Yesterday’s autumnal weather was perfect for the annual Jamie’s 5K Run for Love and the Cider & Donut Festival in Armonk. Runners of all ages and carnival attendees had a blast! Sponsored jointly by the Armonk Chamber of Commerce and the Byram Hills Pre-School Association. Photo coverage by Stacey Pfeffer and her son, Sam!
Five Minutes with Beloved Local Bear Mr. Scrabbles
By Stacey Pfeffer
With the start of school tomorrow, maybe there is a heightened level of stress in your house like mine. So Inside Chappaqua sat down with Mr. Scrabbles for an exclusive interview and some much needed distraction. Read on to see what this fascinating creature has to say about New Castle living.
- Inside Chappaqua (IC): Facebook is full of posts of photos with you and several residents. Everyone has photos with you. In fact Inside Chappaqua’s publisher Grace Bennett posted a picture with you and said that you are in a relationship after being ‘outed’ on Facebook’s Chappaqua Moms by a roving paparazzo. We’ve also spotted you with Rob Greenstein and Bill Clinton. How are you finding time to get to all these photo shoots?
Photo By Peter Chatzky See more of this paparazzo’s work on the public Mr. Scrabbles page on Facebook.
Mr. Scrabbles (MS): First of all I want to say what a warm and welcoming town Chappaqua is. But unfortunately that is fake news! I may have a doppelganger somewhere in town but that is not me. I much prefer candid shots.
- IC: You seem to love hanging out by Hardscrabble Lake. What’s the appeal?
MS: Well the properties are big, so I have plenty of room to roam. Plus there is lake in the name and we’ve had quite a heat wave lately so I love any place where I can take a dip and cool off.
- IC: Why Chappaqua when there are so many other towns to go to?
MS: The natural beauty of this town is what really attracted me. There are great parks, yummy food options plus I’m looking for a little peace and quiet. The past few weeks in August the town has been really sleepy with everyone away on the Cape or the Jersey shore so all that’s left is my diehard paparazzi crew. My social media likes have been blowing up!
- IC: What’s the yummiest thing you’ve had since migrating here?
MS: Well let’s be honest. I follow a Paleo diet so the nuts and seeds on the bird feeders are delectable. Much better than anything I’ve had in Harrison. Plus many people have left out some delicious BBQ from Le Jardin du Roi – the smoked brisket is my personal favorite. Please don’t throw out any kale or spa tuna leftovers – I’m a bear folks and need some meat on my bones for the upcoming brutal winter.
- IC: We hear you have a Facebook fan page. How do you get all those miles in and still find time to update your page?
MS: It’s not easy trying to balance everything. After taking a mindfulness workshop with Chappaqua resident Jodi Baretz by Hidden Hollow Lake, I got much better at multi-tasking with purpose. I would like to work on my Facebook page more at the Chappaqua Library. I hear it is very peaceful there and a real community treasure but for some reason they won’t give me a library card.
- IC: What’s your next step?
MS: Photo-bombing Bill and Rob was grand, but I really want to get into a picture with Bill and Hillary Clinton. Do you know where I can find them? I don’t like to go to downtown where I hear they frequent the shops so am hoping to take a photo with them in a more natural setting. Perhaps Whippoorwill Park. She hikes there, right?
- IC: We hear you were recently spotted close to Roaring Brook Elementary School right before the new school year. Why?
MS: I hear that the Chappaqua Central School District is the crown jewel of the Westchester public school system so I decided to check it out myself. Plus they have a new principal starting, Doreen O’Leary. I had hoped to meet her but I am a bear non grata on school property so I’m meandering elsewhere. To follow my journey, check out #WhereIsMrScrabbles on Facebook created by my publicist, Peter James, the manager of Chappaqua Paint and Hardware.
Stacey Pfeffer is the editor of Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines.
Editor’s Note: Although this article was in jest, we recommend all readers take caution with Mr. Scrabbles and read the handy guide “Reducing Human-Bear Conflicts” by the Department of Environmental Conservation at dec.ny.gov.
The 57th Annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show
Saturday & Sunday, September 29 & September 30
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rain or Shine
205 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY 10504
Top Rated and Nationally Ranked in “The Top 50” Fine Art and Fine Craft Fairs, the 57th Annual
Armonk Outdoor Art Show continues its long tradition of showcasing well curated and diverse fine art.
