Events February 2016

Events February 2016: Films at the libraries, Jacob Burns and the new Purchase Film Series plus the Westchester Knicks, Food Bank for Westchester Valentine’s Day Wine Tasting and the New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show.

February

Purchase Film Series: Documentary Now –Performing Arts Center: In this new collaboration with Purchase College, Film & Media faculty curate and moderate screenings of the best in contemporary documentary film. Ivory Tower: Professor Brandon Harris screens and moderates a Q&A with Director Andrew Rossi whose 2014 timely doc asks the question , “Is college worth the cost?” The film examines the vast costs and perceived benefits of higher education in the United States as tuition rates spiral and student loan debt passes $1 trillion – more than credit card debt. Thurs, 2/4: 7pm. (Pepsico Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; wwwartscenter.org)

Friday Night Movies with Professor Valerie Franco: LIU Professor Valerie Franco’s film series continues with Lunchbox, a 2013 romantic comedy where a young housewife and an older man are brought together when the Mumbai lunchbox delivery system breaks down. Fri, 2/5: 7pm. Un Matriomonio de Favola: A Fairy Tale Wedding. This Italian romantic comedy follows a series of misconnections and unlikely events when 5 high school friends get together for a wedding. Fri, 2/12: 7pm. The Search for General Tso: Just watched this comedic documentary that travels to Hunan Province to find the origin of the Chinese dish General Tso’s Chicken and tells a fascinating story of Chinese food and immigration in America. Fri, 2/19: 7pm. (North Castle Public Library, 19 Whippoorwill Rd. E., Armonk; www.northcastlelibrary.org)

Westchester Knicks – County Center: Powered by the recent acquisition of Jimmer Fredette, the Westchester Knicks have an 11-15 record going in to the New Year. You can see Jimmer, former Michigan State star Travis Trice, Thanasis Antetokounmpo and the high-scoring, former Georgetown star Dajuan Summers on Fri, 2/5: 7pm, Wed, 2/17: 7pm, Fri, 2/19: 7pm, Sun 2/21: 1pm, Thurs, 3/3: 7pm, Sun, 3/6: 5pm, Thurs, 3/24: 7pm, Mon, 3/28: 7pm, Wed, 3/30: 7pm * Sat, 4/2: 5pm. (County Center, 198 Central Ave., White Plains; www.countycenter.biz)

Andy Stein & The Beethoven Quartet – Chappaqua Library: Violinist Andy Stein, local veteran of the Prairie Home Companion radio show performs with members of the Chappaqua Orchestra in his arrangement of Beethoven Symphony No. 2. Sun, 2/7: 3pm. (Chappaqua Library, 195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)

Special Event: The Winding Stream – Jacob Burns: This one night screening of The Winding Stream offers an oral history of the Carter and Cash music families weaving in the voices of Sheryl Crow, George Jones, Johnny Cash and other prominent musicians. In tandem, this event features a live performance by The Shovel Ready String Band. Thurs, 2/11: 7:30pm. (Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

Food Bank for Westchester, Valentine’s Day Wine Tasting Dinner: An evening of food, love and wine features a five-course dinner with wine pairings to mark the Food Bank’s 27 years of fighting hunger in Westchester. Plus hors d’oeuvres, raffle and live auction of one-of-a kind experiences. Date: Fri, 2/5: 6pm. (Tappan Hill Mansion, 82 Highland Ave., Tarrytown, 914.909.9610; www.foodbankforwestchester.org)

John Jay Lecture Series: Kevin M. Murphy, Anglo-American Portraiture in an Era of Revolution: Kevin Murphy, curator of American art at Williams College, examines the works of Gilbert Stuart, Benjamin West, Jean-Antoine Houdon and John Trumbull from the Homestead’s art collection for signs of revolutionary fervor. And discusses his new book, American Encounters: Anglo-American Portraiture in an era of Revolution, that grew out of a series of exhibition collaborations between the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The High Museum, Musee du Louvre and Terra Foundation for American Art. Thurs, 2/18: 7pm. (John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay St., Katonah; www.johnjayhomestead.org)

Oscar Talk – Jacob Burns Film Center: Join acclaimed film critic Janet Maislin and “Oscarologist” Mark Harris for a lively discussion of this year’s Oscar picks. Janet Maslin is the former Chief Film Critic of the New York Times. Mark Harris is the author of the New York Times bestseller Pictures at a Revolution and an editor at large at Entertainment Weekly. Tues, 2/16: 7:30pm. (Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd. Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

Hitchcock at Jacob Burns: Here’s a mini-Hitchcock film festival. Hitchcock/Truffaut: Filmmaker Kent Jones’s documentary brings to life Truffaut’s seminal book of the same name that dissects every Hitchcock film. The book followed a weeklong conversation between Hitchcock and Truffaut. A Q&A with the Kent Jones follows the screening. Following this screening Jacob Burns will present three Hitchcock classics including Vertigo (1958) with James Stewart and Kim Novak on Monday, 2/15: 7:30pm; Psycho (1960) everybody’s favorite motel movie with Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins on Tues, 2/16: 7:45pm; and The Birds, the film that made Bodega Bay (and Tippi Hedren) famous on Wed, 2/17: 7:30pm. (Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd. Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

