The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Just Between Us

A Cool Home

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If you are looking for a place to call home, and a cool home, too, Armonk, NY, well, defines cool.

Mike Dardano Photos
Mike Dardano Photos
Consider the summer’s First Thursday event supporting residents and their families and North Castle merchants alike. From coverage of entertainment in gorgeous Armonk Square, it’s clear that smiles were in no short supply. You can always catch our coverage too on Facebook via the Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines Facebook biz page; I’ll typically share my news with “Armonk Moms” too, which I know many follow. I know I don’t want to miss the last First Thursday on September 3rd; and look forward to what next summer brings.

“Save the date” events are always wonderful, but for the “everyday” and to fill leisure time in between, consider a hike,  perhaps with a friend or your significant other to clear your mind or solidify a bond. We are happy to bring you a “keeper” of a story highlighting the wonderful nature offerings in North Castle–great places to walk and hike on a beautiful fall day, perhaps.

I’m especially thrilled we can also point the way to “hidden gem” playgrounds galore. My own kids are 19 and 23, but memories of playground time with them will never leave me. A dear friend and I (“Sue” now lives outside of San Francisco), called ourselves “the Playground hoppers.” We’d pen in dates for our two- year-old boys to “find a new one” locally or venture elsewhere in Westchester. Each playground had its own unique “personality;” a visit was an adventure that would reenergize us, and to the kids, mini vacation! The boys grew closer, and so did we. We’d pack sandwiches, juice, water…and GO!  Before you know it, your littlest ones will be boarding the kindergarten bus, and carefree playground odysseys will become fewer and more precious.

If you are already “past those years,” we’ve got “back to school” well covered, too, with a profile of Superintendent Donohue and a close up of the BHPTSA. A look back at a fundraising walk for the amazing Sunrise Day Camp and a story about an exceptional camp for your youngest rock stars help round out the issue too. Enjoy! — Grace

Introducing Inside New Castle

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InsideNewCastle-logo-300Dear New Castle Neighbor,

After 12 years of faithfully publishing Inside Chappaqua and benefiting enormously from being an 18-year citizen of New Castle myself, I am engaging in a unique collaboration with the Town of New Castle.  Together with the fantastic cooperation of multiple departments in Town Hall , the Chappaqua Central School District, the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce and an array of other organizations from in and around town, I am thrilled to be managing a team of contributors who have been hard at work this spring producing pages for a quintessential welcome guide for families just moving into the neighborhood but useful for any one residing here already too!

It is such an exciting time when you first arrive–exploring offerings in and around town, understanding the lay of the land and forming new, life-long friendships for you and your children! There can be challenges too, so this guide is being produced as a handy free resource for present and prospective residents–and will shortly be offered to New Castle and Chamber merchants next for sponsorships too!

Inside my New Castle will be chock full of relevant information to take advantage of as a year-round reference rounding up and highlighting programming here and near, in our town and in our schools, and so capturing “The Spirit of New Castle.”  The guide will be available online too post print publication via Town Halls’s site, www.mynewcastle.org and my own, www.theinsidepress.com.

A Key Feature:  “What New Castle Residents are Saying!”

I need your help for the guide too! I would really love to hear and include what you are thinking about your years living in New Castle.

Inside the guide, I hope to include different quotes from many of you too so that TOGETHER  we can help explain to any prospective resident why choosing New Castle to raise your family is the best decision you will ever make!   Please send your comments ASAP in confidence by June 15th to insidemynewcastle@gmail.com.

–Grace

*The guide’s launch has already been made possible due to generous merchant cover support, and via the generous sponsorships of area realtors who will be distributing thousands throughout the year to prospective residents too.

*Ad space limited to quarter page spots of $550 each. Ad size: 2.5″ W x 4.22″ H.
We will include every advertiser’s name, address, website and phone number in a separate directory. New Castle Merchants will be given a first opportunity to reserve.  Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce members will receive a 10% discount on their ad!

12,000 Printed Guides Planned!
For more information about advertising* in the upcoming guide, write to
insidemynewcastle@gmail.com

Inside my New Castle: Welcome to the Neighborhood!

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INSIDE-my-New-Castle-logo-onlyDear New Castle Neighbor,

After 12 years of faithfully publishing Inside Chappaqua and benefitting enormously from being an 18-year citizen of New Castle myself, I am engaging in a unique collaboration with the Town of New Castle.  Together with the fantastic cooperation of multiple departments in Town Hall , the Chappaqua Central School District, the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce and an array of other organizations from in and around town, I am thrilled to be managing a team of contributors who have been hard at work this spring producing pages for a quintessential welcome guide for families just moving into the neighborhood but useful for any one residing here already too!

