afraid to step into an elevator can now travel from floor to floor. Someone who can’t pass up a piece (or three) of chocolate cake is suddenly losing weight.

It’s all the result of hypnosis.

“You get a feeling of empowerment,” he said of what happens to his clients.

And for every person Pargament has helped get over a fear of spiders or every actor conquer stage fright, he’s also helped a stadium’s worth of athletes.

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD On a recent afternoon, Pargament shared that his most recent client was a golfer.

“A lot of golfers come in,” he said. “It helps them tremendously.”

Pargament, though, has worked with athletes of all sports, levels and ages. It might be the high-school lacrosse player with an eye on a scholarship but a tendency to choke or a young woman participating in competitive gymnastics whose nerves kill her poise.

It can also be adult pool players, who’ve suddenly lost their concentration. Follow-

46

ing hypnosis, Pargament said, the pool players are suddenly playing better.

“They really do, and they’re less likely to break their cue over their knee if they miss a shot.”

Across the board, he said, hypnosis draws on strengths buried in the subconscious.

“It opens up new possibilities in a lot of people’s mind, what they can do,” he said.

He again turns to a sports example, talking of marathon runners who lose their

driving home and realize you’ve come to your exit with no recollection of the past few miles.

“In hypnosis we take that state a little bit more deeply,” he said of his work that can range from single to multiple sessions.

“You can insert suggestions.”

Pargament might work with each client individually – though he does offer group sessions on topics such as smoking cessation – starting out with a phone conversation to “demystify” the process. The client

Bob Pargament

mental stamina in the final miles of a race.

“They would have this mental block, and they will start to believe this block.”

Through guided suggestions, he can help runners see themselves overcoming those obstacles, completing the course and savoring the success. It’s the same way a weightlifter might push beyond what he feels is his limit or how a competitive horseback rider will find a heightened awareness.

“The body will supply that energy, and the brain will supply that,” he said. “It’s taking out the dam from the river.”

THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION Pargament is fond of calling the brain “arguably the most sophisticated computer ever made.”

Delving into its workings fascinates Pargament, who can talk about the science as well as the art of hypnosis.

“I think hypnotists all have the same curiosity I have,” he said.

As do many of his clients, Pargament shared.

“Everybody experiences hypnosis organically,” he said, using what he calls “highway hypnosis” as an example – when you’re

then comes in for a session that always begins with detailed intake. Pargament might ask things ranging from favorite colors to places you feel most comfortable to moments of greatest achievement.

“I try to find the things with the individual that resonate with them,” he said.

Then, in simplest terms, Pargament will guide a client into a most relaxed state. In that state, the clients are receptive to suggestions and positive reinforcement with cues given that they can then call up when they find themselves in the same situation.

He might “take” them to their favorite place and have them envision what they had previously found stressful playing out with a different, positive outcome.

“You’re really painting pictures with words,” he said, adding that it’s all about tapping into the “power of the mind-body connection.”

“It’s a different model than, say, a therapist’s model,” he said.

DEFRAGGING THE HARD DRIVE Pargament stresses his role is not to judge. He’s tasked with finding a solution to help with a problem.

He realizes people are dealing with much these days and his role is to help them cope.

“This is an anxious age in which we live in,” he said. “All the different technology out there really pulls people in different directions.”

No matter who he’s working with, Pargament is committed to getting to the heart of the issue.

“I call it defragging the hard drive,” he said. “It’s really learning about this built-in mechanism we all have.”

In that state, suggestions make an impression.

“You feel clearer, more relaxed, much less anxious,” he said. “The subject is aware.

They’re actually in a state of heightened awareness but relaxed at the same time.”

Take the golfer, for example. Pargament will talk to him, before the hypnosis starts, about successful times in his or her life. He wants to know about a time when he truly felt recognized, having achieved something.

“I will take that feeling and insert it into their golf game,” he said.

Pargament said that the “skill set” required to be a good hypnotist ranges from empathy to intuition – and acknowledges, somewhat humbly, that having a soothing voice such as his doesn’t hurt.

Pargament, a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, said he’s fueled by “just a love, a love of people and human beings and what makes us tick.”

The subject of television and radio profiles along with many magazine features, Pargament has worked with corporate clients ranging from PepsiCo to Morgan Stanley to the American Dental Association.

Throughout the year, he can be found traveling to speak at and attend conferences, continuing his own studies.

“I do a lot of lectures about hypnosis, because it is so misunderstood.”

With what Pargament sees as a growing acceptance of hypnosis – he readily points to its being employed in medical procedures – he’s confident its popularity can only rise.

In the end, he said, it’s all about drawing out something that is – on the playing field or in life, in general – already there.

“Everyone wants to perform better,” he said. “This is working with people’s belief systems, what they want for themselves and helping them to get there.”

For more, visit westchesterhypnosis. com.

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GREASEPAINT AND A ROCK ’N’ ROLL HEART Condola Rashad is on a roll

BY HEATHER SALERNO PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN RIZZO

49

I

t’s a thick, steamy morning in Brooklyn, but Condola Rashad still looks cool after walking to Café Ghia, a tiny neighborhood spot near her Bushwick apartment. Clad in a navy maxi dress, metallic sandals and a woven Michael Kors belt, she cheerfully orders the daily special – vegan tomato soup – even though it’s really too early (and humid) for such a warm dish. The wide-eyed actress explains that she has to eat lightly, because she’s just finished The Master Cleanse, a liquid-only diet favored by celebrities such as Beyoncé to shed unwanted pounds quickly.

“Anyone who tells you, ‘Oh, you’re not hungry after a few days,’ is lying,” she says, with a grin.

Rashad isn’t a fan of crash diets, though, and she’s not looking to trim an already slender frame. Instead, the rising star, whose parents are actress Phylicia Rashad and former football player turned NBC sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, is using the cleanse as a way to recharge after an exhilarating, but exhausting, period of career highs and personal lows.

For most of last year, the 27-year-old performed in eight shows a week on Broadway. She began with a revival of “The Trip to Bountiful,” which earned her a second Tony nomination, and finished with her first leading theatrical role, opposite Hollywood heartthrob Orlando Bloom in “Romeo and Juliet.” Taking on that iconic character raised Rashad’s profile, but it also made her a tabloid target when rumors flew that she was having an

50

affair with Bloom, who separated from his wife, model Miranda Kerr, during the show’s run. (Absolutely not true, says Rashad, just to set the record straight again.)

Indeed, at the time, she was ending what she calls an emotionally abusive relationship with her then-boyfriend.

Says the actress: “2013 was very extreme. The greats were great and the terribles were terrible.”

So at the beginning of this year, Rashad

made some major New Year’s resolutions.

She quit smoking. She took up yoga and meditation. She began to eat better. She set a new professional goal, too – score a breakthrough TV gig.

Almost instantly, she was tapped for “Hieroglyph,” a Fox action-adventure series set in ancient Egypt. Cast as the pharaoh’s power-hungry half-sister, Rashad was thrilled to shift away from sweetfaced ingénues: “I’ve really wanted to

play someone with an edge.” And while shooting the show’s pilot earlier this year in Morocco and Albuquerque was a blast, the demands of an hour-long drama series were also apparent. So she hoped the cleanse would help ready both mind and body for the challenges ahead.

“It’s been all about getting rid of bad habits and getting ready for this next big thing,” she says. “Another reason I wanted to do it was because I kind of wanted

to test my will power. Just to see if I could do it. Now I feel very empowered by it.”

Yet three weeks after this breakfast interview, Rashad received upsetting news: Fox decided to shut down production of “Hieroglyph,” even though the show had already gotten the green light for 13 episodes scheduled to air mid-season. There were many reported reasons – budget concerns, creative problems, the departure of the network’s programming chief (who approved the series). But there’s one thing a confident Rashad knows for sure: This setback won’t get her down.

“When you know you have a purpose and work to do, you can’t cry over spilled milk for too long,” she says during a phone conversation a few days after the announcement. “This business is not for the weak-hearted. It’s guaranteed you’re going to be disappointed. You have to just keep going. Or you can stop – that’s an option, too. A lot of people can’t handle it. But I’m not that person.”

So now that “Hieroglyph” has been canceled, does Rashad feel the cleanse – and all that mental preparation – was a waste of time?

“Not at all,” she says. “Now I’m prepared for whatever comes next. That’s a lesson learned: You always have to be ready.”

If anything, this stumbling block has made Rashad even more determined. She wants to look at other TV offers right away, and she’d love to join another fantasy project. Being cast in “Hieroglyph” was particularly exciting, because she’s a longtime secret “sci-fi geek” whose fa-

MAKEUP BY NANCY PORCO AND HAIR BY GRACE TORRES, BOTH OF THE RED DOOR, UNION SQUARE. ABOUT THE ARTISTS BEHIND CONDOLA RASHAD’S LOOK Originally from the Dominican Republic, Altagracia (“Grace”) Nunez was inspired by her sister’s cosmetology career, so she came to New York City and started a successful hair business for herself. Grace has been a part of the Red Door family for more than five years.

Nancy Porco is a makeup artist with experience in all aspects of theater, fashion and print. With her diverse background in cosmetology and graphic design, Nancy can easily turn ideas into reality with dedication and professionalism.

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vorite films are “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. She even confesses that she had a poster of Bloom as warrior elf Legolas in her college dorm room, something she didn’t mention when the two first met on “Romeo and Juliet.”

“I didn’t want to freak him out,” she says with a laugh.

Rashad is happy, too, that the fantasy genre, which doesn’t often feature actors of color, seems to be showing more diversity these days.

“As a little girl, I would have loved to have seen that. I think it would have changed my view of myself,” she says.

“That we can have imaginations and believe in fairies, too.”

Rashad knows about the power of nontraditional casting firsthand, as one of the few African-American women who have played Juliet onstage. The numerous letters she received from children and their mothers, who thanked her for being a role model, humbled Rashad. But the interracial take on Shakespeare’s tragic romance sparked hate mail as well, with vicious Twitter posts that called Rashad a “black monkey” who should “go back to the zoo.”

Such vitriol shocked Rashad at first, mostly because she’d been largely sheltered from that kind of bigotry, having been raised in a multicultural area of Mount Vernon and attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, a private academy in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.

“Not that I didn’t know (racism) existed, but I wasn’t really exposed to it.

That was the first time where I was like, ‘Wow,’” she says. “But instead of getting angry, I realized that when people say things like that, it’s because they’re threatened for some reason. … I learned not to take it too personally.”

Rashad acknowledges her privileged upbringing, while pointing out that she’s never taken advantage of her celebrity lineage. Growing up, she was well aware of her parents’ fame. Her mother, especially, was at the height of success in “The Cosby Show” when Rashad was born. But to her, they were just mom and dad.

“She’d come home, put on her apron and make some cookies. She cooked dinner for us and my dad watched the game,” remembers Rashad. “It was a very normal household.”

She credits her parents with providing a solid grounding in the entertainment business. They wouldn’t allow her to perform as a girl but were supportive when she wanted to study at the California In-

52

Condola Rashad play with dogs in neighborhood park.

stitute of the Arts in Valencia. Her first professional role wasn’t until 2009, when she made a well-reviewed off-Broadway debut as a Congolese rape victim in the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Ruined.” She followed that with 2012’s “Stick Fly,” snagging her first Tony nod.

It’s not surprising that Rashad would feel comfortable treading the boards: Her most vivid childhood memories are of being backstage as her mother rehearsed for numerous off-Broadway and Broadway shows. Rashad was there at readthroughs, costume fittings and preview performances, seeing the labor that goes on behind the scenes, not just the glitz and glamour of opening night.

“I think that’s where I got my work ethic from,” she says.

And her father – a wide receiver for the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings before becoming a sportscaster – couldn’t be more of a superfan. Despite a hectic schedule of his own, he’s never missed one of Rashad’s shows – once traveling around the world to see a college produc-

tion. “I’ll never forget it. It was such a little show, in a little black box theater.

But he flew all the way from South Africa to see it.”

Her parents divorced in 2001, when Rashad was a teenager, but it was a friendly split. They also made sure to instill a healthy sense of self-worth in their daughter. So she never expected to get involved in a toxic relationship, teaching her that it can happen to anyone. It was ironic, she says, that she would portray “the purest love ever” onstage in “Romeo and Juliet,” and then go home to “something that’s very dark.”

