Megan Klein

About Megan Klein

Megan Klein is an aspiring journalist studying Journalism and Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Boston University.

Seasonal Fun Galore in Chappaqua with a Holiday Parade, Magic Show, (a First Ever for New Castle!) Bonfire, and More

December 20, 2021 by Megan Klein

Sirens rang through the air all throughout town the night of December 18, but not because of faulty carbon monoxide alarms or burnt cookies filling kitchens with smoke (admit it, we’ve all had an alarm go off at 2 in the morning, right?)

Over the course of two hours, the decorated firetrucks and ambulance vehicles lit the rainy, misty evening starting at the Chappaqua Fire House, making its way down several streets and then ending at the Chappaqua Train Station.

Around 6 p.m., the parade made its way to my street. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it was Fire Chief Russ Maitland and his pup Quincy in the back of his chief truck, driving behind the first fire truck and leading the way for the rest.

“Driving through our town spreading holiday cheer is a hallmark event that is the epitome of small-town community, spirit and unity,” Maitland said.

Sure, it was pitch black outside. Sure, it was cold and rainy. But that certainly didn’t stop people from standing outside their homes to wave to Santa and the local first responders.

While waiting for the trucks to drive by, I saw families from nearby streets all come together at my neighbor’s house, forming a sort of parade watch party!

“It was an opportunity to see something different right outside my door,” Chappaqua resident Eric Alani said. “The kids loved the sirens, and especially loved catching the candy being thrown from the trucks.”

Now as if a holiday parade on Saturday was not ‘enough’ to brighten spirits this season, New Castle dialed it up a notch with an energetic magic show, followed by a holiday bonfire, a visit from Frosty, and a group of Christmas carolers, all of whom drew hundreds to Recreation field. See our Instagram coverage at https://www.instagram.com/insidepress/

On Sunday, a full moon over the fire and the firetrucks in the distance only accentuated the magic of the weekend.

“Who wants a bonfire?!!” exclaimed New Castle Town Supervisor Lisa Katz to a wide circle of excited spectators waiting to watch volunteer firefighters from both the Chappaqua & Millwood Fire Departments light up the wood as they assembled for the occasion, and after thanking the event sponsors, including the New Castle Recreation & Parks Department, Sari Shaw of the Westchester Living Team, and Bobos Cafe for hot chocolate. “I hope you all got to see Santa come by your neighborhood!” Katz added, along with her best wishes for a happy holiday & healthy new year, full of good health, happiness, laughter and love.”

Ike Kuzio, superintendent of New Castle Recreation & Parks, extolled a “total team effort from within the fire department and parks department which took a month of planning and reaching out to local vendors.” He said the bonfire was a first for Chappaqua, and “a new great community event,” and that “it was all worth it to see all the smiles on faces.”

Kuzio said he “felt comfortable enough with it being an outdoor event. Our mantra in these times has been: ‘let’s put the programs and events out there, and make them as safe as we can make them, and let people make decisions on their own.'”

Grace Bennett contributed to this report.

SPCA Westchester Opens Doors to NEW $9 Million-Dollar Animal Rescue Center in Briarcliff Manor

November 12, 2021 by Megan Klein

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Personally, that’s a make-or-break question when meeting someone new. I’ll admit, I’m not a cat person. But that doesn’t mean I think they shouldn’t be treated like royalty, and with the brand new, state-of-the-art, $9 million SPCA facility, that isn’t a problem.

The local SPCA is 138 years old and before this renovation, hadn’t been touched since the 1950s. It had problems that prevented adoptions from happening, like the lack of indoor space for meet and greets. If the weather wasn’t ideal, the animals couldn’t go outside to meet with potential families which led to pauses in adoptions.

Thanks to a new and grand renovation, those (dog) days are over! With the 27,000 square foot, two-story new facility there is no room for the problems of the past.

