Nolan Thornton

About Nolan Thornton

Nolan Thornton is a screenwriter and freelance journalist living in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Pleasantville Rocks this Summer

June 1, 2022 by Nolan Thornton

On Saturday, July 9, thousands will gather in Parkway Field for “New York’s backyard jam,” the 16th Annual Pleasantville Music Festival, presented by Northwell Health. The day promises to be full of great music, great food and drinks, a beer and wine garden, activities to keep the kids happy, and will even be carbon-neutral to ensure sustainability. The lineup includes alt-rockers X Ambassadors, folk rockers 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey, the blues, funk, and soul act Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, singer-songwriter Paula Cole, and many others. This is truly a day that will be loved by all.

The universality of the Pleasantville Music Festival is no mistake. “When it comes to choosing who we go after, we really try to vary the artists based upon their music style and also the demographics of the audience. Our audience is diverse in terms of age and tastes, so I try to check off as many different boxes as I can,” said Bruce Figler, executive director of the festival. The fans are always put first, and the lineup is always new and exciting. Many of the acts like X Ambassadors and 10,000 Maniacs featuring Mary Ramsey are making their debut appearances at the festival. This is also by design. “We try to avoid booking acts multiple times. Years ago, we would repeat the occasional artist, but we found that our audience prefers that we keep it fresh,” said Figler.

You won’t just get the big names you hear on the radio, either. The festival is always showcasing great new talent that you’ve probably never heard of. “When it comes to lesser known artists, we keep our ears open. We weed through the hundreds and hundreds of artist submissions sent to the Festival every year.

We check out leads. We visit music venues,” said Figler. The Pleasantville Music Festival, like a great radio station, gives you what you want, but they also show you something new. Figler also put an emphasis on the community in this process, saying, “we are particularly interested in bands who either are local or have local roots,’ and added, “what makes the selection process so difficult is the sheer amount of really good talent that’s out there.”

Figler knows a thing or two about music. When he isn’t working on the festival, he is a weekend DJ at 107.1 the Peak, the festival’s radio sponsor. It was Figler who first partnered them up almost 20 years ago, when he first started working for the station. Back in those days, he was just a “nonessential player” at the festival. He would introduce bands as one of the DJs from the sponsoring station and sit backstage and enjoy the music. All that changed in 2015 when there was a change of management for the festival, and Figler was asked to be the new musical director. They retooled the festival somewhat, moving away from their more folk oriented routes, and booking bands like the alt-rockers The Gin Blossoms. That year proved to be a big success, and earned a profit for Pleasantville.

The executive director stepped down the following year, and Figler was asked if he would take on the job. “My immediate reaction was, ‘No, I don’t need that in my life’. And my wife said the same thing,” said Figler. The festival had also grown since he had become involved with it.“There are so many moving parts,” said Figler. But he went on to realize,“I had a staff that knew exactly what they were doing.” And with the help of that incredible staff, Figler has guided the festival to new heights over the last several years.

Figler and his staff have faced their set of challenges, the pandemic certainly being one of them. “We had 2020 underway, but we had to pull the plug on it,” said Figler. But after all this time, The Pleasantville Music Festival is coming racing back. “Live music is a wonderful thing, and people have missed it over the last couple of years,” said Figler. Anticipation is already high. Every year before the lineup is announced, the festival does a presale for three or four months and sells a couple hundred tickets. This year their presale lasted three weeks and sold over 700 tickets. “The proof is in the pudding,” said Figler.

The gates open for the festival on Saturday, July, 2022, at 11 a.m. Performances begin at noon and end at 9 p.m. There will be three stages, the main stage, the party stage, and the chill tent stage.

X Ambassadors will headline the main stage, Paula Cole will headline the chill tent stage, and rock duo Illiterate Light will headline the party stage. The finals of the Battle of the Bands, presented by Lagond Music, will also take place as part of the festival that day, at Lagond Music in Elmsford. It’s a world-class experience and you don’t even have to leave Pleasantville.

