Scarsdale's Ali Whitney Premieres in "Find Me Falling" on Netflix
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
Scarsdale’s Ali Fumiko Whitney premiered on the big screen this week, starring in feature film, “Find Me Falling,” that debuted on Netflix on Friday July 19, 2024.
The movie was filmed in Cyprus and also stars Harry Connick Jr. who wrote an original song that they perform in the movie. In the film, Connick plays aging rock star John Alllman who is taking a break from his career to reclaim his spark after a flop album. He moves to an isolated cliffside home on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Cyprus. His dream of keeping a low profile is derailed when he is routinely confronted by desperate souls and later faced with even more complicated surprises when an old flame reignites.
Whitney plays a local girl who sings, waitresses and connects with Allman, ultimately learning a long-buried secret about her past. She uses both her acting and vocal skills to win the hearts of viewers.
Whitney graduated from Scarsdale High School in 2013, where she wowed the auditorium with her stellar performance in Guys and Dolls. At the time, I remember thinking, “this girl is going places.” And she has! We asked her a few questions about how growing up in Scarsdale shaped her path and here is what she shared:
Tell us what inspired you to start acting .... what were some of your earliest experiences?
My mom, Elizabeth Reiko Kubota (Whitney), was an actress in the 80s. I’ve always wanted to follow in her footsteps and pursue acting/performing! Growing up our home was filled with music and a respect for the arts. I went to my first Broadway show (Beauty and The Beast) when I was just four years-old and I instantly fell in love. My mom still has my Fox Meadow artwork from the fourth grade that reads “my dream is to be an actress on Broadway one day”.
One of the many benefits to growing up in a town like Scarsdale, was its close proximity to NYC and the Broadway world! While I didn’t get serious about my training until college, I always found ways to perform as a kid, including many Scarsdale led productions.
What are your best memories of acting at Scarsdale High School?
My favorite memory of acting at SHS is without a doubt playing Adelaide in my senior year musical’s production of Guys and Dolls. This was my first ever experience of playing a leading role in a musical. I still remember running into my parents’ room at 6 am Fall of 2012 screaming “I GOT THE PART!”. I credit this show and this role for giving me the confidence to audition for college musical theater programs, and thank goodness for that. I can’t imagine my life without my four years at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television.
Did you have any local mentors?
A lot of the mentors I have in the industry came from my mom’s group of acting friends who were working actors in New York and LA throughout my childhood. However, I feel so lucky to have grown up in Scarsdale because we had incredible family friends and my groups of childhood friends who have been my biggest supporters since day one. In an industry full of rejection, it is so important to surround yourself with a community that helps lift you up. My Scarsdale community certainly provided that for me as evidenced by over 100 of them showing up to my Netflix film Premiere last Tuesday July 16th.
How did you break into the business?
After graduating from UCLA’s Ray Bolger Musical Theater program, I was fortunate to have booked jobs in the theater world. My first big gig landed me in Las Vegas where I performed at the Paris Casino six nights a week and earned my equity card in Marilyn! The New Musical. I worked regionally throughout southern California on musicals until eventually I decided to take a leap of faith and move to NYC to pursue Broadway. When the world shut down in 2020, my career took a shift from theater to film and I have been so lucky to have worked on some amazing indie films since then. You can watch The Road Dance on VOD to see my first ever feature film that we shot that year!
What will you do next?
My hope is to continue working in film while also breaking into the TV industry, and of course, my dream is still to be on Broadway one day. I always say that one opportunity opens doors for the next. I am beyond grateful for the visibility Find Me Falling has given me now that it is streaming worldwide on Netflix! I’m really looking forward to what comes next after this. I also have a horror film, ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD, coming out in select theaters and on demand August 2nd so keep an eye out for that! :)
How much time did you spend in Cyprus? What’s it like?
I had the pleasure of living in Cyprus for a little over two months in the late Spring/Early Summer of 2022. Cyprus is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to. The people, the food, and the sights are truly incredible. When I moved there, I was on my own living in a foreign country, but the locals took me under their wing along with Harry Connick Jr. and made Cyprus feel like home!! I hope audiences will want to travel there after watching our film as I think it does a fabulous job at displaying the country's spirit and beauty. If you like Mediterranean food, clear-water beaches, and lots of lively music and spirited locals, then Cyprus is certainly the place for you!
Letter to the Editor: What is the Future of the Scarsdale Pool?