With 77 indoor dog kennels, 33 outdoor day pens, four fenced in yards, six meet and greet rooms, a classroom, a brand new clinic, a music therapy room and more, the SPCA can now hold 250 rescue animals. Not only does it look and function better, but there’s been an increase in adoptions since reopening in September.

“The happier the animals are, the quicker they get adopted because they show their best selves when they’re not stressed and they’re happy,” Director of Development Lisa Bonanno-Spence said when I spoke to her.

And how could they not be happy? I mean, look at the place! The living options are endless. Are you a cat who likes to live alone? Easy. There are individual four-story cat condos for that.

Are you a cat who likes company? Perfect. Hang out in the Old English Library cattery, courtesy of a Tony-nominated Broadway set designer, and curl up next to the fire (literally, the bed looks like fire and sits in the faux fireplace.) Are you a dog who likes being front and center? I hear you. The Dog of the Day room that’s located at the entrance and resembles a family room with a TV dog house is the perfect fit.

“The more something reminds someone of their own home, the more they can envision that animal in their home,” Bonanno-Spence said in regards to the design, which also helps ease the shelter-to-home transition.

The idea for this project started over a decade ago and has always been the end goal. In 2017, floor plans and tours started happening to solidify a design and a year later the campaign launched. Thanks to previous adopters and supporters, eventually the funds were raised and the old buildings could be bulldozed down.

During the renovation the animals packed their suitcases and traveled down the road to a veterinarian/kennel in Cortlandt Manor. While the volunteers felt fortunate to find a space, it was half the size of their old one, which created concerns of being unable to help as many animals. Luckily, with the pandemic came a lot of families adopting and fostering which ultimately solved the spatial problem which Bonanno-Spence considered a silver lining.

After a year, it was finally time for the big reveal. Because I’m a home renovation show fanatic, I pictured this to be like “Extreme Makeover Edition” when Ty Pennington and the family would yell “MOVE. THAT. BUS!” only this time, it would be lots of barks, meows and tail wagging.

Even though the place looks completely different, I wonder if any of the handful of veterans who returned picked up their scent and thought to themselves…hm, I think I’ve done my business here before…Regardless, everyone felt that in comparison to the old shelter, “it was like the Four Seasons!”

A change in environment normally makes animals nervous, but these animals adjusted within the first 24 hours which shows it got their stamp of approval.

Bonanno-Spence said that all of the workers have always wanted a state-of-the-art center for their animals and for Westchester County and after years of planning it finally happened.

“When you come into this new building, you don’t even really feel like you are in an animal shelter, which is a good thing,” Bonanno-Spence said. “We’re just really hoping now that we have this that we’ll get in more people who want to help because the more people we have coming in to help, the more animals we can help.”

Go visit the new space at 590 North State Road in Briarcliff Manor from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. or donate to help fund the center by visiting spcawestchester.org/donate. SPCA WESTCHESTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPCA, via Snootydog.com and Tischman Pets Photography.

A Day in The Life of a Pandemic Pup

August 24, 2021 by Megan Klein

It’s 5:30 in the morning and you know what that means: time to get out of bed, stretch the legs, eat some breakfast, freshen up and head to the office. While this may have been my dad’s routine pre-pandemic, the Manhattan office closures led my dog to follow the same schedule when she suddenly acquired some extra family time…and a 9 to 5 on the side.

Every single morning, Chloe would head downstairs to the makeshift office that my basement has embodied for the last 17 months. The individualized cubicles in any common workspace were replaced by a loveseat shared by my dad and his favorite four-legged daughter.

Chloe was quickly welcomed into the company and was known by just about all of her colleagues. She never missed a meeting and although she slept through most of them, it’s the fact she showed up that counts!

Sometimes, she would find herself stuck upstairs, shut out from some important calls as a preventative measure so she wouldn’t interrupt by barking. But maybe, that was her way of asking, couldn’t this meeting have just been an email?

Regardless, she sure showed Dad who’s boss.

I know he is down there, she thought while aggressively sniffing under the door. I will just whine and bark, even if my mom and sisters tell me to stop, until he either has to come and get me or one of them opens the door to let me down. That’ll tell him.

