A poem written by Nancy Huehnergarth and shared with about 175 attendees celebrating with Grace on March 14 at Crabtree’s Kittle House.
New Castle is small
Just a spit of a place
But larger than life
Is one resident named Grace
She had a great vision
For a town magazine
So she launched Inside Chappaqua
And became our news queen
Soon the residents noticed
That amidst their junk mail
Was an upstart new journal
That told quite a tale
Who’d have thought that so many
From Green Lane to Whipporwill
Had such interesting stories
And they weren’t Bill or Hill
Grace canvassed New Castle
And the town’s cul-de-sacs
She broke trailblazing stories
Like the best place to wax
Her in-depth interviews
With notable residents
Reminded town citizens
We boast more than Presidents
As a loyal town booster
She embodied “Shop Local”
To support her advertisers
She became very vocal
Soon her friends were afraid
To go shop at the malls
Cause if Grace learned you went
She would roll her eyeballs
Before IC was started
If you wanted town news
You could hear it from friends
But it was colored by their views
To have a real magazine
Covering the good and the solemn
Is a blessing for Chappaqua
As is Grace’s monthly column
After 10 years in Chappaqua
Covering every good story
Grace is famous in town
And enjoys all the glory
But fame has its price
Lack of privacy’s loony
Grace would have to move to Rye
If she dated George Clooney
Speaking of celebrities
We all were agape
When Grace traveled to Africa
With the Secretary of State
But she almost didn’t make it
This chronic overachiever
When she passed out stone cold
From her shot for Yellow Fever
The journalists she traveled with
Had superior gloats
But a few days into Africa
They asked Grace for her notes!
Inside Chappaqua’s journey
Into the hyper-local scene
Is a lesson in tenacity
And how to start a magazine
Since IC was launched
And began to ascend
Local journals have proliferated
But Grace started the trend!
Grace, we all want to thank you
For thinking outside the box
You’re the best thing in New Castle
Inside Chappaqua rocks!
