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Spotlight on Skin Health: Up Close and Personal with Dermatologist Dr. Lydia Evans

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Photo by Carolyn Simpson
Photo by Carolyn Simpson

By Stacey Pfeffer

Nestled on a tree-lined section of King Street close to downtown Chappaqua is the office of dermatologist Lydia Evans, M.D.. From the minute you walk into her cozy, yet state-of-the art office, it’s evident that you’ll be given individualized treatment and that she truly takes her time to know her patients’ concerns. Dr. Evans has been practicing both medical and cosmetic dermatology for more than two decades in this location and is passionate about treating families in our area.

Dr. Evans was initially studying both internal medicine and oncology and clearly remembers her rotation through dermatology. Although she fell in love with treating skin conditions, at that point she was already committed to completing her oncology residency. After practicing oncology though for six years, she decided to switch to dermatology.

“Oncology at that point was not what it is today. There are lots of significant strides made forward in the past years but when I was practicing it was not the case. I knew oncology was not the long-term answer for me so that’s why I went back and completed another residency in dermatology and that was clearly the best move I’ve made,” Dr. Evans notes.

Working in the local community for so many years, she’s had the privilege of treating multi-generational families. “I think my longest relationship is with one family, where I see five generations of them, including a very senior grandmother and a relatively new baby. That’s just one of the many things that I love about my job,” remarks Dr. Evans.

As the warmer months approach and sun exposure increases, many patients come in asking about skin cancer prevention. But taking care of your skin “is really a life long proposition,” explains Dr. Evans. “People tend to be very careful with their children about getting their kids to use sunscreen but are not so diligent themselves. A lot of proactive work will save a great deal of aggravation ultimately in terms of skin health such as preventing cancers and the cosmetic aspects.” If patients haven’t been careful about sun protection, visible signs of aging can begin to appear in their early 30s.

Dr. Evans believes that sunscreen should be a daily ritual year-round like flossing your teeth. “Two minutes of prevention equals long-term remarkable benefits,” she notes. She recommends that people look for a sunscreen with both ultraviolet-A (UVA) and ultraviolet-B (UVB) protection. UVA light penetrates glass and UVB light does not but it is the most burning part of light. The intensity of UVA light does not change that much from season to season but driving in your car you are still exposed to it. “Unfortunately exposure to UVA light is associated with cosmetic signs of aging and melanomas,” Dr. Evans said.

In her practice, she recommends that people use an SPF at least in the 30s or 40s. Higher SPFs don’t necessarily protect better, they just protect for a longer period. There is some controversy about the higher SPF numbers because people assume that reapplication isn’t necessary. In reality, sunscreen sometimes gets toweled or perspired off. Dr. Evans suggests that her patients “reapply every 90 minutes, maybe two hours if using a really high SPF.” In addition to sunscreen, Dr. Evans is a proponent of antioxidant serums, which can prevent sun damage in the future. She also recommends that patients have an annual skin check exam to look for moles.

Very often Dr. Evans has patients that come in initially for a skin health exam and then want to find out about other cosmetic procedures to improve their skin’s appearance. Dr. Evans’ practice offers a variety of procedures such as Botox, fillers, Coolsculpting and Ultherapy but her number one rule is patient safety first. “I’m the first guinea pig, so we test everything here personally before it ever is given to a patient. If I’m going to discuss a procedure I want to be able to answer does it work? What’s the recovery like? What’s the downside?” Her office receives many products to sample but Dr. Evans estimates that she only brings in probably one out of eight products that have passed her stringent tests.

Botox and fillers are extremely popular with her patients but are used for different purposes. Botox is used for lines of motion (e.g. crow’s feet, forehead creases) whereas fillers are used to help with lines of rest and help to reshape and recontour the face. “We have a number of different products so treatment can now be very individualized.”

Another procedure that is gaining traction among Dr. Evan’s patients is Coolsculpting for fat reduction. Researchers have now figured out the exact temperature that freezes fat. It can treat a specific site and only takes an hour. About three months post-treatment, patients can expect to lose 25 percent of the fat on a specific area of the body. Besides stubborn belly fat, the company is evolving their technology, so that Coolsculpting can be used under the neck or by the side of the knee where you have smaller pockets of fat that are hard to target with diet and exercise.

Dr. Lydia Evans and her husband Arnold Toback, M.D., who is also a dermatologist along with being an actor.
Dr. Lydia Evans and her husband Arnold Toback, M.D., who is also a dermatologist along with being an actor.

