The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

Annual HHREC Trip to Germany and Poland, May 21-June 1

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Holocaust Trip to Germany and Poland

May 21-June 1, 2018

$3200 single room; $2700 double room
The trip begins in Berlin; participants are responsible for their own intercontinental air travel.
$300 non-refundable deposit due February 15, 2018.
Full payment due by April 30, 2018

Includes

• Sightseeing Coach Tour of Berlin, including Berlin Wall Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Bebelplatz
• Walking tours of the Holocaust Memorials in Berlin
• Programs at the House of the Wannsee Conference, Murdered Jews of Europe Memorial, The New Synagogue (Berlin), Jewish Museum (Berlin), Polin (Museum of the History of Polish Jews), Schindler’s Factory
• Guided Tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau
• Walking tour of Kasimierz (Historic Jewish section of Krakow )
• Performance at the Chamäleon Theater in Berlin will underwrite many of the expenses through the generosity of its donors)
• Inner European flights: Berlin – Warsaw and Kraków – Berlin
• Accommodation including breakfast in four star hotels in Berlin, Warsaw and Kraków
• National transportation by local coach or public transportation or taxis
• 8 group dinners
• Tickets for the Chamäleon Theater in Berlin
• English speaking guide
• One group leader
• Lectures, discussions, and guided tours in English or with English translation
• Entrance fees museums in Berlin, Warsaw and Kraków
• Group tips

For More Information

Download the 2018 Trip Flyer and Full Trip Itinerary

” Truly an inspirational program. Intellectually challenging and rewarding.”

 

Eagles to Return to Hudson Valley for 14th Annual EagleFest Celebration

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Teatown to Celebrate Eagles Return to the Hudson River Renowned Bird Experts

and Singer-Songwriter Dar Williams 

The 14th Annual EagleFest is scheduled for February 10, 2018 

Discounted General Admission Tickets Are Available Now

OSSINING, NY – The grand celebration of the bald eagle will soon descend upon Croton Point Park, a Westchester County park. The 14th annual “EagleFest” has been scheduled for Saturday, February 10, 2018, a highly anticipated event that will once again take flight over the Hudson River with expanded programming, including a performance by Dar Williams, who The New Yorker calls “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters.”

Additionally, bird experts Bill Streeter and Brian Robinson will make special presentations of their own. EagleFest is hosted by Teatown, a nonprofit environmental education center and nature preserve. Also, State Senator Terrence Murphy, an outdoorsman and a lover of wildlife, will partner with Teatown to sponsor EagleFest. He has secured a $500,000 appropriation for a critical meadow restoration project at Croton Point Park, a sanctuary for bald eagles and other wildlife. This year, the event is poised to be an even bigger celebration than ever before.

“This event is a fun and celebratory way for Teatown to pursue its mission of inspiring our community to lifelong environmental stewardship,” said Kevin Carter, Executive Director of Teatown. “With so much divisiveness in the world, it is a joy to bring people together with hope and purpose.”

The annual EagleFest celebration allows visitors to see live birds of prey and provides opportunities to view the national symbol in its natural setting.  Various birds of prey species will be featured in a special program led by nationally renowned experts in the handling and care of the birds. The birds in captivity have been rehabilitated after suffering various injuries and are no longer able to live in the wild.

Environmental experts will lead other nature-related workshops and presentations to guests of all ages as well as host educational shows. Guests will also be able to enjoy cuisine from a variety of food trucks and enjoy live music inside heated tents along the river. Even more, Teatown educators will lead two-hour bus tours along the Hudson River to various eagle viewing sites where an eagle expert will be stationed with spotting scopes. This feature has limited seating.

New this year is a performance by Dar Williams. Known as much for her staunch progressive ideals as her raw acoustic energy, Williams has been captivating audiences with her folk-pop songwriting since the ’90s. Her growth as an individual over her two-decade-long career has gone hand-in-hand with her evolution as an artist, touring along the way with such distinguished peers as Joan Baez, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, Loudon Wainwright III and Shawn Colvin among others. Dar’s most recent album, Emerald, “deals as bluntly as ever with the shadowy, subtle corners of humanity” according to Rolling Stone, and was recorded with friends such as Richard Thompson, Jill Sobule, Jim Lauderdale, the Milk Carton Kids, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Suzzy Roche, the Hooters and others in various studios across the U.S.