Menus in the Movies – Chappaqua Library: Alice’s Restaurant: Arthur

Penn’s adaptation of Arlo Guthrie’s folk song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” begins with Thanksgiving dinner and ends with a hippie-style wedding. Starring Arlo as himself, the movie was released on August 19, 1969 just a few days after Arlo appeared at the Woodstock Festival. Fri, 2/19: 7pm. (Chappaqua Library, 195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)

An Evening With Fran Lebowitz – Tarrytown Music Hall: Purveyor of urban cool, witty chronicler of the ”me decade” and the cultural satirist whom many call the heir to Dorothy Parker, Fran Lebowitz remains one of the foremost advocates of the Extreme Statement. Sat, 2/20: 8pm. (Tarrytown Music Hall. 13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Winter Farm to Table Supper – Stamford Museum & Nature Center: Chef Scott Miller, former Executive Chef of Max’s Oyster Bar and Connecticut’s Chef of the Year in 2011, will prepare a full farm to table experience in the Bendel Mansion. The evening begins with artisanal hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at an exclusive gallery tour led by featured New York artist Peter Bradley of the new pop-up exhibition Extreme Art: Massive & Miniature – with artworks from the permanent collection of the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Sat, 2/27: 6-10pm. (39 Scholfieldtown Rd., Stamford; www.stamfordmuseum.org)

New York Botanical Garden, The Orchid Show: NYBG’s annual orchid exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is one of the most popular of their annual events. This six-week exhibition comes well-programmed with special events and performances including live music, poetry walks, and Orchid Evenings where you can sip your way through the conservatory – cocktail in hand- while you take in one of the world’s most extensive, beautiful and meticulously curated exhibitions of orchids. Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm. Opens Sat, 2/27 and runs through Sun, 4/17. (New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx; www.nybg.org)

March

Purchase Film Series: Documentary Now – Performing Arts Center: The Iron Ministry: J.P. Snaidecki spent three years filming this inspection of the changing social, economic and cultural landscape of China through interviews with passengers on what will soon be the world’s largest railway network. Professor Jeff Scheible moderates a Q&A with the director after the screening. Wed, 3/2: 7pm. (Pepsico Theatre, Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; wwwartscenter.org) 

Westchester Knicks – County Center: Powered by the recent acquisition of Jimmer Fredette, the Westchester Knicks have an 11-15 record going in to the New Year. You can see Jimmer, former Michigan State star Travis Trice, Thanasis Antetokounmpo and the high-scoring, former Georgetown star Dajuan Summers on Thurs, 3/3: 7pm, Sun, 3/6: 5pm, Thurs, 3/24: 7pm, Mon, 3/28: 7pm, Wed, 3/30: 7pm * Sat, 4/2: 5pm. (County Center, 198 Central Ave., White Plains; www.countycenter.biz)

A Taste of Westchester – Pour Café, Mt. Kisco: These cooking classes from Westchester Community College feature demonstrations, practical tips and tastings. This one from Pour Café takes on a Bubbles and Crust theme as proprietor Anthony Colasacco demonstrates his preparation for bruschetta and crostini with walnut pesto and fresh ricotta with truffle honey sprinkled with smoked sea salt, green peas, mint and Parmesan. James, Pour’s barman and cocktail historian, provides a hands-on demonstration how to make Aperol Spritz with Prosecco where everyone gets a turn stepping behind the bar to shake (not stir) this specialty cocktail. The class wraps up with a no bake chocolate pot de crème. Mon, 3/14: 6-8pm. (241 East Main St., Mt. Kisco, 914.864.0606; register here.)

John Jay Lecture Series: Nicholas A. Robinson, The Forest Charter and Magna Carta: Evolving Human Rights in Nature: The Forest Charter was the vehicle through which the 800-year-old Magna Carta was kept effective, restraining the power of kings to collect from their subjects the funds needed to pay for wars. It also created the first lasting principles for negotiating competing claims on the natural world – a “rule of law for nature.” Nicholas Robinson has been a leader in the field of Environmental Law since its birth, and is currently University Professor for the Environment at Pace Law School and Co-Director of its Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies, and an Adjunct Professor at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Thurs, 3/15: 7pm. (John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay St., Katonah; www.johnjayhomestead.org)

A Taste of Westchester – DeCicco & Sons, Armonk: Chef Angelo Ruiz will teach the techniques used to make one of their wonderful catering appetizers, polenta canapés with Boursin cheese and ratatouille. The lesson will continue with a special presentation of stuffed grilled chicken breast with artichokes, sundried tomatoes, and Parmesan, laced with a pesto aioli and served over a broccoli rabe risotto. As a special treat, there will be an education on pairing beer with our meal presented by Brendon O’Brien, their in-house craft beer and bar manager. Tues, 3/15: 5:30-7:30pm. (17 Maple Ave., Armonk, 914.499.1100; register here)