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Chappaqua, What Changes in 15 Years!

March 8, 2018 by Amy Kelley

It has been 15 years since Inside Chappaqua launched … so much has happened and so much has changed, even as Chappaqua remains in many ways the same: great schools, a reasonable commute and a community that’s strong and caring. It isn’t easy to compile a list of fifteen items for fifteen years and a lot of great events and strides forward go unmentioned. But here’s a sampling of some of what’s made news in Chappaqua over the last decade and a half.

1. Seven Bridges Middle School opens, 2003. It seems like a long time ago now, and many town residents didn’t even live here yet when it happened – but what a big deal it was when Seven Bridges opened! Built at a cost of $32.5 million, Seven Bridges has since housed half of the district’s fifth-through-eighth graders and all of the children who attended those first years are now post-college age. Prior to the opening of Seven Bridges, fifth graders attended the elementary schools.

2. Chappaqua schools embrace full-day kindergarten, 2003. After years of discussion, Chappaqua’s kindergarteners started attending school for a full day, just like the bigger kids. Some parents rejoiced, others lamented that the school day was too long for little ones.

3. Chappaqua resident Hillary Clinton is re-elected to the Senate, 2006. Senator, Secretary of State, neighbor and valued community member; and so many in Chappaqua fervently wish her upward trajectory hadn’t stopped there. But who knows what the future holds? More from both Clintons, no doubt, and many in town were gratified when the pair solidified their roots by purchasing the property next door in 2016. Photo by Marianne Campolongo

4. Glass wall added to front of library, entrance re-configured, 2006-7. A bond vote to fund this project went down in the 90s so the library took the long view and started saving, library director Pamela Thornton said. Those who enjoy the bright and airy periodicals section in particular look back with gratitude.

5. Our Family of Readers statue comes to Chappaqua Library, 2010. It’s a terrific addition to a public space and perfect at sending a favored message of libraries: reading is for everyone. Created by sculptor Penelope Jencks, the sculpture was installed at Reader’s Digest headquarters in 1993 and presented to the library when the company left Chappaqua for Manhattan, Thornton said.

6. Chappaqua Farmer’s Market opens outside, 2011. Located at the train station, the Chappaqua Farmer’s Market keeps growing, while offering free and easy parking. “Every year we’re amazed we can fit more vendors…and more customers keep coming,” Pacale Le Draoulec, the market’s director, said. Le Draoulec and the market’s board keep considering the best way to grow. “We curate the market very closely,” she said. “ We want to be a farmer’s market first and foremost.” That means more fruits and vegetables than prepared foods. During the colder months, the market has first-Saturday pop-ups at the First Congregational Church. When the market reopens outside again in May with a return to the train station, Le Draoulec aims to “bring in more organic.” And of course, the weekly entertainment and the community-like atmosphere make this the place to be on Saturday mornings.

7. Chappaqua Community Garden opens, 2012. A space to grow at 233 N. Greeley Ave., this garden has “about 20 plots in the middle of town,” according to the website of Intergenerate, the organization that manages it. This year, expect to see black-eyed Susans, cosmos and more blooming in the pollinator garden outside the gate, Suzi Novak, the garden’s coordinator and Intergenerate board member, said. While there’s a short waiting list for spots in the Chappaqua garden, at press time there was plenty of room at the new community garden slated to open this spring on the site of the old Millwood Swim Club on Route 100, Novak said

8. Strawberry Festival reaches 75th year, 2012. And it made it to the 80th too–with no end in sight, this beloved event is low-key and lovely. Strawberry shortcake is never outdated.

9. New Castle Town board releases RFP (request for proposals) for downtown revitalization project, 2013. The downtown is being totally redone now and there’ll be a plaque to commemorate the project right outside–where else? Horace Greeley House. The construction project, called Streetscape, will improve roads, sidewalks, public spaces and infrastructure as well as beautify with new street lamps and plants, as reported by The Inside Press last August. Downtown shoppers will be glad when the project’s completed which is scheduled for October of this year.
10. Take It Or Leave It Shed re-opens behind the Shell station, 2014. Town historian Gray Williams said the move was a great one, causing a lot more use.

11. Habitat for Humanity project kicks off with a meeting at the library, 2015. Soon a former Quaker meeting house will boast two three-bedroom condos. Local architect Bill Spade, as reported previously by The Inside Press, said the style will “match the original structure.” One senses the Quakers would have heartily approved.

