Tim Green, attorney, author, commentator and former NFL football player, and Julie Abbott, former co-host of “Bridge Street” and local news anchor, will emcee the Skaneateles Arts Council’s sixth annual summer gala, “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream,” July 25. The event, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Stella Maris Retreat and Renewal Center, features lakeside cocktails; a gourmet, French bistro-style dinner prepared by Chris Kuhns, executive chef of Phoebe’s Restaurant and the Sherwood Inn; and a concert by Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist/singer John Pizzarelli.

John Pizzarelli, lauded by the Los Angeles Times as “madly creative” and by The Toronto Star as “the genial genius of the guitar,” will perform July 25 at “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream,” the Annual Gala of the Skaneateles Area Arts Council.

Festivities will be held lakeside at the Stella Maris Retreat and Renewal Center, a former Roosevelt mansion on Skaneateles Lake. The program will run from 6 to 10 p.m. and include cocktails; dining al fresco by Chris Kuhns, executive chef of Phoebe’s Restaurant and the Sherwood Inn; and an intimate concert by Pizzarelli.

Skaneateles residents Jean McGlynn and Fouad Dietz are co-chairs of the gala. Dr. Robert Kiltz, owner of CNY Healing Arts and CNY Fertility Centers, is the artist sponsor. Proceeds will support the Arts Council’s cultural events and community grants program.

The Artist
John Pizzarelli has established himself as a prime interpreter of the Great American Songbook, drawing from performers such as Nat “King” Cole (his hero), Frank Sinatra and Joao Gilberto and composers such as Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, James Taylor, and Lennon and McCartney. In 2009 he received the prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Award from the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

Pizzarelli, who has recorded more than 20 albums since his first release in 1990, started playing the guitar at the age of 6, following in the tradition of his father, guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli. He often plays with his father and his wife, singer/actress Jessica Molaskey, in the John Pizzarelli Trio, a group that has been called “the First Family of Cool” by the San Francisco Chronicle and “the von Trapps on Martinis” by The New Yorker.

Pizzarelli’s early works, for RCA, include “Dear Mr. Cole” and “P.S. Mr. Cole,” as well as “After Hours” (a touching cycle of torch ballads), “Our Love Is Here to Stay” (a collection of classic swing and bold originals), “Let’s Share Christmas” and “John Pizzarelli Meets the Beatles.”

More recently, for Telarc International, he has recorded “Kisses in the Rain,” “Let There Be Love,” “The Rare Delight of You,” “Live at Birdland” (celebrating the 10th anniversary of the John Pizzarelli Trio), “Knowing You” (paying homage to the many talented musicians and songwriters he has met over the years) and “Dear Mr. Sinatra” (featuring the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra).

His 2008 album, the Grammy Award nominated “With a Song in My Heart,” celebrates the music of legendary composer Richard Rodgers. This past February, he released “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” a tribute to Duke Ellington.

A veteran radio personality, Pizzarelli is host, with his wife, of “Radio Deluxe With John Pizzarelli,” a nationally syndicated radio program that takes place in their “deluxe living room high atop Lexington Avenue” and features relaxed, off-the-cuff music and conversations.

Pizzarelli has performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Late Show With David Letterman,” “Live With Regis & Kelly,” “The CBS Early Show” and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

He also performs annually at New York City’s famed Café Carlyle with Jessica Molaskey and at Birdland with his jazz combo, while touring throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Japan.

The Venue
The mansion that is now Stella Maris Retreat and Renewal Center, a ministry sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities, was originally owned by Frederick Roosevelt, who had it built in 1879. The Sisters of St. Francis purchased the property in 1952, and in 1954 it was blessed and dedicated as a retreat center by Bishop Walter A. Foery.

“Stella Maris” is Latin for “Star of the Sea.” The center is committed to the mission of leading all to a deeper knowledge and love of God, and to fostering spiritual growth, renewal and peace.

The Council
The Skaneateles Area Arts Council, a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization, works to celebrate the visual and performing arts by creating an environment where cultural activity thrives in our community. The council presents cultural programming and issues grants to artists and arts organizations in the Skaneateles area.

This year’s grant recipients are the CNY Jazz Foundation; the John D. Barrow Art Gallery; the Khoros Performing Arts Company for Kids, Joanna Manring; Pamela Spear; the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center; Skaneateles Artisans; the Skaneateles Area Chamber of Commerce; the Skaneateles Festival; Skaneateles Summer Theatre; and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets
Tickets are $250 for VIP seating, $125 for regular seating, and may be purchased by sending a check to the Skaneateles Area Arts Council, P.O. Box 422, Skaneateles, NY 13152. Advance purchase is required for all seating. For more information, go to http://www.skarts.org.

