Facts of Life

Happy birthday to former Port Chester Fire Chief Bill Barnes of Rye Brook who celebrates Sept. 11.

Happy birthday to Barbara Minnitte of Rye Brook who celebrates Sept. 16.

Happy birthday to Emma Stracuzzi of Port Chester who turns 25 Sept. 13.

Happy birthday to Casey Sorbara of Port Chester who celebrates Sept. 12.

Happy birthday to Precia Guynup of Manlius, N.Y., who celebrates Sept. 12. From your Port Chester relatives.

Happy birthday to Lauren Tartaglia, daughter of Dan and Linda Tartaglia of Rye Brook, who celebrates Sept. 15.

Yannely Sanchez of Port Chester has enrolled as a member of the Class of 2027 at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Zachary Strauzer of Rye Brook is enrolled at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. as an undergraduate student.

Rye Brook Recreation’s Fall 2023 Brochure is online and available for viewing. Registration is open for the After-School Program, Impact Pickleball, Grit Ninja and Snapology. Many of these have minimum participant requirements, so register your child/children as soon as possible to avoid program cancellations. www.ryebrook.org or 914/939-3235.

The Westchester County Department of Health is reminding families to book back-to-school vaccine visits with your child’s healthcare provider or at the free back-to-school clinics. Families with no insurance, ChildHealthPlus or Medicaid should call the County Health Department to schedule an appointment for vaccines at no charge. Call 914/995-5800 to see if you qualify and to secure a spot at the Health Department Clinic, 134 Court St., White Plains. Appointments are Fridays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Westchester County has learned of its first positive human case of West Nile Virus this year which was confirmed in a New Rochelle resident. Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD, reminds us to take precautions against mosquito bites by removing standing water from our property and using repellents when we spend time outdoors, especially from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are most active. West Nile Virus infection most often causes a mild or moderate flu-like illness but can be more serious particularly for people 60 and older and those with other health complications. Residents should inspect their property and remove any standing water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Residents who notice large areas of standing water on public property should report them to the Westchester County Department of Health at 914/813-5000.

Throughout the season, the Westchester County Health Department traps and tests mosquitoes to track the presence of mosquito-borne viruses.

For more ideas on how to reduce the mosquito population near your home, go to https://health.westchestergov.com/west-nile-virus

Volunteer New York! and Westchester County have announced the community’s 13^th Annual 9/11 Serve + Remember community-wide day of service to take place Fri.-Mon., Sept. 8-11. Projects will be hosted at various locations throughout the region including several at Westchester County Center in White Plains Mon., Sept. 11. The annual family-friendly Day of Service aims to benefit numerous local non-profits and unite hundreds of local volunteers. For information on volunteer options and locations, go to www.serveandremember.org/ www.volunteer-newyork.org/service

To say thank you to our real-life heroes, LEGOLAND New York is offering them free admission from Sept. 8-10. Law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics with a valid ID will be eligible for free admission to LEGOLAND New York Resort in Goshen. Plus, first responders and their families will have the opportunity to be among the first to try out a brand-new ride--Ocean Explorer! Visitors can set sail on a high-seas adventure aboard the “Explorer –23” that stands an impressive 45’ tall and swings at 28 mph. Hold your breath for jaw-dropping encounters with a giant LEGO® shark constructed of over 120,000 LEGO bricks. For information go to legoland.com/newyork

Port Chester Council for the Arts, Inc. is seeking professional visual artists who would like to be considered for participation in the upcoming art show, ART10573, to be held Sun., Oct. 22, at Crawford Mansion Community Center in Rye Brook. There are a limited number of spots available. Interested artists should visit www.portchestercfa.org/art10573 for more information and an application. For questions, email [email protected]. Applications are due by Friday, Sept. 29. 

