Stacey Pfeffer, Author at Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk: The Magazines for New and North Castle

Frosty Day Parade Preview: Five Fun Facts for Those In the Know

October 24, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Inside Armonk got the inside scoop on the beloved Frosty Day Parade scheduled to take place this year on Sunday, November 25 in downtown Armonk. We spoke with Armonk resident Robby Morris, the President of Friends of Frosty, Inc., the non-profit organization in charge of planning the day’s events who provided us with helpful information so you can maximize your fun this year.

1. It’s more than just the parade–it’s many hours of fun-filled activities. The event starts at 12:30 pm with three hours of free activities, rides, treats and entertainment until 3:30 pm. Then there is entertainment on Main Street just prior to the 4:00 pm parade of 40+ participants (including three trains, horse & wagon, four marching bands, antique cars and floats). Several local businesses also offer free samples and discounts throughout the day.

2. All are welcome to participate in this free event. Morris loves how inclusive the parade is and that Frosty is a non-denominational symbol of the holiday season. From the youngest Girl Scouts to senior residents at the Bristal that participate in a festive holiday themed van, Morris enjoys coordinating the 40+ local organizations that march in the parade. An insider tidbit: Morris is actually no stranger to parade life. Born and bred in New Rochelle, he actually has participated in the New Rochelle Thanksgiving Day Parade for the past 50 years as a clown and his vast experience in parades makes the event here in Armonk run flawlessly.

3. Get there early to partake in events such as Build Your Own Frosty decoration at the Hergenhan Recreation Center. “The kids love making their own Frosty yard stick decorations and holding them up during the parade.” Morris, who is a grandfather himself, understands that young kids need down time, so they have plenty of activities planned for the day if your ‘wee ones are in a need of some R & R. For example, the North Castle Public Library shows Frosty cartoons all day.

4. Hours of preparation make the day one of the most anticipated local events. Morris has a team of about 12 volunteers who meet several times a year prior to the event for this “labor of love”. They assess each year what works and what they can eliminate from the parade. This year look for new businesses such as Tauk to participate. The committee also gets to audition several of the performing acts at the parade. Morris is particularly excited about Manhattan-based band Shinbone Alley Stilt Band. They are musicians on stilts and Morris and his team carefully plan out “how to utilize our entertainment to our best ability so the musicians are stationed at various points in the village throughout the day.”

5. Memories are made here. Morris loves overhearing parents and children in town talk about where they stood during the parade. “I love it when during the summer, kids can pinpoint where they stood. It is a day that provides a warm feeling for the community and puts a smile on everyone’s face.”

This is the town’s ninth Frosty Day Parade. Originally, it was a day when merchants stayed open late and was more of a winter walk. They revamped the day and added several activities nine years ago as a way to pay homage to Steve Nelson, the long-time Armonk resident who was the lyricist of the popular holiday song “Frosty the Snowman”.

The parade culminates when Frosty makes his appearance and invites all the parade spectators to “catch-me-if-you-can” with many of the attendees following him to Wampus Brook Park at 4:30 pm for a Sing-a-long and the Holiday Lighting Ceremony at the gazebo.

“It has literally turned into a five-hour free Winter Festival which would rival any Disney production,” sums up Morris.

Puttin’ on the Dog Festival by Adopt-a-Dog Brings Out Dog Lovers in Droves

October 24, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

PHOTOS BY HANNAH ROSENBERG

Petunia an English bulldog, in her tutu

Dog lovers were out in full force at the 31st annual Puttin’ On The Dog Festival that took place in Greenwich’s Roger Sherman Baldwin Park on Sunday, September 16th. The annual event was created by Adopt-a-Dog, a non-profit whose mission has been to save, socialize and secure loving homes for unwanted or abandoned dogs. The Armonk-based organization has been serving the tri-state area and beyond for more than three decades and their shelter is open seven days a week.

The fun-filled event had approximately 5,000 attendees and featured dog demonstrations, food trucks, vendors, competitions for dogs to enter and adoptable dogs. Originally the day was conceptualized to help match abandoned dogs with potential adoptive families but the day has grown into an event where people bring out their families, including their furry ones for fun and socializing with other dogs and their owners. The event yielded 20 applications for adoption and the organization was happy to report several matches were made as of press time.

Ellie Gottlieb with dog, Ozzy

Three Best Picks for Local Turkey Trots

October 24, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Runners participate in last year’s New Rochelle Turkey Trot”
PHOTO BY JOY MALONE, JOY MALONE PHOTOGRAPHY

According to the Calorie Control Council, Americans can consume as much as 4,500 calories for Thanksgiving dinner. If you are feeling rather portly after eating your fair share of stuffing and sweet potatoes, lace up your running shoes and participate in one of these Westchester-based Turkey Trots to ward off the holiday weight gain.

52nd Annual Mamaroneck Turkey Trot and Gobbler Race

Sunday, November 18

Harbor Island Park

www.active.com

If you hate running hills or are newbie, be sure to check out this race dubbed the flattest certified course in Westchester. The race includes a one-mile run for kids 12 and under. Adults can partake in a 5K and every participant gets a turkey medal. Best of all, you get bragging rights for completing the race prior to the holiday as all of your friends and relatives complain about holiday weight gain during the Thanksgiving meal.

