Success!

We Did It!

We did it! Under the organization and supervision of Teddy Pulerwitz — and the hard work of a Kendal cadre of helpers: sorters, cutters, and drivers — we have reached the goal of 1,000 pounds of soft plastic. For this momentous achievement, we will receive a free bench for the lounging of Kendal residents come lounging weather. But don’t stop your soft-plastic collecting now! Teddy is contacting the teacher in charge of similar efforts at Sleepy Hollow High School to see if we can work with them for an SHHS bench. Stay tuned.

I Didn't Know That

The First Broadway Musical Was Performed in 1866

On September 12, 1866, a packed house at Niblo’s Garden theater at the junction of Broadway and Prince Street in New York City witnessed a unique spectacle with the six-plus-hour debut of The Black Crook. Dozens of dancers in flesh-colored tights twirled around the stage as glittering fairies; ominous lighting and noises announced the onset of a hurricane; and the banter between the main characters was interrupted by such plucky songs as “You Naughty, Naughty Men.” Although this was hardly the first stage performance to incorporate singing into the drama, the explosive combination of music, dancing, and elaborate set theatrics led The Black Crook to be widely recognized as the starting point for the Broadway musical.

The creation of the play was something of an accident. A Parisian ballet troupe had been booked for performances at Manhattan’s Academy of Music, but was left without a venue when the opera house was destroyed in a May 1866 fire. Its producers subsequently struck a deal with Niblo’s Garden manager William Wheatley, who determined that the troupe’s attractive performers and expensive set machinery would liven up Charles M. Barras’ original script for The Black Crook, a Faustian drama about a poor artist’s entanglements with an evil count and an agent of the devil.

While the visual effects helped divert attention from the shaky plot, it was the scantily clad dancers who took up most of the ink in reviews and ignited the largest furor among moralists who condemned the indecent display of flesh. But the indignation only served to heighten interest: The Black Crook continued for nearly 500 performances in its first run, grossed more than $1 million, and spawned a sequel called The White Fawn, all of which demonstrated to the industry that this musical extravaganza was very much a model worth imitating.

Source: historyfacts.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

Made in NYC: 123 Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

Santa Claus

Source: Print of St Nicholas by John Pintard (1810); courtesy of the New-York Historical Society via Wikimedia

Okay, maybe not invented — St. Nick goes back many centuries in European traditions. But the Santa Claus we know today, with a sleigh, a questionable commitment to fitness, and a red suit? That’s pure New York City. Washington Irving, Clement Clarke Moore, and Thomas Nast all played roles in the creation.

Source: 6sqft.com.

First Cell Phone

On April 3, 1973, on Sixth Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets, Motorola engineer Martin Cooper reached out to Joel Engel of Bell Laboratories at AT&T. Cooper wanted his rival to know that Motorola had reached the finish line first, developing the first mobile phone. This was the world’s first ever cell phone call, made from a Manhattan sidewalk.

Chewing Gum

Source: Library of Commerce

Although people have been chewing on tree gum for thousands of years, it took a New Yorker to make an industry out of it. In 1871, Thomas Adams of Staten Island patented a machine for mass producing gum. He was turned on to the substance by Mexican general López de Santa Anna, who employed Adams as a secretary and stayed in his home while in exile. Adams went on to build a gum empire (including Chiclets), which contributes to a $30 billion dollar industry.

Source: “Made in NYC,” City Guide, March 20, 2024

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

Ellen's New-Year's-Eve Song

Some of you have noted that, when watching the 2024 Kendal New Year’s Eve Program, you could not make out all the words to the paean to Ellen Ottstadt. Resident Website (and Greg Lozier) to the rescue! Here are the words, as sung to “You Are My Sunshine.” Hum along, if you wish . . .

Ellen’s Our Sunshine

Ellen’s our Sunshine, our Kendal Sunshine. She keeps us happy when skies are gray. And we are certain how much she loves us? Ellen’s here, our Sunshine’s okay.

