The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

celebration

Quaker Hill Tavern: Celebrating 10 Years!

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Story and Photo By Karen Talbot

quaker hill

Open every day for dinner, and Wednesday to Sunday for lunch, this casual family restaurant offers a place for individuals or families to meet, enjoy a good meal at a reasonable cost; regular patrons frequently come back again the same week. The owners and the staff take pride in knowing their guests and remembering their food and drink preferences.

A “10514 Burger” is very popular, served on grilled rye with Swiss cheese, sautéed pastrami, house made slaw and Russian dressing with a side of house French fries. Chili, soups and salads are also offered for lunch. Customers repeatedly order chicken wings in three flavor and size choices, fish tacos, seven burger choices and the N.Y. strip steak for dinner. Quaker Hill Tavern is not open for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but leading up to the Holidays, Erin will create a special cocktail and Erick will make a dessert that recognizes Holiday traditions. To celebrate their 10 years in business, and to support worthy causes, Quaker Hill has also designated 10 Mondays: “Monday Matters,” and donates 10% of their gross sales to a worthy charity.

61 N. Bedford Road, Chappaqua
914-238-6416
facebook.com/QuakerHillTavernChappaqua

Karen Talbot is a Westchester-based personal shopper and restaurant reviewer. The love of cooking runs in her family! Karen’s son Alex and his wife Aki Kamozawa started a food blog “Ideas in Food” in early 2000, and they have just opened “Curiosity Donuts” in the Stockton Market in Stockton, New Jersey.

Always a Most Wonderful Time of the Year At the New Castle Historical Society

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A previous Gold in Your Attic booth from a past Chappaqua Expo
A previous Gold in Your Attic booth from a past Chappaqua Expo

By Matt Smith

The holiday season is in full swing, and nowhere in town is that more evident than the New Castle Historical Society. You may have, earlier this month, already participated in the annual Tree Lighting ceremony, or sang with the community at Bell Middle School. You may have also created some old-fashioned crafts, or admired the festive Victorian decorations that adorned the Greeley House mantles. No matter which holiday activity you’ve chosen to indulge in, we’re sure you can agree: this is truly a magical time of year.

At the helm of all of the “holly jolly” festivities is NCHS Executive Director Cassie Ward, who took the reins of the organization from the now-retired Betsy Towl in February 2015. “I’m a trained public historian,” she says, of how she expresses herself through her work. “I absolutely love history and working with history. Whenever I can find different ways to connect people with history, whether it’s through a special event, through an education program, or maybe even through a research request, that gives me what I call” (and she beams as she says this) “history happy-chills,” which she explains to be her version of euphoria. In regards to taking on this new role at NCHS, Ward adds, “I feel like I’m following my bliss. [It] feels really good to share history.” And she’ll continue to do just that, with the slew of events NCHS has planned in the coming winter months.

To that end, if by chance you did miss any of the Historical Society’s cheery early-December offerings, you may be relieved to know that one event is still ongoing… and it’s sure to make your spirits bright: it’s the “Gold in Your Attic” Special Holiday Sale!

Run by Nancy Hurwitz and Fran Osborne, the sale is a “spin-off” of the booth regularly featured at the annual Chappaqua Expo. Community members can peruse a variety of holiday-related collectibles; among them, china, jewelry and silverware, to name a few. “They [also] have a lot of artwork, different pieces for the home [as well as] antiques [and] a lot of unique treasures,” comments Ward. “It should be a great sale.” ‘Gold in Your Attic’ continues at Greeley House through December 19th.

Tree lighting
Tree lighting

Another exciting upcoming event is the NCHS 50th Anniversary celebration, commemorating a half-century of “collecting and preserving New Castle history.” NCHS kicked off the year-long celebration with a party last month, which included a unique “Last Man Standing” cash raffle, wherein every ticket entered was pulled, with several revealing either a cash prize or an item donated by a local merchant. The grand prize–awarded to the “Last Man Standing,” as the title suggests–was worth up to $2,000. Proceeds from the evening went to financing the organization’s future programs. And yes, this November 14th bash has indeed already passed, but rest assured that many more events commemorating this momentous occasion, including a celebratory gala, will continue into the New Year and beyond. (Of note, NCHS will officially mark its milestone birthday in June 2016).