12. Chappaqua passes 42.5 million dollar bond vote for schools improvements, 2016. It was a big bond that passed handily and the improvements will be many, including various improvements to aging infrastructure, global learning centers at the high school and all elementary schools, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) centers at the middle and high schools and more.

13. Chappaqua Crossing breaks ground, 2016. Hardly anyone in Chappaqua is unaware of the decades-long battle? struggle? negotiations? that preceded the current work transforming the old Reader’s Digest buildings into a mix of retail, residential and office spaces. Layoffs at Reader’s Digest impacted the community and when the offices moved to Manhattan, a beloved institution was missed by many.

14. New turf field and renovated track opens at Horace Greeley High School with a community celebration including obstacle courses, face painting, and a varsity football game on Sept. 8, 2017. Schools superintendent Christine Ackerman told the crowd at the celebration, “We are so fortunate to live in a community that supports our students in so many ways.” These were some of the projects funded by the bond approved in 2016.

15. Opening Night at Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, Sept. 28, 2017. The former Wallace Auditorium on the Reader’s Digest property opens as a community-owned theater space with 425 seats. This spring, Chappaqua residents and other lovers of culture and the arts can see Ricky Lee Jones, the Chappaqua Orchestra and more.

Meet Chappaqua’s Very Own Comedy Kids

August 30, 2017 by Stacey Pfeffer

Mini Crusaders Fighting Cancer One Joke at a Time

It all started during a rainy day recess at Roaring Brook Elementary School last year. Max Chwatko and Alex Travin, two third grade classmates were looking for a way to entertain themselves and at the same time help Scarlett, Max’s younger sister who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. The enterprising duo blessed with comedic talent and a dose of creativity set up a sign in the back of the classroom and wrote “Jokes for Scarlett” on it.

In the beginning they told free jokes but eventually decided to charge for them. Alex humbly noted that “the jokes weren’t that good” but they had managed to secure an eager audience of other third graders and word quickly spread about their venture. The next day when they were stuck inside again for rainy recess, other third graders began bringing in their allowance money in order to hear a funny joke from these mini comedians and help out Scarlett.

The Comedy Kids on the set of Saturday Night Live Photos By Alonna Travin

The boys were encouraged by the generosity of their classmates and wanted all of the joke funds to go directly to pediatric brain cancer research. They also wanted to expand their audience beyond the students of Roaring Brook and started to tell people that they would set up a booth at the Chappaqua Farmer’s Market.

Initially the boys kept their project a secret from their parents. But word spreads quickly in this small town and people started asking Max’s mom, Robin, when her son would be at the farmer’s market telling jokes. “I had no idea what they were talking about.”

Once their moms heard about their son’s altruistic intentions, they pitched in to turn the comedic duo’s dream into a reality. First they set up a meeting to rename the project. Westchester Jesters and Two Stooges were in the running but eventually they decided on the moniker Comedy Kids.

Next the moms, Robin Chwatko and Alonna Travin, worked on securing a spot at the Farmers Market and developing a website www.comedykids.org. The boys began to put posters up around town and tell all their friends about their upcoming appearance. They also told jokes each morning during their school’s morning announcements to remind their schoolmates to come out and support the cause.

Humor Helps in the Classroom and in the Hospital

Humor played a very special role in their third grade classroom even prior to the establishment of Comedy Kids. While most third grade classroom jobs are a bit mundane (e.g., line leader, attendance), their teacher, Mr. David Forsberg, created one of the most coveted jobs–classroom joke teller. Each day during morning meeting, a student gets to pick a joke out of a joke box and tell it to their classmates. It’s no secret that humor can help break up the monotony of a school day and provide a sense of levity to the classroom.

Humor also helped Max when his sister was undergoing treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. His mom would place jokes inside his lunch box to help cheer him up and the nurses outside of Scarlett’s room created a joke box so that they could lift her spirits too when she was in isolation while undergoing treatment. “My grandpa is also a very funny guy,” notes Max. Alex and Max create many of their jokes but Max admits that “some are from joke books or the Internet.”

“I’m proud that we are inspiring people and raising money to do experiments that find a cure. It would be great if scientists could find a pill instead of people doing radiation,” noted Max.

The Comedy Kids meet comedian Jimmy Fallon

Farmers Market Event Raises Profile of Comedy Kids

Last November, the duo set up shop at the Farmers Market. In exchange for a joke, each person who came to their booth was asked to make a donation. The average donation that day was $20 and select visitors even got a pair of Groucho Marx glasses. News 12 Westchester came and shot a segment on them and the duo received thousands of dollars of donations via their website from friends and family around the country with all the funds going to pediatric brain cancer research.

