New Castle Releases

A Jazz Era Picnic in the Park!

August 17, 2018 by The Inside Press

New Castle Historical Society in Chappaqua to Host a Jazz-Era Picnic in the Park:
Featuring NYC’s “Jazz-Age Lawn Party” Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra

The New Castle Historical Society has announced a Jazz-Era Picnic in the Park fundraiser at the Chappaqua Station lawn and circle on Sunday, September 16th, 2018. Slip on your dancing shoes and join the New Castle Historical Society for an evening of music and fun celebrating the Roaring 1920’s! The Chappaqua Station lawn will open to guests at 4 pm, and attendees are encouraged, but not required, to dress in their finest 1920s-inspired outfits, dresses, and sun hats.

The event will feature Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra, the world’s premiere Jazz-Age dance orchestra, under the canopy of trees in front of Chappaqua Station. Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra, well-known for their infectious and electrifying performances at the “Jazz Age Lawn Party” on NYC’s Governors Island, are sure to have guests dancing the night away and trying their hand at the Charleston or the Lindy Hop. As stated on the band’s website, “The Dreamland Orchestra’s mission is to mine the forgotten yet vital beauty of the past and bring it into the light of today — to be danced and romanced to by a new generation of flappers and sheiks.”

“I have had the good fortune to work with Michael Arenella over the past decade. I am excited to welcome Michael and his orchestra and all of the magic that surrounds it, to what we hope, will be the first of many collaborative years in support of the New Castle Historical Society,” said Event Chair Peter Chase. NCHS Executive Director Cassie Ward continued, “Guests will find this new event invigorating and memorable–it will truly be a special evening for our local and surrounding communities.” She continued, “Proceeds from this event, and others that we host throughout the year, help us to maintain the preservation of the Horace Greeley House museum, as well as to fund many of our educational and historical programs.”

Guests are invited to bring their own picnics, though some light fare and refreshments will be available for purchase (first come basis). Guests may also choose to pre-purchase picnic baskets from the Chappaqua Station Café and Store: www.chappaquastation.com.

Tickets for the Jazz-Era Picnic in the Park are required, and are $30 for NCHS members, $35 for not-yet-members, and $50 for event supporters. Table Sponsorships ($1,500-$5,000) are also available and they include: family-style gourmet picnics by Crabtree’s Kittle House, wine, commemorative Jazz-Era Picnic in the Park tote bags, and premium orchestra views. All ticket information is available on the historical society’s website at www.newcastlehs.org or on www.eventbrite.com.

For more information, please visit www.newcastlehs.org, call 914-238-4666, or email Cassie Ward at director@newcastlehs.org.

Event information provided by the Inside Press via a release from the New Castle Historical Society.

Hillary Clinton’s Call for Donations to Help Families at the Border

June 19, 2018 by Inside Press

Calls Border Abuse “Horrific” and States Sessions’ Biblical Reference “Contrary to Everything I was Every Taught”

Via Onward Together, Secretary Hillary Clinton sent the following urgent message this morning:

“What’s happening to families at the border right now is horrific: Nursing infants ripped away from their mothers. Parents told their toddlers are being taken to bathe or play, only to realize hours later that they aren’t coming back. Children incarcerated in warehouses and, according to more than one account, kept in cages. This is a moral and humanitarian crisis. Everyone of us who has ever held a child in their arms, and every human being with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged.

Even as I warned this could happen on the campaign trail–that Trump’s immigration policies would result in families being separated, parents being sent away from their children, people rounded up on trains and buses–I hoped it would never come to be. But now, as we watch with broken hearts, that’s exactly what’s happening.

We can be heartbroken, but we shouldn’t be hopeless. There’s something you can do to help.

Today, I’m asking you to take a stand on behalf of immigrant families by making a direct donation to the groups working to protect kids separated from their families by ICE.

The test of any nation is how we treat the most vulnerable among us. First Lady Laura Bush made that case eloquently in the Washington Post this weekend, writing: “This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.” She’s absolutely right. We should be a better country than one that tears families apart, turns a blind eye to women fleeing domestic violence, and treats frightened children as a means to a political end.

