Well, as we deal with blizzards and numbingly cold temperatures Killy’s Korner continues with the good time news of our great neighborhood. Hopefully you will feel the warmth from all the happy moments sent to the Korner.

JPCA member Kelly Werner sent the following important message to the Korner. On Saturday, April 2nd, Our Lady of Hope School will host an Alumni Reception in the school’s Auditorium. This event is the first of its kind, welcoming back students from all graduating classes from 1966 to 2000! Whether you still live in the neighborhood or not, it’s a great opportunity to stroll through the school’s hallways and get reacquainted with some old friends and teachers. The event will take place from 7:00pm – 11:00pm and tickets are $50 per person (which includes beer, wine, soda, hors d’oeuvres, coffee, tea & dessert).  For more information and to reserve tickets visit www.ourladyofhopeparish.org
(Tickets will not be sold at the door).  
 
Where were you in 1962 and, in 1976 (the year of this country’s bicentennial)? Well if you answered that you were born in Queens and graduated from Our Lady of Hope in Middle Village then you may have also attended the Class of 1976 Reunion, held recently at Abbracciamento’s Restaurant. There was a great turnout of alumni including folks still living “in the neighborhood” and others from out of state. Kudos to organizers Anthony Marchese and Maddie Cerrito. (Pictured here are Ann Thorecht, Laurie Killcommons and Mona Tritremmel.)
Our Lady of Hope graduate, Richard Karsten, of Middle Village was appointed president of Archbishop Molloy High School effective July 2010. He graduated from Molloy in 1981 and has maintained a 30-year relationship with the school as an active alumnus including serving as a founding member of the school’s directory from 1996 to 2004. As the chair of the directory’s public relations committee, he created effective media for alumni relations and student recruitment. We wish Richard Karsten the best of luck as president of Molloy. They couldn’t have picked a more qualified candidate. (Richard is pictured here with his wife and son)

Our Lady of Hope 50th Anniversary celebration was held at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston with over two hundred and fifty people in attendance. What a great time we all had with a DJ who kept the room rocking and food that was cooked to perfection. Seeing Monsignor Nicholas Sivillo looking so well was a real treat also. We wish our great OLH parish continued success under the stewardship of Fr. Michael Carrano as he guides the parish into the future. When you consider that it all started as a “tent” back in the day, Our Lady of Hope has come a long way!

Among the tens of thousands of hopefuls in the ING New York City Marathon was Middle Village resident and college student, Jack Rosenhammer. Jack ran to help raise funds for, and awareness of, Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit organization that supports wounded US service members and their families and families of those killed in action. As Jack explains it, he ran “in honor of those who have loved their country more than themselves and have suffered so we may enjoy the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.” Kudos to Jack Rosenhammer for his efforts to help our wounded warriors! (Jack Rosenhammer is pictured here)

The Juniper Park Civic Association teamed up with Middle Village businesses Silver Barn Farms, Phillies Restaurant and Steve’s Pizza‒ to collect donations for needy families during the holiday season. The JPCA’s Theresa Riley and Mary Ann Ricevuto led the effort. About $1,385 was collected at the three sites from donations at the cash registers. What a great team effort success!

JPCA Executive Board member Patrick Trinchese and his  wife, Michelle, welcomed baby Patrick Joseph 7lb 11 oz on December 14th. Patrick Sr. reports everyone happy and healthy. Congratulations to Mom and Dad and the whole Trinchese family. The little Juniper Junior will have the nickname “PJ.”
Bob and Amy Holden’s little grandson, Christian, celebrated his 6th birthday in January. Christian is the son of Rob and Marissa Holden and the brother of little Ashley. Happy Birthday to Christian, who is a chip off the old block, a mischievous little 6 year old! (Christian pictured here with his sister, Ashley and mom & dad, Marissa and Robert, Jr.)
On October 23rd there was the Resurrection/Ascension Reunion where classes from 1943 to 1959 were represented. A table was set up for each group with the class commencement exercise program, class picture and list of teachers. A catered lunch was served and classroom tours were given. Many pictures of school days were on display. There were graduates from R/A who came to the reunion from Florida, Texas, South Carolina and the Hamptons. The Lytel family, originally from Middle Village, was represented by John, Jim and Winnie and, when they saw copies of the Juniper Berry at the reunion, they eagerly joined the JPCA so they could receive the Berry in the mail and get the latest news of Middle Village. We Welcome the Lytels home again!

