My Rye

Lego Show at Stamford Nature Center

If you think your kids are good at Lego, go check out Nathan Sawaya. Nathan is not in your kids' pre-school class. He is a full time (adult) Lego artist. Really.

Thru August 17th, you can see Sawaya's show: "Nathan Sawaya: the Art of the Brick" at the Stamford Nature Center's Bendel Mansion Museum Galleries. There are numerous Lego sculptures, portraits, a massive dinosaur and a train city. Check out MyRye.com's complete photo album from the Sawaya Leo show. The nature center describes the show as:

"New York-based "brick artist" Nathan Sawaya has elevated LEGO® construction to an art form. Besides recreating objects and buildings - which he does, brilliantly - Sawaya uses the LEGO® brick as other artist's use canvas, stone, or clay: to express himself and to challenge viewers to interpret his creations. His amazing "Red, Yellow, and Blue" series explores emotion through the human form, reaching an artistic level not usually associated with a toy. Sawaya has been featured on some of the biggest talk shows around including The Today Show, Late Night with David Letterman and The Colbert Report. His works are on display in major museums across the country."

Go to the Stamford Nature Center site from more information and visit Nathan Sawaya's site if you want a quote on a Lego family portrait.

Osborn First Grade Play Animotion is a Hit

After studying various animals in school this year, the first graders at the Osborn School presented Animotion, the first grade play, to parents this past Friday, April 11th. Each of the five first grade classes represented a different type of animal--kangaroos, monkeys, snakes, mules and polar bears.

If Frank Rich had been there, he would have said "bravo" and "a masterpiece". See the MyRye photo album of the Animotion play and the videos below.

The Kangaroos:

The Monkeys

The Snakes

The Mules

The Polar Bears

Final Chorus of Animotion

51st Annual Rye Little League Parade

The 51st Annual Rye Little League Parade was held this past Saturday, April 2nd. Led by Rye Police Commissioner William Connors in his squad car and Rye Mayor Steve Otis, city council reps and board of education officials on foot, several hundred little leaguers, parents and coaches participated.

The parade left the Rye Metro North parking lot at 12 noon (see our video), wound its way down Purchase Street, then to Milton Avenue and finally arrived at Disbrow Park.

At Disbrow, there was a ringing rendition of the National Anthem (see our video), Rye City leadership and Rye Little League leadership was thanked and Mayor Otis and City Councilman Andy Ball threw out the first ceremonial pitches to kick-off the baseball season. Good luck to all the players in the 2008 season!

MyRye.com has video below and over 150 photos in the Rye Little League Parade photo album.

(VIDEO: The Little League Parade kicks-off at the train station)

(VIDEO: The crowd loves the National Anthem.)

Goo Drive at Playland Successful

(PHOTO: Put the top down and go for a spin with those toxic chemicals.) Stay in your car and the man in the white suit will help you... It was "all goo all the time" this past Saturday during Household Recycling Day at Rye Playland.

Westchester County accepted all sorts of old computers, toxic chemicals, outdated medication and confidential papers for shredding.

Toxic Chemicals and Playland: Friday and Saturday

Bring the family and the toxic chemicals!

This Friday, April 4th (1-3pm) and Saturday, April 5th (9am - 3pm), Westchester County will be holding a Household Recycling Day at Rye Playland. The event was formerly called "Household Chemical Clean-up Day". Westchester County Executive Andy Spano must have a branding consultant on staff.

Many citizens dream about bringing all sorts of nasty things to their local government officials and now is your chance. You can bring all your nasty goo to Playland on Friday or Saturday and Westchester County will dispose of it safely and for free. In addition to loading up your car with the usually pesticides and brake fluid, this year you can also clean out your medicine cabinet.

The fish in the Long Island Sound do not want your uppers, downers, blood thinners and pain killers, but Andy Spano does. With all the talk about recycling, conservation and leaf blower bans at city council, we hope Rye citizens take care of the nastiest part of spring cleaning this Friday and Saturday.

