Focus of Falls tragedy ready to pack it in

Hedges says she plans to fix up her property and move away, much to neighbors’ pleasure

Marta Lubowska, of Brooklyn, came to Niagara Falls last month to throw flowers into the Niagara River at the spot where her niece, Magdalena Lubowska, drowned in August 2008. Photo: Charles Lewis/Buffalo News

By Nancy A. Fischer
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
September 27, 2009, 10:13 AM

NIAGARA FALLS — Eva Hedges says she has given up fighting City Hall. She plans to fix her property and then move out of the city.

Her neighbors say that will be fine with them.

The 63-year-old Hedges has been in the eye of a neighborhood storm since August 2008, when a 12-year-old girl in her family’s care drowned during a hike in the Niagara Gorge.

More than a year later, Hedges still faces a charge that she violated the city zoning ordinance by running an illegal bed-and-breakfast from her single-family home at 722 Fourth St. — even after the drowning.

The city Zoning Board of Appeals earlier this month unanimously rejected her request for variances for three sheds and a gazebo, which take up more than 30 percent of her backyard, as well as an illegal fence, which is higher than the 6-foot height limit in the city.

During a City Court appearance last week, a city judge ordered the structures taken down by mid-November.

Hedges told The Buffalo News before the court appearance that she already has started the work. She said she plans to move away from the city and its unfriendly inhabitants, then write a book about the “whole story” of her desire to open a business in Niagara Falls, her lengthy code violation case and the drowning.

“I just want this to be finished with. I’m just sick and tired of this. I just want this to be done,” Hedges said last week.

“I hope she makes a lot of money from her book and she can give the money to [Magdalena Lubowska’s] family,” said Fourth Street resident Marc Grossman.

Neighbors, who include Grossman and Thomas and Judith Schiera, are among those who say Hedges has nobody to blame but herself for her predicament — that she violated city regulations and got involved in a business she was incapable of running.

The Hedges home made news Aug. 13, 2008, when a group of children of Polish descent were staying there and went for a hike into the gorge. During the hike, Magdalena, of the Bronx, slipped into the Niagara River and drowned.

Hedges’ son Timothy was leading the hike on his own, with 23 children.

Since the drowning, Magdalena’s parents have accused Eva Hedges of operating an illegal summer camp for the families of Polish immigrants in her home. They also have pressed Niagara County District Attorney Michael J. Violante to file criminal charges in the case.

Violante said last year that his office was investigating the matter. He had no comment on the current status of the case last week.

Thomas Schiera said he and City Building and Housing Inspector Robert Ingrasci visited the Hedges property the day of the drowning, after the city received complaints about children playing on the roof.

They got word of the drowning while they were taking a look at the property.

“I’ve got records of me calling the city two or three years ago [with my complaints about her violations],” Thomas Schiera said last week. “If the city would have done something back then, that little girl wouldn’t have died . . . [Instead], it turned into a train wreck.”

The month before the drowning, Hedges was served papers by the city, including being told to remove tents from her yard. They were taken down after the drowning.

The city filed a cease-and-desist order in the days after Magdalena’s death, and officials said they were monitoring the home. In November 2008, those officials said, Hedges violated an order that prohibited her from using the property as a paid lodging when she took out advertisements offering rooms for rent, and neighbors reporting seeing vehicles parked near the house with out-of-state license plates.

Judith Schiera wrote to The News, saying that she was saddened that this illegal venture may have cost a 12-year-old girl her life. Hedges, she said, may have been “sneaking around operating a bed-and-breakfast for the past four years.”

“No one lives in a house that long for free,” Schiera wrote.

Hedges has denied that she ever operated a bed-and-breakfast. She has called the summer camp a charity camp, which she operated for a Polish church.

She told The News that after she was told not to operate a “bed-and-breakfast,” she thought it was all right to have someone rent a room as long as she wasn’t giving them any meals. That’s why she advertised late last year, she said, although she said she never rented a room.

Hedges said a lot of friends stay with her but they don’t pay. She said she was losing money but had hoped someday to open a bed-and-breakfast.

She now realizes that will never happen.

Hedges vowed to leave Niagara Falls, tired of all the anger from her neighbors.

“They could have just knocked on my door,” she complained, “but instead they had to involve the authorities and the attorneys.”

Hedges is scheduled to return to court by Nov. 16.

Ingrasci, the city housing inspector, accompanied her and her attorney, George V. C. Muscato, back to her home after a court appearance last Monday, to review the work that needed to be done.

City Judge Robert P. Merino told Hedges, “The clock is ticking on this case,” and reminded her that her case has been adjourned numerous times. He also said that the city has the right to request restitution if it takes more than 45 days for Hedges to address the zoning violations.

Muscato assured the court that the work would be done.

nfischer@buffnews.com

COURTS: Hedges yields to inspectors in housing matter

By Rick Pfeiffer, Niagara Gazette
rick.pfeiffer@niagara-gazette.com
September 21, 2009 07:55 pm

NIAGARA FALLS, NY – A Falls woman accused of running an illegal bed and breakfast at her Fourth Street home has been given 45 days to correct multiple housing code violations on her property.

An attorney for Eva Hedges told City Court Judge Robert Merino on Monday that his client is prepared to make the changes and has already begun some of them.

“We went to the (Falls) Zoning Board last week and they would not allow the variances for the improvements,” attorney George V.C. Muscato said. “She is in the process of bringing the fence down to the appropriate height and the other things we have to do.”

City Building Inspector Robert Ingrasci told Merino that Hedges need to lower the fence around her property and remove “structures” that he described as “three sheds and a tent over an above-ground swimming pool.”

Following Monday’s hearing in City Housing Court, Ingrasci accompanied Muscato and Hedges to her home to review what needed to be removed from the property.

Muscato initially appeared uncertain over whether the work could be completed in 45 days. Merino told the lawyer more delays in resolving the more than year old case could become costly.

“The city has been asking for restitution for the time (inspectors) spend on these matters,” Merino said. “If they request restitution for the hours Mr. Ingrasci is putting in, I’ll entertain it. So the (meter) is running as far as the city is concerned.”

In asking for a final hearing on the matter in November, Muscato said, “We’ve have done everything we’ve been asked to do, but I want to make sure (Hedges) is in compliance.”

The November hearing date is also expected to resolve a complaint by city inspectors that Hedges was operating a bed and breakfast out of her home without the proper permits. Muscato and Hedges have both denied that charge.

“We deny she ever operated a bed and breakfast,” Muscato has said.

Attention was drawn to Hedges’ home after a 12-year-old Bronx girl, who was staying there as part of a Polish children’s camp, slipped into the Niagara River gorge on a field trip and drowned. That incident remains under investigation by the Niagara County District Attorney’s office.

DA Michael Violante maintains he is “still deciding” whether or not to bring charges against Hedges, 62, and her son, Timothy, 23, who was leading the field trip of more than 20 children to the Niagara Gorge.

Magdalena Lubowska slipped off a rock as she dipped her feet into the river. She was swept away into the gorge and drowned.

Lubowska’s parents have said they will sue Hedges and others in connection with their daughter’s death. While a notice of claim has been filed in the matter, no lawsuit has yet been brought to court.

Board rejects Hedges’ bid for variance

By Denise Jewell Gee
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER
September 17, 2009, 7:22 AM

NIAGARA FALLS, NY — A woman who ran a home where a 12-year-old Bronx girl was staying when the girl drowned in the Niagara River last summer will appear in court again Monday after the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals rejected a request to sanction an illegal fence and several backyard structures on the property.

The Zoning Board voted unanimously Tuesday evening to deny a variance that Eva Hedges had sought to allow her to keep a fence, three sheds and an enclosed gazebo in her backyard that violate city zoning codes for a residential neighborhood.

The fence and the backyard structures are the basis of one of two zoning code violations filed against Hedges last year for her home at 722 Fourth St. after the
drowning death of Magdalena Lubowska. Lubowska was staying at the Fourth Street house when she went for a hike in the Niagara Gorge with a group of children and slipped into the river.

An attorney for Lubowska’s parents has accused Hedges of operating an illegal summer camp for Polish immigrants in the Fourth Street home.

The city also charged Hedges with violating a city zoning ordinance by illegally renting out rooms in the single-family home on three different occasions in July, August and November 2008.

No criminal charges have been filed against Hedges, and she has denied that she operated a bed-and-breakfast or a camp in her home.

Hedges sought a variance to the city’s zoning codes that would have allowed her to keep a fence that is taller than allowed, as well as the enclosed gazebo and sheds.
The structures violate city zoning codes because more than a third of the property is covered with buildings, according to city records.

Muscato, in the application, said the backyard structures were for family entertainment and the tall fence was designed to keep one of her sons, who is handicapped, safe.

Hedges is scheduled to appear in Niagara Falls City Court on the zoning code violations on Monday. The charges have been postponed several times while Hedges sought the variance from the city.

djgee@buffnews.com

Magdalena's family launches website

12-year-old girl from Bronx drowned while on hike



By Lisa Flynn

NIAGARA FALLS, NY (WIVB) - It's been one year since a 12-year-old girl from the Bronx drowned while on a hike near in the Niagara Gorge.

A handful of people re-traced the path Magdalena Lubowska and a group of children walked on that fateful hike that ultimately ended in her death.

Magdalena's aunt, Marta Lubowska and her attorney were among the handful of people who walked down into the Niagara Gorge at Whirlpool State Park to mark the one year anniversary of Magdalena's death. Magdalena accidentally slipped into the swirling rapids while on a hike with the group.

There was only one tour guide for 20 children, the 23-year-old son of the operator of an unlicensed camp that sponsored the childrens' visit.

Magdalena's aunt dropped flowers into the water in memory of her short life.

Marta Lubowska said, "I want to be here as much as I can just to be here with her. I know she's everywhere. She's always with me, but this is a special place for me. I promise to myself and I promise to her that people who are responsible and involved, they will pay for every little mistake they made."

Magdalena's family has set the legal wheels in motion to sue the City of Niagara Falls, Niagara County, and New York State.

Magdalena's family has also launched a website to help raise awareness about overnight and day camp safety.

A Niagara County Injustice? Family Wants Answers

(WKBW.com/Channel 7 ABC) -- The family of a 12-year-old girl who fell and died in the Niagara Gorge last year says they are not getting any answers from the Niagara County District Attorney. The death was accidental, but it happened when the girl was under the care of what officials call an illegal bed-and-breakfast/summer camp. Magdalena Lubowska was killed, swept away by the rapids, in the gorge. She was there during a field trip with some 20 other kids enrolled in the so-called camp but only 1 supervisor was present.

Magdalena's family wants criminal charges filed against the operator of that camp, Eva Hedges, who allegedly has skipped town. Eyewitness News also followed Magdalena's aunt in her search for answers but is the Niagara County District Attorney not helping? Click on the video link to watch the exclusive story.

Memorial walk planned for August 13 in Niagara, NY

AUGUST 11, 2009 (NIAGARA, NY) – 12-year-old Magdalena Lubowska of the Bronx, NY, drowned last August at Niagara Falls’ Whirlpool State Park while attending the unlicensed overnight camp, Renaissance House, allegedly still operated by Eva and Timothy Hedges of Niagara, NY.

Last August, then-23-year-old Timothy Hedges, the lone adult guide for Magdalena and at least 20 other children, led his charges into a treacherous area near the lower run-off of Niagara Falls, far from the safety of a beaten path. “[He] was not a professional tour guide,” said State Parks Police Lt. Patrick Moriarty. According to neighbors and local sources, a criminal investigation is pending.

Marking the one-year anniversary of Magdalena’s death this week, her family and their attorney-spokesperson Gus Michael Farinella are organizing a memorial walk and vigil in Niagara to commemorate her passing. The public is invited to accompany the family on the entirety or a portion of the route, which begins at 12 noon in front of Renaissance House at 722 Fourth Street, and follows the exact path the campers took, down the stairwells to the river at Whirlpool State Park (Mapquest.com link).

To quote independent aquatic safety specialist Dr. Tom Griffiths’ opinion report on the incident, after a personal inspection of the crime scene: “While the park materials inform hikers how to access the trail system, little information is provided regarding the many and varied dangers located within the Niagara Gorge Trail System. Conspicuous by their absence are strong statements explaining that a fall in the river will most probably be fatal. The trails that descend down the rim are in fact very difficult, arduous, unmaintained, narrow and unsafe…prior to the Lubowska tragedy, there were absolutely no warning signs or other layers of protection, like handrails, in place…the large, flat rocks at the river’s edge slope toward the water, making it easy for anyone to fall in the river.”

To further honor Magdalena’s life, this website (SafeSummers.org) has been launched to help raise awareness of overnight and day-camp safety.

This website also contains information on how to make contributions in Magdalena’s memory.

Bed and Breakfast Owner Back In Court

By Emily Lenihan

NIAGARA FALLS, NY (WIVB.com/Channel 4) - A former Niagara Falls Bed Breakfast owner is expected back in court Monday.

Eva Hedges is charged with code violations.

Her unlicensed business was shut down last summer after Magdalena Lubowska fell into the Niagara River and drowned.

The New York City girl was hiking with Hedge's son and fellow campers when she slipped and fell into the rapids.

LUBOWSKA DEATH: Hedges heading to trial

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The story below was duplicated in its entirety from a July 28, 2009 article in the Niagara Gazette. It does, however, contain one major inaccuracy: Magdalena Lubowska categorically DID NOT dip her feet in the treacherous waters. She actually had a well-known fear of water.


By Rick Pfeiffer
rick.pfeiffer@niagara-gazette.com

Niagara Gazette

It now appears that a Falls woman, accused of running an illegal bed and breakfast will go to trial on charges involving housing code violations at her property.

Eva Hedges now has a Sept. 21 violation trial date on charges that include failure to get an application for a permit to operate a bed and breakfast, operating a bed and breakfast in an area zoned for single family residential homes, and having a fence on her property that is taller than four feet.

In April, Hedges had been given an additional two months to bring her Fourth Street property into compliance.

Her attorney has steadfastly denied that Hedges runs a bed and breakfast out of her home.

“We deny she ever operated a bed and breakfast,” George V. C. Muscato said. “Our future course of action is there will be no bed and breakfast there.”

Attention was drawn to Hedges’ home after a 12-year-old Bronx girl, who was staying there as part of a Polish children’s camp, slipped into the Niagara River gorge on a field trip and drowned.

The incident has drawn the attention of Niagara County District Attorney Michael Violante.

“Our investigation is still on-going,” Violante said on Tuesday.

The DA is reportedly “still deciding” whether or not to bring charges against Hedges, 62, and her son, Timothy, 23, who was leading the field trip of more than 20 children to the Niagara Gorge.

Magdalena Lubowska slipped off a rock as she dipped her feet into the river. She was swept away into the gorge and drowned.

Falls building inspectors have charged that Hedges has continued to operate a bed and breakfast out of her home in the aftermath of Lubowska’s death.

Lubowska’s parents have said they will sue Hedges and others in connection with their daughter’s death.

“We have filed a notice of claim against the state of New York, the city of Niagara Falls and the county,” attorney Gus Michael Farinella said. “Somebody has to be responsible for the death of this little girl.”

Contact reporter Rick Pfeiffer at 282-2311, ext. 2252.

Summer Camp, Safety and Your Child

Watch CBS Videos Online

Dr. Jennifer Ashton On Frequency and Severity of Camp Injuries

(CBS) Summer camp is in full swing, and more than 11 million kids and adults are enjoying a dose of summer fun. For all the swimming, running and high-intensity activities, most kids actually manage to have a safe and healthy experience.

But as CBS News medical correspondent found out during her week at Camp Dudley YMCA in the New York's Adirondack Mountains, the infirmary can often be a busy place.

On "The Early Show" Friday, Ashton said practically all the 300 male campers found a way to pay a visit to the infirmary during her visit.

Sheila Kapper, head nurse at the camp, said lots of things happen.

"You name it, we pretty much have seen it," Kapper told Ashton. "And (we) are pretty much prepared for everything."

But are your kids protected at their camp?

Ashton told "Early Show" co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez you should check with your camp director, camp nurse or physician, about the protocol for medical care before your child attends camp this summer.

"But big camps, they see it all," she said. "...and they're ready to handle anything."

In her time at the camp, Ashton and her husband, Dr. Robert Ashton experienced the busy time for the medical staff, from minor sunburns, sprains, rashes and thorns to one significant hip injury.

Ashton said most camp injuries are minor and pretty straightforward. But, she said, sometimes a stomach ache is code for something else: homesickness.

Kapper, who is called the "camp mom" by camp officials, said she can usually tell the difference between the two in 30 seconds.

