Help a Croton Family Affected by Train Derailment at Friday Variety Show

1. The Croton-Harmon School District will host the Third Annual Perez-A-Palooza benefit variety show on Friday, Jan. 17. 

Perez-A-Palooza consists of many entertaining music and dance performances, as well as hilarious comedy skits performed by Croton-Harmon School District faculty and staff members. CET music teacher Marlena Peters is the director for the show. Kenny Simmons, formerly of the hit group the Commodores who is the current lead singer of the Infernos Band, will serve as emcee for the show.         

The first Perez-A-Palooza was held in January 2012 to pay tribute to Fran Perez, a beloved member of the district who worked at Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School as an aide for many years before passing away from cancer. In two years, the show has raised over $25,000 for the Fran Perez Memorial Scholarship, which provides monies for Croton-Harmon youngsters to attend afterschool programs at CET School, as well as the Croton Caring Committee, which helps the frail, elderly, homebound, disabled, or families in need.

This year, proceeds will once again benefit the Fran Perez Memorial Scholarship as well as a local family (the Rivera family) that was affected by the tragic Metro-North derailment. Tickets are available for purchase at the CET Main office (271-5184) for $10. For more info on show times and location, click here.

2. Again rescheduled and determined as ever, Croton blood drive coordinators write: "Dear Donor, We will not let the weather get the best of us and we are trying again to host a winter Blood Drive! Our rep at NY Blood Services told me that they are really quite desperate between the holidays and all the drives that have been cancelled." Please click here to learn how you can sign up to give on Thursday, Jan. 16.

3. It's not too late to sign up to participate in a service activity to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

4. Readers really wanted to know when they could start filing their 2013 tax return. It was yesterday's most popular post on Patch.

5. From our events calendar: Free Medicare counseling at Tarrytown's Warner Library today.