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New Castle News

Chappaqua Students Participate in Katonah Museum of Art Young Artist Exhibition

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The opening of the Katonah Museum of Art’s annual Young Artist Exhibition drew a crowd of over 800 to the Museum on Sunday afternoon. The exhibition represents student artwork from 38 public and private high schools in the area. The work includes clay and welded sculpture, watercolor and oil paintings, drawings, photography as well as digital mixed media. The students also were responsible for organizing and hanging the exhibition which will be on view through Sunday, March 11, 2012. Also on view in the Project Gallery and Learning Center through March 11 is Younger Artists 2012 representing the work of children from area elementary schools.

The Katonah Museum of Art is located at 134 Jay Street/Route 22 in Katonah. For more information and hours call (914) 232-9555, ext. 0 or visit www.katonahmuseum.org.

Tom Chapin’s Birthday Concert “Enough For Everyone” featuring Chappaqua’s own Jon Cobert on piano.

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Three-time Grammy winner Tom Chapin celebrates his birthday with a Family Concert in his Hudson Valley back yard Saturday, March 10, 2012.  But with Tom Chapin, it’s all about kids, and about giving back.  He is asking audience members to bring non-perishable food to donate to the Food Bank for Westchester.

In addition to his classic award-winning songs with funny lyrics, catchy tunes, and great sing-alongs about family, friends, food and the environment, special activities make Tom’s Birthday show a memorable event:

Kids are invited to come early and make a birthday card for Tom – we provide the supplies – they supply the creativity. During the show they parade to the stage to hand Tom the card that they made him, while everyone sings Tom’s own version of the birthday song.

The Valley Cottage Elementary School Chorus will join Tom onstage.  They provided the vocals on his latest CD, “Give PEAS A Chance,” winner of a 2011 Parents’ Choice Gold Award.

Our food drive for the Food Bank for Westchester empowers the kids to help, learn about food and nutrition, and take away an important lesson in giving.

After the show, families are invited to stay and share some birthday cake with Tom and the band.  Tom’s band features Chappaqua resident Jon Cobert (5 time Grammy nominee and writer of TV’s “Baseball Tonight” theme) and Rockland Co resident Michael Mark (5 time Grammy nominee and writer of TV’s “Entertainment Tonight” theme).

In a career that spans five decades, 22 albums and three Grammy awards, Renaissance man Tom Chapin has covered an incredible amount of creative ground.  In addition to his work as a recording artist and concert performer, Chapin has acted on Broadway, as well as working extensively in television, radio and films.

Best known as a music-maker, Chapin has maintained two long and productive parallel careers, both as a respected contemporary folk artist and as a pioneer in the field of children’s music.  In the latter role, he continues to engage the hearts, minds and imaginations of young listeners with witty, life-affirming original songs delivered in a sophisticated array of musical styles.

In addition to his musical and media endeavors, Chapin is a tireless advocate on behalf of a variety of charitable organizations.  He is on the Board of Directors of WhyHunger, a hunger organization founded (as World Hunger Year) in 1975 by Harry Chapin.  He remains active in a variety of environmental causes, as well as efforts on behalf of music and the arts in our public schools.

Saturday, March 10, 2012 – 1:00 PM Family Show
Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street, Tarrytown, NY
Tickets $20, $30 available online at http://www.tarrytownmusichall.org
Info (914) 631-3390; TicketForce (877) 840-0457

Cvac To Hold Open House For Youth Corps Recruiting and Additional CPR Training Course

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Two Youth Corps Open Houses set: Tuesday, March 13, and Tuesday March 20th between 7-8PM

CPR Training set for Sunday March 18, from 10-12 noon

YOUTH CORPS OPEN HOUSE INFORMATION: Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps will hold two open houses for Youth Corps recruiting. Interested students must turn 16-years old by the fall of 2012.  The informative, casual event will be held Tuesday, March 13 and Tuesday, March 20th between 7-8 PM. All interested youth must have a guardian or parent in attendance.

“At CVAC, we are really proud of our Youth Corps and how much they learn and grow during their time with us,” said Brendan Dymes, Youth Corps leader. “The kids get really motivated by their responsibilities and feel a great sense of pride in helping out their community – it’s truly a win win.”

In addition to becoming full-riding members, the Youth Corps is involved in inventory checks, re-stocking, and vehicle operation checks amongst other things.

 For more information or to download an application, visit www.chappaquaambulance.org. Interested students are encouraged to attend one of the open houses. The application deadline is April 1, 2012. Space is limited.

CPR TRAINING INFORMATION: Due to an overwhelming response, CVAC will hold an additional Community-Wide American Heart Association “Family and Friends” CPR Course. Training is open to all New Castle residents.

This is “hands only” adult CPR, child CPR with breaths, and infant CPR. Relief of choking in adult, child and infant is taught as well. The course is video based, and includes hands-on exercises with instructor guidance. It is for those who wish to learn CPR skills but do not need a course completion card for their job or organization.
Sunday, March 18, 2012 from 10:00-12:00 Noon. The course runs approximately two hours. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing, as you will be bending and kneeling during the practical exercises

WHERE: CVAC Headquarters at 233 N. Greeley Ave, Chappaqua.
COST: A $5 materials fee.

