Staff writer: Conor Whelan

Recently I had the pleasure of using a ‘FREE 1-Day Trial’ pass I received from a vendor at the Mahopac street fair over the past Summer. Yes, I know, it’s February already! The pass has been on my desk for weeks. Well, like most of us, we get  ‘New Years Resolution’ fever as New Years eve day and New Years Day is in front of us. We make ourselves keep a promise that the next year will be a better diet and exercise year! For the most part a lot of you are keeping with it. My hat is off to you – you know who you are. A few people drop off … to those people… “Come on … get back in .. we don’t judge .. we’re all in the same boat!”

NYSC Fitness club is conveniently located in Somers Commons Center off of Baldwin Place ( Chillis, Stop & Shop, Goodwill etc). Plenty of parking and their club is as spacious as they come. You’ll find plenty of cardio equipment, free weights, machines and an ‘Xpress line’ for those of you with time constraints. Precore elliptical machines and climbers, Treadmills, bicycles. Several stretching areas, a large multi-purpose aerobic and kick boxing studio. They also have a staff of private trainers (for an additional fee) for those of us that need that little extra guidance and motivation.Well worth it.

I’ve since become a full member. The Swimming pool was the clincher. Lots of activities for the kids. A large basket ball gym that also doubles as a great place for organized kids parties. The showers, saunas and dressing room areas were clean and I loved the free towel services.

Club Hours
Monday-Friday 5:00am-10:00pm
Saturday-Sunday 7:00am-7:00pm

Baby-sitting Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:30am-12:30pm
Monday-Thursday: 4:30pm-8:30pm
Saturday: 8:00am-12:30pm
Sunday: 8:30am-12:30pm

For Carmel & Brewster residents:

Carmel
Putnam Plaza
1844 Route 6 and Stoneleigh Ave
Carmel, NY  10512
Phone: 845.225.0511

The club is currently doing some great promotions. If you use the form below, you will receive a FREE 1-Day Trial pass. Come on, give it a go!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

For Immediate Release:

Contact Person: Patti Zeller

Company: Wireless Zone

Voice Phone Number: 845-319-6280

Email address: comments@wzpatterson.com

Website URL: www.wirelesszone.com/patterson

Patterson, New York, October 28th, 2011 Wireless Zone will be celebrating their Grand Opening on October 28, 2011, beginning at 9:00 am with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony followed by food, giveaways, prizes and a chance to win an LG Enlighten Phone. Wireless Z one, a Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer, has the Technology Zone, where customers can try out the latest smartphone or try out the Connect Zone and play with the latest Tablet

David Robles, the owner of this location, has been a Wireless Zone Retailer for 14 years, with his other locations in Brewster and Mount Kisco, New York. In March of this year, Mr. Robles, with his partner Mike Jacobs, opened a store in Mahopac, New York, and now, both have opened the Patterson, location. Customers can shop at Wireless Zone for the latest wireless smartphones, basic phones, 4G Phones, Activate Verizon Wireless Services including Mobile Broadband. Our employees are highly trained and ready to show customers applications such as VCast and Skype, or the latest apps to download from the Android Market onto their Android phone or Tablet. We have a phone and plan to fit each customer’s needs and lifestyle.

Wireless Zone was originally called the “The Car Phone Store” back in 1988 when Russ Weldon, the founder, started an instantly successful business. The name was changed to “Wireless Zone” in 1999 and there are several thousand stores located nationwide. Wireless Zone offers the latest Verizon Wireless Cellular phones, Wireless Internet Devices, Tablets and plans to fit each customer’s needs. Our stores also carry a variety of bluetooth headsets, chargers, cases and screen protectors. Stop in and see our interactive store, or visit us on our website www.wirelesszone.com/patterson.

By: Patti Zeller

Fenger, a 12-year veteran of the residential building industry, is deeply rooted and invested in Putnam and Westchester County. With offices in Putnam and Croton-on-Hudson, New York, the company is invested in projects throughout Putnam, Dutchess and Westchester County that incorporate the area’s rich history and reflect Fenger’s values and passion.

