Fall 2017
Upcoming Events at the Club
Yoga Lessons. The club has resumed yoga classes this month. The director of the “Yoga for Bliss” classes is once again Neem Dewji, who first taught yoga at the club a few years ago. Classes are scheduled for Wednesday evenings between 7:30 and 8:45 pm, starting October 4th, and will initially run for four weeks. Club members interested in participating can contact Patty Gamba at pgamba67@gmail.com.
“Fun” Bowling Season. The Fall Fun Bowling Season begins on Thursday, October 12th, and will continue for six Thursdays in October and November. The league needs two more players to round out the teams. Anyone interested in taking part can contact coordinator Paul Cassidy at tojsemja89@yahoo.com. If six weeks is too much to commit to, members can become substitutes when they are available.
The Start of the 2017-2018 Winter Bowling Season. Jon Wallen, the chair of the Winter Bowling League, has been assembling the 20 bowlers needed for the five teams in the October-April bowling season. The practice-bowling evening will take place on Tuesday, October 17th, when team captains choose the members of their teams. All league members are encouraged to practice-bowl on the 17th. The official start of the league will be on the following Tuesday evening, October 24th. Club members interested in substituting for regulars during the six-month season can contact Jon at jwall41@aol.com.
Oktoberfest Party. Friday, October 20th, Paul and Diana Cassidy will host an Oktoberfest pot-luck party on Friday, October 20th. Details will follow soon.
The Tennis Awards Brunch. The club will hold its annual Tennis Awards Brunch on Saturday, October 21st, starting at 10 am. Prizes go to all winners and runners-up. All members are welcome to attend. The price is $12 per adult and $7 per child under 10 years of age.
Halloween Party. The Board is reaching out to the membership to see whether anyone – following longstanding Park Hill tradition – would like to volunteer to help organize a double Halloween event: (1) a family event with takeout and trick-or-treating in the Park Hill neighborhood on Halloween night; and (2) a neighborhood-wide Halloween party on the week end either before or after Halloween, depending on the date. Those interested in helping to organize either event are urged to please email the club at parkhillracquetclub@gmail.com, at their earliest convenience. The club’s Social Committee will be glad to provide support and assistance in the running of either event and to answer questions.
The Park Hill Players. On the week end of November 10th and 11th, the Park Hill Players will sponsor “The Last Flapper,” a one-woman show featuring the versatile actress Tina D’Amato, a Park Hill-area resident. For two decades, Tina has been gracing area stages with her robust and colorful portrayals in a wide variety of imaginative roles. Meanwhile, the Players are rehearsing their next hit production at the club, a play entitled: “Four Weddings and an Elvis,” by Nancy Frick. Anyone interested in performing in, or providing support for, this production and/or future productions can contact Director Kris Ann Barbera at kirstenbmejia@aol.com.
The PHRC Winter Adult Holiday Party. The club’s annual Adult Holiday Party will be held in the big hall on Saturday, December 16th.
The Winter Tennis Party at the Yonkers Tennis Center. The Tennis Committee is pleased to announce that it will host the club’s annual Winter Tennis Party tournament at the Yonkers Tennis Center (YTC) once again. The date of the event will be March 10th, 2018.
Recent Events at the Club
Friday, August 25th, Barbecue Party. Steve Spiegler, Asaria Vemuri and Ardie Gashi collaborated in hosting this barbecue, which featured tasty grilled bratwursts, hot dogs and hamburgers.
Saturday, August 26th, Tailgate Party. The O’Hanlon and Gashi/Vemuri families co-hosted this event, the club’s First Annual Tailgate Pot-Luck Party. The partiers then repaired to the lounge to watch the New York Giants and New York Jets play a preseason game.
Monday, September 4th, Labor Day Week End Pot-Luck Party following the Fun Round-Robin Tennis Tournament: Patty Cecere and Paul Meissner organized the Labor Day week-end fun round-robin tennis tournament on Monday, September 4th. That was followed by an impromptu informal barbecue party with hot dogs and hamburgers, also coordinated by Patty and Paul, along with assistance from Anne-Marie O’Keeffe.
Friday, September 15th, Barbecue Party. The Board of Governors, led by Patty Gamba, Patty Cecere and Rosemary Beirne, hosted a delectable barbecue party, with hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, chicken sausage and bratwurst on the menu. Giant kudos to Paul Cecere and Paul Cassidy for yeoman service on the grills that night for the large turnout of party-goers!
Friday, September 22nd, Barbecue Party. On September 22nd, the Sciascia and Prevor/Weiss families co-hosted an end-of-summer barbecue party with hot dogs, hamburgers and delicious Philly steak sandwiches and cheese sandwiches.
The Results of Recent Club Tennis Tournaments
Labor Day Week End Fun Tournament. On the Labor Day week end holiday, Patty Cecere and Paul Meissner organized a fun tennis tournament with 10 mixed-doubles teams taking part. They reported that many matches were very close and exciting, with the team of Anne-Marie O’Keeffe and Dan O’Connell defeating the team of Mary Kay Moment and Joel Sciascia in the final.
Ladies’ Doubles Final. On Sunday, August 27th, the ladies’ doubles final was held between the defending champions, Wendy Bodner and Claire Miko, and the team of Patty Cecere and Laura Berning. Once again, Wendy and Claire successfully defended their club crown as the ladies’ doubles champs.
Ladies’ Singles Tournament. On Saturday, September 16th, the ladies’ singles tournament had eight participants, the most in years. Observers lauded the long, highly entertaining semi-final match between Suzanne Brusstar and Meredith Prevor-Weiss, with Meredith prevailing in the tiebreak, 9-7. The defending singles champion, Angela Lee Chen, then won the final over Meredith in straight sets.
Mixed-Doubles Final. On Saturday, September 30th, the final of the mixed-doubles tennis tournament – delayed for weeks by numerous rain-caused postponements – could at last be played. In that match, the team of Patty Gamba and Tom Westmoreland outlasted the team of Wendy Bodner and Bob Gopalan. (The opening rounds of the tournament involving 12 teams were first held on Saturday, August 5th, and August 12th, but the final was then delayed for six weeks by wet courts.)
Men’s Singles Final. On Sunday, October 1st, the men’s singles final was held between Artie Liberatore and Tom Westmoreland, with Artie also defending his club singles crown successfully. A few days earlier, Tom played Todd Geremia in a long exciting semi-final match, with Tom winning in three long challenging sets.
Club-Organized Outing to the United States Open at Flushing Meadow. On Wednesday, August 30th, member Paul Meissner thoughtfully organized an all-day club outing to the US Open at Flushing Meadow for tennis enthusiasts, ordering all tickets for the occasion. Members were fortunate to attend the matches on a day with perfect weather, despite all the rainy summer days this year.
Member News
Long-time club member and former Board member Kevin McInerney has been making an excellent comeback from his health setback of earlier this year. And Kevin reports that his wife Dot is also recuperating well from her lingering illnesses of recent years. That’s great news!
Long-time members Angela Lee Chen and Cliff Hackford have sold their house in Park Hill and moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. However, they will return to New York periodically and promise to visit their old friends at the club.
Club member Brad Crownover reports that he is in the cast of the Eugene Ionesco play, Rhinoceros, which will have six performances at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Riverdale area of the Bronx, between October 8th and October 19th. Information about times of performances and about ordering tickets can be found on-line at this address: www.redmonkeytheater.org.