It’s About Art …
The show features 185 juried artists from 28 states, Israel and Canada, including 38 new artists this year.
A broad range of art in every medium and price point will be on display, including painting, mixed mediums, printmaking/drawing/ pastels, sculpture, photography/digital art, wearable art, and fine crafts.
Free personal consultants, trained in fine art and home design, are available to assist visitors in selecting art that best fits their taste and decor.
… And Entertainment!
Music and “Hands-on-Art Activities” for All Ages
Family Activities Tent – Free Fun-Filled Activities under a Big-Top Tent, sponsored by:
The Harvey School- Interactive programs, appropriate for children ages 5-12.
First Five – Hands on projects, appropriate for children ages 1-5 with adult participation
And, an Engaging Alliance of Arts Organizations:
Neuberger Museum Katonah Museum of Art, Clay Arts Center, and Rye Arts Center
Food, Craft Beer and Wine – Diverse Vendors and New Additions!
Luke’s Lobster, Captain Lawrence Brewing and BBQ by Taylored Menus
Gold Sponsors: Boies Schiller Flexner, Equinox, Frank Madonna Real Estate, Northern Westchester Hospital, William Raveis, Rosen & Company, Inc., Toll Brothers, White Plains Hospital Medical & Wellness
The Art Show is sponsored by Friends of the North Castle Public Library, Inc.
Admission price: $12, $10 for seniors or with coupon, children under 18 free.
Ample free parking on site. Sorry, no dogs allowed.
For information, and discount coupons, visit: www.armonkoutdoorartshow.org
Facebook /armonkoutdoorartshow | Instagram @armonkoutdoorartshow
I love the Armonk Outdoor Art Show and how it supports the immediate community and welcomes all to attend from near and far. The show is a study in sheer creativity and professionalism. So come check out ‘what’s new this year’ among the works created using so many different artistic mediums. The artists themselves are always so engaging and informative. With delicious food and drink from assorted eateries (always exciting given Armonk’s wonderful dining scene, too) and activities for kids too, hosted by generous sponsors. So come one, come all for a day of appreciating art and maybe picking up something really special, too. Rain or no rain, this show will “Shine.”
– Grace Bennett
Colrain, MA
Photography
Orlando, FL
Painting: Oils & Acrylics
Kingston, NY
Clay
Philadelphia, PA
Sculpture
Axial Theatre to Present World Premiere of Howard Meyer’s Senescence
Compelling play tackles layers of toxicity engulfing a blue-collar town
Axial Theatre Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary Season
Pleasantville, NY – This November, Axial Theatre will launch its 20th anniversary season with the world premiere of Senescence, a compelling new play by Axial’s founder Howard Meyer that takes an unflinching look at the devastating and deadly effects of chemical toxicity and the ire of Mother Nature when an alleged prophet comes to a blue-collar town. Award-winning filmmaker/director James Fauvell will direct.
Senescence will preview Friday evening and Saturday matinee November 2 and 3; open Saturday night, November 3; and run weekends (Friday – Sunday) through November 18.
Says Meyer, “The play is named Senescence because it’s about the lethal power of substances and people to overtake the body and the mind, edging us towards untimely aging and, ultimately, death.”
Senescence tells its tale through the words and actions of three childhood friends who grew up and still live in the oil refinery town of Linden, NJ, and their encounter with an enigmatic stranger who, via a dangerous combination of wisdom and persuasion, upends each of their lives forever.
Meyer’s most recent original work, Paint Made Flesh, just completed a run at The Cell in Manhattan; it was a semi-finalist at the 2015 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and PlayPenn and selected by The Last Frontier Theatre Conference. Other works by Meyer include Maybe Never Fell, produced at Axial and presented as a staged reading at Cherry Lane Theatre; Radiance, a two-time semi-finalist (2011, 2012) at the ONPC & P and produced at Axial featuring Obie award winner Chris McCann; WELCOME, This is a Neighborhood Watch Community which was invited for readings at The Barrow Group, Naked Angels, and LA’s Pacific Resident Theatre followed by an Axial run directed by Drama Desk award winner, Josh Hecht; and Lost In Paradise which is under an option for a motion picture.