To avoid suffering from scenic fatigue, the dynamic duo would come up for air from the basement around mid-morning to do some work (and nap) from the dining room. Chloe loved this time of day because it involved a revolving cabinet door of blueberries, apple, banana and whatever my dad was eating for lunch.

When she wasn’t at the office, she could be found working out with me. One time, she stood by my face to give me kisses when I came up while doing crunches, that is, until she got tired after giving me three and tucked herself into bed. Although she isn’t the best workout partner from a motivational standpoint, she sure is a great supporter.

The pandemic gave her the time to realize she wanted to pursue the world of academia. Sometimes, she would pop into my Zoom classes but clearly, the journalism courses weren’t interesting enough to keep her attention, seeing as she slept during class too.

At around 3:30, it’s time for her afternoon stroll. It’s when she’d say hello to the neighbors and the squirrels.

If the walk was successful (meaning she did her business) she would be greeted with treats and cheers as if she had just won a dog trick competition, when in reality it took her a half hour to walk down the street. And if it wasn’t successful, she would still be welcomed back with treats and cheers because we are a very supportive and reinforcing family. That’s okay Chlo! Better luck next time!

I can pretty much guarantee Chloe has no idea what’s been happening in the world this past year and a half. All she knows is suddenly the house was filled, she had endless snuggles and she had more backyard time and treats than ever before. It was a win-win-win-win situation.

Normally, this entire day would’ve gone by without her seeing Dad. Before the pandemic, he would get home around 7:30. She could be dead asleep and still hear the garage open, sprint to the door, stand with her nose against it, tail wagging at 100 mph until he nearly swipes her aside while opening it. Then she jumps up on two legs crying and kissing him like it’s been 12 months instead of 12 hours since she last saw him.

Now? He practically gets the same reaction after coming back from getting the mail.

Her bedtime has stayed the same. By about 8, she will be snuggled up like a little donut under her blankies, dreaming about us all leaving the house so she can jump up on the couch like she isn’t supposed to or maybe even go crazy and pee on the rug.

I think this whole working from home thing has made her realize that her time in the corporate world needs to come to an end sometime soon. She’s going to be 12 in the Fall and the gears just aren’t turning like they used to. Plus, she is totally fine never having to commute to Manhattan.

Her days of retirement will come soon enough, but for now, it’s time to set her alarm for 5:30 so another workday can begin.

New Role for the Ever Versatile Ronni Diamondstein

February 18, 2021 by Megan Klein

Ronni Diamondstein and Maggie Mae Photo by Carolyn Simpson

“It’s Cuomo time!” Ronni Diamondstein calls to her best friend and pet poodle.

The sound of dog tags jingling signals the incoming arrival of Maggie Mae, the 13-year-old black and white parti toy poodle, who jumps up on the couch, snuggles up next to her mom and watches Governor Cuomo’s daily coronavirus briefings on the TV.

The middle of March 2020 meant that quarantine was in full-swing and the only thing set in stone was Maggie Mae getting a treat at 11 a.m. right before Cuomo was about to start.

If you know Diamondstein, then you know Maggie. The two of them have been inseparable ever since 2008, when the dynamic duo began. You’ve probably seen them in town on walks or maybe you’ve even seen Maggie painted on the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival mural.

Although they were seemingly attached at the hip before, if this pandemic has done anything, it has brought the two of them even closer together.

“We got into new routines…Having another living creature in the house is comforting,”

Diamondstein said. “She’s good company, she’s funny and she has very good self-esteem. I like when she walks in town; she has a good sense of herself. She’s a lot like me in that she likes her alone time but she also likes to see people. And she’s also very curious.”

Maggie is basically a town celebrity. She loves walking around town and checking in on her favorite merchants, ensuring that everyone and everything is just the way it should be. She must’ve gotten that from her mom, for Diamondstein puts a lot of effort into making this town even greater than before.