Blue Bird Insulation is a natural compliment to an already existing construction business. Spray foam insulation is ‘here and now’ in the ‘Green Energy’ climate, to replace all other existing and old school insulation products. It has to many advantages over other insulation products to list here. Want to increase the ‘R-value’ along with the resale value of your home? Think spray foam insulation! Clean – Efficient – Permanent!

Contact Hilmar today for a no obligation consultation – [CLICK HERE]

Spray foam insulation is one of the best ways of insulating a commercial property or private home. Tired of those sagging sheets of insulation? Compared to fiberglass insulation, foam is designed to provide maximum protection, air and moisture as well as insects, bugs and many other advantages.

As an added bonus, the Federal Government is offering up to $500 in tax credits for residential home owners to insulate your home. [Click here] to find out if you qualify.

Stonecrop Gardens

 Just a short drive from Cold Spring on Route 301, the 12-acre garden offers quite walking paths, including woodland and water gardens, a grass garden, raised alpine stone beds, cliff rock gardens, an enclosed English-style flower garden, gorgeous Hudson Valley views, and secret landscape surprises. 

Stonecrop was originally the home of Anne and Frank Cabot and became a public garden in 1992 under the direction of Caroline Burgess.  With a windswept elevation of 1,100 feet in the Hudson Highlands, Stonecrop enjoys a Zone 5 climate making the area very hardy for many species of plants.  Stonecrop is the perfect place to inspire amateur and professional gardeners alike.  There are plenty of quite places to sit back and relax.  Be respectful of the garden and take all of your garbage with you.

Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm
The 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month (April to October)
Starting May 1, the gardens stay open until dusk every Friday.

Admission: $5.00 per person
More info:  845-265-2000 or www.stonecrop.org
Address:  81 Stonecrop Lane, Cold Spring, NY 10516

Want to know what else is going on in Putnam County? [CLICK HERE]

Typical Bloom Calendar at Stonecrop Gardens:

February/March
Indoor Display
Outdoor (Early spring bulbs, Galanthus, Eranthis)
April/May
Bulb display throughout the Garden
Rock Ledge, Raised Beds, Trough Display (Alpines, Saxifraga, Draba, Alyssum, Phlox)
Himalayan Slope, Gus’s Slope (Deciduous Rhododendron, Native Shadblow)
Wisteria Pavilion
Woodland Garden
June/July
Rock Ledge, Raised Beds, Rock Walls (Alpines, Campanulas, Dianthus)
August/September
Pond Garden, Rock Ledge (Aquatic Display)
Autumn Bulbs
Indoor/Outdoor
Flower Garden (Asters, Dahlias, Salvias, Tropicals)
Grass Garden
Systematic Order Beds  
October/November
Autumn foliage and fruit displays throughout the Garden

Spring at Stonecrop

The premier fundraising event for the Women’s Resource Center the Hudson Valley Food & Wine Experience promises to be a Tasting Extravaganza…  Restaurants, Wineries and Artisan Food Producers join together to showcase their masteries. Our venue will offer music, food, wine, a silent auction and raffle prizes. Help us promote awareness to help bring domestic violence to an end.  Tickets are only $75 per person and include all food and wine.  Please drink responsibility and don’t drink and drive.

The Women’s Resource Center of Northern Westchester/Putnam provides information resources, skills workshops and professional counseling to facilitate women in making informed choices and in working towards their potential.

Programs and services are continually developed to meet community needs and to reflect the needs of women and their families in a changing social environment.

For more information please contact the Women’s Resource Center at 845-628-9284 or send an email to info@pnwwrc.org or jschweigler@pnwwrc.org

Check out some photos from previous Hudson Valley Food and Wine Experience.

Research has shown that drumming creates positive changes in immune system functioning, relieves stress, energizes, and is just plain fun! Facilitated by Maya Benattar, a board-certified music therapist, this workshop will provide an opportunity to connect with your own personal rhythms as well as create a group rhythm. A variety of drums and percussive instruments from around the world will be used, and games, songs, and chants will introduce the “drum shy” to these in a playful manner. Absolutely no music experience is needed!

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. The program is free but a $10 fee is required at registration and will be refunded upon attendance. For information or to register, call Support Connection at 914-962-6402 or 800-532-4290.