It also occurs to us the County might want to run a cross promotion when Playland Park opens for the summer. Think about it. "Toxic Chemical Day" at Playland. They would have offers like two-for-one rides for children under 12 who bring a toxic herbicide. What fun! We think the county would end up with more goo vs. appealing this event where they are solely to the good nature of people to show up with their goo.

Here is the official run-down of what you can bring (and not bring) Andy Spano:

BRING THIS GOO:

Properly labeled household chemicals, including:
Most Automotive Fluids – antifreeze, brake fluid, gasoline
Flammable Liquids – kerosene, butane, charcoal fluid, turpentine
Metal, Jewelry & Furniture Polishes, Wood Preservatives
Pesticides, Insecticides, Herbicides
Photographic & Swimming Pool Chemicals

Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Fire Extinguishers & Small Propane Tanks (1 and 2 pound tanks ONLY)
Rechargeable & Button Cell Batteries
Cell Phones
Mercury Thermometers and Thermostats

E-WASTE – Computer monitors, TV’s, computer towers, accessories, printers, faxes, phones, cell
phones and small appliances, i.e. toasters, blenders, radios, stereos, speakers, lamps
Car Tires (maximum 10)
Expired or Unused Pharmaceuticals – Both prescription and over the counter

Plastic Grocery Bags

DO NOT BRING THIS GOO:

What’s Not Accepted:
Paint— Oil & Latex – (Dispose of with household trash in solid form. Air dry and use kitty litter or waste paint hardener.) Exception: Rye Brook, White Plains and Yorktown residents must dispose of empty or hardened paint cans on bulk pick-up days.
Motor Oil – Take to service station or motor oil retail outlet.
Vehicle Batteries – Take to a local scrap metal dealer or any vehicle battery retail outlet.
Non-rechargeable Batteries – Dispose of in trash.
Compressed Gas Cylinders – helium and oxygen tanks, 20 pound BBQ tanks
Freon & Appliances with Freon – air conditioners, dehumidifiers
Smoke & Fire Detectors
Explosives – flares, fireworks, ammunition
Medical Waste – hypodermic needles
Materials from Commercial & Institutional Users
White Waste – washers, dryers, freezers, air conditioners, stoves, refrigerators

QUESTIONS?
Call the Household Recycling Info Line
(914) 813-5425 or visit
www.westchestergov.com/recycling

Pat the Barber

Many of us live in Rye because of the small town feeling you get walking down Purchase Street. And much of that feeling is created by the people that work in and around Purchase Street who we all depend on for various services.

So we were saddened to hear that Pat the barber passed away last week. Pat was a fixture in Frank's Barbershop, making legions of Rye men and boys look good. While this writer typically sits in Frank's chair, no one in Frank's shop could miss overhearing Pat spinning one of his fishing stories.

A mass is planned for this week.

Geeks Taking Over Rye Town Hilton

We hope you are not attending a wedding or a lavish company event this weekend at the Rye Town Hilton.

Today thru Sunday, the hotel turns into Geekville for the annual Lunacon event hosted by who else but the Lunarians -- "a non-profit educational organization and one of the New York Metropolitan area’s oldest science fiction and fantasy societies". Also known as the association of social awkward kids from the fifth grade that could not name the Yankee line-up and played Dungeons & Dragons all the time that are now engineers and quant freaks with the exact same dysfunction (only they are now way wealthier than you).

Some of the programming really caught our attention including "Bondage In Brundage: How do you make sadomasochistic characters respectable? If you write about bondage, do you have to get all the knots right? How does polyamory work in fiction, as opposed to real life? A guide to everything a writer needs to know about alternative sexuality. Adults only."

And here is another charmer: "People for the Ethical Treatment of Mars: With Spirit and Opportunity showing that liquid water did exist at some time in the past, Mars is looking more and more like it could be terraformed and colonized. But should it be? What are some of the consequences that could occur if we did? But if we don't, will we be closing off the possibility to extend our reach to the stars?"

Hey, sounds more interesting than the average conference junket. And if you are in Starbucks this weekend and a bunch of people walk in wrapped in aluminum foil or dressed as Spock, don't worry -- it is just a friendly Lunarian.