The News 12 segment helped the Comedy Kids become Helping Others Persevere and Excel (HOPE) Week honorees. HOPE Week is an annual program run by the New York Yankees that celebrates individuals, families, or organizations worthy of support. A PR representative from the NY Yankees happened to watch the segment and asked them to be HOPE Week honorees. As part of HOPE Week, the NY Yankees donated $10,000 to pediatric brain cancer research this past May. To date, Comedy Kids has raised more than $33,000 with funds going to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund and A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure.

Max Chwatko (L) and Alex Travin (R) tell jokes at the Chappaqua Farmers Market

Surprises in Store for the Comedy Kids

While the boys had kept their “Jokes for Scarlett” project under wraps from their parents, this time it was Max and Alex’s parents turn to keep what being a HOPE Week honoree entailed and the surprises that were in store for them.

A car service came to pick up the boys in Chappaqua along with their families on May 24th. The only thing that the boys were told was that they were HOPE Week honorees and would get to attend the Yankees game that night but what ensued was a whirlwind day of activities full of fun adventures.

The boys were invited to the sets of Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. On the Saturday Night Live set, the boys had the chance to meet several Yankee players and exchange jokes. “Aaron Judge is really tall and funny,” quips Alex. After a joke swap, the boys ate lunch with the Yankees and their families.

Next up, the boys were whisked away to meet Jimmy Fallon and share jokes with him. They got to sit in his chair, tell jokes on stage and give Fallon bunny ears. “There is a secret door right by Jimmy Fallon’s desk and that’s what he comes out of and it looks just like the wall,” reveals Alex.

Their final stop was Yankee Stadium where they got VIP treatment including watching batting practice, sitting in the dugout and receiving autographed baseballs. That night the boys were honored with throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. “Not a lot of people get to throw the first pitch at the Yankees game. Not even all of the presidents have done it,” exclaimed Alex. The day culminated with a Yankees victory and the Comedy Kids getting to high-five the team. It was a dream come true for these baseball-loving boys. “They repeatedly said it was amazing and awesome. The next day, they had a hero’s welcome at school,” said Robin, Max’s mother.

“I was impressed by the ingenuity and selflessness of Max Chwatko and Alex Travin. These young boys did not create Comedy Kids to be noticed, they created Comedy Kids because they genuinely wanted to do something meaningful to help Max’s sister. Their compassion, generosity of spirit, and philanthropic efforts are a model for others to emulate,” noted former Roaring Brook Principal Amy Fishkin.

Echoing Fishkin’s remarks, Alex’s mom Alonna Travin expressed her desire to “raise good people who care about others and the world and want to make a difference even if it’s big or small. Starting Comedy Kids and helping understand what it is doing to raise money for important cancer research, I’m kvelling (Yiddish for bursting with pride). Not only has he listened to the things that my husband David and I have taught him about being a good person but he’s actually figured out as a 9-year-old boy a way that he can carry this out.”

Next Up for the Comedy Kids

The Comedy Kids are now encouraging other children across the country to raise funds for causes they believe in even if they aren’t related to childhood cancer. On their website, children can receive a free kit which includes joke cards, two T-shirts and Groucho Marx glasses. They also provide suggestions on how to coordinate a successful event, spread the word and secure media coverage. They’ve already received orders from New Jersey, Texas and Hawaii.

This past summer the Comedy Kids werealso busy planning a fundraising event at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. While the event is still in the preliminary stages, they hope to secure Boston-area comedians and continue to raise funds for pediatric brain cancer.

“Every fundraiser, big or small, has a crucial impact on funding cancer research and patient care. It’s amazing that these two young boys have dedicated so much time, energy, zest, and humor to helping cure cancer at such a young age,” commented Katherine Bahrawy, the Development Officer of Special Events at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund.

Surmising on career aspirations, the duo is unsure if they want to actually become comedians. But for now, they just like to make people laugh and raise funds. As Alex reminds us all: “Laughter really is the best medicine.”

Jokes Galore: A Sampling of Favorites from the Comedy Kids

Q: Why did the water jump into the river?
A: He wanted to be a watermelon.

Q: Why are baseball players so rich?
A: Because they play on diamonds.