Turning Your Dreams into Reality Retreat Session – Vision Board Planning
with author and expert, Pamela Moss, of www.innervisionportraits.com
Thursday, June 24th, 9:00am -1:00pm at lakeside setting
Stella Maris Retreat and Renewal Center – Skaneateles, NY
$89 includes retreat, lunch, tea, coffee, and materials
($20.00 tax donation of $89 to Stella Maris)
Limited to 25 women only!! Sign up today
Reserve your seat at laurasbooklist@aol.com

Laura’s List: Books for Women
Sowing Seeds of Hope – The Bridge that Connects Women
www.laurasbooklist.com

Friday, May 7th
Merry Month of May Luncheon for Seniors!!!!
You determine the age for “senior”!  Come and enjoy a special lunch and some entertainment and surprises!  11:30-2:00
Offering: $15.00
Reservation are required

Thursday, May 20th
Hawaiian Luau
Join us for a genuine Hawaiian meal. music, entertainment and plenty of Aloha spirit!  If you have a Hawaiian shirt, a lei, a muumuu or just a flower in your hair, wear it and help us celebrate!
Buffet Dinner Served at 6:00 pm
Offering: $20.00
Reservation are required

Visit our website for a complete listing of our upcoming events!
www.stellamarisretreat.org

130 East Genesee Street
Skaneateles, NY  13152
(315) 685-6836

East Street Yoga
Judiann Cesta Presents…
2nd Annual Yoga Retreat Weekend
With Paul Toliuszis: Miami Beach Power Yoga

June 18, 19, & 20

At the beautiful Stella Maris Retreat Center in Skaneateles, NY
All Levels Welcome
11 hours of of yoga instruction with Paul
2 nights private accommodations
6 vegetarian meals
Full access to retreat center

YOGA PHILOSOPHY
TRANSFORMATIONAL BREATHING
DAILY MIAMI BEACH POWER YOGA CLASS
DRUMMING CIRCLE
PARTNER YOGA

$350 before May 1st
$395 after May 1st

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.eaststreetyoga.com
www.miamibeachpoweryoga.com

To register contact Judiann 315.391.5998

By John Turner,  Read other Up Close & Personal Stories from this Series.

“Happiness is your birthright.  Live it!”

Those six simple words easily summarize the life of Bonita Shear, one of Skaneateles’ most positive and spiritually-minded residents.  For years, Bonita has as an instructor of Yoga and meditation – and as a remarkably passionate human being – touched the lives of all who’ve had the pleasure of knowing her.

“‘Happiness is your birthright’ is one of my mottoes.  It means that by connecting with your soul, and your passions in life, you become a much happier person,” she said.

Bonita explained during an interview last week that her moving to Skaneateles eight years ago was literally a divine decision.

“The Holy Spirit,” she answered simply when asked what made her relocate to the village from Western New York.

Bonita came to Stella Maris Retreat and Renewal Center for a spiritual getaway then, she recalled, when an interesting thing happened.

“I went there to a silent retreat, got to the door to leave and I just couldn’t go.  I just wanted to stay there,” she said.  “My intuition, some inner voice, said to move to Skaneateles and I’d be taken care of.”

Since moving here, she continued, she has utilized her extensive Yoga and meditation training among area residents and at Dr. Robert Kiltz’s CNY Fertility & Healing Arts Center in Syracuse.

Growing up in Buffalo, Bonita said she attended Catholic schools and went to Erie Community College before beginning her focus on spiritual practice.

“Learning about (Yoga and meditation) was really a slow, gradual process.  At first I just thought it would be something good to add to my life,” she explained.

“But when I took my first Kundalini Yoga class, it was like a fast acceleration to higher consciousness.”

Bonita has since become a certified Kundalini Yoga instructor, which involves exploring the potential Life Forces that lie dormant in a person’s body.  (Kundalini is a Sanskrit word that translates to “that which is coiled.”)

But Bonita’s spiritual knowledge doesn’t stop there.  She holds certifications in such Yoga and meditation practices as Reiki, Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Breathwalking and Sat Nam Rasayan Healing.

Bonita uses her expertise at Dr. Kiltz’s wellness center and with community residents on a per-appointment basis, she said.