Rashad says, “I had a lot of friends that this happened to, and I was always like, ‘Well, get out.’ I thought it was so easy, and it took being in it to realize that it can really shake your outlook. All of a sudden you start to view yourself differently and it makes you stay. You have to find a way to get back to your sense of, ‘Wait a minute. This isn’t going to fly.’ It’s tricky.”

Bringing Juliet to life helped her to break free, as did working with her band, Condola and the Stoop Kids. A classi-

cally trained pianist, Rashad is the lead singer of the group, which released its first album, “The Letter 9,” in January.

The tracks have elements of Tina Turner and Lauryn Hill, with a more rock ’n’ roll vibe.

“The acting thing for me is on a roll, I’d say, so I’ll never stop doing that. But in my heart, I think I’m a musician who acts.”

For now, until the next acting job comes along, Rashad is living quietly. That is, until she decides to check another item off her ever-evolving bucket list. A travel junkie, she’s planning a trip to Greece for next year. Fiji is a dream destination. She wants to go skydiving one day.

Not to mention, she’s determined to work with the main members of the sprawling “Lord of the Rings” cast. So far, she’s worked with two – Bloom, of course, and “Hieroglyph” castmate John Rhys-Davies (a.k.a. Gimli the dwarf).

That means a certain Oscar winner might just be next.

“Cate Blanchett,” Rashad says, giggling, “I’m coming for you.”

way

A WACCABUC WINNER STORY BY HOULIHAN LAWRENCE PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIM LEE

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PRESENTED BY HOULIHAN LAWRENCE

ROCK SHELTER AT A GLANCE • Waccabuc • 9,552 square feet • 4.03 acres • Bedrooms: 5 • Baths: 7 full, 2 half • Price: $3.995 million

THIS EXCEPTIONAL RESIDENCE IS NESTLED ON FOUR-PLUS BEAUTIFULLY LANDSCAPED AND WOODED ACRES IN ONE OF WACCABUC’S PREMIER ESTATE AREAS. THE PRIVATE-YETWELCOMING HOME IS DESIGNED FOR GRAND ENTERTAINING AND THE BEST IN FAMILY LIVING AND RECREATION. IT EVEN HAS ITS OWN ROLLER HOCKEY RINK.

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FIRST, THOUGH, A WELL-MANICURED COURTYARD invites you into a light-filled entry with soaring ceilings and windows, lustrous Brazilian cherry flooring and wide entryways with perfectly proportioned living and dining rooms for gracious entertaining with ease. A richly appointed study with fireplace and custom cabinetry offers uninterrupted work or quiet relaxation. Impressive without being overly formal, a great room contains a state-of-the-art kitchen with a large island and granite counters and heart pine floors; a light-imbued conservatory-style breakfast room; an amenity-filled butler’s

pantry; and a large stone fireplace.

The second level with a private master suite features architectural round windows, a spa-quality bath and a separate, large dressing room with custom cabinetry throughout. An additional four bedrooms and four full baths, exercise room, bonus room with full bath and laundry room finish the second level. A private third floor offers an expansive room with a beamed and gabled ceiling and a serene porch overlooking the lawn.

The lower level has entertaining and family living on a redefined scale, featuring a movie theater with cinema-quality seat-

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ing and surround sound; an arcade room; a commercial quality, full-appointed custom bar with a large billiard and media area; indoor roller hockey rink complete with locker room; and a kitchen. It leads onto a sparkling pool with a limestone terrace and complementing arbor and a large, sweeping lawn.

• Four levels of living with five bedrooms, seven full baths, two powder rooms and three fireplaces within 9,000plus square feet.

• Large great room with state-of-theart kitchen, octagonal breakfast area, butler’s pantry and family room with

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large stone fireplace.

• Radiant heat with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient cogeneration system, simultaneously generating electricity and heat.

• Three-bay attached garage.

• Additional land available.

• Ozone-filtered pool and 1,000-squarefoot terrace.

• Minutes from town, schools and the rail station.

For more information, contact Susan Stillman at Houlihan Lawrence’s Pound Ridge/Bedford brokerage at 914-7645762, ext. 334, at 914-589-4477 or at sstillman@houlihanlawrence.com.

PRIVATE SCHOOLS ACADEMY OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL 52 N. Broadway White Plains, NY 10603 914-949-0178 gcahs.org ARCHBISHOP STEPINAC HIGH SCHOOL 950 Mamaroneck Ave. White Plains, NY 10605 914-946-4800 stepinac.org BETHEL KINDERCARE 174 Old Hawleyville Road Bethel, CT 06801 203-792-6991 kindercare.com BRIDGEPORT HOPE SCHOOL 283 Lafayette St. Bridgeport, CT 06604 203-576-6773 bridgeporthopeschool.com BRIDGEPORT INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY 285 Lafayette St. Bridgeport, CT 06604 203-334-3434 bridgeportacademy.org BRUNSWICK SCHOOL 100 Maher Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 203-625-5800 brunswickschool.org CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SCHOOL 575 White Plains Road Trumbull, CT 06611 203-261-6230 kingsmen.org CHRISTIAN LIFE ACADEMY 133 Junction Road Brookfield, CT 06804 203-775-5191 brookfieldcla.org CONVENT OF THE SACRED HEART 1177 King St. Greenwich, CT 06831 203-531-6500 cshgreenwich.org DARROW SCHOOL 110 Darrow Road New Lebanon, NY 12125 877-432-7769 darrowschool.org

EAGLE HILL SCHOOL 45 Glenville Road Greenwich, CT 06831 203-622-9240 eaglehillschool.org FAIRFIELD COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL 1073 N. Benson Road Fairfield, CT 06824 203-254-4200 fairfieldprep.org FAIRFIELD COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2970 Bronson Road Fairfield, CT 06824 203-259-2723 fairfieldcountryday.org FAIRFIELD COUNTY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST SCHOOL 827 Trumbull Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06606 203-374-3203 fcsdaschool.org FORDHAM PREPARATORY SCHOOL 441 E. Fordham Road Bronx, NY 10458 718-367-7500 fordhamprep.org FORTRESS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 51 N. 10th Ave. Mount Vernon, NY 10550 914-699-9038 FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOOL OF NEW YORK 525 Fenimore Road Mamaroneck, NY 10543 914-250-0400 fasny.org FRIENDS SEMINARY 222 E. 16 St. New York, NY 10003 212-979-5034 friendsseminary.org GERMAN SCHOOL OF CONNECTICUT 381 High Ridge Road Stamford, CT 06905 203-548-0438 germanschoolct.org

GREEN MEADOW WALDORF SCHOOL 307 Hungry Hollow Road Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977 845-356-2514 gmws.org

JOHN F. KENNEDY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 54 Route 138 Somers, NY 10589 914-232-5061 kennedycatholic.org

GREENS FARMS ACADEMY 35 Beachside Ave. Westport, CT 06838 203-256-0717 gfacademy.org

KING LOW HEYWOOD THOMAS 1450 Newfield Ave. Stamford, CT 06905 203-322-3496 klht.org

GREENWICH ACADEMY 200 N. Maple Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 203-625-8900 greenwichacademy.org

KOLBE CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL 33 Calhoun Place Bridgeport, CT 06604 203-335-2554 kolbecaths.com

GREENWICH CATHOLIC SCHOOL 471 North St. Greenwich, CT 06830 203-869-4000 greenwichcatholicschool.org HACKLEY SCHOOL 293 Benedict Ave. Tarrytown, NY 10591 914-366-2600 hackleyschool.org

HAWTHORNE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 5 Bradhurst Ave. Hawthorne, NY 10532 914-592-8526 hawthornecountryday.org HYDE LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL 730 Bryant Ave., Bronx, NY 10474 718-991-5500 hydebronxny.org IMMACULATE HIGH SCHOOL 73 Southern Blvd.

Danbury, CT 06810 203-744-1510 immaculatehs.org IMMANUEL LUTHERAN SCHOOL 18 Clapboard Ridge Road Danbury, CT 06811 203-748-7823 immanuellutheranschool.org IONA PREPARATORY SCHOOL 255 Wilmot Road New Rochelle, NY 10804 914-632-0714 ionaprep.org

LÉMAN MANHATTAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL 1 Morris St. New York, NY 10004 646-569-9806 lemanmanhattan.org LONGVIEW SCHOOL 83 Main St. Brewster, NY 10509 845-259-8259 longviewschool.org LOVE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 729 Union Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06607 203-330-1467 MAPLEBROOK SCHOOL 5142 New York 22 Amenia, NY 12501 845-373-9511 maplebrookschool.org MARIA REGINA HIGH SCHOOL 500 W. Hartsdale Ave. Hartsdale, NY 10530 914-761-3300 mariaregina.org MILLBROOK SCHOOL 131 Millbrook School Road Millbrook, NY 12545 845-677-8261 millbrook.org NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL 635 Frogtown Road New Canaan, CT 06840 203-972-0771 countryschool.net Continued on page 62

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The Gunnery, Mr. Gunn’s School, is a coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school for students in grades nine through twelve. We offer small classes, a comprehensive curriculum, a close community, and a range of artistic and athletic offerings in an extraordinary setting.

Please RSVP to wrightk@gunnery.org for our Open House on September 27th .

www. gunnery.org ~ 860-868-7334 ~ admissions@gunnery.org 99 Green Hill Road, Washington, CT 06793

e path to their future starts here.

Collage prepatory Coeducational Boarding & Day Grades 6-12 Financial Aid Avaliable 70 miles north of NYC Minutes from the MTA Founded in 1796 Oakwood Friends School, guided on Quaker pricipels, educates and stragthens young poeple for lives of conscience, compation and accomplishments. Students experience a challenging curriculum within a diverse community, dedicated to nurturing the spirt,the scholar,the artist and the athlete in each person.

(845) 462-4200 58

www.oakwoodfriends.org

facebook.com/oakwoodfriends

Maplebrook •Faculty trained toSchool help Maplebrook School We Make the Differen students with •Faculty trained to complex help We Make the Difference learning students withdifferences. complex learning •Wilsondifferences.

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Now Accepting class sizes. Day Students and Day Applications ulty •Small trained to help We Make •Individual and small group Substantial Scholarship forthe DayDifference Students Available Now Accepting dents•Individual with complex •Faculty trained to help and small group We Make the Difference Now Accepting tutorials.

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Day Students 5142 Route 22 Amenia, NY for 12501 • (845) 373-8191 Program Available •RISE & Character Education • Faculty trained to help students with complex learning differences.

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Call or email today to set up your visit.

BMIT CORRECTIONS ONLINE

K SCHOOL

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instruction, hands-on learning, and environmental consciousness.

Our beautiful mountainside campus in the Berkshires is a National Historic Landmark, rich in its Shaker heritage and provides an ideal setting for learning.

Visit www.darrowschool.org or call today to schedule a visit.

110 Darrow Road, New Lebanon, NY 12125 CORRECTIONS Tel: 518.794.6000BY:___________________________ Toll Free: 877.432.7769 or (877.4DARROW) admission@darrowschool.org

PROOF CREATED AT: 1/17/2014 12:33 PM PROOF DUE: NEXT RUN DATE: 02/02/14

PK-0000182989.INDD

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A MASTERS MIND IS BRAVE

DETERMINED

THERE’S MORE TO A MASTERS MIND.

CURIOUS GRADES 5-12, DAY AND BOARDING

From honing their intellects at the Harkness table to flexing their imaginations in the lab, gym and studio, The Masters School enriches students’ minds, preparing them for success in college, career and life.

OPEN HOUSE | NOV 8, GRADES 9-12 | NOV 15, GRADES 5-8

12:15 PM TOUR, 1PM PROGRAM INFO NIGHTS | GRADES 9-12, NOV 21 | GRADES 5-8, NOV 23 | 7 PM To RSVP, call (914) 479-6420 or email admission@mastersny.org

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49 Clinton Avenue | Dobbs Ferry, NY | www.mastersny.org

Academically Robust Authentically Christian

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Christian Heritage School OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY, NOV. 15, 2014 | 2PM Mandarin Chinese starting in Kindergarden iPads for Grades 9-12 Study Abroad Programs Private Van Transportation and Pickup from Train Station 575 White Plains Rd. | Trumbull, CT | 203-261-6230 | www.kingsmen.org

Give your son the best, From his very first day, ’Till he leaves the nest.