Q: How do you make a hot dog stand?
A: Take away its chair.

Q: Why do gorillas have big nostrils?
A: They have big fingers.

Q: What do you call a mean cow?
A: Beef jerky!

Comedic Inspirations:
Max: Monty Python, Peter Sellars, Jimmy Fallon, Jerry Seinfeld and his grandfather
Alex: Ellen, Jimmy Fallon, Tim Conway and Nick Krol

Inch by Inch “Kid Foodie’s” Memories of the Farmers Market

June 3, 2017 by Amanda Cronin

Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow/ Gonna hoe it deep and low, gonna make this fertile ground/ Inch by inch, row by row, please bless these seeds I sow/ Please keep them safe below ‘til the rain comes tumbling down.

We sang this song sitting “criss-cross applesauce” in the Roaring Brook Elementary School gym at our monthly assemblies.

I can clearly remember our music teacher Mr. Dupont patiently teaching us the lyrics and hand motions to this classic Pete Seeger song. And we were taught well, because this is one of the earliest and fondest memories I have of growing up in Chappaqua.

Reflecting on my childhood now as a graduating high school senior, I find that it was these small moments (or “watermelon seeds” as we called them in second-grade English) that helped shape me into the person I am today. I am the result of dutiful nurturing by the many caring people that I have encountered over the years, and the lessons that they have imparted. However, there is group of people that has had the most impact of all: the community at the Chappaqua Farmers Market.

I have always loved learning about and experimenting with food and nature. On hot summer days, I can remember romping around the yard collecting ingredients for a stew “cooked” on my front porch. A mixture of uprooted dandelions, onion grass, baby pinecones, wild raspberries, rock salt, and cherry tomatoes “boiled” with an angled hand mirror transformed into hearty soup fit for only my younger brother’s (unwilling) consumption. Now, as a proud locavore and avid cook, I look back to this game as my early years of experimentation. Years later, in 2010, the Chappaqua Farmers Market first set up tents on the Bell Middle school lawn. One Saturday morning, my mother brought me to visit the market and I was instantly enchanted. The vibrant bounty of produce and prepared foods was magical, and the experience enhanced by the caring community atmosphere. I knew I needed to be part of it somehow, and in an initiative to get kids involved in market promotion to increase attendance of all ages, I was named Spokeskid of the market.

Every Saturday for the next three years, “Kid Foodie,” my on-camera personality, would interview a different vendor about their produce and process. Kathy the fishmonger let me taste a raw oyster, Demetra the olive oil woman taught me about optimal olive oil acidity levels, and Emily the cheese lady taught me about the the benefits of probiotic bacteria.

Suddenly, food was no longer confined to the edges of a plate–peanut butter, strawberry jelly, whole wheat bread–all the ingredients to my favorite lunch meal had a fascinating origin and a corresponding scientific explanation.

Along with the education I received from the Market, what I still enjoy most about coming to the Farmers Market are the people. After weeks of greeting the same faces, I am on a friendly first-name basis with almost all the farmers and vendors. We have nicknames for each other, we ask about each other’s families–those special relationships somehow make the fresh heirloom tomatoes taste all the more sweet.

And after a long and taxing school or work week, the Farmers Market is the place where everyone can relax, reconnect, and rebalance their lives. Neighbors can chat over lunch, families can play in the grass, and new friends can be made while waiting on line. The adage, “food brings people together,” really does ring true in our small town.

As I begin to transition into the next season of my life, I have learned not to be afraid to ask questions, to try new things, and, most importantly, to water and feed special relationships.

As ready as I am to move on and begin this new stage, I will miss Chappaqua for the kind teachers, mentors, friends, and peers that have helped me grow, inch-by-inch.

Blum Sisters’ Lemonade Stand to Raise Dollars for Childhood Cancer Research: June 17

June 1, 2017 by Inside Press

Rebecca (age 12) and Jenna (age 9) are hosting the 4th annual Blum Sisters’ Lemonade Stand to raise money for childhood cancer research and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.

After losing their grandfather Papa Neal this year to brain cancer, they are even more motivated to help advance research and treatment for this devastating disease. To date, they have raised more than $4,000 and have a goal of raising $2,000 this year.

Blum Sisters’ Lemonade Stand benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research will take place Saturday, June 17, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Chappaqua Farmer’s Market. Local residents can come by for a cup of freshly squeezed lemonade (yes, we squeeze hundreds of lemons by hand).

Donations can be made here: https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1317095