“I do a lot of work with Essential Oils. … They really help with physical and emotional well-being,” she added.

And this past February, Bonita had the pleasure of discovering the spiritual source of those oils.  She was part of a group of more than 100 people who traveled to the Middle East to take part in making a documentary film called.

“This movie’s been 15 years in the making.  Our part is about the trail by which people brought the Frankincense oils to the baby Jesus,” she explained.

During filming, the group traveled by camel through Egypt, from the city of Luxor on the Nile River, north to the capital city of Cairo, then eastward to Petra, Jordan.  Along the way they visited some of Egypt’s breathtaking historical scenery.

The trip took the group almost three weeks, Bonita said.  “It was unbelievable. … They did the filming with camels and horses.  It was nonstop from like 4 or 5 in the morning until 10 at night.

“To experience all that, like the pyramids, the desert, the snakes. … You name it, we did it,” she added.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, Bonita will host a presentation about her Egypt experience at Stella Maris, with a suggested donation of $10.

Bonita spoke by telephone from Buffalo, where she said she was visiting her four granddaughters.  She spends her free time kayaking on Skaneateles Lake – “I love it,” she exclaimed – along with visiting her family and friends and walking her dog, Bella.

And though she has no formal training in it, Bonita said, one of her all-time favorite activities is dancing.

“It’s that passion for life. … I dance every day.  I’m a dancing fool!” she joked.

Learn the Ancient Secrets of Egypt for Longevity, Beauty, and Inner peace.

Join Bonita Shear, a Silver in Young Living, on a magic camel ride from Cairo, Egypt to Luxor, Egypt, through the Sacred Temple of Dendera, and the Valley of the Kings, just to mention a few (believe you me, lot’s more)…

To Petra, Jordan where the sacred temples are kept and the treasury where part of the documentary on frankincense oil was filmed. This movie has been in the work’s for fifteen years, you will learn why you are a member of Young Living at this sacred time, 2010.

Sunday, April 18 at Y.L. Waterloo Meeting &
Tuesday, April 20, 2010 6:30-8:30 at the
Stella Maris Retreat Center in Skaneateles, N.Y.
Donation for the retreat center $10. cookies made by Brian
Please RSVP: bonitaim@roadrunner.com or 685-6759

By Stella Maris

Where: Stella Maris Retreat & Renewal Center, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities
When: Wednesday, March 17th

The Sister of St. Francis celebrate 150 Years in the diocese of Syracuse, 1860-2010

Help us celebrate this special “wearin’ of the green” Feast!  Join us for dinner and some beautiful Celtic Harp music.  Back by popular demand will be professional harpist Gail Lyons to entertain.  Chef Brian will provide our guests with an authentic Irish dinner, served at 6:00 PM, followed by the music of Gail Lyons in our chapel.

Menu: corned beef, ham, cabbage, carrots and potatoes, Irish soda bread, assorted beverages, and a very special Irish dessert!

We hope you can join us!  Reservation are required; an offering of $20 per person is requested.

-The Sisters and Staff of Stella Maris Retreat & Renewal Center

By Stella Maris

Stella Maris is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special dinner on Thursday, February 11th.  Our Chef Brian has planned a lovely menu and the Sisters have planned for some live entertainment.  There always are some special surprises in store for our guests; won’t you join us?

Dinner Menu

• Sunshine Spinach Salad served with a Citrus Vinaigrette
• Prime Rib of Beef
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Green Beans Almondine
• Red Velvet Cake

Reservations are required.  Offering of $20 per person.  Call us today at (315) 685-6836 or register online at www.stellamarisretreat.org

We look forward to seeing you! The Sisters and Staff of Stella Maris Retreat & Renewal Center

Stella Maris Retreat & Renewal Center is a Sponsored Ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities

130 East Genesee Street
Skaneateles, New York 13152
315-685-6836
www.stellamarisretreat.org

This past Saturday, December 19th, 2009, about 50 women and men spent the day with Dr. Rob and Bonita at the lovely Stella Maris Retreat Center. It was a Winter Solstice Day Retreat and such a lovely relaxing time was had by all. We spent time connecting with one another, sharing positive words and thoughts, meditating, stretching and sharing very useful tools on how to live your Best Life. Dr. Rob has been sharing his positive thinking ideas and words around the CNY area for almost 2 years now. Bonita is a Kundalini Yoga Teacher who holds classes at Stella Maris Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm.