Our December meeting will be our annual Holiday Party, to be held on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM at:

Tesoro Ristorante
967 Old Country Road
Westbury, New York 11590
(516) 334-0022

The full-course dinner is $45 per person (including tax and tip) with a cash bar. We hope everyone will plan to attend. Proper casual attire is recommended. Please send your reservations/payment to our treasurer:

Paul Keogler
C/O Dancing Ivories
11 Washington Avenue
Bay Shore, NY 11706

See directions and map on page 3

We often encounter piano owners who position their verticals in front of a baseboard or free-standing radiator, and the direct heat from these sources of course can be very damaging to the instrument. Such pianos are definite candidates for a full Dampp-Chaser system, but usually the owners are reluctant to invest in the installation. In such circumstances, I have found a very inexpensive, fairly effective method to protect the pianos during the winter heating season. Chain craft stores, such as Michael's, sell large rectangular sheets of styrofoam, which is a great insulator. Either cut the panels carefully with a razor knife and pressure fit them between the back beams, or apply a spot of silicone adhesive to each corner and mount the panels directly to the back of the piano to cover the entire soundboard and beams. This method offers a moderate amount of protection from the direct effects of the heat on the full back area of the piano, although it does not address or correct the low relative humidity which is a constant during the winter months, and is not a substitute for proper humidification.