Business notebook: It's ‘Ladies Night Out' this Thursday

Warwick - Mark your calendars. The ninth annual “Ladies Night Out” and “Queen for a Day” will take place next Thursday evening, Aug. 24, from 4 to 9 p.m. The rain date is Friday evening, Aug. 25. “Ladies Night Out” generally buzzes with activity and excitement and for the past nine years, the popular summer event has attracted visitors from near and far. Although the evening sales specials, refreshments and other treats offered by participating merchants are geared primarily for the ladies, everyone is invited. According to co-chairs Sue Loughren and Tim Mullally, this year’s attractions will again include music and dancing, Tarot Card readings, make-overs, massages, a fashion show, a women’s self defense demonstration, a Karaoke contest, antique appraisals, street vendors, gourmet food samples, Tango and Belly Dance demonstrations and more. Pennings Farm Market and The Inkwell, for example, will raffle off a “clambake to-go” and an ocean theme gift outside The Inkwell, 46 Main St. “We’re hooking up while the ladies troll around downtown Warwick taking advantage of our summer sails (sic),” quipped Inkwell owner Carol Bartnowski. The nautical images are intended to highlight the new “clambakes and lobsterbakes to-go” service now offered at Pennings Market. Shoppers can stop by for samples and the winner of the “clambake to-go” will receive a voucher for the clambake along with homemade New England clam chowder. In a repeat of last year’s fund raiser for New Orleans hurricane victims, the Merchants Committee will also be accepting small donations in exchange for “beads.” The proceeds, this time, will go to Orange County Safe Homes for battered women and their children. Brett Boyd and his jazz quartet will also be performing in front of “Etched in Time.” Boyd has performed at venues including Birdland and the Deerhead Inn as well as with stars like George Benson, Liza Minnelli and Lucie Arnaz. Joanne Graney, owner of Greetings and Salutations, 9 Main St., has chosen Ladies Night Out as a good time to open her new restaurant deck over Wawayanda Creek. Dinner will be served that evening although the picturesque 18-seat deck is normally open just for lunch from Wednesday through Sunday. One of the most popular features of “Ladies Night Out,” is the crowning of a “Queen for a Day” by Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard. “Queen for a Day” is an opportunity for a special lady to be recognized by her family or friends for her generous spirit, caring heart and selfless nature. The winner, who will be crowned in Railroad Green Park at 8 p.m., will also receive a valuable assortment of gift certificates and merchandise valued at more than $1,000. For more information contact Tim Mullally at 986-9588. Russian world champion visits Ultimate Sambo Igor Kurinnoy, Triple World Sambo Champion and five-time World Cup winner, recently held a seminar hosted by Ultimate Sambo, the mixed martial arts academy in the Village of Florida. Titled as “A Merited Master of Sport,” Kurinnoy leads a team of 12 merited Sambo coaches who train approximately 850 Sambo students in Moscow. During his visit, students at Ultimate Sambo were treated to a rigorous three-hour training session, which included take downs, submissions and various combinations used in advanced level competitions. Sambo, a Russian acronym for the term “Self Defense Without Weapons,” is a Russian martial art that was designed by the former soviet military as a means of hand to hand combat. It is currently the National Sport of Russia. Ultimate Sambo, located at 133 North Main St, Florida N.Y., is owned and operated by Vladislav and Yvonne Koulikov. Master Vlad Koulikov is a Russian National Sambo champion and, like Professor Kurinnoy, received his extensive Sambo training at “Sambo 70,” the most prestigious Sambo sport/academic academy in the world. For more information regarding The Ultimate Sambo Mixed Martial Arts Academy, it’s instructors, upcoming events/class schedules, or the Russian Martial Art of Sambo, visit www.ultimatesambo.com or call 651-5155. Fastest kid on the block On Saturday, Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. the first gun will go off for Sugar Loaf’s “Fastest Kid on the Block.” The 50-meter sprint will take place on King’s Highway starting at the Barnsider Tavern and finishing at The Candle Shop. When event chairman Nick Zungoli began planning the fundraiser run for the Sugar Loaf Community Vision Committee project, he wanted to do something a little different so that everyone could participate. “There are lots of 5K’s and 10K’s around, so I thought a sprint on King’s Highway would be lots of fun,” he said. “I had gone to Madison Square Garden for a track meet in the winter where I saw ‘The Fastest Kid in New York City’ and it was one of the most entertaining events of the night. The crowd was really into it.” The races are open to all comers and runners will be broken into men’s and women’s age group divisions. The entry fee is $10 and all participants will receive a “Fastest Kid on the Block” ribbon. Age group winners will be awarded a handmade ceramic cup donated by Sugar Loaf potter Ray Boswell. Race day registration starts at 8 a.m. and the first race will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Event parking is at the Lycian Centre. Rain date: Saturday, Sept. 2. For applications and information call 469-9382, e-mail: zungoli@optonline.net, or visit www.sugarloafsmash.com.