Section: Arts & Entertainment

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December 15, 2009

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Patriotic speeches, colonial games, a grand parade, & more. Anyone?

June 27, 2009

Here’s a chance to celebrate Independence Day at historic Van Cortlandt Manor and Sunnyside…

Participating in old-fashioned ice-cream making, listening to a spirited reading of the Declaration of Independence, marching in a grand parade, and drilling and mustering with military re-enactors are some of the activities visitors can take part in at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside in Tarrytown and Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, from 10-6 p.m.

A grand parade is part of the festivities at Van Cortlandt Manor’s Independence Day celebrations. Tom O’Connell photo.

Both sites, living history museums that are part of the Historic Hudson Valley network, will be dressed up in their finest patriotic regalia to celebrate the nation’s founding. Visitors can journey back to 1809 at Van Cortlandt Manor and to 1859 at Sunnyside. Tickets are available online at www.hudsonvalley.org.

Dramatic readings of the Declaration of Independence are a feature at both sites.

Sunnyside will feature a reading of an 1859 speech by Irving contemporary George William Curtis on abolition, who spoke “attended by a bodyguard with a great mob outside ready for violence, held in check by a large body of police. A few paving stones and a bottle of vitriol were thrown through the windows, but no serious injury was inflicted. This was one of the last instances in which an attempt was made to suppress free speech in the free states in the interest of slavery.” Curtis was also a close colleague of George P. Putnam, Irving’s longtime publisher.

Comic vignettes featuring toasts to the Republic and spirited debates about the pros and cons of temperance and women’s suffrage will also take place. On the issue of whether women should be granted the right to vote, two sisters will duke it out in a lively fashion.

Visitors can also participate in country dancing with caller Eric Hollman, join in rousing renditions of patriotic songs, witness the feats of comedic juggler Will Shaw, and play “town ball,” an early version of baseball that uses a big at and small ball. The home of Washington Irving will be open for tours throughout the day.

At Van Cortlandt Manor, the day’s centerpiece is a vast parade starting at 2 p.m. in front of the manor house. The parade will traverse the entire site and end with a special ceremony, singing, dancing, and games. Children can carry banners and all are invited to march.

From 10-2:30, a military re-enactment group will set up camp and invite one and all to drill and muster. Visitors can help with camp activities such as fire starting with flint and steel. Storytelling and 18th-century fiddle music round out the day.

While either event could be a perfect preamble to a picnic elsewhere, classic Fourth of July food from Geordanes Market in Irvington will be available, giving visitors an easy option for lunch. Of course, picnickers are welcome to bring their own treats.

Admission to either site is $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; $6 for children 5-17; and free for children under age 5 and HHV members. Tours of the sites’ houses are included in the price of admission. Washington Irving’s Sunnyside is at 89 West Sunnyside Lane in Tarrytown, one mile south of the Tappan Zee Bridge, off Route 9. Van Cortlandt Manor is at 525 South Riverside Avenue in Croton-on-Hudson, just off Route 9A. For information: 914-631-8200 or www.hudsonvalley.org.

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How to Get Your Videos and Pictures Featured on Crotonblog

January 23, 2009

Dear readers,

If you’d like to have your movie, video channel or photo slideshow featured on the Crotonblog homepage, please use this form to send us the link or embed code.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

An editor

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Highlights of Inauguration Day 2009

January 22, 2009

Some memorable moments of the inauguration of President Barack Obama as produced and edited by NBC’s (and Croton’s) Rob Kaplan.

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27721638/vp/28774766#28774766

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Behind the Scenes of 'Meet the Press' in Denver

November 6, 2008

In what he describes as “my latest Digital Journalist venture,” NBC’s Rob Kaplan, of Croton-on-Hudson, takes a behind-the-scenes look at “Meet the Press” from the site of the Democratic National Convention.

In the following video clip, hear from executive producer Betsy Fischer and moderator Tom Brokaw about what it takes to put a convention road show together.

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River Day to Offer Kayak 'Test Drives' and Eco-Theater Sunday

August 1, 2008

Cruising the Croton on a kayak and watching large-scale puppets tell tales of the river are two of the activities visitors can enjoy on Sunday, Aug. 3, at Van Cortlandt Manor’s River Day, an event devoted to the history and ecology of the area’s watershed.

Hudson River Recreation will be performing kayak demonstrations during this celebration of the environment, allowing experienced kayakers to test drive new models while beginning kayakers can get their feet wet learning the sport.

Photo: Tom O’Connell

River Day, which takes place from 12-6, is a festival-style event with an emphasis on hands-on activities that teach children and adults about the area’s fragile watershed. “Both the Hudson River and the Croton River have been a source of commerce, travel, food, and recreation for centuries. Through games, workshops, and demonstrations, we’ll delve into the past and present uses, thoughts, and concerns about these rivers,” said Althea Corey, site director of Van Cortlandt Manor.

Arm-of-the-Sea will be performing the hour-long “At the Turning of the Tide” at 2 p.m. The “eco-logic” theater group uses poetry, lusciously painted puppet figures, and beautiful mask characters in this production celebrating the life and times of the Hudson River. Archetypal scenes portray the tidal rhythms of the river, the eat-and-be-eaten dance of the food chain, the invention of the steamboat, settlement of river towns, and the modern battles to clean up the river.

