The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Happenings

Save the Date: Fol de Rol Country Fair to Take Place JUNE 6-9 at Wampus Brook Park in Armonk

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Excited happy faces, great music, terrific food, beautiful crafts, exciting rides and games are all part of the Armonk Lions Club’s Annual Fol-de-Rol Fair and Crafts on June 6-9 in Wampus Brook Park.

The Fol-de-Rol is Armonk’s treasured pre-summer ritual, providing fun for people of all ages.

This beloved 4-day community county fair is the Armonk Lion’s main fund-raiser and regularly attracts several thousand people from North Castle and neighboring communities. The proceeds are donated to local organizations serving people in need in North Castle, in Westchester County and beyond. Admission is free, and cash-prize raffle tickets help support the charitable work of the Lions Club.

With funds raised at the Fol-de-Rol, the Lions Club donated a much-needed fixed-hull water-rescue boat and trailer and an inflatable raft to the Armonk Fire Department and donated to the Mount Kisco Interfaith Pantry and 914 Cares.

Entertainment this year will include the musical groups Bob and Norm, School of Rock, White Wedding, Group Therapy, Banjo Rascals. and Steve Jordan…and the popular racing pigs.

Each year the Lions Club welcomes civic-minded residents to volunteer at the Fol-de-Rol. If you’re interested, e-mail Rides at Hunter Field (Wampus School)

  • Thursday & Friday evening, June 6 & 7,
6 to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 8, 12 noon to 10 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 9, 12 noon to 6 p.m.

NEW: Food Court and Evening Market

  • Friday, June 7, 6 to 10 p.m.

Craft Vendors in Wampus Brook Park:

  • Friday, 6 to 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
Opening ceremony at 11 a.m.
  • Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please check these times closer to the event date.

The Armonk Lions Club is seeking additional vendors. For information, go to armonklionsclub.org.

Or write to Phyllis: ppas5@aol.com.

News courtesy of Fol de Rol, Armonk Lions Club 

Coming to Philipsburg Manor on May 25th: A Festival Filled with Music, Art, and Storytelling Celebrating African American Holiday

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Live Performances, Food Trucks, Hands-on Activities Coming to “The Pinkster Festival” in Sleepy Hollow

Storytelling, music, dance, drumming, crafts and food inspired by Black culture will highlight “The Pinkster Festival: Remembering the Past, Reimagining the Future” on Saturday, May 25, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m at Philipsburg Manor. The festivities will commemorate the region’s African American history and culture and look forward into a vibrant future with live performances, storytelling, and hands-on art activities.

Some of the day’s highlights include immersive spoken word and music performances from Malik Work, master kora player Yacouba Sissoko, DJ GoodWill, the Mount Vernon Denzel Washington School of the Arts youth gospel choir, and drummer Kazi Oliver, as well as dance performances from Threads of Truth and Hallow Dreamz. Multimedia artist Nichole Washington will be creating art inspired by Pinkster and Adinkra symbols throughout the day, and Chef Apa will be demonstrating open hearth cooking.

Visitors can also get hands-on making Adinkra stamps, drums, and flower crowns, and enjoy tasty treats from local food trucks, including Ambrosia Juicery, Bazodee Street Foods, and Kinwich. Pinkster, originally a Dutch observance of the Pentecost, was by the 1800s in New York recognized as a joyous, festive African American holiday celebrating the arrival of spring. Philipsburg Manor, a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the educational non-profit organization Historic Hudson Valley, began celebrating Pinkster in 1977, making this event the longest-running Pinkster Festival in North America.

Malik Work, an accomplished poet, playwright, and actor and a founding member of the groundbreaking jazz/hip hop group The Real Live Show, is curating The Pinkster Festival’s performances for the second year in a row. He previously collaborated with Historic Hudson Valley on an original piece of poetry for the award-winning interactive documentary, People Not Property.

Admission is $14 for adults; $12 for seniors and young adults 18-25; free for children 17 and under and for Historic Hudson Valley members.

The Pinkster Festival is supported by Insperity.

