THE RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

By BONNI BRODNICK

In one attic I know there is a box of size 4 ice skates that have been around since pre-global warming, two hockey sticks, some Darth Vader-like lacrosse gloves, a well-worn baseball mitt or two, and a tennis racket from the days of Chrissy Evert. What to do with the unwanted/possibly outgrown equipment? Stacy Patrick is a team player for Kids for Sports, a non-profit organization that provides sports equipment to inner city children. “It’s a great way to recycle any equipment that might be collecting dust in your garage, basement or attic,” she said. The beneficiary of the items is The Fresh Air Fund Camp in Fishkill, where Stacy will be making runs throughout the summer. She can either pick things up at your house, or you can drop it off at hers. Son James, a rising senior at Fox Lane High School, is available to help with hard-lifting and carrying. For more info, contact Stacy at 914-715-9139 or utecolt@aol.com

Silents are golden. Pound Ridge Library has launched a new series of classic silent films shown with live piano accompaniment by John Mucci, noted silent film historian and pianist. Acclaimed for "bringing the silents back to life" and providing "hair-raising experiences" during the many chase scenes, John has been accompanying silent films and delighting audiences around the country since 1972. The first in the silent film series at the Library is “The Gold Rush” (1925), starring Charlie Chaplin, on Friday, July 23 at 8 p.m. Speaking of important figures in early cinema, did you know that D.W. Griffith, the premier pioneering American film, lived in Pound Ridge? The entertainment industry had a brief moment of glory in Westchester when he operated his movie studio complex on Orienta Point in Mamaroneck. The Gish sisters, Mary Pickford, and other famous movie stars of the day were filmed in the Griffith studios and on location around the county. At the time, legitimate theater was also taking hold in Westchester. The Lawrence family opened Lawrence Farms Theatre, the first summer-stock theater in Westchester, in a barn on the former Moses Taylor estate in Mount Kisco. Day Tuttle and Richard Skinner leased the barn in 1932, and throughout the 1930s great actors and actresses appeared there including Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan and Tallulah Bankhead. (Tallulah, who has been described as outrageous, outspoken and uninhibited, also lived in Pound Ridge. While researching my book, “Pound Ridge Past: Remembrances of Our Townsfolk,” I heard a tawdry tale about her answering her front door in a mink coat [and ONLY a mink coat], as well as about her bawdy singing around the piano at Emily Shaw’s Inn.)

At Pound Ridge Library, not only can you get stacks of books for poolside and beach reading, but it is also the hub of many summertime happenings for all ages. A few notable events include chess fests on Friday afternoons at 3:30 p.m. with Scott Lalli, Pound Ridge’s own Junior National Champion. On Tuesday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m. there will be a talk, “Life with Westmoreland Sanctuary,” the opportunity to meet an aquatic turtle and learn how to keep wetlands clean. Later that day at 7 p.m., Christina Paolicelli, a member of the Techo Girls Lego Robotics team, will give an “Introduction for FIRST Lego Robotics” talk about the exciting Lego robotics teams, and a preview of the Lego Mindstorm NXT Robot. On Wed., July 21 at 3:30 p.m., Deborah Kivisalu will lead a workshop on the history of board games and then help you create what could be the next Monopoly, Othello, Candyland or Parcheesi.

Don’t miss the Pound Ridge Artist Guild group show on exhibit at the Library until August 14. “Novel Visions” features 23 local and area residents and can be interpreted both as the inspiration for the piece of work or the impetus to create a totally new vision in one's work. The Guild, which started in a small Scotts Corners shop over 20 years ago, selects its members to reflect many forms of art, from traditional to modern and from painting to collage to sculpture and 3-D wall hangings. For more info on the Pound Ridge Artist Guild give notable sculptor April Herbert a call at 763-5130 or drop her a line at aprilsculpt@yahoo.com

The Pound Ridge Theatre Company is announcing auditions for “Moon Over Buffalo,” by Ken Ludwig and directed by Maryann Koltun. The play is about Charlotte and George Hay, an acting couple not exactly the Lunts, on tour in Buffalo in 1953 with a repertory consisting of the revised, one nostril version of “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Noel Coward's “Private Lives.” Fate has given these thespians one more shot at starring roles in “The Scarlet Pimpernel” epic and director Frank Capra himself is en route to Buffalo to catch their matinee performance. Will Charlotte appear or run off with their agent? Will George be sober enough to emote? Will Capra see “Cyrano,” “Private Lives” or a disturbing mixture of the two? Hilarious misunderstandings pile on madcap misadventures. Should be a fun production. The casting for four women and four men is on Mon., July 19 and Tues., July 20 at 7 p.m. at Conant Hall, located at 255 Westchester Avenue (Route 137) in the hamlet. Performance dates are November 5-20. For more details, contact Pound Ridge’s very own theater company at www.prtc01.org.