Ultherapy is another technology that improves the skin’s appearance. It is based on deep ultrasound that stimulates collagen production deep under the skin and is used for sagging. It’s offered as a single treatment and results on average can last 2.5-3.5 years. “There’s no question it works and you can tell that because I’ve had my machine for five years and I’ve had many people come back for a second treatment and people don’t do that unless it works. It’s fun to see these much less invasive, much less aggressive non-surgical technologies that offer alternatives. You want a change that takes off five to ten years and makes you look more vibrant, more alive. You don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, you got a facelift,’” said Dr. Evans.

One of the main reasons younger patients come to Dr. Evans office is for acne treatment. “Acne is a genetically driven condition that needs persistence. Some people have a relatively minor problem and some carry it in adulthood, so there is almost a spectrum of conditions within acne,” she explains. Dr. Evans believes that treatment should take into account a patient’s lifestyle, convenience and how much the patient is invested in improving. “I may have ten patients come in for acne treatment and there may be eight different treatment regimens because it’s not all the same. It is not formulaic.”

She also considers how the patient’s skin will look in the future and if scarring is present, she will offer more aggressive treatments than for someone with mild acne. Dr. Evans is committed to learning about the newest products in the dermatological field and attends professional meetings regularly to keep abreast of the latest skincare trends. Recently she saw a sunscreen product that is used as a shower gel and bought some samples home to evaluate it. It is supposed be left on for two minutes in the shower but Evans wonders if people will really leave it on for a full two minutes. “It’s a great idea conceptually but you have to think how will this work in practice?”

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in the field and it really pleases me from both the medical and the cosmetic aspect to see such great strides forward. I feel blessed to practice at this juncture because when I compare now what’s available to 25 years ago it’s exponential and I think that’s only going to continue,” concludes Dr. Evans.

Stacey Pfeffer and her husband and three young kids are New Castle residents. With summer on the horizon, she’s hoping her children will be less difficult this year with sunscreen application.

Giving Back to Her Community Is a Way of Life for Armonk’s Susan Geffen

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geffin oneBy By Stacey Pfeffer

When it comes to giving back to their community, there are certain people in Armonk who go above and beyond. They choose to spend their time volunteering for the betterment of the community and are passionate about making a difference for the town. Susan Geffen, a longtime Armonk resident, is exactly this type of person and will be the recipient of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award later this month at the Whippoorwill Club. She will be honored at a special event there on May 23rd featuring lunch and a golf outing as well as cocktails and a dinner reception.

“Susan has enriched the community through her long-standing volunteer commitment to the arts, town beautification, etc. Because of her, the town has become a much better place. She envelopes everything good about the Town of North Castle and Armonk; she lives it and loves it,” said Neal Schwartz, President of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has extensive knowledge of who has been active in Armonk organizations throughout the years and also gains input from town residents on potential nominees.

Geffen, originally from Mount Vernon, grew up in a civic-minded family. Her father, a lawyer, was always doing pro bono work for people and her mother was also actively involved in the community. Geffen’s four children and even her nine grandchildren are following in her footsteps, with all of them deeply involved in their communities. “All of them are very civic-minded. That is part of my legacy and that is thrilling,” Geffen explains.

As a full-time interior designer raising a family here, Geffen did not have a lot of time for community involvement when she first moved to this “sleepy hamlet” in 1972, though she was involved in volunteer efforts through her children’s schools. “When you move into Armonk and are raising kids here you are pulling out of the community. You are taking and then there’s a moment when you have to give back to the community,” says Geffen. For Geffen, her turning point came after living abroad for three-and-a-half years in Japan in the 1980s with her now-deceased first husband, an attorney for IBM. Upon their return to Armonk, they decided that it was time to give back and both dove into helping the community on various projects.

“We all have choices in our lives and I found that by giving back I was getting so much more out of it. I’ve made incredible friends on the boards that I sit on and learned about different organizations and different subjects such as landmark preservation,” Geffen notes. Marian Hamilton, a longtime resident involved in community activities with Geffen on the Friends of the North Castle Public Library and the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, explains that “Susan epitomizes all that is special and meaningful in community-mindedness. Her volunteer contributions of her 40-plus years of living in Armonk have been widespread, from how our town looks (thanks to being on the Architectural Review Board), to our library (being President and board member of the Friends of the North Castle Public Library), President of the Whippoorwill Association, member of the Historical Society and the Armonk Outdoor Art Show. She even gets dressed in colonial garb twice a year to teach fourth graders how to make butter. She is the cream of the crop!” Hamilton will be one of the speakers at the Chamber of Commerce event.