I have always been dazzled by the vast array of programming available in the larger New Castle community, and heartened by the vote of confidence from so many corners as we create this exciting new resource.

It is such an exciting time when you first arrive–exploring offerings in and around town, understanding the lay of the land and forming new, life-long friendships for you and your children!  There can be challenges too, so this guide is being produced as a handy free resource for present and prospective residents–and will shortly be offered to New Castle and Chamber merchants next for sponsorships too!

Inside my New Castle  will be chock full of relevant information to take advantage of as a year-round reference rounding up and highlighting programming here and near, in our town and in our schools, and so capturing “The Spirit of New Castle.”  The guide will be available online too post print publication via Town Halls’s site, www.mynewcastle.org and my own, www.theinsidepress.com.

A Key Feature:  “What New Castle Residents are Saying!”

I need your help for the guide too!  I would really love to hear and include what you are thinking about your years living in New Castle.

Inside the guide, I hope to include different quotes from many of you too so that TOGETHER  we can help explain to any prospective resident why choosing New Castle to raise your family is the best decision you will ever make!   Please send your comments ASAP in confidence by May 20 to insidemynewcastle@gmail.com or “speak to me” openly on “Chappaqua Moms” where I will be asking too!

— Grace

*The guide’s launch has already been made possible due to generous merchant cover support, and via the generous sponsorships of area realtors who will be distributing thousands throughout the year to prospective residents too.

Connecting & Connections

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crocussesThe Armonk Chamber of Commerce* recently promoted an event about nurturing connections in business. That got me thinking about connections I routinely observe during my visits to and around the North Castle community. I witness a vibrant neighborhood with a great deal of activity in the downtown. In and around the beautiful Square are wonderful meeting points for anyone getting together for coffee or lunch, or after work, for dinner and/or a drink, for deepening friendship ties, or perhaps solidifying the marital bond!

A centrally located Supermarket builds connections too as shoppers see a neighbor they may have missed seeing and so, it’s a rare chance to say hello, and enjoy an old connection. The smaller gourmet shops beckon you to grab another opportunity to step out and say hello. I see customers happily engaged with shopkeepers in the new stores opening up and down Main Street, a sign of a robust economy–heartening.

I see real estate agents scurrying busily from their offices to their cars with prospective residents in their efforts to bring more happy homeowners here. These agents offer a window into the kind of future connections possible and unique to this area. I read about two wonderful bat mitzvah projects that create connections between people with big hearts and those who stand to benefit from them. And finally, I read too about the connections between first responders and the community at large. If I could toast Mother’s Day with you, it would be to life’s vital connections. They are truly everything.

*Consider attending a major community connection builder: the Chamber’s May 12th Citizen of the Year Award Ceremony–this year to the one and only Sam Morell.

A Social Media Whirl

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Print gets cozy with digital, and the rest is Inside Chappaqua history soon to be on Chappaqua Moms.
Print gets cozy with digital, and the rest is Inside Chappaqua history soon to be on Chappaqua Moms.

It’s said art mirrors life, and this edition of Inside Chappaqua is no exception. We turned our attention in a big way to Social Media, producing portraits of women actively engaged on Facebook, including the head of the powerful Chappaqua Moms group forum. I pulled myself off line to connect in person with Georgia Hobaica Frasch, a warm, virtual diplomat. I have followed Robin Murphy’s Chappaqua Moms Wholeshares page with the utmost fascination thinking: “I really must try that.” It’s very clear that social media will be a powerful tool for Cassie Ward in her new role at the New Castle Historical Society. So many businesses are partaking daily, including the colorful and engaging Varda Singer; Jennifer Leventhal shares Varda’s inspiring tale, while Melani Lust captures the regal beauty befitting the owner of this long time Chappaqua favorite for all that sparkles. Double kudos to Melani who also shot gorgeous Georgia! Finally, Janine Crowley Haynes muses about the lifeline that online sites and even silly quizzes provided her during this year’s long, hard winter.

Chappaqua’s Varda Singer, a portrait of pure elegance.
Chappaqua’s Varda Singer, a portrait of pure elegance.

Anyone “following me,” however, knows I have something of a love/hate relationship with online time. I still get nostalgic for days old and anxious about hours “lost,” sometimes in procrastinating! There’s no denying, however, these incredibly powerful tools for daily living. Still…my favorite moments, no question, and thankfully, remain off line–from the simplest meet with a friend for coffee or a walk to those precious times with my kids and family. I’ll continue to aim for a better “balance,” so that I fret less about it, and hope that everyone else does too. Happy Mother’s Day!