Kapper said she provides 50 percent medical care and 50 percent mothering to the kids at camp.

Ashton added on "The Early Show", "Camp Dudley's medical staff is on duty 24/7, ready for whatever health or emotional issues come their way."

Seeking Parents Whose Children will Skip Sleepaway Camp This Summer

From The New York Times

A writer for The Times, Lisa Foderaro, is reporting a story about parents in the New York area opting for day camp over sleepaway camp for their kids this summer. Lisa writes:

I’m working on a story about parents whose children will attend day camp this summer instead of sleepaway camp,. (It might be because of the economy, but a longer family vacation might make sleepaway camp impractical, or perhaps a child simply didn’t enjoy being away from home.) In any case, the focus is really on the parents’ feelings about having their children home this summer. Are they already feeling wistful about last summer when, for a few carefree weeks, they didn’t have to plan dinner and could go straight from work to a grownup movie? On the other hand, maybe they’re looking forward to spending some unhurried time with their kids? Or both?

I’d love to hear from mothers and fathers in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey (whose children have gone to sleepaway camp in the past) who want to share their thoughts in a brief phone interview. I can be reached at 212-556-1659 or by email at foderaro@nytimes.com.

Recession doesn't mar summer camp season

Posted by Gina Chen / The Post-Standard July 02, 2009

Camp directors across Central New York were worried this summer might be a slow one for camp -- given the economy.

But they were happily mistaken. It's shaping up to be a pretty normal camp season around the region. Read my full story about summer camps by clicking on "continue reading entry."

If you're still on the hunt for summer camp for your kids, there's still time. Browse the online version of The Post-Standard's "A Camp for Everyone!" guide.

By Gina Chen
Family Life editor

Summer camp directors in Central New York were bracing for a slow summer, as the nation struggles through its second year of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

But they got a welcome surprise. Enrollment is on track to be normal this summer.

"I was really ready to be humbled by a decrease or the status quo," says Martha Cameron, director of community programs and the Manlius Pebble Hill Summer Program, which is seeing increased enrollment this summer. "I have to tell you I'm surprised."

Last summer, about 530 children attended the MPH Summer Program. So far, 561 kids are enrolled, Cameron says. The program saw 15 financial assistance requests, up from the 8 to 10 in previous years.

Other camps in Central New York are seeing a similar trend -- increased or steady enrollment with hints of the recession's impact.

The Jewish Community Center of Syracuse's Camp Rishon saw more sign-ups for the less-expensive camps, although they expect to see more total campers than normal. Prices ranges from $143 per week to $274 per week for members, depending on the activity.

Last year 300 campers attended, and so far 241 have signed up, says Lori Innella-Venne, the JCC's director of children, teen services and camp. Signups continue through summer.


"I think we all went into this summer with a little bit of caution," Innella-Venne says. "We're spending cautiously right now. In the end, we may end up just where we were last year."

Lourdes Camp at Skaneateles Lake, Camp Beaver Lake in Baldwinsville, City of Syracuse camps and the camp run by Tawn Marie's Dance Center in Liverpool are all seeing enrollment on par with last year.

The camp run by Gifford Family Theater at LeMoyne College has 39 kids enrolled for this summer, compared with 32 in 2008, says Steven Braddock, artistic director.

Camp directors aren't sure why numbers are steady or up. But they say it may be related to the recession. Parents may be relying on camp more because they need to spend more time at their jobs.

Or families may be scrapping the big vacation and staying home instead.

"They may be pulling back," says Mike Preston, director of Lourdes Camp, which offers overnight and day camping. "Instead of going to Darien Lake for a week, let's let Suzie or Johnny go to camp for a week."

Preston says parents may be requiring that kids pick one choice for camp, rather than let them attend several.

That's what Stephanie Salanger, a mom of three from Liverpool, is doing. Last year, the family spent about $500 on summer camp, with her two oldest children attending three weeks of camp each. Her youngest, age 3, stays home with her.

This year, the girls could pick one week of camp each, plus they could attend Bible camp at church. Total cost: about $200, Salanger says. She made the change to save money -- and her sanity.

"Really, there are so many options out there that you get caught up in investigating them," Salanger says. "Before you know it, your summer is over, and you've spent a lot of money."