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
(The following letter, written by Carrie Moskowitz, was addressed to the Mayor of Scarsdale.)
Dear Mr. Mayor,
We exchanged some email correspondence about this project in the past. At that time, you did not want any input and stated that there would be some unspecified time in the future for that. I haven't heard about any of that since. So, I am sending 3 questions for you and your committee. Hopefully, you will be able to obtain answers.
1) How many, if any, of the members of the committee are current active members of the pool (2024 season, with several visits per week)?
2) How, if at all, have you and the committee determined how to resolve the lifeguard staffing issues that occur every year starting in mid-August? The result of that is limited access to the dive pool, the baby pool, and the intermediate pool.
3) How do you anticipate funding the $35 million that is desired to demolish and replace the existing pool complex? I'm guessing you are aware of the continued reduced resident usage , increased number of private pools, and the general difficulty in funding large municipal projects. As a corollary to that question, what is the plan B if that $35 million cannot be raised?
As you may recall, I am a current and past member of the pool as well as an active user of its facilities. I am also a realist.
Much thanks for your attention to these questions,
Carrie Moskowitz
Principal Ken Bonamo Tells Seniors To Face Challenges with Courage
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
Here are remarks from Scarsdale High School Principal Kenneth Bonamo to the graduates of the Scarsdale High School Class of 2024 on Thursday June 20, 2024 at Butler Field.
Good evening President Schulhof, Superintendent Patrick, fellow members of the faculty, parents and friends, and most especially the members of the Class of 2024.
Today is a special day that marks the culmination of your childhood education and the beginning of college and adulthood for you.
Your families and your teachers are filled with a deep hope that we have given you all that you need to succeed in these next stages, and we are filled with anticipation at what the future holds for you.
The resources that the Scarsdale community devotes to education have allowed us to provide you with an enriching and engaging experience that has developed in you a depth of critical and creative thinking, an appreciation for global interdependence, and a genuine love of learning.
These goals have guided our work as a faculty in designing the courses and learning activities that you’ve enjoyed during the past four years. The vantage point of graduation allows you to appreciate the impact of your work in developing your academic skills and fostering your growth as individuals.
This accomplishment also represents the hard work you have put into getting here.
You have excelled in athletic and extracurricular activities, developing the habits of mind of the different disciplines while nurturing your interests and relationships outside of the classroom.
And so you have completed your coursework and your exams and your Senior Options and have earned a seat at this very ceremony.
This is not by accident but instead through commitment and dedication to your goals.
It is so wonderful to be together on such a beautiful occasion. It is so good to see all of you here to celebrate this moment that is filled with meaning, as it represents both the accomplishment of having graduated and the commencement of your adult lives. Let us pause here for a moment to appreciate the beauty and significance of this moment.
I ask you to pause because we are in this moment filled with energy, but at the same time we ask you to think about quite a daunting question:
What is a meaningful life, and how do I live one?
This is one of the most profound questions you will face, and this is a moment of high emotion to be thinking about it.
We as your elders think about ourselves at your age and what it was like to see the world without all of the experiences we have accumulated over time.
And we ask you, at the age of 17 or 18, to think about such an enormous question when you are filled with anticipation about what comes next.
As young people, you can only guess at how the experiences of the next few years will shape the years that follow.
As older people, we, your parents and teachers, can never really recapture the innocence of the moment of high school graduation that we celebrate today.
We can give you advice, sure, but we cannot really explain to you what is to come, because the world tomorrow will be quite different than the one we encountered when we were your age, and each of you is an individual with unique talents and interests.
Your educational journey will continue to allow you to find work that truly engages you, that motivates you to pursue it on its own merits, where you find yourself in a state of flow—where you lose a sense of time and space in answering a question or satisfying a curiosity.
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That is one of the true pleasures of learning, and I hope you use the privilege of being engaged in study as your primary occupation to search broadly and then deeply to find the subject that brings you the most intellectual satisfaction which ultimately leads you to the power of independent thought.
The philosopher Immauel Kant wrote that “Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed immaturity.” He defined immaturity as “the inability to use one’s understanding without guidance from another.”
For most of your schooling, you have needed guidance from your teachers, though incrementally less and less as you progressed through the grades.
As you grow more confident in your ability to think independently, you will need courage to use your understanding. Dare to be wise.
As you confront the challenges of our world and of our society, armed with the knowledge and skills you have acquired here at Scarsdale, I hope you will endeavor to make the world a better place.