SUPPORT CONNECTION, INC. is a 501 (C) (3) not-for-profit organization that provides free, confidential support services and programs to people affected by breast and ovarian cancer. Founded in 1996, Support Connection is based in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., but through their toll-free hotline and website they serve people throughout the country. Services include: One-on-one peer counseling and support groups offering women the opportunity to connect with other cancer survivors; Ongoing wellness classes; Holistic health workshops; Public educational programs; Information and referral services; A toll-free cancer information and support hotline (800-532-4290.) With Support Connection, those living with breast and ovarian cancer don’t have to face it alone. To learn more, visit http://www.supportconnection.org/ or call (914) 962-6402.

After living in Carmel for three years and getting tired of traveling down to the city to find Salsa venues, Harry and his wife decided to start teaching and launched the Salsa Picante Dance Studios at 571 North Main Street, 2nd Floor in Brewster in hopes of forming a community of like minded people who had the same passion for Salsa as they did.

After teaching for about six months, they saw it was catching on and  decided to start doing Salsa events.  Harry felt that that they would be able to enjoy the dancing themselves and encourge the community of Salsa aficionados they were building to be able to enjoy the dance without having to travel so far.   In addition to being a Salsa instructor, Harry is also a promoter and DJ so he spins the tunes at all of his events.

During the last two and a half  years that Harry and his wife have been teaching Salsa, they hosted Salsa dances with live bands, a Salsa Cruise to Bermuda, a weekend Salsa event in the Catskills, which by popular demand is coming back this August 19-21, 2011, and they recently began combining a Comedy Series followed by dancing that has worked out very well and growing in popluarity.   

The Trindad’s have some great things in store this coming year like a Pre-Valentines day Salsa dance in Sciortino’s Restaurant in Brewster on Saturday February 12^th, featuring the  world famous and Grammy nominated band, The New Swing Sextet as well as another Catskill Salsa Weekend in August.

The Trinidad’s have built a great community of students and have made many good friends in the process.  “We are very proud of what we have accomplished and have been shown much gratitude and appreciation many times over for what we have brought to the community.  Salsa dancing is an activity that almost anyone can do and something that can bring much joy to someone’s life.”  Salsa dancing has the benefits of exercise for cardio health and keeping your mind sharp as you focus on learning the various turn patterns and techniques.

For more information about Salsa dancing and signing up for one of their dancing classes, visit their website at http://www.meetup.com/salsapicantedance.  Classes are only $10 each with no committment.  Give it a try.  Don’t have a dance partner?  Don’t worry, solo dancers are welcome and you will meet new people and make new friends.

The market analyst claims that nutritional genomics, known as nutrigenomics, plays into consumers’ sense of individuality and self-expression. Nutrigenomics is the study of how nutrition influences gene expression, and purports to examine how different nutrients are absorbed, metabolized or eliminated according to a person’s individual genetic make up.

Datamonitor conducted an international survey in July and August 2010 in order to assess consumer interest in using genetic information to guide nutritional choices. It found that among Americans, 55 percent found the idea either very or somewhat appealing, up 11 percent from its previous survey on the subject, conducted in August 2008.

Datamonitor analyst Mark Whalley said: “Consumers have always wanted food and beverages which cater to their individual needs. However, it is only in the past few years that manufacturers have really woken up to this fact and begun to create grocery products that consumers really feel identify with their personal attitudes and requirements. They are constantly asking themselves ‘what does this product say about me and how does it specifically benefit me?’”

He added that Datamonitor research has shown that 74 percent of US consumers attach importance to the concept of individuality and being able to express themselves.

Developing applications with natural, authentic dairy flavor requires an innovative partner with expertise you can rely on. Learn how Cargill’s dairy solutions can help drive your product’s success. The market research organization claims that it is “inevitable” that nutrigenomics will come to the fore to address consumers’ desire for individualized nutrition, and said that one area of particular interest would be foods and drinks designed to deal with certain health conditions.

The study of nutrigenomics is still in its infancy, but it is hoped that it could have a major impact on the development of tailor-made food and beverage products in the future, whether they are designed to strengthen a weakened immune system, for example, or to taste better to consumers through determination of genetic flavor preferences.