Gifted Communications Pro, Humorist & Playwright Larry Eckerle Sets his Sights on Broadway with The Sake of Appearances

June 1, 2022 by Nolan Thornton

Larry Eckerle is many things: a father, a husband, a communications whiz, and a playwright to boot. “I’ve always had a dream of writing for the stage,” said Eckerle. He mostly writes comedies. “I think humor is a great way to disarm people and maybe engage them. Right now, that matters.”

He began his career in advertising and marketing, but his comedic sensibilities always shined through. “Humor would creep into my corporate work, and depending on the client, it was either a great fit or an uncomfortable one,” said Eckerle. “It wasn’t that they were terrible places to work; I just often felt terribly out of place working there.”

So Larry started Zero Gravity Group in 2002. His focus was helping employees connect to their company mission and find more value in what they do day to day. “I used many tactics I learned in corporate advertising, marketing, as guiding principles for the employee engagement work I do,” said Eckerle.

Eckerle and his wife have three sons, one of whom recently produced a film that won top honors at the 2022 South by Southwest film festival. “I draw a lot of strength and inspiration from my family,” said Eckerle. His wife Andrea is a renowned speech-language pathologist. “Communication runs through the entire family,” said Eckerle.

He took a chance a few years back and reached out to his hero and fellow Bronx native, playwright Neil Simon. To Eckerle’s shock, Simon responded, and they corresponded for a while, with Simon giving Eckerle the encouragement he needed to chase his playwriting dream. Then came a chance encounter with Broadway and film producer Julian Schlossberg. Julian helped Larry develop his play, The Sake of Appearances (about two ghosts trapped in an old, historic tavern in New York City, and a brand new employee who can see them). Julian even arranged a table read with several well known Broadway actors.

“It was one of the most unnerving, yet surprisingly comfortable experiences of my life,” said Eckerle. He was mesmerized and humbled as the veteran actors performed his dialogue and laughed at the lines he had written. The play was gaining steady momentum until March of 2020, when Broadway, like everything else, closed its doors.

But Eckerle persevered. He submitted other plays he’d written to national playwriting festivals, winning Semi-Finalist recognition in the Ashland Play Festival and Garry Marshall New Works Festival; and his one-act comedy, Gary Goodman’s Goodbye, was produced by the Brewster Theater Company last September. All in all, not a bad year.

As COVID hopefully wanes, Eckerle is optimistic about his play, The Sake of Appearances, getting produced. Through his rollercoaster ride of trying to get his work on stage, Eckerle has crossed paths with many wonderfully generous people including Neil Simon, Elaine May and Woody Allen. Eckerle remembered asking May her suggestions for overcoming writer’s block. She gave great advice for every writer: “You just keep going. It’s the process. The ideas will come. Just keep writing.”

That’s exactly what Eckerle plans to do.

Benvenuto! At Tesoro D’Italia, Expect an ‘Old School Attention to Detail’

April 8, 2022 by Nolan Thornton

Enjoy Tesoro D’Italia for their New Event Options and a Fine Dining Experience Anytime!

Tesoro D’Italia is quickly becoming one of Pleasantville’s go-to spots for a date-night, private event, family dinner, and everything in between. Located at 160 Marble Avenue, the Italian restaurant caters to Pleasantville and the surrounding area. The space is quite large, but it’s inviting too. Inside, the decor is familiar: authentic, yet fresh. Bottles of wine line the walls of their private event room. It’s a space you want to enjoy an Italian meal in!

“My menu is mostly classic Italian northern cuisine, with a little bit of southern,” said owner and proprietor Peter Lucaj. The menu ranges from kid-friendly dishes like Penne Alla Vodka to more refined options like Chicken Ripieno, which is stuffed with asparagus, mozzarella, and fontina cheese. “My restaurant is like three restaurants in one,” said Lucaj. It certainly is. Tesoro D’Italia has just about every Italian entree you’ve heard of, plus some you haven’t.