New York City-based filmmaker and frequent downtown theater director James Fauvell had his debut film Other People’s People screened at the Austin Film Festival, at HollyShorts (where it won Best LGBT Film), and at the Florida Film Festival. He regularly works with Tony and Emmy-nominated director Scott Ellis and is a member of the 2017 Lincoln Center Directors Lab. Fauvell produced The Rise and Fall of A Teenage Cyberqueen by Lindsay Joy, (2013 NYIT winner for Outstanding Premiere Production Of a Play) and his upcoming short film, Understudy, and acted in Sleepwalk with Me by Mike Birbiglia and Ira Glass (winner, 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Next Category). Fauvell will reunite with actor Stephen Palgon (see below); both were formerly with Labrats.
The actors in Senescence include Stephen Palgon as the stranger, known simply as ‘J.’ Palgon is an Axial veteran who starred in the company’s production of The Contract (co-created by playwright/producer Linda Giuliano, now Axial’s co-artistic director together with actor/director/producer Catherine Banks) in 2005. He has acted on stage and in film and both won and was nominated for Emmy awards as a producer. As executive producer of Star Crossed Pictures, Palgon has directed and produced for Madison Square Garden, NFL Network and NHL Productions.
Rudy, a man whose attempt to flee a fatal error only engulfs and entraps him, will be played by actor/director/playwright Ryan Mallon, also an Axial legacy actor. Mallon, a co-founder of Independent Theatre Arts and Producers, has performed in numerous stage productions ranging from such new works as Megan Mostyn-Brown’s The Rest of Your Life, Mackenzie Lansing’s Lost Boys and Clifford Odets’ classic, Awake and Sing!
Senescence will run Friday, November 2, 9 and 16 at 8 p.m.; Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. and evenings at 8 p.m., November 3, 10, and 17; and Sunday matinees at 4 p.m., November 4, 11 and 18. Tickets are $27.50 general audiences; $22.50 for seniors and students. Axial Theatre is located on the campus of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Ave., Pleasantville, NY. Visit axialtheatre.org for tickets and information.
Elisha Wiesel to Deliver Keynote Address at the 2018 Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Benefit
The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center proudly honors Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., President of Iona College and Mitchell Wm. Ostrove, Founder and CEO of The Ostrove Group at their annual dinner. Elisha Wiesel, son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, will be the keynote speaker.
Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. serves as the eighth president of Iona College, a vital economic, educational, religious, and cultural institution in New Rochelle. Pres. Nyre is a U.S. Naval Veteran and a first-generation college graduate who obtained three advanced degrees and completed pre and postdoctoral studies at the University of Missouri, University of Kansas, and Harvard Medical School. He has been nationally recognized for this program of research, for attaining a stunning $44 million in academic and service grants, and for authoring vital state and national legislation. Under his leadership over the past seven years, Iona College has realized remarkable successes, including record levels of scholarships, launching new academic programs, centers and institutes, tripling the College endowment to $150 million, and launching Iona Forever, the largest campaign in Iona’s history.
Mitchell Wm. Ostrove is a 50 year member of the Million Dollar Round Table and has served as its Foundation President from 2002-2003. Long active in this community, Mitch served as Chairman of the Men’s Division of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a Trustee of Temple Israel of New Rochelle, Commissioner of the New Rochelle Youth Bureau, director of the New Rochelle Police Foundation, and past Co-chair of the Westchester Business & Professional Division of UJA-Federation. He also serves on the boards of Hillel’s of Westchester, the Westchester Jewish Council, and the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center. He has received Humanitarian Awards from Einstein College of Medicine, the Ameritas prestigious Lester Rosen Award, the Spencer McCarty Award, and the UJA-Federation Insurance Man of the Year Award, among others.
Elisha Wiesel is the Chief Information Officer at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Wiesel has been active in local non-profits serving at-risk youth in New York City since 2002 when he joined the board of Groundwork, and continued on to Good Shepherd Services in 2010. He stepped down from the board in 2016 after having rebooted the Midnight Madness all-night urban puzzle-solving experience into a multi-million dollar fundraising platform for local communities and a signature creative experience for the broader financial community. Since Elie Wiesel’s passing in 2016, Elisha speaks at events and for causes where he feels he can be helpful in remembering his father’s messages and values.
This annual dinner will take place on Thursday, October 25 at 6:30 p.m, at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club, 555 South Barry Avenue, Mamaroneck, NY 10543.
For more information, please contact Millie Jasper (914)696-0738 or benefit@hhrecny.org
Tickets:
https://hhrecny.z2systems.com/np/clients/hhrecny/event.jsp?event=95
