This and That by JL

          Did you ever stumble on an intimate conversation between two people that you felt you weren’t supposed to hear but couldn’t stop listening to?  That’s how I felt watching the play Constellations, now on stage at the Whippoorwill Hall Theater.  In this production by the Hudson Stage Company, two awkward […]

Can it be true that, in terms of size and production, the brick industry in the Hudson Valley was second of importance in our region to IBM? So George H. Hutton told us in his book The Great Hudson River Brick Industry. We can quibble with his hyperbole, but the truth is that in its […]

Every year, when the wind begins to blow and the leaves start to rustle, we hear strains of a ghost story called The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  It’s a scary short tale written in 1820 by Washington Irving whose home, Sunnyside, is transformed annually by Historic Hudson Valley (HHV) into an adventurous dwelling. HHV is the keeper of […]

Some kids are special. That’s because they have special challenges. Recently artist Diane Cherr wrote me about some special kids she worked with to create a mural at the headquarters of The ARC Westchester. “The mural is a surprise being dedicated to Ric Swierat, the Executive Director who is retiring in June after many years […]

Until last night, I didn’t know Louis Comfort Tiffany was as Hudson School painter. But thanks to Howard Zar, who is the Tzar of Lyndhurst I was charmed by a series of Tiffany’s landscapes, presented in a stunning exhibition of his work, and his relationship to the Gould family, whose Gothic Revival style home in […]

                    As a modern mom, I wanted my daughters to be independent. Powerful. Strong. Confident. Rich in knowledge and understanding. Yesterday, those words were echoed (and then some) as sixty-one young ladies gathered to celebrate the completion of a year-long mentoring program with the organization Her […]

Have you ever hid a comic book under your mattress? Of course, why would anyone do that? Better than reading a book—or so I thought at the time. When your mother is a teacher, comic books are “a corrupting influence that encourages children to look at pictures, ignoring the words that are basic to reading, […]

There was good news for the arts in Westchester in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recent announcement of Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) grants. The Music Conservatory of Westchester was on the list for a $500,000 grant for a piano technology lab, recording studio, percussion studio, and new studios for jazz, ensembles and music therapy. The new technology-based […]