APPLY TODAY. LEAD TOMORROW. Upper School: (914) 632-0714 Lower School: (914) 633-7744 Admissions@IonaPrep.org www.IonaPrep.org

Iona Preparatory School K-12 Where Leaders Are Made

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From page 57

NOTRE DAME CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 220 Jefferson St. Fairfield, CT 06825 203-372-6521 notredame.org

SAINT AUGUSTINE CATHEDRAL SCHOOL 63 Pequonnock St. Bridgeport, CT 06604 203-366-6500 cathedralcluster.org/staugustine/

OAKWOOD FRIENDS SCHOOL 22 Spackenkill Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 845-462-4200 oakwoodfriends.org

SAINT BARNABAS HIGH SCHOOL 425 E. 240 St. Bronx, NY 10470 718-325-8800 stbarnabashigh.com

REGIS HIGH SCHOOL 55 E. 84 St. New York, NY 10028 212-288-1100 regis.org

SAINT JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL 2320 Huntington Turnpike Trumbull, CT 06611 203-378-9378 sjcadets.org

RIDGEFIELD ACADEMY 233 W. Mountain Road Ridgefield, CT 06877 203-894-1800 ridgefieldacademy.org

SAINT LUKE’S SCHOOL 377 N. Wilton Road New Canaan, CT 06840 203-966-5612 stlukesct.org

RIPPOWAM CISQUA SCHOOL 439 Cantitoe St. Bedford, NY 10506 914-244-1250 rcsny.org

SAINT MARY SCHOOL 24 Dodgingtown Road Bethel, CT 06801 203-744-2922 stmarybethelct.org

RUDOLF STEINER SCHOOL 15 E. 79 St. New York, NY 10075 212-879-1101 steiner.edu

SAINT PAUL’S DEVELOPMENT CENTER 1475 Noble Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06610 203-384-6023 stpaulscdc.com

RYE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL Cedar Street Rye, NY 10580 914-967-1417 ryecountryday.org SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL 34 Convent Ave. Yonkers, NY 10703 914-965-3114 sacredhearths.net SAINT AMBROSE SCHOOL 461 Mill Hill Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06610 203-368-2835 catholicacademiesbridgeport.org/stambrose SAINT ANDREW SCHOOL 395 Anton St. Bridgeport, CT 06606 203-373-1552 cathedralcluster.org/standrew/ SAINT ANN’S ACADEMY 521 Brewster St. Black Rock, CT 06605 203-334-5856 stannacademy.org

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SALESIAN HIGH SCHOOL 148 E. Main St. New Rochelle, NY 10801 914-632-0248 salesianhigh.org SCHOOL OF THE HOLY CHILD 2225 Westchester Ave. Rye, NY 10580 914-967-5622 holychildrye.org SOLOMON SCHECHTER SCHOOL OF WESTCHESTER 555 W. Hartsdale Ave. Hartsdale, NY 10530 914-948-8333 schechterwestchester.org SOUNDVIEW PREPARATORY SCHOOL 370 Underhill Ave. Yorktown Heights, NY 10598 914-962-2780 soundviewprep.org

THE BEEKMAN SCHOOL 220 E. 50 St. New York, NY 10022 212-755-6666 beekmanschool.org

THE STORM KING SCHOOL 314 Mountain Road Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520 845-534-7892 sks.org

THE FORMAN SCHOOL 12 Norfolk Road Litchfield, CT 06759 860-567-8712 formanschool.org

THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL 136 Lafayette St. Bridgeport, CT, 06604 203-579-0434

THE GUNNERY 99 Green Hill Road Washington , CT 06793 860-868-7334 portal.gunnery.org THE HALLEN SCHOOL 97 Centre Ave. New Rochelle, NY 10801 914-636-6600 thehallenschool.net THE HARVEY SCHOOL 260 Jay St. Katonah, NY 10536 914-232-3161 harveyschool.org THE KARAFIN SCHOOL 40-1 Radio Circle Drive Mount Kisco, NY 10549 914-666-9211 karafinschool.com THE LONG RIDGE SCHOOL 478 Erskine Road Stamford, CT 06903 203-322-7693 longridgeschool.org THE MASTERS SCHOOL 49 Clinton Ave. Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 914-479-6400 mastersny.org THE MONTFORT ACADEMY 125 E. Birch St. Mount Vernon, NY 10552 914-699-7090 themontfortacademy.org THE SPENCE SCHOOL 22 E. 91 St. New York, NY 10128 212-289-5940 spenceschool.org THE STANWICH SCHOOL 257 Stanwich Road Greenwich, CT 06830 203-542-0032 stanwichschool.org

THE URSULINE SCHOOL 1354 North Ave. New Rochelle, NY 10804 914-636-3950 ursulinenewrochelle.org THE WINDWARD SCHOOL 40 W. Red Oak Lane White Plains, NY 10604 914-949-6968 thewindwardschool.org THORNTON-DONOVAN SCHOOL 100 Overlook Circle New Rochelle, NY 10804 914-632-8836 td.edu TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 926 Newfield Ave. Stamford, CT 06905 203-322-3401 trinitycatholic.org WESTCHESTER HEBREW HIGH SCHOOL 856 Orienta Ave. Mamaroneck, NY 10543 914-698-0806 whhsny.org WHITBY SCHOOL 969 Lake Ave. Greenwich, CT 06831 203-869-8464 whitbyschool.org WOOSTER SCHOOL 91 Miry Brook Road Danbury, CT 06810 203-830-3900 woosterschool.org WORLD CLASS LEARNING ACADEMY 44 E. Second St. New York, NY 10003 212-600-2010 wclacademy.org

NET APPEAL

BY HEATHER SALERNO

Drop-waist piqué dress with lace trim, $225.

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Y

YESIM PHILIP is no dilettante when it comes to tennis. The avid player – who also once played professional basketball in Turkey – hits the court hard at least three times a week. Yet when this Manhattan mother of three first picked up the game, she was surprised to find a lack of chic, comfortable sportswear that would make her look great while serving overhead smashes.

“Tennis is a game that can be played from 7 to 70,” says the 42-year-old. “But most of the clothes are for a younger woman.”

So Philip created L’Etoile Sport, a collection of high-end tennis gear that’s both stylish and serviceable. Key items

include sweet drop-waist dresses, lacetrimmed vintage-style shorts, pleated skorts (skirt-short combos), feather-light sweaters and textured tank tops. The multipurpose separates, which range in price from $85 to $345, transition easily to other settings, too — perfect for the modern woman’s busy lifestyle.

“I find myself wearing my tennis outfits all day long,” says Philip, the brand’s CEO and creative director. “I wanted something I’d be able to wear to the grocery store or to lunch or to pick up my kids.”

Established in 2012 (with co-founder Hannah Griswold, who is no longer involved with the company’s operations), L’Etoile offers a contemporary twist on designs from a bygone era. One of Philip’s chief inspirations is 1920s French champion Suzanne Lenglen, who was as famous for her fearless fashion choices as for her six Wimbledon wins. The tennis legend revolutionized the women’s game, as the first female player to compete wearing makeup, no corset and no petticoat. She also donned outfits by Jean Patou that were considered daring for the time, with sleeveless tops and skirts that showed off her ankles.

Back then, posh designers like Patou,

Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin and Madeleine Vionnet dressed tennis superstars.

These days, top seeds like Venus and Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova wear Nike and Adidas. Philip hopes her line bridges that gap, noting, “We wanted a style that reflects today’s fashion but also goes back to when tennis was more traditional and classic.”

It also means that L’Etoile’s silhouettes tend to flatter a more mature, sophisticated woman, who doesn’t think skintight tops or mini-dresses are ageappropriate. The skirts are 14 inches long, when many brands are 11 or 12.

The cut of the line’s shorts and skirts is more forgiving in the midsection. All of the pieces come in fabrics imported from Brazil and Italy like cashmere, pointelle, piqué and lace. They’re stretchy, breathable and workout-ready – but still soft and luxurious.

The line’s color palette is cool and elegant, too, in muted shades of gray and pink, with an occasional dash of poppy and sunshine yellow. And every item comes in classic white, of course, the sport’s signature hue. “Each year we add a little color, but the basics are all white,” Philip says.

L’Etoile is sold primarily at exclusive

clubs and posh resorts around the world, including The River Club of New York in Manhattan, The Meadow Club of Southampton, Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Windermere, Fla., La Quinta Resort & Club outside Palm Springs, The Lyford Cay Club in the Bahamas and The Queen’s Club in London. Most recently, the label was included in the launch of the new activewear department on Net-a-Porter, one of the biggest names in online luxury retailing, a major fashion coup.

Right now, Philip is working on a children’s line, expected to debut in the spring. There are also plans to expand L’Etoile’s golf collection, which she launched last year for the same reason she began designing for tennis. “I started playing golf, and the clothes were terrible. A lot of friends of mine said, ‘You have to do something,’” she says. “Tennis and golf really cross over, so a lot of our styles can be worn (for both).”

But for her main customer – the tennis fashionista – Philip’s goal is simple.

“I just want to go back to when women looked beautiful on the tennis court.

And we all know that when you look good, you feel more confident.”

Game, set and match.

From left, Medea stripe-panel jersey knit dress, $355.

Lightweight pointelle cashmere hoodie, $355.

Cotton-cashmere argyle polo, $195 and pleated skort with textured Brazilian lace, $135.

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65

FASHIONING THE NEXT CHAPTER

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOB ROZYCKI

AS A LONGTIME WHITE PLAINS RETAILER, Mary Jane Denzer watched The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester rise.

And something else: She had her eye on 5,000 square feet of space in the neighboring Second Tower of Renaissance Square.

For years it stood vacant. No more. Welcome to the new Mary Jane Denzer, which is sure to fill the needs of fashionistas and fashion newbies alike with well-known names (Oscar de la Renta, Valentino) and rising stars (Antonio Berardi and Roland Mouret).

“It sat there waiting for me,” Denzer said of the street-level space. “It’s a dream come true, just kind of meant to be. … We’re a luxury store and we needed a luxury location.”

She was talking over coffee in The Ritz-Carlton, where the store was temporarily ensconced in a suite as she readied the new digs. In person, Denzer – an immaculately coiffed blonde with creamy skin – is a walking advertisement for what she can do for a client.

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Bodhi, Mary Jane Denzer’s dog, poses fetchingly in one of the windows of her new store on Renaissance Square in White Plains.

Mary Jane Denzer with Bodhi in her new store on Renaissance Square in White Plains near The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester. Her royal-blue dress is from La Petite Robe, Milan.

She looked cool, crisp and elegant in a black top, white slacks and woven black flats, a necklace with a rope of beads and a gold pendant at the throat.

After, we strolled over to the store. Like couture itself, it marries angles with curves as it provides shoppers with a full complement of services. There’s even a kitchen/dining area in which Denzer can sit down with clients, along with an alterations room.

The palette is white and silver gray with touches of blue. A silvery mannequin displays a darling short, pink, lace lingerie dress by Elie Saab. “Light as air” snakeskin handbags and clutches from Bali fill niches.

Belts coil in cubbyholes. Statement necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings in gold and various stones command attention in well-lit vitrines.

The shop is the work of Steve Lochte, president of Brand+Allen Architects Inc., who did the Valentino store in San Francisco and the Céline store in Las Vegas, Denzer said. He also did her previous store – a

20-year beacon on a corner of Maple and Mamaroneck avenues – and her White Plains apartment.

“He’s terrifically talented and also an interior designer as well.”

If Lochte’s handiwork is the setting, the jewel is the clothing. A stunning beaded, mesh, cap-sleeve LBD by Zuhair Murad awaits someone’s “Pretty Woman” moment. A figure-hugging garden party Margeaux cascades into waves of fabric. A glimmering gold Carolina Herrera sweater set hangs near Giambattista Valli botanical print loungewear. Each piece and its placement is a testament to Denzer’s taste and unerring eye.

The author selects the Zuhair Murad LBD to try on, but Denzer knows better and suggests a fall Oscar de la Renta offering – a full black dress with a fitted waist, three-quarter sleeves and a weighted, knee-length satin border. Denzer styles the outfit with a bracelet of gold, cutout squares and small gold and brown clip-on earrings. The effect is, well, see the photograph accompa-

nying the Editor’s Letter on page 10.

De la Renta (May WAG, “Flower Power”) – a goto designer for everyone from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Jessica Parker for the way his voluptuous creations and fabrics enhance the feminine silhouette – has long been a Denzer staple. Another big name you’ll find in the store is Valentino.

“He has two new designers (Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri) who have taken Valentino to a new height.”

“New” is a big Denzer word. Mention a certain American designer and she will scoff at what she considers not only old hat but no longer high fashion.