In order to make real change and bring about progress, you will need to add personal courage to the skills and knowledge you gain in school.
When you take stock of the news of our day, of domestic problems, international relations, income inequality, social justice, educational policy, and environmental challenges, it should be clear that regardless of what side of any one question you take, in order to advance the cause you will need courage.
As the energy of your youth matures into the wisdom of age, you will continue to find your voices and ways in which you can make your marks.
Given the magnitude of these social and global problems, we will need your fresh voices and new ideas and the courage to stand up even when it means you will stand out.
Your success will be measured not by how much you take for yourself but by how much you give of yourself.
Finally, I also urge you to build a legacy of love.
The key to your success in taking advantage of the many opportunities and meeting the many challenges that lie ahead will be to infuse love into your work, your relationships, and your self-regard.
Love is an active ingredient of our intelligence.
Knowledge is not acquired information like a computer stores data.
Rather, it involves an intentional engagement with whatever the information might be about.
Intelligence requires a dialogue with the world, and a state of flow is when we are fully immersed in the exchange.
Love is what invites us into that connection.
If you look around this field, you will see your family and friends who demonstrated love in supporting you.
You will see your teachers who loved teaching and guiding you.
And most importantly, you should look at yourselves and love what you see—an intelligent, curious, responsible person, poised to continue learning in order to take on the challenges of life and of our society.
I wish you all a wonderful graduation day and health and happiness in the future. Congratulations to you all!
96th Annual July 4th Celebration in Arthur Manor
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
On a slightly hazy and overcast morning, the Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association held its 96th Annual 4th of July parade and picnic in Arthur Manor. This annual neighborhood association celebration first started in 1928!
The parade participants and marchers gathered at the corner of Bell and Sprague Roads at 9:15 am on Thursday morning to compete in the various categories of parade and float participants. The judges diligently reviewed and ranked the individual and group marchers in categories such as most patriotic costumes, strollers, tricycles, pets, and of course the floats.
At 9:45 am, a special Scarsdale Police Department escort led the parade, accompanied first by the Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (founded on Sprague Road in 1893) together with all of the July 4th marchers, including Scarsdale Mayor Justin Arest and Village Trustees Dara Gruenberg and Jeremy Wise, starting first from Bell and Sprague Roads, down Sprague Road to Lyons Road, turning onto Grand Boulevard and then marching into Davis Park. Volunteer Fireman Micheal Keating was also on hand for the parade and drove his antique fire truck in the parade.
Once all the marchers and parade watchers reached Davis Park, the traditional 4th of July ceremony was held before the flag pole at the North end of the park.
The ceremony began with the raising of our nation’s flag by the Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company No. 1’s color guard. The crowd then observed a moment of silence to remember all of the men and women in the U.S. military who sacrificed so much for liberty and democracy in the United States and abroad. Long time Arthur Manor resident Richard Gast then beautifully sang the National Anthem which was immediately followed by the crowd reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Scarsdale Mayor Justin Arest then addressed the crowd gathered in Davis Park on the significance of the July 4th holiday and the connection of this important holiday to the Scarsdale community at large. Also in attendance in the crowd was Arthur Manor’s favorite son and Uncle Sam (played, as always, with perfection by Teegan Lee).
Shortly after Mayor Arest spoke, former Arthur Manor President Al Stuart conducted the awards ceremony for the day’s marchers and other parade participants in the various categories such as patriotic costumes, floats, bicycles, tricycles, and most patriotically dressed pets. A separate list of the winners follows below.
Also in attendance yesterday was Matthew Goldstein of the Conservation Advisory Council who had a table in Davis Park to promote the Village’s food scrap and composting system. The Arthur Manor association encourages all of its residents to participate in the Village’s food scrap program.
The Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association’s July 4th parade and picnic was sponsored by its own members and the awards for the 2024 parade and field events were provided by local merchants such as Amore Pizza and Big Top Toys on Weaver Street, Bouno Amici on Scarsdale Avenue, Carvel on Mill Road, Gianonni’s Deli and Jackie B’s on Garth Road, Happy Days Pizza and Mona Lisa Salumeria on Post Road, Funky Monkey, Italian Village Pizza, Scoop and Seven Woks at the Golden Horseshoe, Bango Bowls, Bronx River Books, Popojito’s, Learning Express, Starbucks and Martine’s in the Village Center, Pizzarelli’s on Depot Place in the Village, Scarsdale Bagels on Garth Road, Via Forno on Garth Road and Scarsdale Pastry on Weaver Street. Trader Joes in Eastchester donated the large amount of eggs for the association’s final field event, the egg toss - first appearing at Arthur Manor’s July 4th picnic in 1944. The Arthur Manor association always encourages all of its residents to buy local where possible.
