RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

"Talk of the Town"

By Bonni Brodnick

Are you thinking the sunglasses you just spent a fortune on look funny with your eyebrows? What about your new sneaks. Should they be Adidas or Pumas? Should you cut your hair or wear it long? Should you fight the ticket or pay the fine? Be silent no more. Judgment Day is here. Pound Ridge tech whiz/web entrepreneur Tereza Nemessanyi is co-founder and CEO of Honestly Now, Inc. (www.honestlynow.com), a web and mobile social media Q&A platform that helps people make better personal decisions by safely and anonymously asking trusted friends and pros for no-fluff feedback. To keep it safe, Honestlynow.com is building the on-line community by inviting their friends, who are inviting their friends, who are inviting their friends … you get the picture. The fun is going viral.

The website and apps are in beta, which means they’re still tweaking and adding things every day, but that hasn’t stopped folks from registering more than 400,000 votes so far. “We have a highly intelligent group of users that are 70% female and average age 37,” said Tereza. “They demand smart questions and we are aligning to deliver.” Honestlynow.com got a great review from the blog Techlicious, which was re-run on MSNBC.com and TODAYshow.com. Tereza appeared live on the leading Australian morning show that led to a run-up from Down Under. Wait, that was back in March. Fast-forward to May: Tereza was named one of Forbes’ “Ten Female Entrepreneurs to Watch” and was selected as one of eight company finalists (only two of which were led by women) in Business Insider's Startup 2011 conference in NYC.

Come on. Be honest. Are red high-tops hip or clownish? Rsvp at honestlynow.com. You’ll find it addictively fun and easy to be forthright. “We believe in being nice,” said Tereza. “And we believe questions are the start of the very best conversations.”

Albano Appliance was a-buzz when more than 190 friends and neighbors attended “Taste of Pound Ridge,” a benefit sponsored by the Pound Ridge Business Association in conjunction with the Pound Ridge Library Foundation. Approximately $12,000 was raised, a small part toward the goal of $3 million for the capital campaign to renovate the library, a vital resource to our community. Key players who helped make the benefit a success included Jon Posner (president of the PRLibrary Foundation), Vivian Falco (vice president) and Peter Clough (treasurer). Fred Albano and Chef Jehan de Noue were major coordinators of all the vendors and Ruth Mendes (president of the PRBA) designed the mailers and signs. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all of the Foundation members for their help soliciting auction items, and to the generous local businesses and residents who contributed more than 103 items to the silent auction,” Vivian said. “The local businesses are so important to our quality of life here in Pound Ridge. When we need something in a pinch, they are always there.”

Incidentally, if you missed “Taste of Pound Ridge,” a few items are still available for bidding at the library. Place your bet on a pair of Tiffany clip earrings; gift certificates for garden and interior design consultation, a gas grill, ceramic bowl planter, pet supplies, Italian lessons, Mary Kay gift basket, and (drum roll, please) a week (June 3-10, 2011) at Smuggler’s Notch resort in Vermont. Generously donated by Marian and Peter Senatore, this 3-bedroom condo package includes golf at nearby courses, hiking, kayaking and canoeing. What a great present for your college graduate and their friends. Or get a few families together. The package is worth $2,200 and is yours-all-yours for only $600. For more info, contact Vivian at 764-4988 or vivian.falco@gmail.com.

Yearning for a taste of summer? Pound Ridge Community Church will bring it on with the 39^th Lobster Festival on Saturday, May 21from 1-6 p.m. (This year we tip our hat of gratitude to former Pound Ridger, the late Garth Dickey for all he contributed to the fest back in the day.) As you delight in the sea-ful bounty, eat well, do good. Pound Ridge Emergency Services (Pound Ridge Fire Department and Lion’s Ambulance Corp.) is the recipient of proceeds. Lobsters (live) are $14 each (add a buck per lobster and you can have them cooked.) Littleneck clams and mussels are $8. Let’s not forget the delicious/scrumptious homemade pies, which cannot be pre-ordered, but you can pick them up when you wing by to get your lobster fest. Credit cards are now accepted. Email your order to lobsters@poundridgecommunitychurch.org. (Be sure to indicate live or cooked.) Any more Q’s? Call PRCC at 764-9000.