Additionally, Bill Streeter, Director of the Delaware Raptor Center (DVRC), has over 30 years of experience as a raptor rehabilitator, falconer, and educator. He has a BA in Biology and MS in Zoology, and has completed Tuft’s University Veterinary School’s Leadership Program in Wildlife Medicine and Rehabilitation. He will provide a presentation to guests with his golden eagle and bald eagle. He trains and uses live hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls for more than 120 presentations to schools, camps, scouts, and a variety of other groups each year. He is responsible for the care of the birds in residence at the center. And, Wildlife Educator Brian Robinson will also present various birds of prey. Robinson has been providing wildlife education programs to schools, libraries and museums since 1993.  His animals have been featured on many national television shows such as Regis and Kelly and The Today Show.

EagleFest 2018 will be held at Croton Point Park, 1 Croton Point Avenue in Croton-on-Hudson from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Pre-sale tickets are $17/adults (12+), $10/children (6-11) and free for children 5 and under.  Tickets sold at the venue on the day of the event are $22/adults (12+), $12/children (6-11) and free for children 5 and under. To purchase tickets, visit teatown.org/eaglefest

Attendees coming from Manhattan or Poughkeepsie can take Metro-North trains to Croton-Harmon Train Station. Special EagleTrain Cars will depart from Grand Central at 8:50 a.m. from Poughkeepsie and 9:20 a.m. from Grand Central Station. During the trip, on-board naturalists will point out various Hudson Valley birds to riders.  Free shuttle buses will bring attendees to/from the Croton-Harmon Train Station to Croton Point Park. To participate in this event, guests must purchase a regular train ticket from Metro North.

The 14th Annual Teatown EagleFest is generously sponsored by Westchester County Parks & Recreation, Westchester County Tourism, Westchester Magazine, ConEdison, WHUD, Tracer Imaging and Wheelabrator Technologies.  The event is made possible with the support of our partners, Westchester Parks Foundation and the Westchester County Parks & Recreation Department. For details visit: www.teatown.org.

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ABOUT TEATOWN: Teatown, an environmental education organization with a 1,000-acre private, not-for-profit nature preserve in Westchester County, is one of the largest and most active environmental education and science centers in the region.  Teatown impacts more than 20,000 adults and children every year through its full schedule of year-round programs and nature-focused summer camp, as well as through 15 miles of hiking trails.  Teatown’s mission is to inspire our community to lifelong environmental stewardship.  It has grown continuously since it was established on 194 acres in 1963, more than 50 years ago.  More information about Teatown is at www.teatown.org.

World Cup Gymnast Scores a Perfect 10

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CHAPPAQUA, New York–World Cup Gymnastics girls team kicked off the meet season at home during the Josh Ward Invitational state qualifying meet which was renamed this year in honor of one of their young coaches who passed away after a short battle with cancer.  

The World Cup gymnasts honored their coach by putting out some outstanding performances.  The highlight of the entire competition came from one of World Cup’s younger competitors, eight year old Emma Namba from Pelham, NY.  Namba scored World Cup’s first ever 10.0 on the Balance Beam!  To score a 10.0 is an extremely rare feat and speaks to how hard Emma has been practicing in the gym to achieve perfection!  Namba dominated the middle Level 3 competition by earning 1st place medals in each event including a 9.9 on Vault, a 9.7 on Bars, a 9.7 on Floor and secured the all-around first place title with a 39.3.  The Level 3 Team took home the first place trophy.

Other highlights of the meet included a sweep of the top all-around spots by World Cup gymnasts on the older Level 3 Team.  Lauren Chase of Pleasantville lead the pack with a 37.45 and placed 1st on Bars with a 9.25, 2nd on Vault with a 9.5 and 3rd on Beam with a 9.5.  Armonk native, Alexa Goldberg finished 2nd place all-around with a 36.95 and took home the first place medal on Vault with a 9.65 and 2nd place on Bars and Floor with a 9.15 and 9.35 respectively.  Olivia Selkin who hails from Greenwich, CT finished 3rd place all-around with a 36.75 and took home two 3rd place medals for Bars with a 9.05 and Floor with a 9.3.  Gabriela Olego of Mt. Kisco, who competes in the younger Level 3 division, finished 3rd in the all-around with a 37.75 and took home a 1st place medal in Floor with a 9.5 and two 3rd place medals on Bar and Beam with a 9.3 and 9.6 respectively.