At the conclusion of the 4th of July ceremony, the crowd walked to the other end of Davis Park for the annual field events including the three-legged race, parent-child relay race, potato sack and wheel-barrow races, and Arthur Manor’s all-time favorite, the annual “egg toss” - first appearing at Arthur Manor’s July 4th picnic in 1944. The field games were again skillfully managed by Arthur Manor’s own Andrew Krause. (A list of the winning field event participants also follows below).
This year’s egg-toss was won by Kiely and Chris Piekarski! Second place egg-toss winners were Amoreo and Kai Benevento with 3rd place winners Amanda Gallace and Charlie Kaplan. Congratulations to all those who participated in the 2024 egg toss event!
Lots of laughter could be heard and many good memories were made by all of those attending the July 4th celebration in Davis Park this year. It was also a chance for neighbors who have not seen each other in some time to reconnect with each other and for new residents to make new friends in Arthur Manor.
Hosting the event was Arthur Manor Neighborhood Association President, Matt Martin.
The Arthur Manor July 4th parade and celebration is made possible only through the collective efforts of the many Arthur Manor volunteer residents including especially the Mancini, Marcus, Roche, Porco, Krause, Bonanno, Bongiorno, Cover, Salazar and Stuart families, and all of the other Arthur Manor volunteers too numerous to list here. A tremendous THANK YOU to all those residents who helped make the special day happen!
The Arthur Manor association wishes to thank the staff at the Village Hall including the Manager’s office, the Highway department, and the police and fire departments for helping to make this annual event a reality.
The Arthur Manor association also encourages all of its residents to start practicing now for the July 4th, 2025 egg toss.
Arthur Manor 4th of July Celebration Parade Winners, July 4, 2024
Marchers in Patriotic Costumes
1st place: Olivia and Sophia Elliott
2nd place: Charlotte Dietz
3rd place: Shelby
Honorable Mention: Mila
Scooters
1st place: Lily Bandsma
2nd place: Reagan Bandsma
3rd place: Abby Garvey
Honorable Mention: Margo Bandsma and Leah Stone
Bicycles
1st place: Leila Capossela
2nd place: Penny Stuart
3rd place: Ally Cole
Honorable Mention: Owen Stelzer
Tricycles
1st place: Ryder Tarantino
Carriages and Strollers
1st place: Josh and Myles Koppel
2nd Place: Everett and Ellie Beok
3rd Place: Joshua Elliott
Honorable Mention: Eli Stone
Floats:
1st place: Hazel and Izzy Colin and Anna Shrinp, “Happy Birthday America”
2nd place: Jack, Amelia Harzner and Jack, Sloan, Ezra and Emmy Callaghan, “Arthur Manor Olympians are Made Here”
3rd place: Chris, Jeanie, and Grace Horne Family, “A League of Their Own”
Arthur Manor 4th of July Celebration Field Events, July 4, 2024
Dash
1st Heat: 5 yrs. Old and under, boys and girls together
1st- Austin
2nd- Aiden
3rd- Christopher
2nd Heat: 6 and 7 old, boys and girls together
1st- Noah
2nd- James
3rd – Elizabeth
3rd Heat: 8,9,10 year old, girls
1st- Lillian Peterson
3rd- Emme and Aubry
4th Heat: 8,9,10 year old, boys
1st- Johan Schuerlein
2nd- Ben
3rd- Dylan
5th Heat: 11 yr old and older, girls
1st- Malu Gonzalez
2nd- Monica
3rd- Lily
6th Heat: 11 yr old and older, boys
1st- Sasha
2nd- David
3rd-xxxxxxxxxx
Wheelbarrow Race (Teams of two, boys and girls mixed)
1st Heat: 7 yrs old and under
1st- Shea and Natalie
2nd- James and Noah
3rd- Albert and Jack
2nd Heat: 8,9,10 yr olds
1st- Grace and Kiely
2nd- Ben and Luke
3rd – Aubrey and Minyi
3rd Heat: 11 yr old and older
1st- Lilly and Alisa
2nd- Vivian Hanawa and Sophia Elliott
3rd- Ella Peterson and Avony Mesola
Potato Sack Race/ Girls
