The Barn Blog

Jim Maisano is the Director of the Westchester County Consumer Protection Department. He is also an attorney in New Rochelle and has served as a Westchester Country Legislator for over 20 years. Jim also served in the U.S. Marine Corp. Jim will discuss Consumer Protection and how it affects all of us.

David McKay Wilson is a freelance journalist who has written for newspapers and magazines since 1977. He was a staff writer for The Journal News, a regular contributor to The New York Times and the Boston Globe, and has written for 130 university and college magazines. David is currently the Tax Watchdog for the Journal News, writing the weekly Tax Watch column. He discussed his work as an investigative journalist and shared stories of his research and the many interesting discoveries he’s reported on.

Matt Young is an ornithologist and educator who founded the Finch Research Network. He’s currently working on the Stokes Field Guide: A Complete Guide to North America’s Finches. Watching nature and birds are incredibly therapeutic hobbies as we navigate COVID and life. Matt discussed the science of birding and gave tips on setting up a feeder garden in our backyards. 

CJ Calo is Vice President of Ace Banner Flag & Graphics based in Manhattan. He discussed his family business and how various types of flags and banners are made. CJ shares stories about the most unusual flags his company has produced and some interesting customers he’s worked with. He brought sample flags and generously gave some to the Barn.

Brian Higbie is an attorney whose law practice is focused primarily on estate planning for families with young children. He handles other legal matters as well and does pro-bono work with Environmental Law. Brian is very knowledgeable and passionate about the legalization of marijuana. He shared his insight with us and lead a lively discussion on this topic.

John Fix of Cornell’s Hardware generously donated a new fire pit for Barn Night. Due to the increasing severity of the pandemic, attendance was limited to 10 people this month. A handful of guys gathered around the fire pit with masks on.

The Reverend Dr. Michael Gerald is the Senior Pastor at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Tuckahoe (founded in 1910). He has a 21-year career background in law enforcement and is currently a writer, public speaker, teacher, theologian, leadership developer, community organizer, political organizer, and much more. Dr. Gerald shared his background and discussed a range of topics including what it means to be a man, leadership in the community, and trends in policing. The general theme of his talk was about brotherhood and unity.

Father Seán Connolly is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York. Formerly with the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Tuckahoe, he currently serves at the Parish of St. Joseph in Middletown. Fr. Connolly discussed the history of miracles and shared stories of 3 remarkable incidents that were determined by the Catholic Church to be miracles. A lively discussion followed.