Purchase College, SUNY recently welcomed new and returning students to campus. Defying national and regional trends in higher education, the college welcomed a healthy incoming class of 1,110 students, which includes 100 more new students than last year. New first year and grad students are up 11% while transfer students are up 12.7%. This shows a significant increase over the previous three years which were heavily impacted by the pandemic. The college also received a record-breaking number of applications from more than 11,000 students.

(a scans 9/8 082223 move in)

Manhattanville students moving in

Manhattanville College in Purchase has seen a significant increase in enrollment for the fall semester this year as they welcomed more than 700 new undergraduate and graduate students. The college anticipates close to a 5% increase in new first-year student enrollment and a similar boost in total new undergraduate students, including transfers in Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Manhattanville has also experienced explosive growth in its graduate program enrollment with a remarkable 45-50% increase in total new graduate students.

Pace University in NYC and Pleasantville recently hosted a convocation with a cheer squad, acapella singers, and faculty and staff enthusiastically welcoming the incoming class on its campuses. The Pace community celebrated the arrival of nearly 2,404 new and transfer students hailing from 48 states and 98 countries from around the world. Notably, there was an increase in first-generation students—those who are the first in their families to attend college—that coincided with an 8% increase in applications from first-generation students. Convocation is one of the celebrated traditions for incoming students, as it sets the academic tone for their years to come. It was followed by an after party complete with games, food, a DJ, and dance music.

The Bruce Museum in Greenwich is accepting applications for their inaugural Artist-in-Residency program. The Bruce will host one Artist-in-Residence for a period of nine months, from Nov. 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024. This initiative will introduce an Artist-in-Residence to the Bruce for the first time in the Museum’s history. This residency includes an educational component, through which they encourage the Artist-in-Residence to facilitate discourse among the exhibition, their practice, and Museum visitors. The application deadline is Oct. 7 at 11:59 p.m. For requirements and additional information go to www.brucemuseum.org

The next Port Chester High School Marching Band bottle and can recycling collection will be Sun., Sept. 17, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., in the Middle School parking lot on Bowman Avenue, Rye Brook. Collections generally take place on the first and third Sunday of each month. Call 914/200-1464 for updated information.

Congregation K.T.I. is participating again this school year in Food 2 Grow On to provide bags of groceries each weekend and during school vacations to alleviate hunger and food insecurity among elementary-school aged children at Edison, Park Avenue and King Street schools in Port Chester. They welcome checks made payable to Food 2 Grow On, mailed c/o the Rotary Club, P.O. Box. 26, Port Chester, NY 10573. Food donations needed include: healthy cereal, peanut butter (14-16 oz. jars), tuna fish, canned fruit (14-18 oz. cans)—store brands are OK. Food donations can be dropped in the bins at 48 Meadowlark Rd., Rye Brook. For questions or to arrange a pickup of donations call Leslie at 914/939-8659 or email her at [email protected]

The Rye Farmers Market is held Sundays thru Dec. 3, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the parking lot on Theodore Fremd Avenue. It features baked goods, cheese, flowers, eggs, herbs, vegetables, honey, jams, meats, nuts, poultry and fruits.

The PCHS Class of 1978 will host a 45^th reunion Sat., Oct. 21 at T&J Restaurant, 10 Pearl St., Port Chester. For additional information, write to [email protected] or find the group on Facebook at PCHSClassof1978.

The NYS DMV is undertaking a summer-long underage drinking crackdown on the use of fake IDs to purchase alcohol at concert venues statewide. It will continue thru Sept. 17. 

At Congregation KTI it is a Mitzvah (good deed) moment for all to help feed those in the community who are needy. All food collected in KTI’s ongoing drive is being given to the Salvation Army in Port Chester. Food requested includes cans of tuna, chicken, vegetables, beans and fruit as well as pasta, 10-16-ounce bags/boxes of white rice, snacks, shelf-stable milk, healthy cereals, macaroni and cheese and canned meals like Chef-Boy-r-Dee, chili, etc. The food can be left in bins in Leslie Brandeis Novack's driveway at 48 Meadowlark Rd., Rye Brook.