“I’m trying to make the store up-to-date,” she said, “not faddish, but trendy.”

So she looks to established names like Elie Saab, who dressed Halle Berry when she won the Oscar for “Monster’s Ball” in a miracle of draped burgundy satin, netting, leafy appliqué and the illusion of nudity.

And newer brands like Antonio Berardi (July WAG, “Power Foods”) and Roland Mouret, who also flatters the female figure. They’re perfect for the Denzer client: “She’s a woman who knows fashion or she’s a woman willing to learn about fashion.”

What she’ll be seeing this year, Denzer said, is “a lot of mixtures of patterns; a lot of full skirts with fitted waists; gray, cream, beige – neutrals; sweater vests trimmed with fur; and skinny pants.”

Also, she added, “The pantsuit is back in a whole new way. It’s kind of flirty with a sexy shape.”

The big-shouldered power pantsuits of the 1980s, however, are never coming back, Denzer said, adding with a touch of wistfulness, “I had to let go of my Yves Saint Laurent pantsuits.”

Certainly, Denzer would not recommend a pantsuit for a dinner date in WAG country.

Go with a dress, she said, in a pretty color – not too short. If you’re out with your husband and friends, then a great pair of slacks with an equally smashing top is also appropriate. But in either case don’t forget to accessorize with a necklace, earrings and a great pair of shoes. “Accessories finish a look.”

It’s one of the fashion principles that Denzer has been instilling in clients for 35 years – the first 15 of which were spent in a shop on East Post Road, then 20 on that corner of Mamaroneck and Maple. The new store has new hours, being near a hotel where guests like to shop in the evening and on Sunday. One thing that hasn’t changed: Denzer’s devoted Papillon, the feisty but well-disciplined Bodhi, remains the official greeter, occasionally burrowing under $10,000 gowns.

Still, she said, “it’s on to the next chapter.”

Mary Jane Denzer is at 7 Renaissance Square in White Plains. For hours and more, call 914-3280330 or visit mjdenzer.com.

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BAGGING IT Givenchy purses come to Neiman Marcus

WHAT’S NEW AT NEIMAN’S? GIVENCHY HANDBAGS GUARANTEED TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD FOR FALL. THE COLORS ARE BASIC BUT YUMMY; THE LEATHER, LUSCIOUS; AND THE SHAPES, SATISFYINGLY GEOMETRIC. IT ALL ADDS UP TO A CLASSIC GIVENCHY FINISH TO ANY OUTFIT:

Givenchy introduces the Rave bag with supple Nappa leather and an optional crossbody strap. $1,090.

Precise geometric panels shape this tricolor, neutral Nappa leather tote, $1,350.

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Leather polished to perfection amplifies the defined geometric shape of the Antigona bag, $2,125.

Inspired by a recurring design detail from Riccardo Tisci’s collections for Givenchy, the Obsedia emblem captures the crosscurrents in the designer’s aesthetic. Distinctive and instantly recognizable from a distance, the Obsedia marks the intersection of opposites – masculine and feminine, spiritual and subcultural, $2,845

Luxurious in metallic, mirrored leather, this mini box bag juxtaposes structured curves and signature angularity in a portable, flat-backed design, $2,190

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LEAFING OUT

ARBOR CARE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL

With

BY X. L. TREED

WESTCHESTER - FAIRFIELD

W

With the professionalism one would expect of a London concierge and the thorough working knowledge one would expect of a professor of entomology and plant pathology, Doug Paulding has turned Eager Beaver Tree service into the area’s premier tree and shrub care establishment. The freshly and artistically painted equipment adorned with whimsical beavers provides a friendly atmosphere.

And the current approach to reduced fat is epitomized

by Mr. Paulding. His labor force and equipment purchases are indicative of a no-fat approach to business. It is refreshing to call on anyone in the company, from pest control technicians to expert tree pruners to the ground crew, and be able to get intelligent answers. This is no accident.

Mr. Paulding is dedicated to providing and ensuring quality personnel. Every member of the team has attended the field and classroom seminars specifically tailored to their role. And what a team! It’s a pleasure to watch them work, reminiscent of a finely tuned athletic team. Each goes about his job with an enthusiasm and an anticipation of everything that needs to be done.

Start with the deep root liquid fertilizer as a first course.

The loosening of the soil and introduction of critical but depleted nutrients will snap your trees and shrubs out of their winter dormancy with exuberance and excitement for growth and anticipation of what’s to come.

The horticultural oil is not to be missed. Expertly prepared and presented, this early season approach to pest reduction will see to it that aphids, adelgids and scales are smothered under a thin layer of oil and neutralized. Monitoring and timing are essential for quality control and Eager Beaver Tree Service is committed to these procedures.

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Other courses are further enhanced by their approach to pest control. It’s a pleasure to see pioneers such as Mr. Paulding using bio- and photodegradable materials.

Pests today are specifically targeted and controlled by bacteria, fungi and viruses that affect only the intended victim. Once again Eager Beaver’s expert, flawless timing sees to it that the homeowner can relax as the target pest is controlled. The broad spectrum, highly toxic approach of yesterday that is still employed by a shocking number of companies today will be changing due to regulations and consumer awareness. Until then call on Eager Beaver Tree Service.

The problems and fears generated by the deer tick need not prevent enjoyment of your property. Their technicians can reduce the tick population dramatically and reduce the threat of disease in an environemntally responsible way.

The pièce de résistance of Eager Beaver’s menu of services may well be expert tree pruning. Those who choose to skip it will have missed an extraordinary presentation. Grand old oaks are restored to their former glory by selective thinning and dead wood removal. Apple trees are delicately shaped into a flowering cascading waterfall. Overgrown and dense trees of all varieties can be thinned to allow dappled sunshine to brighten the atmosphere that has darkened with time. Properties can be further enhanced by a deft hand-pruning of the foundation plantings.

When Eager Beaver removes a tree, it’s an arboricultural tour de force. The effortless fluidity Mr. Paulding and company bring to your home will draw crowds and applause. His commitment to safety and cleanliness leaves everyone feeling contented and satisfied.

EXTRAORDINARY Serving Westchester and Fairfield 914-533-2255 | 203-869-3280 |

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www.eagerbeavertreeservice.com ATMOSPHERE: Professional and personable with scrupulous attention to detail. Carefully maintained equipment and impeccably trained personnel.

RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES: Being the owner of a small company, Mr. Paulding never has to “sell” to keep his crew busy. You can be sure all the recommendations are arboriculturally sound and will improve the host plant.

His knowledge and no pressure, soft-sell approach is a pleasure to experience.

PAYMENT METHOD: Check and cash. Steep discounts apply to pre-payment for seasonal pest control and fertilizing.

HOURS: Emergency service always in effect.

Otherwise reservations necessary.

wanders

A EUROPEAN SAMPLER PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORY BY BOB ROZYCKI

71 Piazza Navona in Rome basks in the early morning sun.

5

FIVE COUNTRIES IN 12 DAYS. SPAIN, FRANCE, MONACO, ITALY AND ENGLAND. OK, MONACO IS TECHNICALLY A PRINCIPALITY. That was our family’s late spring trip and gift to our oldest daughter for graduating from Emerson College in Boston.

You would think it was like a combination of the TV show “The Amazing Race” and the movie “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium,” a send-up of packaged tours of Europe.

But it wasn’t. It was relaxing and I actually learned a lot, from how to pronounce Joan Miró to finding out you don’t have to automatically tip for service. And of course there’s the euro, dollar, pound conversions. (Yikes! And yes, I know there’s an app to make life easier.)

I’ll give you the highlights of the highlights, since there is not enough room here to mention every single astonishing thing that made our eyes widen.

The trip started in Barcelona, a most forward-thinking city when it comes to architecture. Perhaps it was instilled by Antoni Gaudí, whose creations encompassed art nouveau, surrealism, cubism and his own originality. A former apartment building in the downtown, Casa Batlló, is a breathing, undulating structure that belongs in a fairy tale. It’s just a short ways from his massive and towering unfinished creation that’s still being perfected, The Sagrada Familia basilica.

Modern buildings mix with old throughout Barcelona. It’s a feast for eyes.

While the building themselves could stand in for public art, there are installations throughout the city that add their own dash of colors and awe. Creations from native son Joan Miró to American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein to some real cool graffiti pop up like magical flowers.

The next day we set out from the port of Barcelona on the cruise ship the Disney Magic, a wonderful vehicle to cruise the Mediterranean. A day at sea and just sitting on the room balcony is a vacation unto itself. But we had places to see – four ports of call: Villefranche, La Spezia, Civitavecchia and Naples.

Nice was a wonderful coastal city where the people take knocks from their northern counterparts for moving too slow. But slow is nice, especially on vacation. Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse loved the scenery too as can be seen in the local museums. Walking along the narrow streets you can breathe in the history as well as the fresh fruits and spices from

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Casa Batlló is an example of Catalan Modernism by Antoni Gaudí in downtown Barcelona.

the small shops.

Just over the mountain from Nice is Monaco. The best way to describe it is an embarrassment of riches. From the Lamborghinis to Bentleys it’s a rappers’ paradise. (I kid.) It’s the most expensive city in the world to live. A tour guide says rents are about $11,000 a square foot.

The next day was Florence with its Il Duomo di Firenze, the domed cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. It is the largest brick and mortar dome in the world.

Its exterior is distinctive for its green and pink marble panels. And now for the wow factor: It took about 140 years to complete. The reason was that the architect died and The Black Death descended and wiped out most of the population.

One scary thing about the dome: If you are able to make it to the walkway

up on top, there is some scary artwork of devils doing very nasty things to humans.

(Look it up if you dare.)

Speaking of scary … Rome traffic.

There are 1 million registered motor scooters in the city. Needless to say, look both ways before crossing a street. I can’t say much about Rome that hasn’t already been said. But it is awe-inspiring with its architecture and statues and obelisks.

Over at the Piazza Navona, I learned about the dueling architects Bernini and Borromini. In short, Borromini designed the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. He also came up with the idea for a fountain representing the four great rivers of the world to be built in front of the church going as far as engineering a viaduct to bring water to the fountain once completed. Instead, his archrival Bernini got the

contract to build the fountain. In designing it he made the one major figure look away from the church in disdain, as the legend goes. And another has his hand up as if the church were about to collapse.

Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica.

You can’t write enough. Add it to your bucket list.

The next day a quick trip to the island of Capri was amazing for the views from atop the island. Use an adjective and all the synonyms for breathtaking.

Returning to Barcelona, we hopped a short flight to Heathrow Airport.

Back to a country where I understood the language, sort of.

To understand England, a trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum is a must.

It bills itself as “The world’s greatest museum of art and design.”

A view of the luxury boats in Monaco.

They might be a source of controversy in New York City, but not so in London.

It doesn’t disappoint.

Ya think America is old? You don’t know old until you walk the floors of this huge great museum. I spotted a beautiful leather chest that has withstood the tests of time with the date 1597 stamped on it.

A wine glass made in 1689.

To know London, you have to walk it. Hopping aboard one of the open-top double-decker buses is also a great way to take in the city. And don’t forget a boat ride on the Thames.

And since I haven’t mentioned food yet, a hidden gem to eat in Kensington section of London is ffiona’s. Ffiona ReidOwen is one of the most charming restaurant owners we have ever encountered.

She greets you, helps with your selections – from cocktails through dessert – and then sits down and joins you after you

have finished your meal to see if you enjoyed it as well as to just chit-chat. And she is not one to hold her tongue.

During our second visit to her place, actor Terence Stamp was eating at a table next to us. As he left to go, Ffiona walked him to the door where he gave her a peck on the cheek.

I got her attention and said you must be good friends with him.

Her reply? “Oh, he’s such a twat.” (In England it rhymes with “hat.”)

The reason for her friendly insult was because the last time the actor was asked by a magazine about his favorite place to eat, he named a competitor of Ffiona’s. She called up Stamp and gave him bloody hell. A bouquet of flowers arrived the next day as apology.

Nothing like a good local story to end a whirlwind vacation.

Isle of Capri.

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what’s new

HORSE POWERED

Roberto Dutesco’s long-awaited book arrives

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

“I THINK NATURE IN ITS NAKED SELF IS VERY KIND,” Roberto Dutesco told WAG when we profiled him in our August 2012 issue (Men We Love). “It’s very precious and attractive.”

But nature can also be wild and cruel – or at least appear so. Is a lion being cruel when it eats a zebra? No, it’s just hungry.