As with all great restaurants, sometimes it can be difficult to decide what to eat. Luckily, Lucaj has us covered. Their signature dish is the Pappardelle Tesoro, which he highly recommends. The pasta dish is made with their homemade meat sauce, fresh tomatoes, basil, and mushrooms, with light cream.

If you’re craving chicken, you can’t go wrong with Chicken Della Nonna, an intriguing dish of pan-seared chicken topped with prosciutto, broccoli rabe, and mozzarella cheese in a pesto cream sauce topped with two jumbo shrimp. The dish is named after Lucaj’s grandmother.

Not only does Tesoro D’Italia feature an extensive menu, they are proud to offer a weekly rotating-specials menu. Lucaj is adamant that the specials not just include an appetizer, entree, and a desert, but one of each type of appetizer and entree, i.e. a pasta special and a seafood special.. A friendly staff are always more than happy to assist with ordering from the many choices on the menu.

Discover its Jewel of a Private Wine Cellar

The multitude of options aren’t limited to the food. “I have over 350 different wines by the bottle,” Lucaj said. The gem of Tesoro’s collection is a jaw-dropping $1,600 Schrader Cellars wine out of Napa. But you don’t have to break the bank at Tesoro either. Bottles of wine start at $30.

Tesoro’s private dining room also happens to be a private wine cellar. Lined with thousands of bottles, the room is the perfect place for events of up to 25 people. Tesoro also has a semi-private area that can accommodate up to 150 people. With all the different private spaces, you would think there’s no room for the main dining room, but you would be underestimating Tesoro D’Italia’s building. “I love this place,” said Lucaj. It’s almost like it was purposely built to host his business.

Most people who host events at Tesoro opt for house wine, but Peter will work with you if you want to upgrade. There are many different event packages available. The private wine cellar space even comes equipped with a flatscreen TV on the wall for corporate events. In fact, events are part of the DNA of Tesoro. Lucaj worked hard to ensure his restaurant is the perfect place to host a part of any size.

Lucaj and his entire team at Tesoro work hard. Tesoro D’Italia cares about their customers, and it shows. “As soon as a customer walks in the door, we do everything we can to make them feel at home,” said Lucaj. “If just one person leaves my restaurant before I get a chance to ask them personally how their meal is, something is wrong.” It’s that kind of old-school attention to detail that makes Tesoro D’Italia the truly special place that it is. While great for events, it’s also perfect for a date-night, or a family meal. “I always tell my customers, don’t come without the kids,” said Lucaj.

Whatever your occasion is, Tesoro D’Italia can make it special. Start off with the Antipasto Platter and finish off with the Pappardelle Tesoro for your main, if you’re going for dinner, and enjoy some wine from their remarkable collection. It’s a perfect night or day out, no matter the occasion. Visit tesoroditaliany.com

Spring Hiking At Easy to Reach and Popular Westchester County Park Locales

April 8, 2022 by Nolan Thornton

Photo by Elena Wolfe for Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

Looking for a fun new hike for this Spring? Look no further. We put together a short list of diverse trails to blaze as the weather turns warmer. After all, Spring in New York is that perfect sweet spot when it’s not too cold and not too hot. In other words, it’s the perfect time of year to put down those phones and go to the park!

WARD POUND RIDGE RESERVATION

This stunning park clocks in at over 4,300 total acres, and is located in Pound Ridge, NY. According to a spokesman for Westchester County Parks, Linda Lovallo, “The Reservation is a mecca for hikers from nearby, as well as communities throughout Westchester, as well as Connecticut, New York City and even Long Island.” Because of the sheer size of the park, hikers have many choices for planning their routes. There are more moderate routes like the Pound Ridge Marsh Loop, a 2.6 mile loop, and there are far more challenging paths more experienced hikers can traverse on their own. Camping is offered at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation as well.

