RECORD-REVIEW "Talk of the Town"

May 21, 2011

"Talk of the Town"
By Bonni Brodnick

Hear now. Here now. Mark your calendars for the first annual Pound Ridge Pride Day on Sunday, June 5 from noon to 5 p.m. on Westchester Avenue. The all-out block party, sponsored by the Pound Ridge Partnership (PRP), is a collaboration with numerous local organizations and businesses to spearhead an exciting new era. “There are a lot of small things that we can do to beautify our town that will make a big difference towards improving the image of our business district,” said Charles Guilianti, owner of Salon Perri and co-founder of PRP along with Ali Boak. Many other good townsfolk have joined this community effort that continues to gather momentum and pick up speed.

Pound Ridge Pride Day centers around three themes: beautification, education and community. Along with sprucing up the main avenue of our town, organizations will set up information tables about their local projects. Scotts Corner Market and the Pound Ridge Police Benevolent Association will host a real down-home country BBQ complete with an old-fashioned ice cream truck. The Subourbons, a local band featuring Pound Ridge’s own Donna and Rick Volpitta, will provide live music. Other highlights of the day include hula-hoop and pie-eating contests (you might not want to participate in both back-to-back.)

We applaud all in Pound Ridge Partnership for launching this terrific initiative. Valerie Price joins Ali and Charles on the board of directors, and other neighbors have graciously taken on committee chair posts including Dennis Mele (Architectural), Susan Grissom and Terri Pike (Beautification), Kevin Long and Melina Velez (Family Friendly), Zita Bensusan (Fundraising) and Christine Juchem (Bookkeeping). These folks mean business. Proceeds from Pound Ridge Pride Day will be used to establish a beautification fund for the town. Event coordinators are looking for people to volunteer, home-based businesses to set up free tables, and groups of volunteers to complete beautification community service projects throughout the year. For more info, contact Susan Grissom (susan.grisson@gmail.com or 764-8689) or Terri Pike (terri.pike@attglobal.net/714-4107).

“Talk of the Town” was delighted to hear from Gloria Smith, who lived with her husband, the late Bill Smith, on Old Snake Hill Road for 33 years (1962-1995). Gloria continues to champion the topic of healthy and engaged aging in her newspaper column, "It's our time" for the Brunswick Times Record, which covers Brunswick, Bath, and most of mid-coast Maine. Daughter Megan is the town historian of Belfast, Maine. As director of the Belfast Historical Society & Museum, she also conceived the idea for and obtained a grant for a “Museum of the Streets”, a self-directed walking tour of Belfast, that features plaques (in English and French) and indicates where historic events happened in town. Second daughter, Maud, heads the English department at The Governor's Academy (formerly know as Governor Dummer Academy) in Byfield, Mass. “It’s the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the country and boasts many famous alumni like the Phillips who founded Philips Academy in Andover and Exeter,” writes Gloria. “Last March, Maud was chosen to lead a group of students to a ‘sister’ school - the African Leadership Academy -- in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her blog (http://govsabroad.wordpress.com/) is filled with exciting photos and stories of all the adventures they shared.” If you’d like to drop a line to Gloria, her cyber-mailbox is globill@gwi.net.

The Pound Ridge Recreation Department is still accepting applications to Teen Travel Camp, which is open to12 to 14-year olds. Recreations Supervisor David Goldberg and Office Assistant Jo Ann Luksin have whipped up a cool schedule that includes paint ball at Thunder Ridge, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdon, kayaking in Cornwall, Shark Boat Ride at South Street Seaport, Six Flags Northeast and more. Leave Pound Ridge behind (just for the day) and sign up for some f-u-n. For more info, contact the aforementioned names in bold at dgoldberg@townofpoundridge.com/jluksin@townofpoundridge.com or give them a ring at 764-3987. (I love that phrase. When I was in elementary school, one of my friends said she was going to give me a ring. Was I disappointed when it was a telephone call and not a diamond ring.)