The younger Level 4 girls also swept the top spots during the competition.  Mt. Kisco native, Amanda Olego was the all-around champion with a score of 37.075.  She also won 1st place on Bars with a 9.325, on Beam with a 9.250 and on Floor with a 9.8 and took 2nd place for Vault with an 8.7.   Teammate Grace McClullough from Pleasantville was 2nd place all-around with a score of 35.95 and placed 2nd on Bars with a 9.250.  Mt. Kisco native Sasha Goldman secured the 3rd place all-around medal with a 35.6.  The older Level 4 gymnasts Annika Murphy from Croton on Hudson took home the silver all-around medal with a score of 35.575 and earned a 2nd place medal on Bars with a 9.150 and on Beam with a 8.975 and a 3rd place medal on Vault with a 8.45.  Here teammate and Scarsdale native, Gordana Zimberg took home the bronze all-around with a 34.775 and placed 1st on Beam with a 9.15 and 2nd on Floor with a 9.25.  Senika Manchanda of Tarrytown, who competed as a middle level 4, took home the 3rd place, all-around medal with a 36.85 and 2nd place medals on Bars with a 9.575 and Beam with a 9.325.  The Level 4 team went home with the 2nd place trophy!

The younger level 5 all-around champion was Scarsdale native, Sofia Gisbert who earned a 36.250 and earned 1st place on Bars with an 8.85, on Beam with a 9.0 and a 2nd place medal on Floor with a 9.45.  Her teammate Eliana Chorost of Rye was the 2nd place, all-around champion with a score of 35.30.  Chorost also earned 2nd place on Vault with a 9.05 and 2nd place on Beam with an 8.85.  Older Level 5 gymnasts, Denise Kotronis of Hastings on Hudson was the 2nd place, all-around winner with a score of 34.475 and earned 1st place on Bars with an 8.15 and 2nd place on Vault with an 8.775.  Katonah native, Georgia Nekos was 3rd place, all-around with a score of 33.975 and won 1st place on Vault with an 8.825, 2nd place on Beam with an 8.55 and 3rd place on Bars with a 7.45.  The level 5 team came home with the 2nd place trophy.

Dani Halperin, who hails from Chappaqua, was 2nd place, all-around champion in the Level 6 junior competition earning a 37.30 all-around and taking home two 2nd place medals for Bars with a 9.15 and Beam with a 9.45.

Brooke Giardina of Waccabue, a level 7 senior competitor, was the 3rd place all-around champion earning a 36.275.  She also took home two 3rd place medals for Bars with a 9.3 and Beam with an 8.5.  Level 7 junior, Natalie Calman of Briarcliff, took the 2nd place all-around medal with a 37.15.  She also took home 1st place on Floor with a 9.825.  The Level 7 team took home the 2nd place trophy.

Level 8 Senior Madison Higgins of Bedford was the all-around champion with a score of 36.35 and received two 1st place medals for Vault and Bars with scores of 9.15 and 9.45 respectively and two 2nd place medals for Beam and Floor with scores of 8.45 and 9.3 respectively.

Pleasantville native, Katherine Colella who competed as a Level 8 Senior was the 2nd place, all-around medalist earning a score of 36.275.  She also was 1st on Bars with a 9.425, 2nd on Vault with a 9.05 and 3rd on Floor with a 9.6.

World Cup’s XCEL Platinum team was definitely feeling the home advantage when they outperformed other teams that had double and/or nearly triple the amount of competitors to take home the 1st Place Trophy with a score of 28.  XCEL junior competitor, Julia Hansburg from Bedford won the all-around with a 36.8 and received first place on Bars with an 8.9 and Floor with a 9.5.  She also placed 2nd on Vault.  Senior competitors Arielle Wilson of Pleasantville and Katherine Grimes of Croton on Hudson were the 1st and 2nd place all-around champions receiving scores of 37.95 and 37.8 respectively.  Wilson also placed first on Vault and Bars with a 9.8 and  a 9.65 and placed 2nd of Floor with a 9.2.  Grimes placed 2nd on Bars with a 9.5.

World Cup Gymnastics has been training State, Regional and National Champions for over 20 years.

World Cup Gymnastics is deemed one of the most revered recreational and competitive gymnastics programs in the state offering mommy and me classes for infants, pre-school gymnastics, school-age recreational gymnastics, tumbling for cheerleaders and competitive teams.   For more information, please call 914-238-4967 or visit www.worldcupgymnastics.com.