Geffen is deeply committed to promoting the arts in Armonk. During the 1990s, Geffen became involved with the North Castle Library when she was designing a theater and a children’s room for it. After working on the project for two years, the President of the North Castle Friends of the Library asked her to join the board of the organization. The North Castle Friends of the Library organizes the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, an annual event held in the fall. Net proceeds from the event, now in its 55th year, benefit the library. Geffen’s keen eye for design has been very useful for the Art Show as she sits on the jury with twelve other members reviewing all of the show’s entries. “Here’s this little town that puts on this phenomenal show. It is now ranked as one of the top 50 art shows in the country by various arts organizations. It’s just a terrific accomplishment,” comments Geffen.

The Friends of the Library also funds the Armonk Players, a community theater group. Geffen, a lifelong theater lover, first became involved with theater production while living in Japan. Barbara Simonetti, another Armonk resident who was also living in Tokyo at the time, asked Geffen to stage-manage a show for the Tokyo Players, a theater group. Although Geffen had no theater background, she loved the experience and wound up doing two more productions for the group while living abroad. When she returned to Armonk, she was excited that the library was building a theater and helped put on the theater’s first production, Love Letters, a two person reading by A.R. Gurney.

“The town embraced that production and we thought, ‘How can we [The Friends of the Library] take this to the next level?’ And we formed the Armonk Players,” Geffen reminisces. “Turns out there are a lot of talented people in the community and we [the Armonk Players] are now coming up to our 35th or 36th production.”

Geffen is also pleased that she was instrumental in getting the Friends of the Library to become the “angel” for the Armonk Players. “Part of the Friends of the Library’s mission is to bring culture to our community, so that the Armonk Players never have to worry about fundraising, which so many other local theater groups spend a great deal of time on.” Noting that Armonk also has two additional theater groups, Geffen remarks that “you can go to the theater three times a season here and never even leave town.” When she does leave town, Geffen doesn’t venture far. She can often be seen at ArtsWestchester events or attending a show as a board member at the Copland House in Cortland Manor.

With Geffen’s background in interior design, she also sits on the town’s architectural review board. When Armonk Square opened, she worked with the developers to maintain a certain aesthetic and the board has ensured that all local businesses adhere to signage guidelines that help preserve the town’s beauty.

Despite her busy schedule serving on various town boards and organizations, Geffen still prefers to not be in the spotlight and instead work quietly and “remain under the radar.” She feels honored, though, to accept the award and several of her children will be in attendance on May 23rd at the Whippoorwill Club event.

When speaking with Geffen, it’s obvious that she loves this town and cares deeply about it. Because some of her children now live in other parts of the country, she often travels to visit them. “People always ask me, ‘What’s my favorite trip?’ I always say, ‘Home from the airport.’ There’s nothing better than getting off Exit 2 on 684 and driving past the reservoir. It’s just beautiful here. I want the future of Armonk to be a place where we preserve our amazing open space, maintain a good balance of our community organizations and ensure that our kids can get a good education.” With volunteers like Geffen, Armonk’s future is certainly in good hands.

To attend the Armonk Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year event which is open to the public, please visit: armonkchamberofcommerce.org.

Avoiding Injuries While Getting Back into Shape

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Armonk Physical Therapy & Sports Training Clinical Director Robert Fay
Armonk Physical Therapy & Sports Training Clinical Director Robert Fay

Article and Photos By Andrew Vitelli

You’ve spent the summer sitting on your couch, your treadmill collecting dust and the golf course or tennis courts frosted over. Now, with temperatures finally back in the 70s, you’re eager to spend every free moment at the driving range or on the track, enjoying the sunshine while putting your underused muscles and joints through the wringer. It’s an experience many of us can relate to and, according to Armonk Physical Therapy & Sports Training Director Robert Fay, a leading cause of injuries during this time of the year.

“If you do too much too quickly it leads to overuse injuries like tendonitis, stress fractures and that sort of thing,” Fay explains. “A lot of these injuries can be avoided if people go a little slower as they start up. But I know that it’s hard sometimes.”