It’s just being a lion.

And so it is with eastern Canada’s tiny Sable Island, site of some 500 shipwrecks that have earned it the dubious distinction of being the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Sailors, convicts and pirates alike foundered – some occupying the island for a time while others were subsumed in what Henry James called “the boundless deep,” lost to all but legend.

The only terrestrial mammals that have survived and thrived amid the island’s spare, untamed beauty are some 500 wild horses – descendants of those abandoned long ago or cast ashore from wrecks. Now Dutesco – an international fashion and art photographer by way of Romania, Canada and homes in New York and São Paulo, Brazil – has captured them, so to speak, in a 14 1/6-inch, 14-pound book, “The Wild Horses of Sable Island,” that was 20 years in the making and is beyond sumptuous.

But the sumptuousness lies in the photography and the book design. These are not the pretty horses of show jumping, the sleek athletes of the Triple Crown.

Their manes are matted with sand and snow, care and time. Their coats are thick, as are their hooves. You can see their bones.

And yet, they are beautiful, social creatures whose curiosity seems to extend to the photographer himself as they “pose” for him. Perhaps that’s why he told us that nature “welcomed me into that world. I think that at that level, nature is very much aware that it’s being explored or documented or photographed.”

We see the horses in their intimate herds – nursing, canoodling, challenging for supremacy and always running. In some photos, the island itself is the star – desolate, forbidding, a place where life is lived in its essence.

Sable Island is not an easy existence but it does offer a separate peace in which horses – and a photographer’s imagination – can run free.

“The Wild Horses of Sable Island” is $150 and available this month from teNeues Publishing.

For more, visit teneues.com.

Cover and photographs from Roberto Dutesco’s “The Wild Horses of Sable Island.” ©Roberto Dutesco, courtesy teNeues Publishing.

Keynote Speaker

l Bethenny Franke 75

where are they now?

IN A GARDEN MOST REFLECTIVE… John Danzer continues to offer distinctive outdoor furniture

BY MARY SHUSTACK PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY MUNDER-SKILES

A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN DANZER will always yield a few things – and among the constants are not only a few laughs but also some savvy insights into the world of outdoor furniture.

WAG first spotlighted Danzer, the founder of the Munder-Skiles gardenfurniture firm, in a June 2012 profile.

It was back then when we shared the details of his innovative designs that appeal to those he likes to consider “people who are interested in craftsmanship, interested in design, interested in history.”

Ever since, we have followed his ascending career path, so it was a lovely instance of serendipity when WAG spotted Danzer as a fellow attendee at a salon lecture at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Manhattan. The fittingly stylish venue was the ideal backdrop for a quick chat, a few moments on the fly to be followed later by a longer conversa-

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John Danzer was honored by The Horticultural Society of New York.

tion to hear more about what he’s been up to.

We congratulated him on his prestigious award: Danzer was honored in late April by The Horticultural Society of New York, receiving its Award of Excellence during the 17th annual New York Flower Show Dinner Dance. It’s a major recognition that the society bestows on “an individual based on his outstanding contributions to the fields of horticulture and/or other related fields such as landscape architecture/design, floral design, garden design, garden publishing/ writing, botanical art, urban planning and so forth.”

And, Danzer shared with us, it was particularly rewarding considering his feelings about the organization and its Metro Hort group (“They’re plant people,” he says matter-of-factly).

“I’ve had this long history with them,

and I adore them,” Danzer says. In his early days in the field, he often turned to the group’s resources, much in the way an interior designer would delve into a study of architecture.

“When I started my garden-furniture company I realized I needed to know a lot about plants and gardens. I used the library extensively. It is one of my great resources.”

The association also led to an introduction to landscape designer Edwina von Gal, who became a friend and client, affecting his development and outlook.

“We all worked on the projects in the prisons,” Danzer says of the horticultural society’s therapeutic programs working with inmates.

Danzer, originally from Baltimore, was a Wall Street success when one day he left it all to pursue travel and pho-

tography. That time also enabled him to pursue his lifelong interests in gardens and garden furniture. Lecturing would soon develop into design, and the rest, as they say, is history with MunderSkiles set to mark its 25th anniversary in 2017.

Danzer has long held that the best way to see – and appreciate – his work is in a natural, outdoor setting. It’s what prompted him in late 2012 to open a showroom in Garrison that is serving its purpose, “having visitors like crazy.”

“When they’re here, they understand it,” he says.

But that wasn’t the only move in Garrison.

“I moved my design studio here. …

It feels very different but it feels right.”

And the word has continued to spread from his Hudson Valley home.

“You don’t have to be in New York to

French Garden Chair by Munder-Skiles.

survive,” Danzer adds.

He loves to bring his city-based clients up to Garrison, his spur-of-the-moment approach creating a sense of adventure – “Throw them in a car, get them in a limousine,” he says with a laugh.

And the clients not only experience the showroom but also its surroundings, aided by a charming “Legend of

the Hudson Highlands” regional map that highlights points of interest ranging from those of “historic beauty” to others with ties to The Revolutionary War. Danzer, though, reminds there is a definite sensibility to operations in Garrison. It’s “a showroom, not a shop” and a place to become immersed in the projects that would incorporate his hand-

crafted furniture and accessories.

“You sit. You contemplate. You think about what makes sense,” he says.

Our longer conversation with Danzer came during the couple of days he was back in New York from the West Coast – and just before he headed out to Spain.

This European trip, he shares, would include a bit of business as he is finalizing the details of upcoming work with a venerable Spanish wicker company he discovered almost by accident.

“I have a tiny farm there,” he says. “I literally bumped into the place.”

Danzer is excited to be working with wicker, which he says, “lends a casualness to a room.”

“We are going to rep some of their products here under private label, but with our own twists to it.”

And those signature twists are what Munder-Skiles has always been about in an industry in which so many seem to follow the same path.

“What’s going on in design… Everyone ran after mid-century design and Modern.”

It’s been exhausted, Danzer says, with new inspirations sought.

Guess what? Companies are now exploring other eras, or turning to, Danzer says, “the way we’ve always worked – Dig into history.”

Danzer is no fan of the mass-market approach, where “It’s all about visuals.”

“Everybody is so concentrated (on) bold, geometrics.”

Good design can get buried under a pile of vibrant cushions.

“I can’t stand cushions,” Danzer says with a laugh, though admits, “We do them, but …”

After all, he playfully notes, “Who do they think is managing all this mess?”

Instead, at Munder-Skiles, the emphasis remains on good design, on tweaking historical influences to meet a refined contemporary taste. He shares a few of the company’s newest designs, a testament to an unwavering point of view and a subtle elegance.

It’s all about, Danzer concludes, on seeing “how quiet can it really get.”

For more, visit munder-skiles.com.

PRINCE WILLIAM HAS PRINCE HARRY, SNOOPY HAS SPIKE – YOU KNOW, THE BAD-BOY BABY BRO WHO’S A CHUNK OF CHARM AND A TON OF TROUBLE. That’s what WAG Weekly is to WAG. In our e-newsletter, we let down our hair (and occasionally, our grammar) to take you behind behind-the-scenes of the hottest parties and events, offer our thoughts on the most controversial issues of the day, share what couldn’t be contained in our glossy pages and tell you what to do and where to go this weekend – all while whetting your appetite for the next issue.

If you can’t get enough of WAG — or you just want to get WAG unplugged — then you won’t want to miss WAG Weekly, coming to your tablet each Friday a.m.

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chic CHOICES Gifts and new products ideal for any occasion COMPILED BY MARY SHUSTACK

LOVE ALL

Tiffany golf club charm. Copyright Tiffany & Co.

Thank Chris Evert. She was playing in the US Open back in 1987 when the clasp on her diamond bracelet broke and the bracelet slipped off. She requested a time-out to find it and ever since the former eternity bracelet with its pattern of symmetrical and individually set diamonds has been known as the “tennis bracelet.” Tiffany & Co., as you would imagine, has any number of variations. We just love its yellow diamonds in 18-karat gold take on the classic for a cool $1.4 million. It’s guaranteed to dazzle the crowd and opponents alike. Perhaps even more stunning is its bracelet of Lucida diamonds set in platinum (price upon request), with its unusual lacy pattern and bluish undertone. Which to choose? Why not serve for the match with both or browse all in the collection? Love, after all, is a goose egg only in tennis. Elsewhere, it’ll cost ya.

If golf’s more your thing, consider the Tiffany golf club charm in 18-karat yellow and white gold with a ball made of round brilliant diamonds (price upon request). It’s definitely a hole in one.

For more, visit tiffany.com.

– Georgette Gouveia

Photographs courtesy The Protein Bakery.

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Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

WORDS TO LIVE BY Sometimes a few words can make all the difference. It might be a phrase like “mindfulness matters” that centers you on the task at hand or perhaps hearing “change conquers” pushes you through a training plateau. Wordologies promotes what it calls the “wisdom in words,” and its products – including mugs ($24), notepads ($8) and journals ($18 for a trio) – just might give you a needed boost.

For more, visit wordologies.com.

SWEET STRENGTH We admit it. When we first heard about The Protein Bakery and its line of gluten-free, zero trans-fat and protein-rich baked goods, we kind of groaned as we imagined the (lack of) flavor. Well, WAG staffers were proven – deliciously – wrong as we nibbled away on chocolate chip brownies, oatmeal cranberry cookies and peanut butter blondies. Muscle-building protein is a key ingredient in the line from founder Stephen Lincoln, a New York-based fitness expert. It’s already being snapped up by everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rachael Ray to those at Equinox gyms. Prices vary; $52.50 for a gift set featuring a dozen assorted brownies and blondies.

For more, visit proteinbakery.com.

LIKE A PRO Super Bowl champion and veteran football star Bernard Pollard has already started planning his post-NFL career.

The Tennessee Titans safety has created the Style Pro 31 company – a nod to his jersey number – and is currently promoting his first invention, the Smart Tray.

The portable, lightweight tray folds out to fit over most pedestal and traditional sinks to provide additional surface space and create a safer way to use electrical appliances. At $39.99, it’s available in black or white.

For more, visit StylePro31.com.

Photograph courtesy Style Pro 31.

THE EQUINE ALI AND FRAZIER Looking for a great read this summer?

Well, then gallop over to your local bookstore – or Kindle – for “Duel for the Crown: Affirmed, Alydar, and Racing’s Greatest Rivalry” (Gallery Books, $26, 360 pages). It’s a juicy horse tale, at once poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, about two gorgeous, coppery 3-year-old colts – Affirmed, out of upstart Harbor View Farm in Florida, and Alydar, out of Calumet Farm in Kentucky, which was to Thoroughbred racing what the New York Yankees have been to baseball. In the spring of 1978, the laidback Affirmed and the highstrung Alydar – the great-grandson and grandson respectively of the legendary Native Dancer – offered racing fans and the general public alike two fascinatingly contrasting approaches to running and winning. Which is just how it is in the best rivalries. Authors Linda Carroll and David Rosner dub them the equine Ali and Frazier.

Along the way, you’ll meet their human handlers and learn how champs are bred, birthed and trained – sexy, sensuous stuff here – made and sadly, horrifyingly unmade. But what stands out are the horses, like Calumet Farm’s Whirlaway, the 1941 Triple Crown champ who was all talent and no brains (sort of like Nuke LaLoosh in “Bull Durham”) and the bull-headed Raise a Native (daddy of Alydar and grandpa of Affirmed), who would turn bucking bronco and even lie down and play dead – anything so he wouldn’t have to race around a track. Still, he was a real stud, literally. In these vignettes, the horses emerge as almost human.

For more, visit duelforthecrown.com.

– Georgette Gouveia

A HEALTHY TWIST Feeling stiff from spending too much time planted at your desk? Or perhaps you’re sending someone off to college and want to be sure his or her back won’t strain from hours bent over the books. The Wobble Stool ($199.99) offers a twist on traditional seating, naturally tilting with you and encouraging an end to “stagnant seating.”

Take a spin on the triangular saddle-style seat that can also be used at the breakfast bar.

For more, visit uncagedergonomics.com/wobble-stool.

Photograph courtesy Uncaged Ergonomics.

LEAPING LEOPARDS Fairfield County’s own Stuart Weitzman – previously profiled in WAG – creates footwear that has a worldwide following. And he certainly knows what a leopard print can do for a woman. Slip into anything with that favorite motif, and you’re suddenly invigorated.