Ward remarked, too, that she appreciates these events because they elicit “a nice, jolly feeling” within the community; in “bringing everyone together,” they bolster the holiday spirit in town. As she and the other NCHS employees begin planning for the future, she hopes that their “exciting and innovative” new activities will continue to evoke that positivity year-round. “We will be expanding all of our programming (educational, historical services, community outreach, and special events–and hope that these programs will appeal to everyone–from children to parents and grandparents,” she says, of the plans for 2016. “All of the new programs will encourage the local community to interact with history in engaging and unique ways.”

And why is it so important that NCHS keep doing what they’re doing, and receiving community support? The answer is simple. “Sometimes, people will come [in] and they’ll tell me that they’ve never been [to NCHS] before,” Ward explains. “So, the more community activities we can provide and really get people involved with such a great cultural resource right in the center of their town, the better it is for us, and the better it is for the people of New Castle.”

The New Castle Historical Society & Greeley House is located at 100 King Street in Chappaqua. For more information on the organization, please visit www.newcastlehs.org.

 

Thanksgiving Traditions

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Volunteering, Shopping and Turkey OH MY!
By Heather Skolnick

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season for many. Thanksgiving triggers autumnal images of softly falling leaves and a feeling of chill in the air–a sure sign of what’s to come weather-wise. It signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season for those in retail with a daily countdown to Christmas. And for many, it evokes memories of meals and unique traditions that encircle the meal. These Thanksgiving traditions can be pretty wide and varied.

As a child, my Thanksgiving traditions were pretty straight forward–extended family came to eat. And eat we did. We enjoyed turkey with the standard carbohydrate-laden fixings, and enough desserts to satisfy the sweet tooth of a small nation. The meal was not complete until we all suffered from indigestion–all before 7 p.m. It was what we did before the meal that was different. Each year, my father and I awoke earlier than most on a holiday, put on sweats, and took a short drive to a neighboring town. We then participated in a local “Turkey Trot”–a five mile run in an attempt to help offset the meal we’d be eating a few hours later. That was our tradition.

My husband’s family didn’t believe in the “Turkey Trot”–instead, Thanksgiving was all about football. Neal, his brothers, cousins, dads and friends all got together to play a serious game of touch football. The colder, wetter and muddier it was outside, the better the game. While their game would end before dinner, the trash talking around that game could last an entire year. Area resident and brother Lyle said, “We would even keep track of records, from most touchdowns, consecutive games with a reception, best play, to worst mistake, and most times ‘giving in’!” Building on the football theme, after playing, they would all return home and begin watching the football games on TV before indulging in their meal.

Other Thanksgiving traditions abound as well. The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is, of course, available to one and all on TV. However, heading in to the city to watch it “live” is a popular tradition for some in our area. From seeing the balloons to watching the performers, the parade route is packed with onlookers of all ages.

Signaling the official start of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday shopping has long been a tradition for some. Amazing short-lived deals often abound on that day, with stores opening early and staying open late. Eager to squeeze an extra shopping day in before the holidays, shopping on Thursday evening has more recently become another (albeit, controversial) option. Many big-box retailers and shopping centers are now open for post-dinner shopping.

turkey paradeKatonah mom Samantha Holcman and her family spend their Thanksgiving doing a little bit of each of these things. They start celebrating at the Thanksgiving Parade. Samantha said, “It’s such an exciting, iconic way to spend the holiday and so easy for local New Yorkers…my kids love it and we love to watch the parade through their reactions.” Later, the Holcman family dines back in Westchester at one of our fabulous local restaurants, choosing a different restaurant each year. Lastly, Samantha’s husband Brad and his mother go shopping and scour stores for bargains, sometimes not returning until 10 a.m. the next day! Of shopping Thursday night, Samantha said, “For people that like a deal, it’s a unique and very fun experience.”

Volunteering is a wonderful way to enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving while enjoying some quality family time. One option is to spend part of the day together, helping to provide a meal for others. Neighbor’s Link coordinates a food drive in anticipation of the holiday. On the actual day, they provide a full Thanksgiving meal and a full bag of groceries to take home.

Armonk mom Abby Hollander will be doing just that. She, along with her family, will be serving Thanksgiving meals in coordination with local religious affiliates. Abby decided to begin volunteering on Thanksgiving because “I thought it was really important as my son turns five this December to expose him to those less fortunate and show him what he can do to help. “ She continued, “We want to teach him to appreciate and be thankful for what he has. We really want him to see how he can help make the world a better place.  It’s a tough concept to explain to such a young child so we hope by showing him and participating he will also feel proud that he helped even in a small way.”

The common theme threaded through all of these traditions can clearly be identified as spending quality time together as a family and/or with those who are most important to you. So whether you are a traditionalist in your Thanksgiving approach or not, let’s remember that Thanksgiving is about being surrounded by those who are important to you and appreciating the moment.