Summer camps brace for swine flu

NorthCountryPublicRadio.org – Confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus—or swine flu—are on the rise in northern New York, and across much of the state. Epidemiologists blame the disease for nearly 30 deaths in New York State alone. Health officials say most cases in the state are mild and respond to treatment.

Public schools have been grappling with the disease. Now, the focus is shifting to summer camps, where new combinations of kids will congregate from all over the country. Camps have new hygiene and prevention practices. But the MDA has canceled a high profile camp in the southern Adirondacks.

Jonathan Brown reports.

Pick Your Own Price for Summer Camp

By Winnie Hu, from the March 18, 2009 edition of The New York Times

Anyone who has visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art is familiar with the pay-what-you-want concept that has obvious appeal to those unwilling or unable to handle full price.

Now that practice is coming to another cherished cultural tradition — summer camp — with a twist. The Y.M.C.A. of Greater New York will allow families to choose among three prices for its sleepaway camps in Huguenot, N.Y., this year, based on what they feel they can afford to pay. No paperwork required. No questions asked.

But the catch is that the lowest of the three rates ($978 for two weeks) is about what the camps cost last year ($990). So what the Y.M.C.A. is really offering is a chance for some families to pay more ($1,378 or $1,178).

Jack Lund, chief executive of the Y.M.C.A. of Greater New York, acknowledged that the so-called “honor code” tuition system is essentially a way of asking wealthier families to subsidize poor and middle-income campers in tough economic times.

But he said that higher operating costs and tough economic times meant that without the new system, camp would have cost more for everyone. And he said the tiered tuition would allow him to offer at least $400,000 in scholarships, $100,000 more than last year, to the camps, McAlister and Talcott, which serve more than 2,900 children, most of them from New York City.

The American Camp Association, which represents more than 2,400 camps, said on Wednesday that camps were working with families to make the experience affordable, but it did not specifically know how many were experimenting with tiered tuition. It said about three-quarters of its camps offered financial aid totaling $39 million annually.

Mr. Lund said his organization had previously used a tiered-pricing system to make membership, swimming lessons and gym activities accessible to more families. Of 47 families already registered for camp this summer, he said, 16 elected to pay the highest tuition, 14 the middle, and 17 the lowest.

“Our philosophy is we fundamentally trust people,” he said. “We’d rather treat 99 percent of our camp families with respect and get beat by 1 percent than treat them all like we don’t trust them.”

Victoria Bruce, 40, a social worker and a single mother, said she chose to pay the middle price — or $2,356 for four weeks — for her son Jabari, 12, even though she could have paid $400 less. Though she was tempted, Ms. Bruce said, she felt that “it was the right thing to do.”

“I’m sure they have overhead, counselors and food they have to supply,” she said. “I don’t want to short the camp of the programs they have to offer.”

This site is dedicated to Magdelena Lubowska...

On Aug. 13, 2008, Magdalena Lubowska was swept away in New York State's Niagara River.

The death of the 12-year-old Bronx girl shocked the community and devastated her parents and family members.

Magdalena was among a group of 23 children who were involved in a summer trip to Niagara Falls as part of a church group visiting the area from New York City. On the day of her death, Magdalena was hiking in Whirlpool State Park with other church members and their tour guide when she slipped on a rock and fell into the fast-moving river. Her body was discovered by kayakers 10 days later.

The investigation that followed concluded that the Fourth Street summer camp, where Magdalena’s church group stayed during their visit, lacked the necessary licenses and approvals needed to provide transient housing and conduct tours in the city.

Earlier this month, the girl’s parents formally notified the city and county of their intent to file lawsuits against both municipalities for allowing the Renaissance House (illegally run by Eva and Thomas Hedges) at 722 Fourth St. to continue to operate as a camp and to conduct tours from the home, despite the lack of necessary approvals and complaints from neighbors.

The family’s attorney, Gus Farinella, said that the family is praying for the health and well-being of all children this season as they remember their own “Little Angel” Magdalena.

-- Niagara Gazette reporter Mark Scheer at 282-2311, ext. 2250

More photos of Magdalena and her family

Her parents, Mariusz and Katarzyna

















Magdalena

Videos

Last year's Fox 5 NY coverage of the search for Magdalena



Magdalena's favorite song, from the musical "Grease"