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Croton Teen Theatre to Present Anything Goes

July 18, 2008

Croton Teen Theatre is proud to present its 2008 summer production, Anything Goes at Croton Harmon High School. The cast is comprised of teens from the surrounding area and is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

Under the direction of Tom Berger, Artistic Director of Re-Directions Theatre Company in Manhattan, musical director John Bronston, and choreographer Anne-Marie Galler, the shipboard tale of identity mix-ups coupled with songs such as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” and “Anything Goes” is a must see this summer.

Performances are on July 25th at 8:00 pm and on July 26th at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm at Croton Harmon High School, 36 Old Post Road South, Croton-on-Hudson. Seating is assigned and the better tickets sell out quickly so reserve your seats early by calling JoAnn McLellan at 271-4476. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for students, seniors, and children. Refreshments will be sold during intermission and a fifty-fifty raffle will be held at each performance.

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Croton's David Rinaldi Slated for Upcoming Pleasantville Music Festival

July 4, 2008

Croton’s own David Rinaldi will bring his unique brand of family music to the Pleasantville Music Festival on Saturday, July 12 at 11:30am.

The music festival, now on its fourth year, is to headline Grammy winner Joan Osborne. “We’re excited to be bringing our family friendly music to such a fabulous and respected venue. Westchester is a fabulous place in which to raise kids. Nothing is more special than to being able to share our music with the people and places that have inspired it,” said Rinaldi.

Rinaldi, who released his first album last year is now promoting his second album—“The Boy Who Ate the Fish Food and other Tales” He will be playing with his five piece band “David and the Fireflies.”

When the Croton resident began writing songs for his two young sons, he hoped to create some quality family times and sing-along music for the car. Very quickly though, he found himself in demand in area schools and throughout Westchester as he shared songs from “Waking Up Underneath a Tangerine Sun”, his first album. Rinaldi enlisted some of his longtime musician friends also eager to share their musical parenting magic and the Fireflies were born. Prior to composing music for the younger set, Rinaldi had been lead guitar player and band leader for a number of groups in Connecticut and New York.

David’s music includes songs about caterpillars, mythical creatures, summer reading, brushing teeth, hiking in the woods, cleaning messy rooms, and super summer fun with bugs! Specially for Croton, a song about the Croton Dam is included in the new album. “We’re inspired by fireflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies and other forces of nature such as our own children,” the father of two adds. For the Festival, children will be welcomed to bring their own instruments to play along as David likes to invite adventurous fans onstage to help strum some guitar and sing along.

Additional play dates for David and the Fireflies include The Croton Free Library on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at 11 AM; and the Teatown Fall Festival on Saturday, October 18 at 12 noon.

For more information about David and the Fireflies, including YouTube music videos and clips, go to www.fireflysongs.net. For location and tickets to the Pleasantville Music Festival, go to www.pleasantvillemusicfestival.com. David Rinaldi’s music can be enjoyed for free on his website and can be downloaded from ITunes and Amazon.com. His CDs are available through CDBaby.com.

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NOVA scienceNOW Begins New Season with Segment by Croton's Rob Morsberger

June 27, 2008

Many in Croton know Rob Morsberger from his musical performances at the Croton Free Library—while others regularly see him ‘unplugged’ at Silver Lake park.

And on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, many more PBS viewers got to see him in a segment produced for NOVA scienceNOW that kicked-off the new season. In the video, titled “Wisdom of the Crowds,” host Neil deGrasse Tyson ponders the merits of democracy by asking if millions of people together can make a wise decision. In fact, it was Sir Frances Galton, who in the early 20th century, tried to statistically test whether mobs of commons folks were capable of choosing well.

Enter musical correspondent Rob Morsberger, who demonstrates that mathematically, at least, there is wisdom in a crowd.

Video clip: NOVA scienceNOW | Wisdom of the Crowds | PBS

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Ice Cream-making, Parades and Storytelling Planned for Van Cortlandt Manor Independence Day Bash

June 23, 2008

Participating in old-fashioned ice-cream making, listening to a spirited reading of the Declaration of Independence, marching in a grand parade, and drilling and mustering with military re-enactors are some of the activities visitors can take part in at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson on Independence Day, Friday, July 4th.

A grand parade is the centerpiece of Fourth of July festivities at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. —photo by Tom O’Connell

Van Cortlandt Manor, a living history museum that is part of the Historic Hudson Valley network, will be dressed up in its finest patriotic regalia to celebrate the nation’s founding—while journeying back to 1808. The event take place from 10-5 p.m.—and tickets are available online at www.hudsonvalley.org.

At Van Cortlandt Manor, the day’s centerpiece is a vast parade starting at 2 p.m. in front of the manor house. The parade will traverse the entire site and end with a special ceremony, singing, dancing, and games. Children can carry banners and all are invited to march. “Marching in the parade is a great way to demonstrate your patriotic spirit,” said Althea Corey, site director at Van Cortlandt Manor.

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