MyRye.com Goes Global, Way Global

A couple weeks ago, MyRye.com went Hollywood. Now, we have gone global. Way out global. We have always gotten our share of the curious from the United Kingdom or Japan and other familiar places.

But how about web visitors from the last remaining British territory in the Pacific? With a total of 50 residents?

Hello Pitcairn Islands! In case you guys have not figured it out, it is easier to avoid scurvy and get fresh fruit over here in Rye, but the real estate is definitely more expensive.

(PHOTO: One of these people reads MyRye.com)

Rye Student Struck by Car

A student was struck by a car on the Old Post Road on Monday, March 10th. The following statement was released by Rye Police Commissioner William R. Connors in relation to the incident:

POLICE DEPARTMENT City of Rye, New York 21 McCullough Place Rye, N. Y. 10580 Phone: (914) 967-1234 FAX: (914) 967-8341

William R. Connors Police Commissioner

March 10, 2008

To the Rye School Community:
As many of you are aware, an eighth grade student was struck by a vehicle while she was on her way to school this morning. Although the accident is still under investigation, I am writing to ensure that the school community is apprised of the information that is available.

At approximately 7:55 A.M. this morning, the student was walking east on Old Post Road and began crossing Boston Post Road when she was struck by a southbound car. That vehicle was being driven by a local resident who had just taken his children to school. We requested the Westchester County Police Department’s Accident Investigation Unit to investigate the incident. Although all information is preliminary pending the outcome of that investigation, we do not have reason at this time to believe that excessive speed was a factor, and this appears to be simply a terrible accident.

Some news accounts reportedly described the driver as being "in custody." That is simply not correct. The driver was not at any time in police custody; no charges have been filed against him, and unless the accident investigation results in information contrary to our initial accounts, we do not anticipate filing charges.

Over the longer term, the City of Rye and the Rye City School District have been actively engaged in pedestrian safety and traffic improvements at all of the campus locations. These joint efforts have prioritized a list of projects which have been forwarded through the Temporary Trailways & Traffic Safety Committee for action.

The first phase of implementing these projects is the submission of a Safe Routes to School Grant application which will be submitted with the assistance of the Rye YMCA and the Activate America program on April 1.

The re-design of the Boston Post Road to include a "diet" restriction for travel lanes is also being developed for City Council approval later this spring. This project has been fully funded by the /City Council for 2008, and is scheduled for the summer construction season.

The City of Rye Traffic and Transportation Committee has also been actively engaged in pedestrian safety and school campus improvements and has been supported by the City in engaging professional traffic engineering services for improvements to existing facilities in 2000, as well as updating the study in 2007.

As in any traffic accident, a full reconstruction of the events will help to determine appropriate public safety and physical improvements. In the interim, however, this accident is a reminder to pedestrians, motorists, and parents to always use caution, particularly in the vicinity of schools.
Very truly yours,

WRC/wrc William R. Connors
Police Commissioner

Spinning for $27,650 Dollars

This past Saturday and Sunday there was a spin-a-thon at the Rye YMCA and the Altheus Endurance Center to raise money for the Blazeman Foundation and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Organized by Ray Kelly, Phil Gormley, Jim Carlson and Anna Mackay with the help of Diana Vita at the Rye YMCA and Rocco at Altheus Endurance Center, the event raised $27,650 for the two organizations.

Saturday was National Blazeman Day named after Jon Blaise, a triathlete who was diagnosed with ALS. The aim of the Blazeman Foundation (Jon died in June 2007) is to raise awareness of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and try to encourage research to find a cure for this incurable killer disease.

The spin-a-thon was first held in 2007 and raised $10,000 for the Blazeman Foundation. This year the event was held at both the Rye YMCA and the Altheus Endurance Center. In addition to Saturday's event for the Blazeman Foundation the organizers added a Sunday effort to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation which provides grants for equipment and coaching for disabled athletes.

Some participants rode for three hours. The biggest individual fund raiser raised $2,600. A total of 70 people took part Saturday and 50 on Sunday. $18,200 was raised Saturday for the The Blazeman Foundation and Friend's of Claire (for ALS) and on Sunday $9,450 was raised for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.