There is no other, sister or brother, From Croton Harmon to Marrakesh. We shall survive here. Keep joy alive here. We’ll succeed through Project Refresh.

Our smiling Ellen, hard-working Ellen, Serves Quaker Values from night to day. Our admiration needs celebration. Ellen’s here, our Sunshine’s okay.

I Didn't Know That

Was “Nervous Nellie” a Real Person?

Humans have long been fascinated by mythical figures such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and even Santa Claus. If you’re familiar with the phrase “nervous Nellie,” you may wonder if there’s truth to Nellie’s existence, as well. Given that there have been tens of thousands of Nellies throughout history, odds are any number of them struggled with anxiety. But was there one particular Nellie who was so apprehensive that she served as inspiration for this now-common phrase?

The short answer is yes and no: The phrase was coined for a specific person, but their name wasn’t Nellie.

 The term “nervous Nellie,” which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “an overly timid, cautious, or fearful person,” dates back to the 1920s. When it was coined, it had nothing to do with a real “Nellie”; rather, it was a moniker given to Frank B. Kellogg, a former US senator and secretary of state under President Calvin Coolidge. Kellogg was known for using extreme caution when making decisions, and in the early 1920s, several newspaper articles described him as a “nervous Nelly” or “Nellie.” The unfortunate nickname became commonly used by those he worked with: A 1925 piece in the New York Herald Tribune described how Kellogg “was labeled ‘nervous Nellie’ by those who were irritated at his maneuvering during the League of Nations fight.” So it was a combination of internal trepidation and his anxious physical tics that earned Kellogg this unique sobriquet.

But why “Nellie,” out of all the possible names? “Nellie” was indeed a popular name at the time — it was in the top 100 US girl names from the 19th century until 1925. People also love their alliteration, and the prevailing theory is that Nellie probably seemed like a perfect verbal pairing for “nervous.” Thus, the phrase entered the common lexicon, and before long, “nervous Nellie” was used to describe anyone exhibiting timidity and caution.

Source: Bennett Kleinman, wordsmart.com

Contributed by Jane Hart

Made In NYC: Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

The Hero

This food seems like such a part of the city fabric it’s kind of amazing that before 1937 it didn’t carry this name. The item is an Italian-American standby, and its moniker originated with Manganaro’s in Hell’s Kitchen. That Grosseria Italiana opened in 1893 and lasted all the way to 2012. As the website W42ST explains, the large portioned sandwiches inspired New York Herald Tribune food writer Clementine to quip “You had to be a hero to finish one.”

The Playground

Jacob August Riis, Waiting to be Let into Playground, ca. 1900, Museum of the City of New York

For centuries, New York City parents have sought ways to get their kids fresh air without immersing them in the hazards of urban living. On October 17, 1903, Manhattan rolled out a new innovation for the problem: the municipal playground. The nation’s first took over a sizable plot on the Lower East Side at Seward Park. It was a smash success and went on to spawn hundreds of thousands of versions, changing parenthood forever.

Lobster Newberg

Although the origins are a little hazy, Manhattan takes credit for Lobster Newberg. This rich combination of lobster, butter, cream, cognac, sherry, eggs, and cayenne pepper started out at Delmonico’s as the inspiration of sea captain Ben Wenberg. After a fight with Charles Delmonico, the name was changed to Newberg (an anagram for Wenberg). The dish was an instant hit and is still classing up dining tables a century and a half later.

Source: “Made In NYC,” by Ethan Wolff, March 2024, City Guide New York

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

New Year's Eve: Kendal Style

It’s fun. It’s silly. It’s delicious. It’s Kendal New Year’s Eve! As a community, we pitch in to organize, decorate, entertain, laugh, applaud, and . . . well . . . enjoy!

As photographs of the Great Event roll in, we include them. Those that follow here are all from 2 Kendal doyens of photography: Harry Bloomfeld and Carolyn Reiss.