For more information call 238-3191 or visit www.chappaquaambulance.org

To reserve a spot email cvaccpr@gmail.com

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week Offers Diners a Wide Selection of Great Places To Eat

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The Culinary Institute of America was bustling with activity on February 28 as chefs, restaurateurs, farmers and producers gathered there to kick off Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, which begins March 18 -31.

Over 200 restaurants in seven counties in the region are preparing special menus to feature the bounty of the Valley; heirloom fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheeses, wines, fish, fowl and meat and even maple syrup.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is the Hudson Valley’s largest and most successful culinary event, and will offer three-course prix-fixe dinners at $29.95, and three-course lunches at $20.95 during the two-week event.

For more information visit www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com.

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, the Hudson Valley’s largest and most successful culinary event, returns to cities, towns and villages throughout the region this year from March 18-31. The list of more than 200 participating restaurants is on the event website (www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com) and reservations are open. Participating restaurants in seven counties (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia) will offer three-course prix-fixe dinners at $29.95, and three-course lunches at $20.95 during the two-week event.

Now in its sixth year, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week demonstrates why the Hudson Valley has become one of America’s most talked about culinary destinations, says Janet Crawshaw, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week organizer and publisher of The Va lley Table magazine, www.valleytable.com. “The Hudson Valley has long been a vibrant agricultural region,” Crawshaw says. “Now, in addition to our farms, we are home to the country’s foremost cooking school, celebrated artisanal cheese makers, world-class wineries and distilleries, and some of the top chefs in America.”

Because agriculture is still the Hudson Valley’s biggest industry, the use of locally-produced ingredients on Restaurant Week menus is key to the event’s popularity. In fact, the farm-to-table movement — a long tradition among Hudson Valley chefs — is becoming a national culinary trend, according to the National Restaurant Association, which recently named locally-sourced-ingredients as the hottest restaurant food trend in 2012.

“Sustainable, local cuisine is more than a trend here,” Crawshaw adds. “Hudson Valley chefs find inspiration and amazing ingredients in the surrounding farms, and they go all out to use local products on their menus–from v enison, duck and heritage pork to artisanal cheeses, wines. There’s so much to use, even in winter.”

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week includes two full weekends, making it even more tantalizing for those looking for a tasty getaway. Many Hudson Valley hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts are offering special Restaurant Week rates, so adventurous foodies can spend a weekend or longer sampling menus at some of the finest restaurants in the region while treating themselves to mini-vacations.

Another exciting development for the event is involvement by the Culinary Institute of America. Tim Ryan, President of the CIA, now co-chairs the Advisory Board of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, along with Peter Kelly of the renowned Xaviars Restaurant Group. “We are delighted to be partnering with the Culinary Institute of America on building Hudson Valley Restaurant Week,” Crawshaw says. “Many of our participating chefs are CIA graduates who have chosen to remain in the Valley and cont ribute their skills and imagination to our ever-expanding food scene.”

Hudson Valley Restaurant Week is presented by The Valley Table in partnership with Dutchess County Tourism and Westchester County Tourism. M&T Bank is the Official Bank and Credit Card Sponsor. Major sponsors are WHUD Radio, The Gold Standard, The Culinary Institute of America, Hudson Valley Bounty, Crown Maple, Millbrook Vineyards and Winery and The Journal News.

For more information and a full list of participating restaurants, go to
www.hudsonvalleyrestaurantweek.com.

The Proliferation of Generators

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Hauling out sleeping bags, scouring the area for a place to charge cell phones, scrambling to find a place to store perishables.  Residents of the town of New Castle were preoccupied with these activities after Hurricane Irene and the pre-Halloween storm on October 30.  With each passing deluge, an increasing number of people are proceeding from the hypothetical discussion of whether to install a generator to actually plunking down the requisite funds.  The prevailing sentiment among those who are regularly tethered to the internet and those who have tossed a freezer full of savory items is that a generator is a necessity.

According to Building inspector Bill Maskiell, the number of installations is growing exponentially.  “After the snowstorm in October we were inundated with generator permit applications,” he said.  The town has endeavored to turn around applications within a two week time period in order to facilitate installation of generators during the period when the ground is not frozen.  In the past few months, a minimum of 250 permits have been issued by the town.  On a recent temperate day in February, Maskiell had approximately eight permits awaiting his review.  Demand has slowed down over the past few weeks.  Prior to that time, the number of applications for permits ranged from five to ten a day.

The average size of generators being installed in town is between 10 and 14 watts.  Although some installations are only designed to provide power for heat and refrigeration, Maskiell finds that these are not the norm.  “For the most part people are putting in the size they need to take care of the whole house,” he observed.

The process of applying for a permit is relatively straightforward.  Applicants are required to submit the name of their contractors and the proposed location.  Setback compliance is closely monitored.  For a one acre property, the setbacks are at least 60 feet in the front, 50 in the rear and 35 on the sides.