By Faith Ann Butcher
• Teatown Lake Reservation,
teatown.org
As the layer of ice melts off the top of the lake, Teatown Lake Reservation is the place to be to see nature spring into action. Located three miles west of Taconic State Parkway’s Route 134 exit, the reservation, which extends into the towns of Cortlandt, New Castle and Yorktown, offers guided programs where people can learn about animals and vegetation that are native to the region’s habitat. There are also 15 miles of hiking trails.
• Stone Barns Center,
stonebarnscenter.org
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills operates an 80-acre, four-season farm that is open to the public year-round. The center, located at 630 Bedford Road, offers farm tours, hands-on programs and cooking classes for a wide range of audiences including families, adults, chefs and farmers.
• Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial,
parks.westchester.gov
Lasdon Park, Arboretum and Veterans Memorial, located on Route 35 in Somers, is a sprawling 234-acre property, owned by Westchester County, which features flower and shrub specimens from all over the world. Overlooking the sights of the Muscoot River, there are four memorials and a museum that honor all Westchester servicemen and women who have served their country in various branches of the military.
• Fort Hill Players,
forthillplayers.com
In March, Westchester’s longest running theater company, the Fort Hill Players, will take a swing at the play “National Pastime” at the Rochambeau School, 228 Fisher Avenue, in White Plains. Take a trip back to the 1930s with this screwball light-hearted comedy by Tony Sportiello.
Watch a small town radio station as it broadcasts the success of the greatest baseball team of all time. Can a team that good possibly be real? Performances run March 15, 16, 17, 23 and 24. Tickets range from $8-$17.
• The Performing Arts Center,
artscenter.org
The Performing Arts Center at SUNY Purchase College offers a broad range of performances, from classic and traditional showcases to contemporary and innovative theatrics that engage and entertain audiences through music, dance and theater. In March the drama department will perform Euripedes’ tragedy “Trojan Women.” Then the Purchase College Conservatory of Music presents the opera “Cendrillon.” The Westchester Philharmonic will take the stage of the concert hall in April.
• The Neuberg Museum of Art,
neuberger.org
The Neuberg Museum of Art, located on the campus of SUNY Purchase College, has a grand selection of contemporary art in its permanent and rotating exhibits. The museum also hosts Westchester’s largest collection of African art. This spring view the American modernism exhibit “American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, De Kooning, and Their Circle, 1927–1942,” and the multimedia showcase “Visonary Sugar: Works by KiKi Smith,” which includes gilded sculpture, drawings on Nepal paper and tapestry designs.
• Katonah Art Museum,
katonahmuseum.org
Every time one visits the Katonah Art Museum, on Route 22 on Katonah, it is a new adventure. The museum has a rotating door of exhibits and no permanent collections, so even frequent guests can be inspired by a constant influx of new work. This spring the museum will feature its Young Artists 2012 and Make Your Mark showcases, as well as a collection of images representing the Chinese lifestyle taken by native photographers, titled “Rising Dragon: Contemporary Chinese Photography.”
• Hudson River Museum/Andrus Planetarium, hrm.org
The Hudson River Museum in Yonkers is the only place in Westchester where one can reach for the stars or travel back in time. The museum, located on Warburton Avenue, is a potpourri of culture, history and science that relates to Westchester, the Hudson Valley and beyond. Walk the banks of the Hudson River, view the period rooms that were recreated in the late John Bond Trevor family mansion or be amazed at the finest detail found in Nybelwyck Hall, a 24-room dollhouse. Or learn about the night skies and the outer limits of the galaxy, in the Andrus Planetarium.
• Tarrytown Music Hall,
tarrytownmusichall.org
The acoustics in the 843-seat music hall are incredible. The oldest theater in Westchester, which is also listed on the National Register for Historic Places, hosts an array of music and comedic performances throughout the year. Located on Main Street in downtown Tarrytown, this spring you can hear the sounds of the Psychedelic Furs, Joan Osborn or Greg Lake; bop to doo-wop or laugh at comedians Louie Anderson and Brian Regan.
• The Jacob Burns Film Center – burnsfilmcenter.org
In a world full of multiplexes that are all about pushing the mainstream onto as many screens as possible, the independent film house is a breath of fresh air for those who love independent, documentary or vintage films. The Pleasantville film center, located at the former Rome Theater on Manville Road, hosts two film series in the spring, the Frameworks:
Art on Film series (March-April) and the annual Westchester Jewish Film Festival (April 11-May 1).
Faith Ann Butcher is the editor-in-chief of The Northern Westchester Examiner.
