Five Things You Need to Know Today: Glass Houses, Blood Drives and Auditions for the Hoff-Barthelson Festival Orchestra

1. Glass houses may not be safe from stones, but they do make for stunning architecture… if we’re talking about Philip Johnson’s famed minimalist New Canaan residence, of course. Today, the Scarsdale Adult School will be hosting the tour and lecture series “Don’t Throw Stones at Glass Houses: A Survey of Contemporary Residential Architecture and Philip Johnson Glass House Tour. Unfortunately, today’s tour led by architect Brent Stringfellow – featuring a guided walk through the Glass House, the Painting Gallery, Sculpture Gallery and a structure called Da Monsta— is sold out. Luckily for you, however, another tour will be offered on Friday, June 3 at 12 p.m. For more information, visit the Scarsdale Adult School’s website or call (914) 723-2325. 

2.  Prepare for some future late-night tooting, honking and strumming emanating from your musical child’s bedroom – the Hoff-Barthelson Festival Orchestra, a full symphonic orchestra open to students in grades 9-12, will be holding auditions for the 2011-12 season tonight from 5-10 p.m.  If you haven’t already scheduled your budding Carnegie Hall soloist for auditions, you can make an appointment by calling the orchestra manager at (845) 429-1032. For more details, visit http://www.hbms.org or call (914) 723-1169.

3. Today, you can save a life without performing CPR or pushing a pedestrian out of the way of an incoming car. Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in White Plains will be hosting a blood drive today from 4-9:15 p.m., and walk-in donors are welcome to swing by (although appointments are encouraged). For questions or to make an appointment, email Rita and Lew Kanner at klars4@optonline.net.

4. Tonight, you can cha-cha, salsa, waltz and tango your way to a fit body and a happy heart. The Greenville Community Reformed Church is offering a new Tuesday evening dance program featuring Latin and Ballroom instruction for families and children ages 8 and up. Led by instructor Greg Taran, the classes will occur weekly at 7 p.m. until June 14. Visit the class’s website or email dancelinkcenter@yahoo.com for more information on how shimmy into summertime. 

5. Wondering what's going on with the Popham Road bridge construction?  Scarsdale Managers and Metro North will be meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Scarsdale Village Hall to discuss the progress of the bridge work, the timetable and notification of neighbors about construction related issues. The meeting is welcome to the public, so feel free to come by and share your opinions and concerns over the project with your neighbors and local transportation officials.