The philosophy “make where you are better because you’re there” is one that Diamondstein has tried to follow her whole life. Whether it be in Chappaqua, White Plains or the Netherlands, she has strived to make an impact wherever her time is spent.

It’s safe to say that mission has been accomplished over and over and over, starting every single morning on Facebook.

Social media these days can be a source of unwanted negative energy or controversial content, leaving many of us with the urge to drop our phones at the bottom of a lake and never see them ever again. But if you become friends with Diamondstein on Facebook…you might change your mind!

She starts each morning by posting an inspirational quote as a way of communicating her thoughts and getting her friends to think about certain things. You know what they say, a quote from Ronni a day keeps the doctors away!

The quote that inspired her way of life?

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy

And inspire her way of life it did, even early on, as Diamondstein won her high school senior award for excellence in service. But her passion for helping her community didn’t stop there. It just got started.

After vacationing in the Netherlands, she ended up getting a job as a school librarian at an American international school where she started a gifted program. Working at one of those schools had always been a dream of hers.

A few years later, she came back to the states and settled in Westchester, where she was a library media specialist in the White Plains schools for 20 years. Among other things, she has served as the Chairman of the Adult Education Committee at Temple Beth El, Board Member of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, League of Women Voters of New Castle and the New Castle Community Media Center, creative behind the Maggie Mae Pup Reporter Column, member of the New Castle Council for Race and Equity and the Katonah Museum Artists’ Association, provider of beautiful nature photos for local exhibits and more.

“And now, the most amazing thing that I am doing, because libraries have been my life’s work…In 2017 I was elected to the Chappaqua Library Board and as of October, I’ve been the acting President…” Diamondstein said.

Since January, Diamondstein has served as the President of the Chappaqua Library Board for the ‘21 year.

“I’m very humbled to have this responsibility. I’ve worked very hard as a board member, in looking at really taking my responsibility seriously…I’m very optimistic about how things will go.”

She pitched the idea of having MSNBC political analyst and author Rick Tyler speak at the library, offering to do the interview herself since she is a seasoned journalist. The idea was well-received and in January, she interviewed Tyler over Zoom about his new book.

“I told Joan Kuhn, the program director, that she’s made one of my dreams come true. I always wanted to do what Barbara Walters did, interview people like that on television…I’m really excited about it.”

Throughout the last year, the library has seen some major changes with their renovations and of course, the pandemic. With curbside pickup, new online book discussions and even a website feature that allows you to chat with a librarian, the library “has done a great job of connecting with the community.”

Eventually, Diamondstein is hopeful that more kids and teenagers will gravitate toward coming back to the library due to a brand new teen area with new technology similar to the kind that is provided at school.

Being in the book biz, her favorite one is a children’s book about a dog. It’s called Dominic by William Steig and it’s one she thinks every adult should read, saying “it’s just really a story about life.” She gives it as a gift often, even giving one to President Clinton at one point.

Throughout the pandemic, while reading is probably an activity that was done to combat quarantine, Diamondstein has been keeping busy doing other things as well. Whether it’s baking her Amazing Double Chocolate Brownies, speaking to at least two friends daily or doing Facetime Pilates, she “just [took] one day at a time.”

“Peonies”, one of Ronni’s favorite flowers that she photographed at the NYBG was an entry in the Katonah Museum of Art Artists Association Member Show in November 2019.
Photo by Ronni Diamondstein
© 2019 Ronni Diamondstein, All Rights Reserved

The way Diamondstein saw it was, “You had to find joy every day during this pandemic in the little things.”

Perhaps the most important little thing to happen over these last months?