Whalley said that smaller, niche companies are likely to lead the way, with larger brands waiting to see what products are launched and how they are received by consumers. “As interest amongst consumers increases, we expect to see a surge in the number of food and drink companies launching products with DNA/genetic influences over the next few years,” he said.

Internationally, Datamonitor found that Brazilians (71 percent) and South Africans (70 percent) were most likely to find the concept of using nutrigenomics to create personalized nutrition appealing, while the Dutch (26 percent) and Germans (34 percent) were least likely to like the idea.

By: Caroline Scott-Thomas, 14-Jan-2011

Reprint from: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com

Want a million dollar wedding dress but don’t want to pay a million dollars? Today, smart brides are choosing to shop the second hand wedding dress market to maximize their budget and still have a million wedding.

When you stop to think of the savings potential from this decision, it’s truly an eye-opener.  A new, designer, wedding gown can cost anywhere from  $4,500 to  $10,000 or more.  Second hand wedding dresses are a fraction of the cost and there are many to choose from these days.  You just need to do some research and keep an open mind.  Go to bridal stores and try on various style dresses and see what looks good on you.  Remember, a dress on a hanger looks completely different than one on a body.  If at all possible, try the dress on before purchasing or if ordering online, check the return policy.  Make sure you can get your money back if the dress is NOT as described, etc.

Look at old family photogrpahs, maybe you can alter one of your mother’s, aunt’s or grandmother’s wedding gowns?  Just imagine the amount of money you could save by getting a free wedding dress.  You can use the savings as part of a downpayment on a home for your new family or an extra special honeymoon.   Sandra Bullock, in the movie, ‘The Proposal”, walks down in the aisle in a stunning, simple silk gown that was worn by the groom’s grandmother.  When she first puts on the dress, it looks like a shinny potato sack.  But once fitted to her body, the dress was transformed into a perfect dress for her.  The family heirloom was once again brought to life. 

Don’t worry about the alternations.  Take the dress and head over toa local bridal boutique such as  La Sposa Bridal Shoppe, on 957 Route 6 in Mahopac and let their expert tailors custom fit the gown for you.  A good tailor will alter and fit the dress perfectly to your body and it will feel like brand new. 

Finding a Pre-Owned or Sample Wedding Dress:

Family:  As mentioned above, your mother, grandmother, or other female relatives are an excellent source when searching for second hand wedding dresses.

Antique Stores:  Such a place is worth a few minutes of browsing, however unlikely it may seem to you. If you do find a gown here, not only will it be cheap, it’ll be traditional too.

Consigment Stores:  Don’t discard this option – many brides use local consigment stores to try- and sell their dresses.  What’s great about this option is that you can try the dress on first.  On the East Side of Putnam, check out “Karen’s Kloset”, a unique consignment boutique featuring quality, gently worn designer women’s clothing, shoes and accessories located at 988 South Lake Blvd. in Mahopac.  Their number is 845-803-8695.  On the West Side of Putnam, head over to “On Second Thought” another ladies fine quality consignment boutique located at 140 Main Street in downtown Cold Spring.  Their number is 845-809-5650.

The Internet:

I discovered several websites reaching this article that allow a bride to be browse pre-owed and sample wedding dresses and accessories, which every bride knows is an necessity and an additional expense.  The site I liked the most was www.preownedweddingdresses.com.  POWD acts as a listing service connecting buyers and sellers of new, sample, and used wedding dresses since 2004.  They have more than 5000 wedding dresses listed for sale and they are easily searchable by key criteria like designer, size, price, and location.  

Sample or pre-owned dress come in thousands of styles and can be new, from last season or from several years ago, it all depends on when the bride decides that she no longer needs or wants the dress.  When shopping for a pre-owned dress, think about getting one size bigger than usual so it can be tailored to fit your body.  It is much easier to make a dress smaller than it is to make it bigger.

Just think of all the money you will save by choosing a pre-owned or sample gown and then hiring a good seamstress to make the necessary changes.  Remember, with the right changes and modifications, a two hundred dollar dress can easily be transformed into the look and feel of a dress retailing for thousands of dollars.