New Rochelle Turkey Trot

November 22, 2018

New Rochelle City Hall

www.newroturkeytrot.com

This race is the perfect 5K if you want to run with your pup or have ‘wee ones stuck in a jogging stroller. The family-friendly event features a free 200-meter tot trot for kids under five, a kids mile for children ten and under and then a 5K run or walk for adults. Students under the age of 18 receive a discount. A live DJ, face painting for the kids and local fare is available after the race. Plus there are several award categories including first dog finisher and first finisher pushing a stroller.

14th Annual Bedford Turkey Trot

Saturday, November 24

Course begins at Bedford Elementary School

www.bedfordturkeytrot.org

If you prefer a picturesque run, this race is the one for you in the quaint historic village of Bedford. You’ll pass some sprawling horse farms and take in some lovely vistas while running a challenging course. This race is not for the faint of heart but after running it, you’ll feel exhilarated and possibly exhausted. They usually cap the number of runners at 475 so be sure to register early online as there is no on-site registration.

Fun & Fitness at Jamie’s 5K Run for Love and the Annual Cider & Donut Festival

October 24, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Armonk residents of all ages gathered at Wampus Brook Park for the annual Jamie’s 5K Run for Love and the Cider and Donut Festival on September 23rd. The morning kicked off with the run, which had several toddlers racing in the Donut Dash. Older kids got to participate in the McIntosh Mile and runners ages 10 and up raced to the finish line in Jamie’s 5K Run for Love. The race was created in order to honor the memory of Jamie Love, a passionate runner and former member of the Byram Hills cross country and track & field team who died suddenly of a cardiac arrhythmia while attending the University of Vermont.

Every year friends from his former college participate in the race. Rafael Rodriguez from Bristol, CT was one of Love’s friends from college who studied engineering with him. “We were with him the week that he died. No one could believe it. He was like family to us and that’s why I run.” This year the race had 358 participants with some hailing from lower Westchester and others from as far away as Seattle.

After the race, festival attendees had plenty of activities to choose from. Slime making was a hit for the kids as well as the ever-popular train ride. Food trucks as well as fresh apple cider and donuts were enjoyed by many in attendance. Other activities included donut fishing, pie eating contests and listening to live music by Vinyl Countdown. The autumnal weather was the perfect setting for the fun-filled day.

“The Cider and Donut Festival has become a staple of the community,” commented Neal Schwartz, President of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. Fresh apples and cider are an Armonk tradition, dating back to 1951, when Ed and Mary Schultz opened their renowned cider mill in town. In 1965, they added hot donuts, whose recipe has endured, even after their closing in 2002. Locals still hunger for those memories and get to relive them at the annual fall festival.

“The Armonk Chamber’s Cider and Donut Festival, which includes Jamie’s 5k Run for Love and the Byram Hills Pre-School Association Carnival, has grown to be a local favorite. We give our member businesses and local organizations a chance to interact with the community in a big way. It’s great to see so many families participating in both the races and all the activities. This is what small town living is all about,” noted Stacy Wilder, the Executive Director of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce.

Net proceeds from the event benefitted children’s programs at the North Castle Public Library, the Byram Hills Pre-School Association and the Armonk Chamber of Commerce.

Four-year old Reed Bond of Armonk
won the Donut Dash
PHOTO BY SAMUEL PFEFFER

Mount Kisco Resident Ellen Portman’s Genealogy Trip to Eastern Europe

October 24, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Interior of Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw, Poland. The synagogue survived only because the German troops used it as their stables PHOTO BY ELLEN PORTMAN

Ancestry tourism or roots tourism is an increasing trend in the travel industry thanks to genealogy websites such as ancestry.com and 23andme.com. The rise of popular TV shows such as TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are, PBS’ Finding Your Roots and CNN’s Roots has also sparked interest in genealogy, self-discovery and tourism.

Mount Kisco resident Ellen Portman who grew up in Armonk took a genealogy trip this summer with her parents, two sisters and brother-inlaw to Eastern Europe to the “Pale of Settlement”, a geographic area where Jews had flourished for many years prior to the Holocaust. They were accompanied by a genealogical tour guide based out of Poland, Adam Zalewski.

Portman visited cities such as Riga, Warsaw and Krakow which she noted were beautiful and had gorgeous town squares where European Jewry once thrived but today only a few hundred or thousand remain. “No one returned after the war.”

Although Portman’s immediate ancestors had emigrated to the US in the early 1920s, she had always thought that her family hailed from Russia but national boundaries evolved in the Pale of Settlement area and her ancestors actually came from the nations of present day Latvia, Poland and Belarus.

A major highlight of the trip was finding the home they believe where Portman’s maternal great grandmother lived in the town of Daugavpils in Lithuania. They also traveled to Ostrow Mazowiecka in Poland where Portman’s father’s ancestors lived. The town was once two-thirds Jewish and during the Holocaust was the site of a mass shooting on November 11, 1939 when 500 Jews were shot and buried in a mass grave.

Portman was also struck by the fact that there were many memorials to the Holocaust that were prominent in the cities that she visited but there would also be hidden memorials that would also pay tribute to victims of the war. “Some were down a woodsy path with overgrown grass that you would only know about if you were looking for them.”

Her trip included a visit to Auschwitz. “There were hundreds of people getting off buses to tour it. But actually being there as opposed to reading about it is something else.” She was glad to see that many of the visitors there were not Jewish and still eager to learn about the Holocaust. Ultimately the trip inspired her to learn more about her family’s past and when she returned home, she enjoyed telling her three sons about her family’s ancestral background and showing them photos along with historical documents.