Larry Markowitz, Green Lane Y health and recreation director, chats with member Julia Schnall of Elizabeth about upcoming pool renovations, due to begin on Oct. 13.
Sidebar
October 2, 2008
For those who get their pool pleasure at the YM-YWHA of Union County, the next few weeks could be a dry spell. The Green Lane facility in Union is closing its swimming pool from Oct. 13 through the end of the month for the first phase of its renovation.
The undertaking, funded by a $100,000 grant from Schering-Plough, has been scheduled during the High Holy Day season, according to health and recreation director Larry Markowitz, “to cause the least inconvenience to our general membership.” He said that aquatics classes, Sharks swim team meets, and the Bruriah Girls High School swim team practices would be rescheduled around the closing.
But there’s no need to be put off your stroke. To keep everyone busy, and to help deal with the belt-tightening so many families are facing, the Y has made a special effort to keep a lid on its own prices. For its members and the general public, it is offering a slate of activities this fall that cost no more than last year, and a number of events that are free.
“We know that people are having a tough time with the cost of everything going up,” said Y program director Jani Jonas. “We’ve done our best to make our programs affordable. Look around and you’ll see our classes are cheaper than anyone else’s.”
She added, “And we don’t turn anyone away. If someone can’t afford the full price, they should come talk to us about getting a scholarship.”
The Workmen’s Circle Folksbiene Theatre performance, Mama’s Loshn Kugel, on Sunday, Nov. 2, is free for members, as are the “The Evolving Image of Jews in American Film” sessions on Nov. 9 and 16. Nonmembers pay just $3. The seventh annual Y Jewish Fair and Expo on Sunday, Nov. 23, is also free.
A highlight of the Y’s fall line-up is the Y Comedy Club presentation on Dec. 6, featuring Sheba Mason, comedian Jackie Mason’s equally funny daughter (see box).
Other events are priced — as Jonas said — to allow as many people as possible to attend. For example, the regular children’s Sunday Fundays cost $175 for the year, $140 for members. The prices for the 19-session, women-only kickboxing class are $80 and $100. The Dec. 11 performance of Pirates of Penzance by the Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company costs just $10, $6 for members, with a $2 discount for advance purchases.
There are also classes in ballet, Hebrew, computers, and watercolors, and special events like the Ta’am Israeli Jewish Cooking and Baking Experience on Nov.11 and, on that same date, a “Spa Night” with advice provided by a skin specialist.
For more information and details on any of these programs, call the Y Office at 908-289-8112
What’s up at the Y
The fall line-up at the YM-YWHA of Union Country includes (prices for members/nonmembers):
Sunday Fundays: $140/$175
Girls’ ballet: $60/$80
Hebrew: $40/$60
Computer: $60/$80
Kickboxing (19 sessions): $80/$100
Watercolors: $55/$75
Folksbiene Theatre, Nov.2: free
Evolving Image of Jews in American Film, Nov. 9 and 16: free/$3
Jewish Fair & Expo, Nov. 23: free
Y Comedy Club with Sheba Mason, Dec. 6: $15 couple/$20 couple
Pirates of Penzance, Dec. 11: $6/$10
Ta’am Israeli Cooking and Baking Experience, Nov. 11: $5/$8
Spa Night, Nov. 11: $10/$15
Class act
Sheba Mason
Asked to give a hint of what audiences can expect when Sheba Mason entertains at the Y Comedy Club on Saturday, Dec. 6, the comedian e-mailed: “I am delighted to perform for a group of people that will be like my mishpocha — only classier. I’ve been asked to do only clean material for this crowd, which leaves me with about a five-minute act — so I decided to sing — a lot. After all I am a victim of the times — my peer role-model is Britney Spears and my grandma role model is Madonna.
“Actually with the economy in the condition it’s in, I’ll have a lot to talk about. Maybe I won’t have a house, or clothes, or anything to eat, but I’ll have a lot to say.”
To get a further taste of Mason’s shtick, check out the videos on MySpace.com/Sheba Mason. Tickets for the Dec. 6 show cost $20 a couple, $15 for members. For more information, call 908-289-8112.
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