The 49th annual Miss Staten Island Scholarship Pageant is set for tonight! The event will take place at 5:30pm in the Center for the Arts at the College of Staten Island in Willowbrook.


[Last year's winners. Photo source: silive.com]

The competition is the first step toward Miss America. Women ages 17-24 enter to win not only the title, but also academic credit and funding for college and grad school. The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's largest educational opportunities for young women. Fun fact: the last three winners of the Miss America title have all hailed from New York!

Tonight, twelve hopefuls will take the stage at the College of Staten Island. Two winners will be chosen, Miss Staten Island 2015 and Miss Richmond Country…

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The Committee to Save Mount Manresa will be holding a fundraiser tomorrow, November 9th, at Michael's Meatballs & Martinis on Hylan Blvd in Dongan Hills .


[Photo source: savemountmanresa.org]

The Mount Manresa complex, the former Jesuit Retreat located in Fort Wadsworth, was constructed in the 1920s. Recently, the site has suffered partial demolition, causing unsafe conditions for island residents. Apparently, the demolition company who began the process initially submitted fraudulent reports. What they failed to make clear is that this old structure contains Asbestos, and further destruction will cause air pollution and put residents at risk for exposure. So far, at least 8 nearby residents have complained of health problems due to the…

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BFC Partners, the developers of the upcoming Empire Outlets complex in St. George, are planning yet another big project in Stapleton.


[Photo source: dnainfo.com]

The new building will be located at 475 Bay Street, a few short blocks away from the Stapleton train station. Of the proposed eight floors, the first will contain almost 9,000 square feet of retail space, and floors 2 through 8 will contain 214 residential units. The building will also have its own enclosed parking lot. Permit applications were filed Monday morning, along with zoning change requests. The current zone codes do not allow the space to be used for residential purposes, but only for light manufacturing and commercial use.


[Photo source: dnainfo.com]

The planning of Empire…

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The Music Hall at Snug Harbor will be hosting the classic musical "West Side Story," opening Friday, November 7th at 8:00 pm and running throughout the month.


[Photo source: hltc.org]

The Staten Island-based Harbor Lights Theater Company proudly presents the story of Tony and Maria, the star-crossed lovers of the '50s. Starring as Maria is singer/actress Evy Ortiz, who finds a relatability in the role due to her family's Puerto Rican descent. The production also stars John Grieco as Tony, and Alena Watters as Anita.


[Photo source: nj-pro.com]

Tickets range from $35 to $45, with discounts for seniors and students. However, this production also has a unique dinner theater aspect, offering a $79 brunch ticket for matinee performances and a $99 dinner…

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Snug Harbor's Director of Horticulture Greg Lord will be leading a tour of the botanical center's garden facilities this Thursday, November 6th.


[Photo source: nycgovparks.org]

The tour willl begin at 2:00 pm. During the walk, Lord will discuss the unique landscape of Snug Harbor and the many reasons behind the changing colors of leaves. The tour is set to commence at the Carl Grillo Glasshouse, then move through the Pond Garden, the New York Scholar's Garden, and end at the Healing Garden.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the time of the event. For more information, please call (718) 425-3504.

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Beer lovers unite! Play Sports Bar in Annadale will be hosting the American Craft Beer Festival this Saturday, November 8th.


[Photo source: facebook.com]

The all-American selection will highlight fall, pumpkin, and early winter beers. Featured brews will hail from well-known brands such as Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, Ommegang, and Founders, as well as local up-and-coming brands such as Flagship and Brooklyn Brewery. There will also be live acoustic music and beer reps available to further discuss and promote key brands. But here's the real treat: ticket price not only includes unlimited beer tastings, but also all-you-can-eat gourmet pizza!

This event will take place in two separate sessions, 12pm-4pm and 6pm-10pm. Tickets are $45 in advance or $50 at…

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What are you going to do with those soggy, carved out pumpkins now that Halloween is over? Some residents got to dispose of them in a fun way today.


[Photo source: silive.com]

P.S. 9 in Concord hosted "Pumpkin Smash 2014" on this rainy, post-Halloween day. The schoolyard was covered with tarp to serve as a dropcloth of sorts, and there were also refreshments served and raffles to be won. The wet weather certainly didn't hurt today as pumpkins met their crumbly ends with ease, either smashed with a bat or simply thrown on the ground. All remains will be used by the school for compost.

The event was sponsored by the NYC Compost Project, started in 1993 by the Department of Sanitation's Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling. The program aims…

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Veteran's Day falls on Tuesday, November 11th, but due to some local events and sponsorship by Borough President James Oddo this year, November should be called Veteran's Month here on Staten Island.

First, on November 5th, there will be a live convert event at the Old Bermuda Inn on Veterans Rd West in Rossville from 9am to 1pm. Award-winning singer/songwriter and U.S. Army Veteran Tim Maggart will headline the "New American Freedom Train Show." This 75-minute multimedia collaborative effort will feature 8 more artists, a state-of-the-art video production, and the help of the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center and the National Civil War Naval Museum, both of Columbus, Georgia. [Photo source: silive.com]

Also on November 5th, Borough Hall…

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Gillani Homes would like to give a big thank you to the Staten Island Board of Realtors for throwing such a great party last night! Everyone had a great time and we're looking forward to more fun events in the future!

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It's a wee bit early for Paddy's Day talk, but there's no time like the present to pop 'round to this new tavern in Port Richmond.


[Photo source: silive.com]

Owner Michael Regan and his wife, Cori, opened O'Neill's earlier this month. The new bar/restaurant is located on Forest Ave, and is filled with eccentric decor and authentic pieces that give the space "an Old World, comfortable feel." Each piece of furntiure and decorative item was hunted down carefully by the pair of owners.


[Photo source: silive.com]

Some unique design features include high back, hand-crafted wooden booths, tables featuing designer woodwork, a custom milled anc ured bar top, pendulum lamps with antique bulbs and pulley controls. There are ten televisions over the bar, plus…

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