You feel chic, embodying the sleek-and-stealthy traits of the animal itself. For fall, Stuart Weitzman makes a fierce statement with spotted leopard styles in cognac leopard hair. We can’t decide between the Queen pump ($455) or the Modesto bootie ($590), shown here.

Maybe we’ll just have to get both…

For more, visit stuartweitzman.com.

Photographs courtesy Stuart Weitzman.

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chic CHOICES OF AN ARTISANAL VINTAGE The California Wine Club bills itself as a different kind of wine club, one with a mission to support local vineyards and wineries and the families behind them. Putting the spotlight on the artisanal elements of the wine world, not simply shipping out generic bottles produced in a nondescript manner, is the focus. (The club is fond of proclaiming “Say No to Bulk Wine”). Deliveries feature award-winning bottles and include the stories behind the selections along with tasting notes, tips and recipes. Five series are available with two-bottle shipments ranging from an average of $40 to around $210.

WAG readers who use the code “West10” will receive 10 percent off anything in the club (good for subscriptions and single bottles).

For more, visit cawineclub.com.

NET GAIN Join the sporting life, turning your lawn, driveway or spot on the beach into an Instant Badminton Court. No tools are needed to set up the ingenious kit offered by Hammacher Schlemmer ($99.95). The PVC net support extends from the carrying case/base and the net, in nylon, slips on to create a regulation-height court. With four rackets and two highvisibility shuttlecocks included, you’re all set for a bit of recreational play. And when the competition dies down, store it all in its zippered carrying case.

For more, visit hammacher.com.

Photograph courtesy Hammacher Schlemmer.

HALF + HALF = QUITE A WHOLE The team at Pure Home online décor marketplace has curated a selection of more than 25,000 products designed to match consumers with items that fit their individual styles. We took a look at what they’re doing – and loved quite a few of the options. Can’t you just hear the chatter these one-of-akind bowls will make at your next picnic or barbecue? Eastern and Western floral patterns sit side by side in the Hybrid Cecilia bone-china soup bowls from Seletti, $147.50 for a set of two.

For more, visit purehome.com.

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Photograph courtesy Pure Home.

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& where THROUGH AUGUST 31 “Tales of Two Cities: New York & Beijing” – This exhibit focuses on two of the world’s leading art centers, offering a visual pairing of five New York-based artists with five Beijing-based artists. Bruce Museum, One Museum Drive, Greenwich; 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org.

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14 “Mandy Greer - The Ecstatic Moment” – Greer, a Seattle-based artist, creates installations inspired by mythology and fairy tales. This site-specific work encompasses sculpture, photography, fabric, video and performance art. Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Ave., Yonkers, 914-963-4550, hrm.org.

THROUGH NOVEMBER 9 “Extreme Habitats: Into the Deep Sea” – Explore the vast and extraordinary deep, the last frontier on this planet. Bruce Museum, One Museum Drive, Greenwich; 203-869-0376, brucemuseum.org.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1 Come hear artist-in-residence Alisa Weilerstein and the Ariel Quartet in an evening of chamber music.

Characterized by youth, brilliant playing and soulful interpretations, the Ariel Quartet has quickly earned a glowing international reputation, winning a number of international prizes since its 2008-09 tenure as Caramoor’s Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence.

8 p.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-5035, caramoor. org.

Micky Dolenz – The former lead singer of The Monkees will be performing at 8 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield, 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 Pat Metheny Unity Group and Bruce Hornsby with Sonny Emory - A special evening of music ranging from jazz to rock and pop, jam bands to bluegrass. 8 p.m., aramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-5035, caramoor.org.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3 Festival Finale at Caramoor - Alisa Weilerstein brings her critically acclaimed interpretation of the beautiful Elgar Cello Concerto to Caramoor. The Orchestra of St. Luke’s principal conductor Pablo Heras-Casado kicks off the program with the Prelude to Act III of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and closes the festival with the melodies of Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8. 4:30 p.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-5035, caramoor.org.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 10 The 2014 Summerland Tour featuring Everclear, Soul Asylum, Eve 6 and Spacehog rolls into Empire City Casino at Yonkers raceway. The four well-known alternative ’90s bands comprising this year’s tour have sold millions of albums, released numerous hit singles and continue to have a constant presence on airwaves across the country. 6:30 p.m., Empire City Casino, 810 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers; 914-968-4200, Empirecitycasino.com.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5 Modest Mouse – Mimicking Birds will be opening up for Modest Mouse at 8 p.m. at The Capitol Theatr, 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester, 914-937-4126, thecapitoltheatre.com.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13 Kenny Loggins With Special Guest Christopher Robin Band – The Ridgefield Playhouse presents an evening with this legendary Grammy Award-winning singersongwriter. From his days as one half of the duo Loggins and Messina to his illustrious solo career, Loggins continues to be a pop classic. 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6 “Dancing at Dusk A Highland Fling!” with Paul Woodiel and the Stormy Heather Band – Friends Field will be transformed into the highlands of Scotland where multi-instrumentalist Paul Woodiel will be joined by cellist and dance teacher Mairi Dorman Phaneuf and piper Chris Layer, presenting an upbeat mix of traditional airs, reels, jigs and strathspeys. 5 p.m., Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah; 914-232-5035, caramoor.org.

Donovan Frankenreiter – The Hawaii-based singer/ guitarist/songwriter will be performing at 8 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield, 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7 Eddie Allen Quintet - Outdoor jazz concerts return to the Lyndhurst lawn (Bowling Alley Hill) for a fifth summer. 6:30 p.m., Lyndhurst National Trust for Historic Preservation, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown, 914631-4481, lyndhurst.org.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8 The Fixx – All of the original band members of the British New Wave band will be performing requests emailed to them at thefixx.com at 8 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge Road, Ridgefield, 203438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 Enjoy the classic summer film “Jaws” at the Hudson River Museum Amphitheater, and have a Q&A with shark expert Andrea Falotico afterward, This is a free program, produced in association with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Refreshments will be provided by Whole Foods. 8 p.m., Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, 914-963-4550, hrm.org.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 Poolside Summer Pairings featuring Taittinger Champagne – Enjoy innovative menus from the Equus Restaurant paired with bevies from local producers, all served in the spectacular Poolside Grotto at the Castle Hotel & Spa. 6:30 p.m., 400 Benedict Ave., Tarrytown, 914-631-3646, castlehotelandspa.com.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 “Friday Night Jazz, Blues & More at Dusk” presents Parker & Jack in the eighth annual free concert series.

6:30 p.m., Yonkers Amphitheater (adjacent to the Yonkers City Pier 71), Water Grant Street; 914-969-6660, YonkersDowntown.com.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette” – The Metropolitan Opera’s “Live in HD: Summer Encores” continue with Gounod’s ultra-sensual interpretation of Shakespeare, featuring soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Roberto Alagna as the star-crossed lovers and Plácido Domingo on the podium. 6 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org. (For other venues, visit metoperafamily.org.)

Although sightings at Walmarts all over America still persist, music icon Elvis Presley (“The King”) died on this day in 1977 at Graceland, his home in Memphis. He was only 42.

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when

& where SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 On this day in 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival draws to a close after three days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll at Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, N.Y. MONDAY, AUGUST 18 “The Sounds of Summer” music documentary festival continues with “The 78 Project Movie.” Journey across America as participants record intimate 78 rpm records with an array of musicians—folk artists, punk rockers, Cajun singers and others. Technicians, historians and other experts in every facet of field recording add their insights. Q & A after the film with director and producer. 7:30 p.m., Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road, Pleasantville; 914-773-7663, burnsfilmcenter.org.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 6 “Things We Do for Love” – Alan Ayckbourn’s wickedly funny play questions just how sane anyone really is when it comes to love. Westport Country Playhouse, 8 p.m., 25 Powers Court, Westport; 203-227-4177, westportplayhouse.org.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20 “First County Bank Concert: Desert Highway” – Pack a picnic and comfortable seating then head to the Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk for a concert by Desert Highway, a group of six talented professionals who perform the rich vocal harmonies and intricate guitar styles made famous by The Eagles. Cars without a Norwalk beach pass pay a $5 parking fee. 6:30 p.m., Calf Pasture Beach Road; norwalkct.org/calendar.aspx.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14 Silvermine School of Art Annual Faculty Exhibition showcases current works by artists and teachers. Every style and media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, glass and silversmithing will be featured. Sara Victoria Hall Auditorium, Silvermine Arts Center, 1037 Silvermine Road, New Canaan; 203-966-9700, silvermineart.org.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 Natalie Cole, daughter of legendary crooner Nat King Cole and a nine-time Grammy Award winner, hits the stage at Ridgefield Playhouse for an evening of standards from the American Songbook. 8 p.m., Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-4385795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 THROUGH SUNDAY AUGUST 24 International Gem and Jewelry Show – Exhibitors from around the world offer a huge selection of quality jewelry of all kinds, including loose colored gemstones, fine finished jewelry, fashion jewelry, beads and more.

Enjoy discounts of 20 to 40 percent off regular retail price. Noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Westchester County Center, 198 Central Ave., White Plains; 914-995-4050, intergem.com.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 Summer Romance At The Burr Homestead — Built by Thaddeus Burr, the homestead was one of the cultural and social centers of Fairfield. Enjoy a special reenactment that will commemorate the graceful wedding ceremony of Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock and Dorothy Quincy, followed by lemonade and cookies in the Burr Gardens. 4 p.m., Fairfield Museum & History Center, 370 Beach Road, Fairfield; 203259-1598, fairfieldhistory.org.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 Come picnic on the Boscobel lawn and enjoy the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Othello” under the stars in an open air theater tent overlooking the Hudson River. 7p.m., Boscobel House and Gardens, 1601 Route 9D, Garrison, 845-265-9575, hvshakespeare.org.

MONDAY, AUGUST 25 Keep it together this week folks… because chances are your psychiatrist friend is headed to the shores of Cape Cod (Welfleet and Truro) for some R & R.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26 On this day in 1939, the first televised major league baseball game was broadcast on station W2XBS, the station that was to become WNBC-TV. Announcer Red Barber called the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

At the time, television was still in its infancy. Regular programming did not yet exist and very few people owned television sets. There were only about 400 in the New York area.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 Two-time Grammy Award winners, The Wallflowers return to the Ridgefield Playhouse. Led by Jakob Dylan, (son of music legend Bob Dylan) the band has released five studio albums to date, including 1996’s critically and commercially successful “Bringing Down the Horse.” Come hear their hit singles “One Headlight,” “Sixth Avenue Heartache,” “Three Marlenas.” and “The Difference.” 8 p.m. Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 East Ridge Road, Ridgefield; 203-438-5795, ridgefieldplayhouse.org.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28 Music phenom Michael Jackson was born on this day in 1958.

Saucy Aussies thunder into Peekskill.

Ladies get ready for…. “The Thunder From Down Under.” The internationally acclaimed male revue is a sizzling hit and has become one of the hottest tickets in Las Vegas. The sexy Aussie imports crackle with high energy as they show off their buffed bodies to adoring fans that can’t seem to get enough of them. Adults only (18 plus), 7 p.m., Paramount Hudson Valley, 1008 Brown St., Peekskill; 914-739 0039, paramounthudsonvalley.com.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 29 The Westport Historical Society presents “Coffeehouse Tribute to Pete Seeger at The Wheeler’s.” Join singer-songwriter Suzanne Sheridan and other local musicians for an evening of civil rights and Vietnam War protest songs in tribute to the late folk icon Pete Seeger. 6 p.m., Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, westporthistory.org.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30 Happy Labor Day Weekend!

80 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT • (203) 438-5795 • RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG

NATALIE COLE

Thursday, August 21 @ 8PM An end of summer soirée with the daughter of legendary crooner nat King Cole ("Mona lisa," "the Christmas Song," & "unforgettable.)

Wine & cheese tastings and reception with local artist in the lobby @ 7pm

ROCK SERIES

DoYlE Coffin ArCHitECturE SinGEr SonGwritEr SEriES

Donavon Frankenreiter Wednesday, August 6 @ 8PM

the world-class surfer turned singer songwriter is back for a great night of music! the Jack Johnson collaborator is out with his album Start Livin’ - a nine-track selection of folk-infused songs!

THE MONKEES Lead Singer Micky Dolenz

Friday, August 1 @ 8pm

With Special Guest The Characters

Performing hits “i’m A Believer,” “last train to Clarksville” and “(i’m not Your) Steppin’ Stone” and more!

Kenny Loggins

The Fixx - By Request!