For programming, the reservation has much to offer. A particularly interesting program is called, “Gallery In the Park,” where artists exhibit their work in the beautiful surroundings of the reservation. There are two shows scheduled this spring. The first is, “For Mother Nature,” a multi-artist mixed-medium show that will celebrate Mother Nature, and will coincide with the weekend after Earth Day. There will be an opening reception scheduled for Saturday, April 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be refreshments and live acoustic music. “For Mother Nature” will run through Sunday, June 5. The second show is by renowned wildlife photographer, Dona Tracy. The show will open Saturday and Sunday, June 11 and 12, from 1 to 4 p.m., and will feature live music on Saturday and a live Birds of Prey demonstration on Sunday. The show will run through August 14.

STONE BARNS

While perhaps a bit of an unconventional choice for a hike, unconventional isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While many trails are flooded with hikers when the nicer weather comes around, the 80-acres Stone Barns (located in Pocantico Hills) has to offer will be all yours (and getting up close to the animals who live there is just a bonus).

Blue Hill is the famous restaurant that Stone Barns serves, but the grounds aren’t just limited to their customers. A parking pass is available for $10 on the weekends (parking is free on weekdays) so that everyone can enjoy its beauty. “In the Stone Barns Center fields, you will see our hard-working teams making the transition from winter cover to spring abundance. The fields are coming alive with new growth of diversified vegetables, grains, herbs and flowers,” said Stone Barns crop director Jason Grauer.

You don’t have to just stay with the fields, either. Stone Barns offers guided tours of their facilities for $25 an adult, and $10 a kid over 5. “When visiting the Stone Barns Center Greenhouse this spring, one can see the propagation space, a warm nursery environment with tens of thousands of plants started from seed and plant tissue culture,” said Grauer. With Stone Barns, it’s not just a hike, it’s an entire agricultural experience.

The programs can get a little bit pricey, but they are top notch. They range from the relatively modest and children-friendly tour mentioned above, to a $75 tour led by a Stone Barns farmer and a Blue Hill chef, to a $95 sheep shearing demonstration. Stone Barns also features an upscale cafeteria that is open from Thursday to Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. The perfect place to end a hike!

CROTON POINT PARK

At 508 acres, it’s right in the middle of Pound Ridge and Stone Barns. Like Pound Ridge, Croton Point has many exciting amenities when you plan your visit. “This park offers year-round events and activities and has facilities for camping, hiking and swimming. Patrons come from Connecticut, all five boroughs of New York City, upstate New York, all parts of Westchester County, and from as far as Alaska and The Netherlands,” said Lovallo. You can go for a serious camping trip, or you can go for a quick three-minute walk or run.

During the summer months, the park is an attraction for swimmers. In the spring, the beautiful river-side park may just be the perfect place for hikes and visits of all types. In addition to camping and swimming, Croton Point Park offers other compelling programming as well. “The Croton Point Nature Center houses exhibits on local flora and fauna including Hudson River specimens, local and Native American history and hands-on activities,” said Lovallo. The park is on land that belonged to Native Americans, and the director of the center tries to reflect that.

Another fun feature of Croton Point Park is the miniature air field that Croton Point Field becomes when members of the Miniature Aircraft Association of Westchester gather. You won’t notice them on your hike, but you’ll pass right by them when on your way to park.

The 3.7 mile Croton Point Park trail is perfect for hikers of every skill level. It features a river view and, like all entries on this list, exemplifies the lush, beautiful greenery that the Hudson Valley is known for. At the end of the trail, you can even walk right up to the cliff overlooking the water (that is very safely protected with barricades). This trail is not to be missed in the spring. Bring the kids, bring the dog, bring the whole family!