The JPCA is on a roll to get trees replanted in Juniper Valley Park after the September 16th microburst that devastated so many mature trees in Juniper. On Saturday, November 13th, members of the JPCA, kids from Christ the King High School and helpers from the Million Trees Program of NYC got down to work and planted 24 trees in Juniper Valley Park near Pullis Cemetery and Trinity Lutheran Church. It’s great to see the young trees standing tall ready for their future in a park environment that will nurture them to maturity. We still have more to plant and all the volunteers are ready for the next call to action! (Pictured here are some of the volunteers)

Lorraine Sciulli celebrated her Christmas Eve birthday with husband, John, and her four grandsons, Steven, Andrew, James and Jason. We wish Lorraine well as she continues in her role as Editor of the Juniper Berry and First Vice President of the JPCA. (Pictured here with husband and grandsons)
Here’s an interesting piece of safety information. Did you know that the new tires you buy for your car have a date on them telling you when they were manufactured? Most people never even think to check and you can easily buy tires that are in storage for as many as ten years! This fact was discovered recently after a fatal blowout. It’s in your best safety interest to check the manufactured date on any new tires you purchase. Ask the merchant you buy your tires from to show you this important date if you can’t locate it on the new tires you are purchasing.

The JPCA Executive Board had their Christmas Party at La Bella Cucina. Owner, Joe Passanante pulled out all the stops to make the party unforgettable complete with singer, “Angela,” who rocked the room with her great personality and voice. She sang Christmas songs mixed with popular music, and we boogied into the night with a makeshift dance floor that worked just fine! Good food and moderate drinking, what more do you need to make a memory?

Our very own original JPCA member, the amazing Carl Berner, celebrated his 109th Birthday on January 27th with a small get together with his daughter Emily and several members of the JPCA. Carl is the oldest male resident of New York City. Besse Berry Cooper (née Brown; born August 26, 1896 in Tennessee) is the oldest living person in the world at 114. Since December 2010, she has been listed as one of the 60 verified oldest people ever. If anyone can make it, it’s Carl Berner. Remember he’s still active and still living at home!
This just in to the Korner from Rae Baumeister – “Dear John, My friend and Our Lady of Hope parishioner Barbara Palevicz celebrated her 107th birthday at Ozanam Hall Nursing Home in Bayside on November 24th. The wonderful nursing staff at Ozanam supplied a huge cake, balloons and all the fun things for Barbara and the other residents on her floor. We will never forget all the volunteer work Barbara has done for her parish. I enjoy your Killy’s Korner column very much.” It’s interesting to note we have Carl Berner who just turned 109 years old and Barbara Palevicz who is now 107 years old. Both lived in Middle Village! Carl is still in his house and Barbara has moved from Middle Village to Ozanam Hall. We have to hide them when we complain to the authorities about the “bad air” we’re breathing in Middle Village!
Debbie and Frank Muzio became the proud parents of a second set of twins, Jennifer and Joseph born on November 6th. It was just in time to celebrate the second birthday of their brother, Frankie and sister, Nicole, on December 6th. The happy grandparents are Frank and Marilyn Muzio who can be seen walking in Juniper Valley Park with the two year olds. Congratulations to all! Beautiful family!! (pictured here both sets of twins)

Our congratulations go out to Middle Village resident, Theresa Postel, for making the Dean’s list at Drew University. It’s always a treat to tell you about our very own students when they achieve success at college.

Another Juniper Junior resident in our neighborhood, Rosemarie and Jerry LaSpisa welcomed their little angel, Giuliana Maria born on November 22, weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces. Giuliana would like to thank all the kids on the block for all their wonderful welcome home wishes.  She looks forward to playing with them. (Giuliana’s picture) 

Did you happen to notice the BIG A in the windows of Andrew’s Pizza and the Village Deli on Eliot Avenue and 80th Street in Middle Village?
Also, Abbracciamento’s Italian Restaurant earned their BIG A as did London Lennies. That “A” signifies a very clean business environment after being inspected by the City of New York and receiving the Big A rating. Congratulations, we love clean restaurants and delicatessens!

Also while we’re on London Lennies, we heard that owner Les Barnes and his restaurant are slated for a TV reality series! Les recently appeared on a segment of Fox Business TV. Les has gone Hollywood!

Let’s close this Killy’s Korner with a laugh. A man was driving his car on the highway and suddenly he noticed a State Trooper behind him, closing in fast. He gunned the engine and sped away as he tried to avoid being pulled over by the Trooper. Finally, though, the cop won and pulled the speedster over to the curb. He said to the driver, “Why did you try to get away from me?” the driver replied, quite humbly, “You don’t understand, Officer, 25 years ago my wife ran away with a State Trooper and I thought you were bringing her back!”

And on that happy note, Be Well! See you on the “Korner!”

Email items to: KillysKorner@aol.com
Deadline for next issue: May 10, 2011.