Ragamuffin rescheduled due to Nor’easter

Due to the stormy rains and winds generated by the Nor’easter last Saturday, Sept. 26, the Ragamuffin Parade Committee moved the colorful kiddie march to this coming Saturday, October 3.

The parade committee held a very successful Ragamuffin Parade Kickoff Brunch on Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Bay Ridge Manor. The committee honored their charity partners Bay Ridge Cares, Bay Ridge Center, El-Rose Foundation and the Guild for Exceptional Children. The Ragamuffin officers are President Allison Greaker, Vice President Marianne Fezza, Treasurer Kelli Kilbride and Secretary Esme Elisson.

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The Bay Ridge Historical Society held its annual showing of the Samuel Winter Thomas collection of photographs taken in the 1880s and early 1900s. The Bay Ridge resident  also published a newspaper called the Bay Ridge Chronicle. His photos were taken with a box camera that utilized glass negatives.

The presentation was made via a Zoom session on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Society President Tom McCarthy said the photos “captured Bay Ridge as it transitioned from a rural farming community to a suburban retreat for the elite to a suburb in the city we all grew up knowing and loving.”

For more info about the BRHS, you can click on BayRidgeHistory.com.

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The Fort Hamilton Citizens Action Committee held a meeting in the conference room at the Garrison Headquarters on Tuesday, Sept. 22. New President George Prezioso, who was elected unanimously at a prior meeting, chaired this session.

Vice Presidents Marty Golden and Kevin Farrell and Treasurer Craig Eaton continue as Board officers. However, longtime Board Secretary Brain Dolan relinquished the post in favor of the election of a new secretary, Walter Capece. Dolan acknowledged he would continue his board membership.

While several members attended in person others participated via live video. Garrison Commander Raul Medrano hosted the group.

Prezioso is the managing director of investments at the firm of Stifel, Nicolaus and Co., Inc., and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral Club of Brooklyn. Capece is the chief finance officer of Xaverian High School. 

What does the FHCAC do? It supports military service members and provides effective communication, understanding and activities between the military and the local community. It has also been tasked to defend the preservation of Fort Hamilton. As the only military base in the metropolitan area, the base serves as a security asset following the tragic attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

An FHCAC publication states further: “Times have changed and so have our nation’s military requirements. Today, much has to do with surveillance, information-gathering, the detection of potential attacks by terrorists and the readiness to effectively respond to any that do occur.

“Fort Hamilton is a very different installation than it was years ago; it has become a key player in all of the areas just mentioned, and New Yorkers, of all people, hardly need to be told how important they are.”