Meanwhile, Jeff Sessions is trying to use the Bible to justify this cruelty. Let me say this: I went to a lot of years of Sunday school and even taught it from time to time, and what is being done using the name of religion is contrary to everything I was ever taught.

I still believe in the vision we share for our country, and I won’t let scared children become victims of partisan politics. Alongside the organizations that Onward Together partners with, we can and will elect politicians and enact legislation to protect the most vulnerable among us — but first, we have to address the urgent needs of families at the center of this crisis.

Make a contribution today, and your donation will go directly to the groups doing this work right now:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/families-border?refcode=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=onward&utm_content=3+-+Donate+now&utm_campaign=20180618_hrc_full&source=20180618_hrc_full

A Look Back at a Conversation Between Cecile Richards and Hillary Clinton

May 29, 2018 by Inside Press

May 22, 2018, Chappaqua, NY–Cecile Richards and Hillary Rodham Clinton walked onto the stage at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center to a standing ovation. Over the course of 75 minutes, a vocal, enthusiastic audience frequently broke into applause throughout the packed house.

When Clinton welcomed Richards to Chappaqua, the activist responded with a welcome compliment: “I love it here, now I know why you live here!”

The conversation included Richards’ book Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead and a range of other topics; politics, especially women’s activism, fair wages, immigration, Richards’ work with Planned Parenthood and more personal subjects such as her mother, Ann Richards, her husband, Kirk Adams and their three children. Richards also shared tips for the best pie crust and what to eat for breakfast on the road.

Hosted by the Chappaqua Library, this event was made possible through the collaboration of many organizations: New Castle Community Media Center, the Town of New Castle, the New Castle Police Department, Scattered Books, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, and of course Hillary Rodham Clinton, Cecile Richards and the team from Touchstone Books.

Release and Photo courtesy of The Chappaqua Library

New Castle’s Food Scrap Recycling Program Launches May 29th

May 25, 2018 by Inside Press

May 29 is National Learn About Composting Day!

Food waste is one of the largest components of trash sent to landfills and incinerators and composting provides a beneficial alternative. What exactly is compost? It’s science! Compost is the nutrient rich result of the natural decomposition of organic matter. Compost can be made from kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, newspapers, lawn clippings, leaves…almost any food or plant product. The high nutrient content in compost improves soil quality and stability and reduces soil disease-–some of the many reasons compost is also known as “black gold”.

On March 12, 2018, the New Castle Town Board unanimously authorized a food scrap recycling program that will enable more residents to participate in the composting process. Residents can reduce garbage waste and air pollution as well as recycle food waste not suitable for backyard composting (like bones, shells, meat, napkins, paper towels). The Town’s “scraps” are brought to a compost facility and turned into soil. New Castle is launching its food scrap recycling program on Tuesday May 29, in honor of National Learn About Composting Day! Recycling kits (required for participation in the program) will be available for purchase outside Starbucks in downtown Chappaqua and outside DeCicco & Son’s in Millwood between 9am-1pm. The Kit price is $25 and includes a kitchen collection bin, a locking transportation bin (to transport scraps to the New Castle Recycling Center), and compostable bags. After May 29^th, kits will be available at the New Castle Recycling Center and at announced town events like the Chappaqua Farmers Market, Town Board Meetings, etc. For more information about the program, see the New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) website: newcastlesab.org/food-scrap-recycling

We all want to do our part to conserve natural resources and reduce our carbon footprint. Composting supports the three R’s of waste prevention: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Compost is an environmentally safe fertilizer and an effective alternative to using commercial chemical fertilizers and mulch that are expensive and add toxins to our ground water. Compost helps make your garden safe and hospital for pollinators and other wildlife vital to protecting our ecosystem. New Castle is proud to join the growing number of nearby towns including Bedford, Greenburgh, and Scarsdale, in implementing a food scrap recycling program. For questions about New Castle’s food scrap recycling program, please e-mail Composting@MyNewCastle.org