Fay, who co-founded Armonk PTST in 2001, sees an increase in these kinds of injuries around this time of year. A general rule of thumb for aerobic workouts, Fay says, is to increase your workout by no more than 15 percent from your previous efforts. If you’ve only been eking out a mile at a time on the treadmill over winter, don’t try running a half marathon the first time you make it to the track.

“As the weather starts to get nice, we’ll get somebody this weekend that’ll go out and play golf Saturday and Sunday, hadn’t picked up a club in several months, and go and play 18 holes,” Fay says. Instead, he suggests, “Maybe go and just play nine holes the first couple of times.”

A large part of Fay’s practice consists of treating patients who have sustained injuries, whether minor, like Tennis Elbow or tendinitis, or serious, such as an ACL or Achilles tendon tear. Fay and his staff also, however, will meet with healthy athletes to evaluate where they may be particularly prone to future injuries.

“If you have weakness in one joint, a lot of times that’s not the joint that you injure,” Fay explains. “You might have a shoulder weakness, and then you overuse the next joint.”

Or, for example, having strong quads but weak hamstrings could make you more likely to tear your ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Of course, getting healthy people into a physical therapist’s office to prevent injuries is a lot tougher than it is to get them in once they’ve hurt themselves. Mostly, Fay says, those who come in for preventive treatment are high school athletes whose parents are concerned about potential injuries.

“But I think it should also be done for that weekend warrior, 40-year-old or 50-year-old type person,” Fay notes.

After evaluating the athletes, Fay’s team can advise them of what exercises or stretches they can do to address their deficiencies and lower the risk of injury. And if saving oneself from a serious injury isn’t sufficient motivation, Fay points out that the weaknesses that these injury prevention exercises address can also be hurting their performance. “So that’s the key thing that I think it’s very important to get across to people.”

Fay, now the sole owner, co-founded Armonk PTST in 2001 after previously working in Pleasantville and Greenwich, Conn. His aim is to give clients true one-on-one therapy, meaning their trainers are only working with one person for the full hour.

Physical therapist John Connolly works with client Gwen Grotta at Armonk Physical erapy & Sports Training
Physical therapist John Connolly works with client Gwen Grotta at Armonk Physical Therapy & Sports Training

Armonk PTST also offers services ranging from Pilates to occupational hand therapy (a full list can be found at their website, armonkptst.com). Armonk PTST’s trainers, Fay explains, have a greater understanding of injuries than a typical trainer, giving them insight when working with clients who have suffered injuries in the past.

Not all pain and soreness is injury related. Fay acknowledges that, as anyone who’s gotten back into working out after hiatus can attest, a moderate amount of soreness the next day or two can be expected. If, however, you feel pain during your workout rather than the day after, that can be a sign of an injury. Another red flag, Fay says, is if the pain is in the bone or tendon rather than the muscle.

While there’s no fool-proof way to avoid all injuries, taking precautions can make them a lot less likely. The two most important things to keep in mind, Fay concludes, are not overexerting yourself early on and addressing weaknesses and imbalances before you reach mid-season form. Otherwise, you may spend the bulk of the outdoor season rehabbing indoors.

For more information, visit http://www.armonkptst.com/. 

Andrew Vitelli, a lifelong Westchester resident, is the Guest Editor of Inside Armonk Magazine.

Michael J. Schiliro, Leading Armonk into the Future

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Schiliro-0005

Supervisor Michael J. Schiliro 

Age: 51

Party: Democrat

Supervisor since: 2014

Town Board since: 2008

Current term ends: 2017

Profession: Banker

Previous Political Office: Councilman 2008-2013

Wife: Lori

Daughters: Paulina, 20; Emma, 17; Gina, 11.

Pets: Two dogs, Rudy and Cosmo

Goals in Office
Macro: Leave the Town better than when he started.
Micro: Provide residents with honest, transparent, fair, and apolitical representation with integrity, and always strive to improve the quality of life in our Town. Listen to residents and be accessible. “There is no purer form of government than local municipalities.”

Mets or Yankees? Mets!

By Deborah Raider Notis

Photos by Cathy Pinsky

From the Miller House, which headquartered George Washington during the Battle of White Plains, to Smith’s Tavern, which housed travelers for over 200 years, North Castle is a thriving town with a rich history. Over the past few years, North Castle, and most notably Armonk, experienced a bold revitalization. Building this enticing new hub required time and teamwork, much of which was led by Town Supervisor Michael J. Schiliro. Yet, as North Castle continues to grow, Schiliro impresses, “We need to move forward, but we cannot forget this town’s legacies.”