1st Heat: Girls 6 and under
1st- Aden Fischesser
2nd- Sheila Piekarski
3rd- Natalie
2nd Heat: Girls, 7 and 8 yr olds
1st- Olivia Garvey
2nd- Lindsey Holdsez
3rd- Kiely Piekarski
3rd Heat: Girls, 9 and 10 yr olds
1st- Lillian Peterson
2nd- Grace Piekarski
3rd- Aubry Lin
4th Heat: Girls, 11yr old and older
1st-
2nd- Alisa Schulz
3rd- Ella Peterson
Potato Sack Race/Boys
1st Heat: Boys, 6 yrs and under
1st- James Rodriguez
2nd- Austin Carr
3rd- Leo Pollaro
2nd Heat: Boys, 7 and 8 yrs old
1st- Noah Hanawa
2nd- Albert Zhang
3rd- James Haggerty
3rd Heat: Boys, 9 and 10 yrs old
1st- Johan Schuerlein
2nd- Ben Maibrunn
3rd- Will Mehlich
Parent-Child Relay
1st Heat: Children 5 and Under
1st: Kieran Piekarski
2nd: Molly and Anne Marie Mostin
3rd: Leon and Doug Stone
2nd Heat: 6,7, 8 year olds
1st: Timothy Haggerty
2nd: Kiely Piekarski
3nd Heat: 9 and 10 Year Olds
1st- Grace and Chris Piekarski
2nd- Lillian and Marty Peterson
3rd- Johan and Shawn Schuerlein
4th Heat: 11 year olds and older
1st- Marty and Monica Peterson
2nd- Lily and Taishi Tamura
3rd- Mike and Theo Merola
Three Legged Race (Teams of Two, Boys and Girls Mixed)
1st Heat: 6 and under
1st- Elizabeth del Vaalle and Marie Kate Cococcia
2nd- Shea Piekarski and Natalie Schweitzer
3rd- James Rodriguez and Owen Stelzer
2nd Heat: 6 and Under
3nd Heat: 7 and 8 yr olds
1st – Lindsey Hojesz and Emma Dapp
2nd- Rebecca Stone and Olivia Garvey
3rd- Malula Schuerlein and Ally Cole
4th Heat: 9 and 10 yr olds
1st- Kiely and Grace Piekarski
2nd- Brooke Biondi and Lillian Peterson
3rd- Ben Maibrunn and Luke Schweitzer
5th Heat: 11 years old and older
1st: Vivian Hanawa and Grace Horne
2nd: Olivia Elliott and Sophia Elliott
3rd: Patrick Haggerty and Dylan Danahy
Egg Toss
1st- Kiely and Chris Piekarski
2nd- Amoreo and Kai Benevento
3rd – Amanda Gallace and Charlie Kaplan
Free Westchester Band Concerts Begin on Thursday June 27 in Chase Park
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
2001. It was more than a Space Odyssey. It was the year that the Westchester Band's Music Director Alan Hollander took the reins and has led the band ever since into its now 54th year of Summer Concerts at Chase Park in downtown Scarsdale.
Established in 1969 the band would have enjoyed its “double nickle” 55 year status this concert year had Covid not forced the first (and hopefully only) break in its performance season in 2020.
Combining the talents of professional, amateur, and outstanding student musicians, and sponsored principally by the Scarsdale Department of Parks and Recreation, local merchants, and by donations from the concert-going public the band begins its Summer season this year on Thursday June 27, and continues every Thursday evening thereafter thru August 8th, at 8:00PM (except the July 4th holiday week when its annual fireworks concert will commence at 7:30 PM on the evening of July 2nd at the Scarsdale Pool Complex). See the full schedule here.
Maestro Hollander will conduct the Symphonic Band's varied repertoire of pieces featuring Classical works, marches, show tunes and soloists, for free, under the stars (rain location Scarsdale Middle School Auditorium.)
So bring a lawn chair or blanket and picnic dinner (and a friend!), “unplug,” and be transported away for a while from the events of the day.
And as with each of its performance seasons, making this huge undertaking not only possible, but free to the public comes with the help of band patrons and supporters of the arts alike. Donations made payable to “Friends of the Westchester Band” are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. You may mail your checks to 41 Van Etten Boulevard, New Rochelle, NY 10804.
See you under the stars!