Heather Skolnick is a New Castle resident with her husband and three young children. They will be enjoying their Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family and food, with a little football mixed in.

Great End of Summer Day Trip Idea at Coney Art Walls

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Come Help Celebrate and Enjoy a Host of Community Day Festivities 

This Thursday, August 27th, come enjoy  Coney Art Wallls!  There will be a street dance performance by BattleFest League, an interactive juggling show, face painting,12 delicious Smorgasburg vendors open, and free admission to our highly buzzed about Art Walls. The forecast is clear skies and sunny, so this will be a perfect end of summer day trip. :-

Esther Miller Turns 100

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Article and Photos By Marianne A. Campolongo

What do Esther Miller and Bill Clinton have in common? They both live in Chappaqua and share a birthday, August 19, although Miller has a few years on the former president. She just turned 100.

Feted by over 100 friends and family at a party at the New Castle Senior Center the weekend before the big day and honored at a New Castle Town Board meeting where she was presented with a Proclamation from the Westchester County Board of Legislators announcing that August 19, 2015 is Esther Lopatin Miller Day in Westchester County, the spry centenarian enjoyed a busy time leading up to the big day.

Esther Miller
Esther Miller

Keeping busy is second nature to Miller. She plays bridge two or three times a week. “I love to commune with nature,” she said. She particularly enjoys bird-watching at the home she shares with her daughter Carol Glassman and son-in-law Morris, who built the many bird feeders and birdhouses that dot their property. On a recent visit, woodpeckers, cardinals, mourning doves, and sparrows were among the flock. “You have to appreciate the wonderful value these birds have to offer,” Miller said. She also enjoys relaxing by the fish pond at the Chappaqua home of her daughter and son-in-law, Roxanne and Ed Socolow.

A champion and captain of the tennis team at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut, Miller played tennis well into her 80’s. “I still love sports. I spend many hours watching tennis, golf, baseball, and basketball on television,” she said.

Miller raised her two daughters in New Haven, Connecticut and both women attended the same schools as their mother, just as Kevin, HGHS class of 2013 and Katie, HGHS 2016 have attended their father’s alma mater and grown up in the same town. Kevin has followed his grandmother’s footsteps too, teaching as well as playing tennis.

Family and friends came from around the county and around the country to help Esther Miller celebrate her 100th birthday.
Family and friends came from around the county and country to help Esther Miller celebrate her 100th birthday.

Miller was also an avid golfer throughout much of her life, taking up the game so she could play with her late husband, David, who was a champion amateur. The two won many tournaments together as well. She taught her grandsons the game and made many friends on the golf course after moving to town.

Miller moved to Chappaqua from New Haven in 1980. At first, she missed Connecticut, having lived in New Haven her entire life, but soon she fell in love with her new home. “It’s so beautiful here,” she said. Not long after her move, she made an indelible mark on the community when, at age 66, she rescued a gunshot victim.

On September 24, 1982, Rev. Bob Butler, pastor of the Bedford Community Church in Bedford Hills, was writing the final sentence of a sermon about his future being in God’s hands, when, Butler said, a stranger walked into the rectory and shot him three times, once in the head. Blinded and delirious, he managed to make his way out to the street just as Miller was driving home from a round of golf. A man flagged down her car, hustling Miller into the passenger seat before leaving her to drive Butler to Northern Westchester Hospital Center on her own. “I kept telling him, ‘I’m not going to let you die. You’re too young,’” Miller said she told the 34-year-old Butler.

“She was certainly a good Samaritan,” said Butler, “I owe my life to her.” Butler eventually recovered most of his sight, and the two became good friends, going to dinner each September 24 until Butler moved to a parish in the midwest.

Roughly a decade later, in 1991, Miller fulfilled a life-long dream and graduated from Mercy College with a degree in criminal justice. Age 75 at graduation, she is Mercy’s oldest alumna.

Much of her family lives nearby. In addition to her two daughters who live in Chappaqua, her grandson Brian Socolow, his wife Pam and great-grandchildren Kevin and Katie also live in New Castle. In all she has five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, “including a set of triplets” who live in nearby South Salem, and most of whom were on hand to help her celebrate the big day.

“What prolongs my life is the love I have of all the people I have known,” she said. She also credits her longevity to “good luck” and “living close to family,” adding, “finally, the good Lord has control.”

Marianne A. Campolongo is a freelance writer and photographer from Chappaqua, New York. Her website is www.campyphotos.com