You Know You’re From Peekskill If…You’ve Joined the Facebook Group

Kim Pisciotta Porpora lived in Peekskill from age five to age 19 and graduated from Peekskill High School in 1988. She moved out of the city and then returned twice before finally moving to Orange County in 2003, which is where she lives today with her family. Living on the other side of the Hudson river has not stopped Pisciotta Porpora from visiting her hometown at least once a month to catch up with friends and enjoy her beloved city.

She knew there had to be others out there like herself-dedicated to Peekskill but now living elsewhere. So she created a Facebook group, “You Know You’re From Peekskill If…” for kicks. She modeled it off a friend’s page “You Know You’re From Haverstraw If.” The “You Know You’re…” started in chain emails fifteen years ago but Facebook has given the idea a new form.

Instead of a chain email in which the originator listed 20 things and passed around for others to reminisce about, or add one memory before forwarding on, a Facebook group is a living page where users can add comments, photos and new posts.   “We were up to over 700 (group members) before I went to bed (the night I created the page),” Pisciotta Porpora said. “We hit 1,000 that morning after. I was adding people every minute of the first two days. I tried to monitor all the posts and adding people got hectic. It became a big job. So I have my friend Jennifer Hayes helping me monitor posts and adding people.”

Each post solicits dozen of responses, sometimes more than 100. User John Glenn wrote “What was your first job in Peekskill and how much did you make? Me: Burger King $2.35 hr,” people can respond. Ninety-one people responded Glenn’s post, mentioning their first jobs at places like Dipper Dan ice cream at the Westchester Mall (now the Cortlandt Town Center), Caldors, Hudson Glass, the Evening Star, Moe's Stationery Store on Washington Street, among many others.

The site now has 1,773 active users after only a few weeks. They reminisce about all having the crush on the same boy or girl in high school, growing up attending Verplank’s Italian Festival, remembering Offenbachers, Eddie's Pet and Laundromat and Silverlake Grocery Store on Main Street and “string art with Mr. Friedman.”

“I had no idea it would be that popular,” Pisciotta Porpora said. “I love that all these people have a place to go and reminisce,” Pisciotta Porpora said.

“A lot of people found lost friends and are reconnecting. It warms my heart. That was my purpose from the get go-to have fun and reconnect.”

The page was so popular so quickly that users were getting hundreds of email alerts that caused their email systems to crash. Pisciotta Porpora had to change the system so that people have to ask to be added so she can approve and sends all new users a message to change their settings so they do not receive updates to their phone or email. So, if you join, be sure to keep that in mind.

To join the group click here.

You can view the page without being a member of the group, but you must join in order to comment.

(And hey, while you are there, why don’t you like our facebook page too!)