Schiliro, who was elected to the position of Town Supervisor in 2013, feels that Armonk was well-planned out in a very methodical way. And while downtown Armonk was substantially developed over the past few years, the town was careful not to overbuild or overgrow. “When I moved to Armonk, people constantly said how different it was from a decade earlier,” Schiliro said. “We have just continued with that growth.”

Supervisor Schiliro (second from left) leads a North Castle Town Board meeting.
Supervisor Schiliro (second from left) leads a North Castle Town Board meeting.

Schiliro has been intrinsically involved in town politics, planning, and volunteering since he moved here 17 years ago, when his oldest daughter was three years old. He and his wife raised their three daughters and two dogs in Armonk, in a house that is walking distance from town. He was a founding member of North Castle Citizen Core Council (NC4), a group of North Castle resident-volunteers that was formed in 2003 to assist and protect residents in the event of an emergency. Amongst the many altruistic efforts of NC4, Schiliro and his fellow volunteers at NC4 were responsible for setting up round-the-clock shelter for North Castle residents during Hurricane Sandy. He also served on the North Castle Town Board for more than five years before being elected Town Supervisor of Armonk.

As Town Supervisor, Schiliro is the leader of the Town Board, and essentially, the Chief Executive and Financial Officer of North Castle. He works closely with the newly appointed Town Administrator Joan Goldberg, who is North Castle’s Chief Operating Officer, meeting with her weekly. He meets with town supervisors throughout Westchester County monthly. And the buck stops with him for all budget, zoning, code, and planning decisions.  But Schiliro credits the North Castle Town Board with working as a cohesive team on all decisions that impact the area. He is particularly careful about making any major changes in the small business area. “I started out as a member of the North Castle Town Board, and I know the importance of working together as a team and keeping the best interests of the town first.”

Supervisor Schiliro with his dogs, Rudy (L) and Cosmo
Supervisor Schiliro with his dogs, Rudy (L) and Cosmo

Schiliro is particularly careful about making any drastic changes in downtown Armonk. He is exceptionally aware of zoning requirements and served on the Town Board when the middle income housing program was being implemented in Armonk. He is now working with Westchester County to contribute an adequate number of affordable housing units in Armonk. “We always had middle income units, now we are building affordable units. For this program, we are just following the rules,” states Schiliro. Armonk is building affordable housing units in Brynwood, on the old lumber yard, and on Old Route 22, amongst other places.

Building up the town without overdeveloping has been a primary mission for Schiliro, who hopes to create a Vision Committee comprising entrepreneurs, financial experts, and professional firms. When he joined the Town Board, Schiliro played a key role in turning around North Castle’s finances. He helped to make sure that North Castle restored its AAA Moody’s rating, which they lost in 2008. He also helped to re-envision the town’s finances and budget. Today, the North Castle budget is over eight million dollars, up from $800,000 in 2008. Schiliro also worked to put checks in place to prevent future budget crises.

Supervisor Schiliro with Con dential Secretary Mindy Berard
Supervisor Schiliro with Con dential Secretary Mindy Berard

Building up downtown Armonk and opening up Armonk Square was a proud accomplishment for Schiliro, who likes to think of Armonk as a walkable town. Making it a reality required a significant amount of collaboration by residents and town department heads, but the results were well worth the work. “Armonk Square has brought so much life into Armonk. People in other towns talk about it, it’s won awards, and it has drawn people here to visit and dine,” effuses Schiliro, who enjoys doing occasional restaurant “crawls” to get a flavor of the many different and lively restaurants in town. The new development has also made Armonk an even more desirable place to live, as people particularly appreciate the liveliness and accessibility of the town.

Schiliro is hoping to make the same positive changes throughout the rest of North Castle as well. As the Town Board reviews and updates North Castle’s comprehensive plan, Schiliro is hoping to revive commerce in Banksville and tweak the North White Plains business district to enhance profitability.  “Banksville is a very rural area that used to have a small but thriving downtown area. I would like to see that area revitalized,” notes Schiliro.