About Philipsburg Manor

In 1750, Philipsburg Manor was home to 23 enslaved individuals known to have lived and labored there. It is the country’s first living history museum that focuses on the history of northern slavery. Philipsburg Manor is at 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., two miles north of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Information: 914-366-6900, www.hudsonvalley.org. About Historic Hudson Valley Historic Hudson Valley, Westchester County’s largest cultural organization, educates and entertains more than 325,000 visitors a year through school programs, tours of five National Historic Landmarks, digital content, and large-scale popular entertainment events like The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze and The Spirits of Sleepy Hollow Country.

Countywide Yom HaShoah Commemoration to be Held May 6th at Garden of Remembrance in White Plains

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC), Westchester Jewish Council (WJC), and UJA-Federation of New York will host the annual Countywide Yom HaShoah Commemoration Keeping the Memory Alive on Monday, May 6 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Garden of Remembrance on 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains, New York.

The program will feature a keynote presentation by Holocaust Survivor Annie Kleinhaus and a procession of Westchester’s rescued Holocaust Torahs, remarks from County Executive George Latimer. and a lighting of candles by college students who are members of Hillels of Westchester.

The event is held to remember the 6 million innocent Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, and to reflect on the powerful lessons of this genocide that will hopefully resonate today, as reporting of antisemitic incidences are at an all-time high.

In addition to this annual event on Monday, HHREC has a number of other major developments coming up in the weeks ahead, including a dedication ceremony for the planting of a sapling grown from a tree referenced in Anne Frank’s Diary on June 11th at the Garden of Remembrance. This tree is one of six in the U.S. awarded by the Anne Frank Center USA in 2024 in recognition of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center’s commitment to education and sharing Anne Frank’s message of hope.

The HHREC has also received a significant increase in requests for Holocaust Survivors and Second-Generation Survivors from the HHREC Speakers Bureau to appear at area schools throughout the Hudson Valley and around the tri-state area, and 34 schools from the Hudson Valley participated in our Annual HHREC High School Institute this spring.

This event will be held rain or shine, and admission is free and open to all. For more information contact Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrency.org or Pam Goldstein pam@wjcouncil.org.  

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

Facts and Figures www.hhrecny.org

  • HHREC works with over 35 Hudson Valley area teachers and students to help schools fulfill the New York State mandate that the Holocaust and other human rights abuses be included in their curriculum.
  • Since 1994, HHREC has brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights crimes to more than 3,000 teachers, and through them to thousands of middle and high school students in the Hudson Valley.
  • The HHREC Speakers Bureau offers a unique resource for educators. Speakers include Holocaust Survivors and GenerationsForward second and third generation speakers. In the past academic year 29 speakers appeared at area schools (approximately 13,000 students).
  • The HHREC Anna & Nicholas Elefant Library in White Plains offers a unique education resource about the Holocaust and human rights for area teachers and includes over 4,400 volumes of books curated by HHREC.
  • The HHREC, Westchester Jewish Council, and UJA-Federation of New York present the Annual Westchester Countywide Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration each year at the Garden of Remembrance at 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains. In 2023, a crowd estimated at close to 350 people attended the event that featured a keynote presentation by Holocaust Survivor Dr. Aliza Erber.
  • In 2023, over 1,000 people from around the world attended HHREC Memory Keepers Story Hours on Zoom that featured HHREC GenerationsForward Speakers.

HHREC also works with community partners throughout the Hudson Valley area schools, synagogues, colleges, churches and civic centers in Westchester and the greater Hudson Valley area to fulfill their mission: to “enhance the teaching and learning of the lessons of the Holocaust and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect. “ Their community partners include among others the Clark Center at Manhattanville College, Community of Holocaust Education Centers (USHMM), Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center at Yeshiva University, Iona University, Purchase College, SUNY, Westchester Business Council, Westchester Jewish Community Services, and the Westchester Jewish Council.

HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper has been an invited guest speaker of Governor Hochul, County Executive Latimer, and many others, and chaired a session in Washington D.C. at the Association of Holocaust Organizations Conference in 2023.

 

Passionate Advocates Helping Those in Need Honored at 2024 Westchester Jewish Community Services Gala

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Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) held a hugely successful Gala at Brae Burn Country Club on Tuesday April 16th with hundreds of Westchester community and business leaders, government officials, and Westchester residents, all passionate advocates for helping those in need in Westchester County.