Maggie Mae’s Bark Mitzvah! Mazel Tovs are in order in the Diamondstein household because Maggie Mae officially became a young lady in October during Temple Beth El’s Noah’s Bark service. People hopped onto the Zoom call with their pets and Maggie got to celebrate with her friends and family which hopefully made up for the fact that “she has noticed that people, nobody pets her when [she] goes for walks anymore…”

While Diamondstein is lucky to be able to celebrate the little moments during these times, she also recognizes that there are others who are struggling. This past June for her birthday, she raised over $3,000 for Feeding Westchester to support her concern of food insecurity problems that only grew with the pandemic. In the past she has also helped fundraising efforts for the Amy Marie Crabtree Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Although there are currently no longer daily Cuomo briefings for Maggie Mae to watch, at least there are three things we can still rely on: Diamondstein gets flowers every week from Whispering Pines in town, which remind her of her time in Holland, she has switched out the Brownie Starmite camera for her iPhone 11Pro but is still taking photos of flowers and she is still doing everything she can to make a mark where she lives.

Which makes us wonder…what will she do next?

A Thanksgiving Toast to Appreciation and Understanding

November 28, 2020 by Megan Klein

“It wasn’t just about us and our festivities. It was about everyone else who is now missing someone at their table.”

My earliest memory of Thanksgiving isn’t of all of us sitting around a table, playing football outside or baking with my mom. It’s mini hotdogs.

Yup. That’s right. Little pigs in a blanket with ketchup and mustard. I’m not even sure if that is a normal Turkey Day delicacy, but for my family it sure is.

This has been my favorite holiday forever and ever and ever. We normally wake up and eat cinnamon buns, watch the parade, go on a hike and then go to our cousins for a big Turkey Day celebration. I’m that girl who shops for a new “Thanksgiving sweater” every year. I’m also that girl who scrapes the marshmallows off the sweet potato casserole, guilty as charged. I’m so sorry to anyone who gets in line behind me. Snooze you lose Uncle Stu!

For some people, the food is what makes this their favorite holiday. But honestly, it’s just another day in the life for me.

I eat stuffing all the time when I’m home because I am obsessed with the box mix. I eat roasted veggies almost every night for dinner when I am at school. I don’t like mashed potatoes or cornbread and my typical evening ends with a nice amount of dessert.

What makes the holiday so special to me is being with my family. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again: if you know me, you know how important family is. There are some relatives that we really only see once or twice a year, this holiday being one of those times. It’s the time where I fill them in on how school is going, what my favorite classes are, how the boyfriend I don’t have is doing, etc.

So when my dad texted me a few weeks ago saying that Thanksgiving wasn’t happening, I had a moment. I sat on my bed in my towel dress and hair wrap (two amazing investments for any college gal to have) and shed a few tears. I got really worked up. No Thanksgiving? Just Mom, Dad and Alexis? But why can’t we all just get COVID tested before?

It was no use. It just wasn’t going to work. But after my five-minute breakdown and a few deep breaths later, I realized that it was okay. That was just the way it was going to have to be.

Did I have the CUTEST Thanksgiving sweater and boots all ready to go? Yes.

Was I worried about how the turkey would come out because my Aunt Kara normally cooks it and my mom is a pescatarian? Yes. (It ended up being fabulous.)

But, was this the responsible thing to do amidst the pandemic? Absolutely. It wasn’t just about us and our festivities. It was about everyone else who is now missing someone at their table.

While the day might’ve looked a lot different than normal, at least I could count on one thing: the mini hotdogs. Grandma delivered a tray to our cousins and us the day before. Don’t worry she had some for herself too.

Instead of sitting on my cousin’s couch after three rounds of dinner regretting that extra helping of stuffing, we were all wrapped up, like pigs in a blanket, in our living room all safe and sound by 4 pm because we ate at 3. Plus, I was already wearing sweatpants so I didn’t even have to change after dinner! It was perfect.

I hope everyone was able to celebrate in some way, shape or form. Whether it was Facetiming, Zooming or calling a loved one or eating a whole pie by yourself (you deserve it.) I’m so lucky that I was able to come home from school and spend the day – and the next two months – with my family and that is something that I appreciate and understand now more than ever.

Happy Holidays and stay safe. Like Governor Cuomo said, “Don’t be a turkey. Wear a mask!”