Don't miss an evening with this legendary singer songwriter! with hits "i'm Alright" from Caddyshack, "footloose" from footloose, "Danger Zone" from top Gun, and "nobody's fool" from Caddyshack ii.

Email at thefixx.com, on twitter at #fiXXSonGS or at facebook.com/thefixx and... and tell them your city and what fiXX song you want them to play live. one thing leads to Another”, “Saved

Wednesday, August 13 @ 8pm

Howie Day

Thursday, August 14 @ 8PM With Special Guest Eliza

with hits Collide, She Says, Be There and More!

Colbie Caillat

Tuesday, September 2 @ 8PM Gypsy Heart Tour

Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum selling Southern California singer and songwriter, who released her Gypsy Heart Side A EP as a “surprise” June 9th.

Chris Isaak

Wednesday, September 3 @ 8PM

Chris isaak has wowed audiences worldwide with moody ballads like "wicked Game" to rockers like "Baby Did A Bad Bad thing." Expect to hear the hits plus tunes from Beyond the Sun, his latest album paying tribute to the roots of rock 'n' roll.

Jeff Bridges and The Abiders Saturday, September 6 @ 8pm

With Special Guest Jessie Bridges

the oscar winning Actor brings his unique brand of folk and country music to the Playhouse!

Friday, August 8 @ 8pm

By Zero”, ”Are we ourselves?”, “red Skies”, & “Secret Separation”.

Three Dog Night

Saturday, August 9 @ 8PM

with chart topping hits including, “Mama told Me not to Come,” “Joy to the world,” “ Black and white,” “Shambala” and many more!

The Wallflowers

Wednesday, August 27 @ 8pm

With Special Guest Ragged Glory

Known for their “6th Avenue Heartache,” “one Headlight,” the Difference” and “three Marlenas.”

The British Invasion 50th Anniversary Tour

Tuesday, September 9 @ 7:30pm

Gerry & The Pacemakers · Chad & Jeremy · Billy J. Kramer Mike Pender's Searchers · Denny Laine of The Moody Blues & Wings

MOFFLY MEDIA ENTERTAINING CONVERSATIONS SERIES

An Evening with Sig Hansen & Friends of The Northwestern from Deadliest Catch

Saturday, September 13 @ 7:30pm

Sig and friends will be on stage to share their stories! You don’t have to be a fisherman to be intrigued by what they have to say.

Loudon Wainwright III

An Evening with David Sedaris

Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. 2010 Grammy winner Best traditional folk Album!

international bestselling author David Sedaris reads from unpublished work – which could include stories in progress and journal entries, as well as recent new Yorker pieces – mixed with his commentary on83 the world. An audience Q&A will follow at the end of the event.

Friday, September 12 @ 8PM

Monday, October 13 @ 7:30PM

PET OF THE MONTH HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR VERY OWN TONY AWARD? You don’t have to be a thespian for this honor, only an animal lover willing to give a good home to a Maltese with allergy issues.

Otherwise, 7-year-old Tony is a doll with a hard luck story: He was surrendered to the SPCA when his owners fell on hard times. Still, he remains sweet and great with other animals and kids – a happy, healthy little guy.

To meet Tony, visit the SPCA of Westchester at 590 N. State Road in Briarcliff Manor.

Please note: The SPCA does not accept deposits, make appointments or reserve animals for adoption even if it has spoken about a particular dog or cat with you. It’s always first-come, first-served among applicants, pending approval. The SPCA is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. To learn more, call (914) 941-2896 or visit spca914.org.

PET PORTRAITS When WAG started our “Pet Portraits” page, we expected to be inundated with photographs of playful puppies and adorable kittens. Well, you can imagine our surprise when a couple of rats landed in our inbox. The arrival sparked quite the debate among the editorial team: Is a rat a pet? Would you want one?

We decided to give the floor to Ralph M. Newman, the owner of two of these “pets” – and founder with wife Suzanne of Dott-Communications L.L.C. (Dott-Comm), an Ardsley-based company that offers digital solutions to businesses’ challenges.

OH, RATS!

BY RALPH M. NEWMAN

“Ratatouille” notwithstanding, rats are not often thought of in the warmest and fuzziest light. If they could talk, they’d complain that they’re widely misunderstood. Rats are outstanding pets – clean, intelligent, personable, loving and a never-ending source of amusement. The ranks of rat lovers grow by the day. There are rat clubs, societies and rescue groups, dozens of books on rat care and training and veterinarians specializing in the treatment of rats.

Rats are highly sociable creatures that are miserable and depressed when kept alone.

So it was with an open heart that the Newman family of Ardsley rescued baby Mica from a solitary existence in an unknowing pet store. And it was on July 4 that the family found Mochi and celebrated his independence from solitude in another store.

Now Mochi and Mica are inseparable and an integral part of the Newman family.

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Mica, left and Mochi are part of the Newman family, which consists of Ralph, Suzanne and daughters Whitney and Sydney.

Rocco DiSpirito

Friday, September 19th

Best Chef Battle Watch these chefs in a culinary battle!

Rocco DiSpirito, Graham Elliot, Franklin Becker, & Dave DiBari White Plains, NY

Graham Elliot

Saturday, September 20th

Grand Culinary Village, including BBQ/Grilling Plaza, Mrs. Greens Healthy Eating Pavilion, Food Trucks & Concert

Sunday, September 21st

Wilson & Son Jewelers Grand Tasting Village, Mrs. Greens Healthy Eating Pavilion Scarsdale, NY

Harbor Island Park, Mamaroneck, NY

Free admission Saturday & Sunday

Fully Tented for RAIN or SHINE

Scheduled to Appear Rocco DiSpirito Graham Elliot Jacques Torres Scotto Family (Fresco) Dan Amatuzzi & Nick Coleman (Eataly)

Presenting Sponsors

JJ Johnson (The Cecil) Kamal Grant (Sublime Doughnuts) Rafael Palomino (Palomino Restaurant) Dave DiBari (The Cookery) Sam Talbot (The Surf Lodge) Franklin Becker (Brasserie)

Media Partners

Beneficiaries

WFAS Wine Enthusiast Magazine Hometown Media

FOR TICKETS & INFO

www.Sowefwf.com Jacques Torres

Facebook.com/SoWeFoodFest Twitter/Instagram @SoWeFoodFest

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& dine

An Old Pulteney round-the-world crewmember in New York City recently. Who wouldn’t want to share a Scotch with him?

DOWN TO THE SEA WITH SCOTCH

BY DOUG PAULDING

WHEN JAMES HENDERSON began making whisky in Wick, Scotland in 1826, his was the northernmost distillery in that nation and there was not a road in or out of town. All commerce and travel took place via the North Sea in boats of every shape and size. Food, fuel, clothing and durable goods were shipped into Wick.

Grain arrived by boat and was brought to the distillery, mashed, fermented, distilled and then barrel-aged, at which point it was bottled and what was not consumed locally, was loaded back onto boats. It was a harsh maritime environment with virtually everyone completely dependent on the sea.

To celebrate the seafaring history of their single malt Scotch, Old Pulteney has entered a boat in the longest boat race in the world. This is the ninth edition of the 40,000-mile Clipper Round the World race, featuring a dozen 70-foot yachts. The race began at London’s Tower Bridge Sept. 1, 2013, and will finish this month. The yachts are competing for bragging rights in sailing skills, determination and downright ruggedness of the

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crew. For some stretches, they sail 30 days straight without sighting land. Still, there are short layovers in several major cities of the world. I recently had the chance to take a New York Harbor sailing cruise aboard the Old Pulteney vessel, skippered

by Patrick Van der Zijden from the Netherlands.

To add to the pageantry of this race, Old Pulteney recently created a single malt Scotch called Navigator. Some of the spirit is matured in barrels that had previously aged sherry, and some is matured in barrels that had previously aged bourbon.

The resultant blend is worthy of this oceanic adventure and when Van der Zijden arrived in New York there was plenty of Old Pulteney Navigator on board.

There are single malt Scotch whiskies from the lowland region of Scotland that have a smoky, peaty quality of various intensities. Some have a hint of this smokiness that lingers on the tongue. Others are so peaty it’s almost like licking an ashtray. Most of the lowland single malt Scotches fall somewhere in between. I enjoy the lowland Scotches that show

a restrained smokiness for accent, not dominance. But I love the freshness and fruitiness of the highland single malts, with most of the flavor contributed by the oak barrels, the amount of time spent in the barrels and the influence and flavors contributed by the previous occupant of the barrel, which might have been port, sherry, wine or some other spirit.

Navigator is a wonderful addition to the lineup of Old Pulteney Scotches already available. At dinner we tasted several Old Pulteney Scotches, including the 12-, the 17-, the 21- and the 30-year-olds. The Navigator is honey blond and showed a lovely sweetness of restrained caramel, tart apples, oranges, honey and vanilla with a zippy spicy finish. If you’re new to Scotch drinking, add a small ice cube or a couple of drops of water to allow the Scotch to release its flavors and open up.

Two things happen when Scotch is allowed to remain in the oak barrels for longer periods of time. More flavors and textures are extracted from the wood and the taste can roll and morph in the glass, giving it a symphonic and ever-changing

profile and pleasure as you drink. Additionally the price will increase, sometimes exponentially.

Old Pulteney’s 12-year-old exudes an earthiness tempered by citrus and a hint of salinity. The 17-year-old offers apple and pear flavors with some vanilla and butterscotch and a beautiful melding of oak flavors. The 21-year-old is smoky with fresh fruit and dried apricot and a long, satisfying finish. And the 30-yearold is soft and elegant, with well-integrated flavors and a wonderful smoothness.

It shows citrus and floral flavors with a sweet, balanced oaky finish.

Don’t be intimidated by single malt Scotch. It’s a complex and delicious spirit with distilleries offering single malts all over the flavor profile. The key is to try some and narrow your preferences until you have a favorite or two, or 10. Scotch can pair beautifully with most meals, and can also be a wonderful happy hour or post-dinner treat.

Check out Old Pulteney (oldpulteney. com). The best Scotch you’ve never heard of.

Write me at doug@dougpaulding.com.

The wedding day is a glorious day, and emotions will be near the surface.

This is the atmosphere that I prefer to work in and how I create my best work.

John Rizzo Photography

10 Cedar Street Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

(914) 231-9513 studio

(646) 221-6186 worldwide mobile

Email: john@jrizzophoto.com Weddings: www.jrizzophoto.com Photo Tours: www.johnrizzophoto.com Find us on Facebook - John Rizzo Photographer.

Published in Newsweek, New York Times, Bloomberg, Washington Post, & Los Angeles Times.

Has covered assignments in Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia,, Great Britain, India, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, Sweden, & Tanzania.

watch IN THE SWIM

More than 300 volunteers from across Connecticut and beyond came together at the eighth-annual “Greenwich-Stamford Swim Across America” event. Held at the headquarters for the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy in Stamford, the event raised more than $300,000 to benefit ACGT in the fight against cancer. Participants spent the morning swimming half-mile, 1.5-mile or 3-mile courses in the Long Island Sound, supported by a team of boaters, kayakers and land volunteers.

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1. Swimmers enter the Long Island Sound 2. Darien High School swim team 3. Darien High School swim team captain Owen Brannigan 4. Nicole Graham and Alex Lewis 5. Jack Garfield, P.K. and Owen Brannigan, Tim Gould and Andrew Lomanto 6. Sam Schrenker, Amanda Bieler and Maggie Haddad 7. Clay Graham 3

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HOLE IN ONE

The fifth annual Ahmad Rashad Golf Classic, presented by Delta Air Lines to benefit White Plains Hospital, took place recently at the Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale. The event included an opening night cocktail party, day long tournament and evening gala, which together raised more than $120,000 for hospital programs and services.

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8. Jon B. Schandler, Ahmad Rashad and Jonathan Spitalny 9. Robert and Andrea Tucker 10. Angie Everhart, Nate Gantcher and Loren Katzovitz 11. Philip Ozuah, Jonathan Spitalny, Ahmad Rashad, Susan Fox and J. Michael Divney

FORE! DYSTONIA AND PARKINSON’S RESEARCH

The 22nd annual Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation Hedi Kravis Ruger Memorial Golf Invitational, held at Century Country Club in Purchase, raised more than $1.1 million to help fund research into these diseases. The full-day, invitation-only event included a buffet lunch, pro-am tournament, cocktails, a live auction and dinner. The event attracted top CEOs and executives who joined forces to help with much-needed funding.