With so much happening throughout North Castle today, Schiliro continues to acknowledge the past. He takes time at every board meeting to acknowledge a past board as well as individual citizens who contributed to the town. Every meeting has “Dori time,” a moment to note positive events in North Castle and named for Town Historian Doris Watson. “A town like this is only as great as the people who put time into it, and all of these people have so much value and historical significance because they helped create what is here today.” Like his predecessors, Schiliro will most definitely be remembered as someone who contributed to North Castle’s growth and prosperity.

Deborah Raider Notis is a writer and co-owner of gamechanger, LLC, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified, competitively priced instructors. She lives in Pleasantville with her husband, four boys, and their dog Oscar.

Five Things to Do in Armonk This Spring

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Wampus Brook Park is the perfect location for a picnic this spring.
Wampus Brook Park is the perfect location for a picnic this spring.

By Andrew Vitelli

Get outside.

We won’t hold it against you if you spent the winter avoiding the cold outdoors at all costs, but with spring almost here there’s no excuse for not taking advantage of Armonk’s beautiful parks and magnificent nature. First, make the most of the spring weather with a hike at the Betsy Sluder Nature Preserve off Old Route 22. “It’s undisturbed nature,” explained North Castle Recreation and Parks Superintendent Matt Trainor. “So we go in there and clear out debris if we have to, but all in all you’re really just going in there to take a walk and take in the scenery.” If lounging in the sun is your goal, Wampus Pond is the perfect spot. “We just had our brand new Gazebo put up over there,” Trainor said. “So when it gets warmer it’s a great place for a picnic.” After Memorial Day, rowboat rentals are available. If your goal is to play some ball this spring, the John A. Lombardi Park and IBM Community Park in Armonk are your best bets.

Learn about the town’s history.

If you’ve never been to Smith’s Tavern, it’s a great place to start. Built early in the 18th century, Smith’s Tavern was nearly burnt to the ground by British forces during the Revolutionary War. It was successfully defended by local Patriot militias, and has withstood all the changes of the 240 years since.

Tours of historic Smith’s Tavern begin in April.
Tours of historic Smith’s Tavern begin in April.

“A portion of Smith’s Tavern predates the American revolution,” said North Castle Town Co-Historian Sharon Tomback. “Patriot forces marched in what is now the parking lot. French troops marched right in front of the Tavern, down Route 22.” The site also gives children an opportunity to see how previous generations lived, Tomback explained. “There was no pizza or deli or grocery. Where did those families get their food? There was no electricity–no cable stations, no internet, no electric lights. What did they do? There was no shopping mall. How did they get their clothes and shoes?” Tours of the site begin in April. Other historical sites worth visiting include the Bedford Road Historic District, The Middle Patent Rural Cemetery on Bedford-Banksville Road, and the Elijah Miller House in North White Plains.

See a show.

Forget about Broadway; you don’t need to leave the Hamlet to enjoy great theater. For example, The Armonk Players recently performed a reading of One Night With Fanny Brice. The Small Town Theatre’s The Other Side of Now, a series of six short comedies written by Westchester residents, is playing March 12 and 13. Small Town Theatre will also be performing a staged reading of Lanford Wilson’s Talley’s Folly on April 15, 16, 22 and 23. Next, Hudson Stage Company will perform Rajiv Joseph’s Animals Out of Paper. In May, see the on-stage stars of tomorrow in Lighthouse Youth Theatre’s production of Urinetown, which will be performed May 20 and 21.

Join the Easter Egg Hunt.

The Town of North Castle hosts two of the biggest Easter Egg Hunts, both free and held on March 19, the week before Easter Sunday. The first, at 10:30 a.m., is held at Armonk’s IBM Community Park while the second, at 12:30 p.m., is held at Clove Road Community Center in North White Plains. More than 7,000 toy eggs will be hidden in each location, and last year the events drew close to 400 children each. “When we give the signal, when we say go, all the kids can run into those areas and grab the eggs,” Trainor, the Recreation Director, explained. The events are geared for children between kindergarten and fifth grade, and eggs will contain toys, treats or prize tickets.

Take a Class.

It’s always a good time to learn something new, and the Armonk and North White Plains libraries hold a number of classes for children and adults. On the schedule for March and April are classes in Italian language and culture, world history, art and Tai Chi in Armonk and English, Yoga and Mah Jongg in North White Plains. For children, classes range from Gaming and Lego Club (Armonk) to Crafts and No-bake Cooking (North White Plains). For a complete class schedule, visit the libraries or visit northcastlelibrary.org.

A Westchester native, Andrew is guest editor of Inside Armonk magazine.