Benefiting Mental Health And Music Education: A Call for Entries Announced

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For ‘Living Proof’: A New Multi-Arts Evening of Performances

TARRYTOWN, NY (November 2017)—The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA), The Lagond Music School, and Music & Miles: Changing Minds are pleased to announce a call-for-entries for Living Proof, a new multi-arts evening of energizing performances.

To be held on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, Living Proof will feature individuals sharing their personal and inspiring stories of resilience, recovery and mental health issues. The evening of expressive arts will benefit the Miles Applebaum Music Scholarship Fund and The Mental Health Association of Westchester while demonstrating the power of the arts as a vehicle in sharing one’s story of healing in the face of adversity, as well as a significant tool for recovery.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Miles Applebaum Music Scholarship Fund, established to honor and remember Miles Applebaum, a guitar student who majored in music performance at Lagond Music School and later the Boyer School of Music and Dance at Temple University. During Miles’ year studying music abroad, his studies were interrupted by an onset of symptoms associated with trauma and depression. Ultimately, the depth of his emotional pain proved too powerful for his gentle soul, causing him to take his life in 2014 at age 21. The Scholarship Fund was established last year to carry on Miles’ dream of providing aspiring musicians the opportunity to ignite their passion and study music at Lagond Music School, a nonprofit musical haven for students of all ages.

Proceeds will also benefit The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA), a community-based non-profit that provides behavioral health services for more than 12,000 children, teenagers, adults and families each year. In addition to its direct services and advocacy work, MHA hosts numerous suicide prevention, intervention and post-vention trainings and discussions throughout the year.

Expressive arts submissions may be in the form of a monologue, essay, music, dance, poetry, improvisation, photography, drawing or painting. Applicants who wish to be considered for the performance may find more details and the application form at www.musicandmiles.org. The deadline for submissions is November 15, 2017. Applicants who are chosen to advance will be notified, and, if selected, an interview will be scheduled to meet with representatives from the agencies.

For more than 70 years, The Mental Health Association of Westchester has promoted mental health in Westchester through advocacy, community education and direct services. MHA offers a range of services that are recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and individualized to promote recovery and wellness. To learn more, visit www.mhawestchester.org.

Lagond Music School is a charitable organization dedicated to music education and live music performance. Lagond seeks to identify and serve a diverse community of students, and provide a stimulating, creative environment that generates enthusiasm and motivation for music. It is innovative and dynamic, taking a professional approach in teaching not only the technical and theoretical knowledge of music, but the application of it in the professional world. For more information, visit www.lagondmusic.org.

Music & Miles: Changing Minds celebrates life and supports music education and performance while raising awareness for mental health and suicide prevention among teens and young adults. Proceeds raised by Music & Miles: Changing Minds benefit The Miles Applebaum Music Scholarship Fund at Lagond Music School, as well as behavioral health nonprofits. For more information, visit www.musicandmiles.org.

Chappaqua Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service and Dinner

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The Chappaqua Interfaith Council will hold its annual Thanksgiving Service this year at Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, 220 South Bedford Road, Chappaqua at 3 p.m. A free community dinner will follow the service. Everyone is welcome. Prayers, readings, music and songs will be performed by members of all the participating faith communities and some guests.  This year the focus of the service will be the celebration of diversity and differences in our community.

The Rev. Canon Alan Dennis of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Episcopal will be the featured speaker.  Rev. Dennis, who was born in South Africa, came to Chappaqua last year after a long career in parishes as far flung as Capetown, where he experienced the problems of apartheid, and Toronto and as close as New York City and Pelham.

This is the twelfth year the Chappaqua Interfaith Council has offered a meal following the service. Over 300 guests are expected to attend. Once again the Kittle House is graciously providing the turkey, mashed potatoes and sides for the dinner.  Other village businesses will be contributing as well.  Community members will also contribute favorite side dishes and desserts.

This year the Council will gratefully accept tax-deductible monetary donations and non-perishable food items for the Northern Westchester Community Center, which provides food, clothing and service to the needy in the area.

The Chappaqua Interfaith Council includes representatives, both lay and clergy, from the following faith communities: Baha’is of New Castle; Chappaqua Friends Meeting; The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Episcopal; First Congregational Church; Lutheran Church of our Redeemer; St. John and St. Mary’s Catholic Church; Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester and the Upper Westchester Muslim Society

For further information, please contact Candie Downing at 914 419-7216 or candiedow9@gmail.com