The event honorees were Meira Fleisch of Larchmont, a child and family advocate and longtime WJCS Board member who was an Early Learning Specialist in the WJCS ParentChild+ program for many years, and Stephanie Marquesano of Ardsley, founder of the harris project. Marquesano is a partner with WJCS in promoting the importance of identifying and treating the co-occurring disorders of substance use and mental health.

(From left) Seth Diamond, CEO; Meira Fleisch, Honoree; Stephanie Marquesano, Honoree; Lauren Candela-Katz, Chief Advancement Office; Shannon Van Loon, Chief Program Officer

The evening was filled with inspiring words and stories shared by WJCS clients who shared their struggles before coming to the agency and how the organization transformed their lives.

“Since 1943, WJCS has been here for the people of Westchester. Today we provide programs and services for 20,000 Westchester residents of all ages and backgrounds. This year’s Gala theme was “Support. Resiliency. Well-Being.” That captures the transformative impact that WJCS supporters make possible,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “With the support of our partners in government, philanthropic foundations, community organizations, and donors, we look forward to continuing to fulfill our mission of helping individuals in Westchester address mental health, educational, cognitive, social, aging, and financial challenges and shape positive futures.”

Chairman of the Westchester Legislature Vedat Gashi, Publisher of Inside Press Magazines Grace Bennett, and Westchester Commissioner of Mental Health Michael Orth   INSIDE PRESS PHOTO

Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) Chairperson Emeritus Joseph Kaidanow (left) & HHREC’s Treasurer Andrew R. Benerofe INSIDE PRESS PHOTO
ABOUT WJCS
WJCS-Westchester Jewish Community Services has been serving those most vulnerable in Westchester county since its founding in 1943. It is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit, trauma-informed human service agency and its mission is to help people of all ages and backgrounds cope with emotional, cognitive, environmental, physical, interpersonal, social, and educational challenges. Agency experts, using evidence-based practices, provide youth, mental health, trauma, disabilities, and senior services to approximately 20,000 people each year. It also offers privately-funded educational and spiritual programs for the Jewish community. For more information, please visit https://www.wjcs.com. 

Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester 2024 ‘Youth of the Year’ Awards

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A grand evening event at Crabtree’s Kittle House, attended by 165 supporters and friends of BGCNW, featured five extraordinary teens. After deliberations by a panel of judges, three winners were announced to rounds of applause.

Grace Gerosa, a junior at Pleasantville High School, won the Youth of the Year Award. Grace, a Club member for 10 years and a competitive swimmer for 12 years, is a social media manager for her high school Varsity swim team, the Vice President for Sources of Strength, and a member of the Youth Leadership Task Force. She volunteers at Fox Hill Farms.

Zayaan Hussain, a senior at Horace Greeley High School, Zayaan received the Chris Curti Memorial Scholarship Award. A Club member for 10 years, on the Marlins swim team for 9 years, he swam in the National Level Paralympics competition, and volunteers at interfaith events, peer leadership and executive roles in school clubs.

Xio Nieves, a senior at Fox Lane High School and Club member of six years, received the Wilfred E. Jennings Leadership Award. Xio is a Junior Staff member and 2-time Youth of the Year finalist.

All winners travel to Albany with Club leadership to advocate on behalf of critical programming impacting NYS youth and families.

The other finalists were:

Katie O’Donnell, a sophomore at John Jay High School. She has been a Club member for 11 years and is part of the Marlins swim team.

Paige Fagan, a senior at Lakeland High School, and Club member for 10 years, works for the Club as a water safety instructor teaching younger members of the Club how to swim.

The judges for the finalist competition included WABC reporter, Marcus Solis; Westchester Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chair Aleida Frederico; Robert Martin Company Managing Director Lawrence Gottlieb; Pro Bono Partnership Senior Staff Attorney Judy Siegel, and Examiner News Publisher Adam Stone.

The winner of the BGCNW Youth of the Year advances to a state-level event. The winner is tasked with participating in events, public speaking, and serving as a thought leader and advocate for their Club and community. They receive the benefit of a generous college scholarship, mentorship, and networking opportunities. For more information, visit bgcnw.com