Greeley’s Athletic Director Geoff Curtis Encourages an Emphasis on “Embracing the Journey & the Experience”

February 24, 2022 by Nolan Thornton

Geoff Curtis oversees, or in his words, is “a part of” the powerhouse that is Horace Greeley athletics in his role as athletic director. The boys swim team just wrapped up their undefeated conference season; the boys and girls ski team recently won team events; the girls swim team were State champs–winning at Ithaca College–and back in October the football team and the entire community celebrated a homecoming victory against the Irvington Bulldogs.

There are many coaches at Horace Greeley High School, but there is only one athletic director.

“I’ve been a pretty fortunate athlete and educator throughout my whole sporting life,” said Curtis. Curtis played baseball at Lewis-Clark State College for coach Ed Cheff, who recently passed away, then went on to assistant-coach under him while in grad school. Curtis learned much from his mentors and works to pay it forward. “I had high quality educators and coaches from the very start, and that rubbed off on me,” said Curtis.

While observing a PE elementary school class one morning, he saw students at the end of the game they were playing, turn to each other to say, “Good game.” This is exactly what Curtis wants to see among his students. According to Curtis, they have to understand that, “for them to enjoy this game, they need each other…

Working Toward Growth

“You are a student and a person first, and being an athlete comes second,” he said. This outlook permeates every team and every coach in his district. The idea is not just for his students, it’s for everyone. “We as people should always be working on our growth.”

In the unique individual sports, wrestling and swimming, students compete against each other, but the scores are kept as a team. Curtis pointed out that when the wrestling and swimming coaches come into his office to tell him about the meet, they never tell him about their best three athletes, they tell him how the team did. It’s not just about the talents of the few. It’s “the squad, not the individual. That’s something that really permeates our department,” said Curtis.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA SCHOONMAKER

Curtis highly values his co-workers and remains humble about his role as athletic director. “There are a lot of great things in place. I’m just looking around and seeing if there’s anything I can do to improve or acknowledge and continue what’s already here.” All he will allow is, “I’m fortunate to be in the position to have some impact – a small impact on all of it.”

Curtis has had to perform his duties during trying times. During the first year of COVID, he said, “Pretty soon it became clear, I’m not going to be able to meet with [my] students again. Except maybe a triple-masked senior ceremony on the baseball field.” It wasn’t just sports that were affected by COVID, of course. In Curtis’ words, everything that wasn’t the virtual classroom was canceled.

Staying Grateful

“It highlights how much we appreciate our extracurriculars. From the educators who put in extra time to help these young people to the parents who didn’t get to watch to the community members who just want to come out and cheer them on.” Curtis is very thankful that some degree of normalcy has returned, and that athletics are able to resume at the level they have been.

In fact, “We kind of went whole hog for homecoming,” he said. They scheduled as many home games as possible and built the ‘Greeley Zone’–a blocked off area of campus from the back parking lot to the tennis courts, where they had food trucks.

“People of every age were there,” said Curtis. “It was really a community event. There were young parents with not even school age kids who came by just to be a part of it.”

Curtis embraces this aspect of his job. “The job of an athletic director and really any administrator in a district like this is to embrace those community opportunities that are there.” And Curtis is excited about the future, given the past success of community events. “We’re looking at something similar this spring. It’s in the planning stages right now,” he said.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA SCHOONMAKER

“It’s the Time with the Team”

The community element of sports highlights how much more than a game these events really are. “It might not have to do with the equipment that you use to play your sport. It’s the time with the team, it’s the things you learned from the coaches, it’s the experience and the journey,” said Curtis.

There are astonishing wins and brutal losses, but there is so much more than that. “It’s fun and it’s rewarding and it’s hard work, all rolled into one,” said Curtis. “But it’s not easy.”

These students made a commitment that everyone involved takes very seriously. That’s why a team’s players show up to practice multiple times a day, and that’s why people’s jobs revolve around it. But that’s not it either. It’s not one athlete, it’s not the entire town. It’s all the above.

Christina Schoonmaker is a Chappaqua-based freelance photographer. Her images capture events in photo journalistic style wrapped in emotion. Contact C73photography@gmail.com for more info.