Willie Geist, co-host of NBC’s “Today’s Take” and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” served as emcee.

1. Susan Cullman, John Kirby, Kammy Maxfeldt, Jack Gage and Debbie Hodes 2. Bonnie Strauss and Susan Cullman 3. Jay Goldberg 4. David Janes, Ann Johnson, Tom Johnson, Timothy Ryan and Morris Offit 5. Kristen, Ben and Charles Collier 6. Mark Standish and Tom Strauss 7. Willie Geist 8. Ben Collier 9. Jamie Niven 10. Gohei Nishikawa

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VENETIAN FRIENDS

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Friends of Karen had one of its most successful events ever with its recent gala “An Evening in Venice,” raising more than $370,000 to help hundreds of children in the tristate area battling cancer or other lifethreatening illnesses. Yankees legend Mariano Rivera got the auction ball rolling, taking to the stage to don his number 42 jersey. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer and former Junior League of Northern Westchester president Becki Fleischer were honored for their outstanding commitment to Friends of Karen’s mission and children.

11. Alessandra Hernandez and Jonas and Sharon Weiner 12. Neil and Lydia Singer 13. Becki Fleischer, Mariano Rivera and Judith Factor 14. Perry Cacace, Palma Patti and Harriet and Ronald Papa 15. Robin and David Abrutyn, Sandy Montag, Ari Fleischer and Nancy Montag

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watch IN A ‘BLUE’ MOOD

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts opened its 69th Summer Music Festival with a gala evening themed “Cool in Blue” to honor Bim and Don Kendall.

The guests were treated to a performance by violinist Joshua Bell and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, led by conductor Cristian Macelaru. Among these guests were gala co-chairs Judy Evnin and Effie Fribourg; Sandra Joys; former President Bill Clinton; and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

1. Susie Freund 2. Jim Attwood 3. Anne Lichtblau and Jeff Haydon 4. Joshua Bell and Cristian Macelaru with guests 5.Don and Bim Kendall and Sandra Joys 6. Jim Attwood, Leslie Williams and Jeff Haydon 7. Joshua Bell and Jim Attwood 8. Judy Evnin and Effie Fribourg

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AN EVENT MOST FASHIONABLE

“Fashion as Art II,” featuring students from Haldane High School in Cold Spring, was held June 22 at The Episcopal Church of St. Mary-in-the-Highlands in the village. Fashion publicist and “America’s Next Top Model” judge Kelly Cutrone and Barbara Galazzo of Gallery 66 NY mentored the students in this fashion-show production, in which the students did everything from designing and modeling the clothes to photographing and videotaping the event. The church’s curved driveway served as the al-fresco runway.

Photographs by Adele Westerhuis.

10. Wylie Thornquist, wearing her own design 11. Ruby McEwen, wearing design

by Claudia Crisan-Calabria

Photographs by Mary Margaret Dwyer.

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12. Kaleigh Carr, wearing design by Claudia Crisan-Calabria 13. Eric Rizzi, wearing design by Macdara Heanue

HEART TO HEART

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Some 350 women from Westchester and Fairfield counties took part in the American Heart Association’s “Go Red For Women” event at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich. They were on their feet as lawyer-journalist and national spokeswoman Star Jones described herself as “the new face” of heart disease, after her own open-heart surgery. Host and TV reporter Kendra Farm reminded attendees heart disease is the number one killer of women, but the good news is that 80 percent of it is preventable through diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes.

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1.Kendra Farn and Kathy Silard 2.Meryl Stevens, Angela Valvano and Angela Lestrade 3. Michael Coady, Peggy Martino, Star Jones, Evelyn Cusack and Sandhya Dhruvakumar

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‘CHOICE’ BOOK SIGNING

People came from near and far to the Chappaqua Library on June 29 as Hillary Rodham Clinton signed copies of her new memoir, “Hard Choices.” The Village Bookstore of Pleasantville supplied more than 1,000 books and will donate a percentage of the sales of the book to the library. (See related story on Page 44.)

Photographs by Ronni Diamondstein.

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4. Li Huang and Charles Zhang 5. John Buckley 6. Wendi Cohen 7. Pamela Thornton and Hillary Rodham Clinton (photograph courtesy Joan Kuhn).

8. Clay and Beth Haddock 9. Linda Kallner and Esther Gates 10. Geri Shapiro and Joan Kuhn 11. Vanessa Esma

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watch STARS SHINE FOR DEMME

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Recently, more than 350 people attended the Jacob Burns Film Center’s annual anniversary celebration, which this year honored filmmaker Jonathan Demme. Guests enjoyed cocktails at the Media Arts Lab and dinner catered by Abigail Kirsch Catering Relationships under a tent. Actors Meryl Streep and Jodie Foster, as well as numerous others, paid tribute to Demme, who was given the 2014 Vision Award in recognition of his remarkable career as a director, producer and screenwriter, as well as his significant involvement with the Burns Center’s film, education and outreach programs.

Photographs by Lynda ShenkmanCurtis.

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1. Hugh Price, Edie Demas, Jodie Foster, Jenny Lumet and Michael Barker 2. James Cunliffe and Elizabeth and John Nonna 3. Meryl Streep, Jonathan Demme and Jodie Foster 4. Standing: Nancy Woolf and Barbara De George; Seated: Ann Marie Santoro and Linda and Tom Cimillo 5. Jonathan Demme and Meryl Streep 6. Standing: Sybil Strum, Frank Linde and Adam Strum; Seated – Irene Narula, Debbie and Jeff Gelle and Amy Linde 7. Brian Ackerman and Joe Berlinger 8. Marty Gold, Leslie Cecil and Creighton Michael

ICE IS NICE

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The Katonah Museum of Art recently hosted a “First Look” party for its newest exhibition, “ICELAND: Artists Respond to Place.” Guests watched ice being transformed into art and enjoyed Iceland-inspired hors d’oeuvres, music and cocktails.

Photographs by Margaret Fox. 9. Ice sculptor Bill Bywater 10. Samantha, Susie, Bob and Hannah Danziger 11. Katrín Sigurðardóttir, Ragna Róbertsdóttir and Marcia Baldursson

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LEGAL EAGLES TAKE FLIGHT

Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) held their annual “Equal Access to Justice” dinner recently at The RitzCarlton, Westchester in White Plains.

The evening honored Amy Paulin, Jonathan Lippman and Noah Hanft for their outstanding contributions to the field of law. Proceeds from the event went to support the LSHV and its work. The organization, which serves more than 12,000 individuals each year, is dedicated to saving children from neglect, protecting women from domestic violence, defending seniors against abuse, serving veterans on the home front, supporting the rights of the disabled and keeping families in their homes.

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1. Amy Paulin and Barbara Finkelstein 2. John Nonna, Janet DiFiore and Jim Maisano 3. Tim Murphy and Noah Hanft 4. Jonathan Lippman 5. Kylie Cappelli 5

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SILVER JUBILEE

The WestField Chapter of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) celebrated its 25th anniversary recently at The Loading Dock in Stamford. Top industry planners and suppliers in Westchester and Fairfield counties took part in this awards presentation and gala.

Photographs by Jacques Cornell/ Happening Photos.

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6. Bonnie Cunningham, Gerald Longo and Mozelle Goodwin 7. Cameron Tothand and Deborah Mele 8. Kerri LaGrutta-Otto 8

GIVING BACK

David Perlmutter of Chappaqua, champion of UJA-Federation of New York’s Westchester Sports Talk Texas Hold ’Em Tournament, recently donated his grand prize (a 60-inch flat-screen smart TV) to the Pleasantville Cottage School, a residential treatment center that serves abused and neglected children with long-term emotional and behavioral challenges.

9. Dwight Thomas, Gregg Hammerschlag and David Perlmutter

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watch STELLAR NIGHT

The eighth annual Above the Bar Awards – which recognize top legal talent in the region – honored six winners June 12 at Pace Law School in White Plains. Receiving the Pace Setter Award was Robert Feder of Cuddy and Feder; Leading Attorneys Under 40 were Jeffrey Lindenbaum of Collen IP, Intellectual Property Law P.C. and Salvatore M. Di Costanzo of McMillan, Constabile, Maker and Perone L.L.P.; Most Socially Conscious Attorney was Mary Beth Quaranta Morrissey of Fordham Schools of Business; Leading In-House Counsel was Laura Alemzadeh of Kawasaki Rail Car Inc.; and Most Promising Pace Law Student was Desirée R. Salomone.

Photographs by Anthony Carboni.

1. A packed house for the event 2. David Yassky 3. John B. Schandler 4. Robert Feder 5. Patti Iengo, Gina Linss and Jennifer Bienenstock 6. Gail Boggio, Mary Beth Morrissey and Gary Brown 7. Jill Jacobs and Alan Badey 8. Jordon Brooks, Thomas Cunnane, Anthony Luisi and Amy Natsoulis 9. Jane Aoyama-Martin 10. Howard Fielstein, Dawn Kirby and Layne Rodney 11. Laura Alemzadeh, Jeffrey Lindenbaum, Salvatore Di Costanzo, Desirée Salomone, Pat Capelletti, Robert Feder, Richard Ottinger and Mary Beth Morrissey.

12. Anne Marie Giuricco, Diana Lemon and Govinda Davis 13. Holly DeBartolo and Laura DiDiego 14. Richard Ottinger 15. Anne Jordan Duffy 16. Gary Karlitz

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40 AND FABULOUS

Westfair Communications, parent of WAG, presented the 2014 Fairfield County “40Under40” awards June 19 at The Palace Theatre in Stamford. Fairfield County Business Journal bureau chief Bill Fallon offered welcoming remarks. Joe Connolly of WCBS Newsradio 880, the evening’s speaker and master of ceremonies, introduced officials from chambers of commerce, who went on to present the awards those from their regions. The evening, which began with a cocktail reception on the stage of the historic venue, was capped by a dessert reception in the theater lobby.

Photographs by Bob Rozycki.

1. Jodie Boldrighini, Erin and Joshua Forler and Chris Connor 2.Bruce T. Moore Jr. and Lauren Moore 3.Jason and Karen Boyea 4. Courtney and Nancy Rose 5. Guitarist Alex Berne 6. Trish, Mya and Eva Fontes 7. James, Vincent, Delaney, Tristan and Peg Lariccia 8. Colleen and Angela Pellegrini 9. Mike Cotela, Jennifer DeLeon, Adam and Shaye Roscoe, Susan DeLeon and Jim Queen 10. Deborah Caputo and Danielle Fecteau 11. Gary and Michele Pia and Michael Vickarelli 12. Ale Gomez, Dan Viteri and Ana Tobar

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Want to be in Watch? Send event photos, captions (identifying subjects from left to right) and a paragraph describing the event to rcostello@westfairinc.com.

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wit wonders: What activity are you dying to try?

CRISPO

CRUZ

MANZO

REINA

“I would love to do kayaking on the Hudson River.

I just love being out there at all the river towns. We often walk our dog there. It’s just so beautiful.”

– Gina Crispo, medical assistant, Dr. Vincent D’Amico, Scarsdale resident

“I always wanted to do the jet ski. I like the speed and the feeling that the water’s splashing around you. I like the idea of going anywhere on the oceans’ water.

I’m going to try it on my next vacation.”

– Sharon Cruz, dental assistant/receptionist, Dr. Richard Liebman, White Plains resident

“Mountain climbing. Yeah – Mount Everest. The mount itself is too steep. But base camp is a long trek.”

– Ed Foley, senior vice president - investments, UBS Financial Services, Mount Pleasant resident

FOLEY

LAUNER

SLADE

“Car racing. The reason is because no one is there to stop you. There’s no police. I like to drive fast.”

– Jamie Launer, fundraiser, Muttontown, N.Y. resident

“I wouldn’t mind going parasailing or parachuting at least once – and I’m afraid of heights.”

– Lisa Manzo, licensed practical nurse, White Plains resident

WAGNER

“I think karate. (Makes a chopping motion.) There’s a few people I’d be picturing in my mind.”

– Ruthi Slade, fundraiser, Locust Valley, N.Y., resident

“Definitely travel, because I haven’t been able to do much of it and I want to do it throughout my life.”

– Becky Wagner, barista, Hastings Tea, Port Chester

“I want to try surfing. I’ve always wanted to do it – the beach, the water, fun.”

– Danielle Reina, manager, Hastings Tea, Hartsdale resident

Compiled by Georgette Gouveia. Contact her at ggouveia@westfairinc.com.

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