(Keep those pictures coming in Kendal photographers! Don’t be shy.)

New Year’s Eve Prep

Photos by Harry Bloomfeld

The Program

Ode to Ellen Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Bob Newhart aka Greg Lozier Photo by Carolyn Reiss

A New Year’s Tradition: One Liners By Harry Bloomfeld

Moments of Calm and Beauty Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Leonard Cohen Was There! (aka Bill Rakower — and daughter) Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Gaudeamus Kendal Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Highland Humor Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

Kendal Thespians in Action Photo by Carolyn Reiss

A Golden Act: The Goldenaires Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

And the Ball Begins Its Descent at Kendal Midnight Photo by Harry Bloomfeld

The Party

A Job Well Done — as Always

Photos by Harry Bloomfeld

I Didn't Know That

Ancient Egyptians Shaved Their Eyebrows as a Sign of Mourning When Their Cats Died

Ancient Egyptians are often said to have worshipped cats. They didn’t — though it is accurate to say their felines were beloved and pampered, sometimes bedazzled in gold accessories, and occasionally allowed to eat directly from dinner plates at meals.

Cats first made their appearance in Fertile Crescent farming communities around 8,000 years ago, and they initially earned their keep as household protectors from rodents, snakes, and scorpions. Eventually, the Egyptians grew to see cats’ protectiveness and companionship as the same traits held by their deities, particularly Bastet, a goddess often depicted as a cat or lion who was honored with temples and pilgrimages. All in all, the Egyptians bonded so well with their cat companions that they mourned their pets after death, and both cat owners and family members would publicly express their grief by shaving off their eyebrows. Some historians believe that the mourning period lasted until a new set of eyebrows grew in (which could be as long as three or four months).

The ancient Egyptians are often credited with domesticating felines, though in 2004, archaeologists found a 9,500-year-old cat buried in Cyprus — suggesting cats may have been living alongside humans earlier than previously thought. Still, Egyptians likely helped transform cats from the tiny, wild creatures they once were to the lazy furballs we now snuggle with; some historians believe the Egyptians selectively bred housecats, helping their numbers flourish and giving them the temperaments we now enjoy (or at least tolerate) today.

Made In NYC: Brands, Trends, and Inventions That Began in the Big Apple

Pasta Primavera

Pasta primavera seems like a dish that goes back to old Italy, with a few centuries of tradition backing it. In fact, it’s a New York City creation. It hit the big time in a 1977 Times article that included the recipe. Prior to that, it was an unlisted special at an uptown French restaurant. (The chef-owner, Sirio Maccioni, was Italian at least.)

According to lore, the French chefs at Le Cirque refused to allow pasta to be served, so, to accommodate orders, a pasta pot had to be set up in the hallway and the dish finished by waitstaff in the dining room.

Puffed Rice

School bake sales would never be the same after December 1901. That’s when Botanist Alexander Pierce Anderson conducted a successful experiment in a laboratory at the New York Botanical Garden. As the garden explains, Anderson was confirming the theory that “a starch granule contains a minuscule amount of condensed water within its nucleus.” When the grains exploded and puffed up to 8 times their original size, Anderson knew the prediction was accurate (and that commercial applications would not be far away). Today, Rice Krispies alone sells over 40 million boxes a year.

Colorforms

Remembering this toy — proudly pre-screen — may date you, although it’s still going strong, complete with its own Netflix show. Colorforms were born more than 70 years ago in a Manhattan bathroom. (The adhesive quality of the glossy paint there was what made Harry and Patricia Kislevitz realize they were onto something.) It went on to licensing agreements with pop culture icons (Popeye was the first) and accolades like ranking among the Top 10 Toys of the Century by the Toy Industry of America (TIA).

Source: “Made In NYC,” by Ethan Wolff, March 2024, City Guide New York

Contributed by Bobbie Roggemann

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Photographs of life at Kendal on Hudson are by residents.