Chappaqua Archives - Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk: The Magazines for New and North Castle

Chappaqua Performing Arts Center: Ambitious Plans Shape Up for a New Westchester Destination

June 3, 2017 by The Inside Press

Frank Shiner and fellow musicians at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center PHOTO BY Carolyn Simpson/Doublevision Photographers

By Grace Bennett

“We were so lucky to be able to save this theater,” Town Councilwoman Lisa Katz said, at the start of an animated conversation about the current uses and all the grand possibilities for the Town of New Castle’s Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPac), the stately white building previously known as the Wallace Auditorium on the old Readers Digest campus.

With its airy interior and 300-plus, plush red velvet seats, and ample outdoor parking, the ChappPac already serves as ‘home’ to the town’s beloved Chappaqua Orchestra, whose productions there have been ongoing. Most recently, the Chappaqua Orchestra performed a second Storybook Concert and a Concerto Winner’s Concert inside its doors. Early on, a simulcast from Hamilton drew 125 attendees.

ChappPac is also now officially an exciting new venue for upcoming theater productions led by John Fanelli, executive director of the Lighthouse Youth Theater that’s based in Armonk. Fanelli was brought in to begin bringing in compelling theater to inside the ChappPac. “He is highly energetic and has a lot of contacts,” said Katz. “We are allowing his organization to use the space for eight weeks.” Fanelli stated at a recent performance that he is open to feedback on the kinds of productions area residents would be most interested in.

The pursuit of a full range of performing arts offerings is just beginning, and support from the community has already proved robust. The excitement was palpable among audience members who packed the house to enjoy Chappaqua’s blues and soul singer Frank Shiner. It was a first ‘charity concert,’ with Shiner donating 100 percent of the revenue from the evening toward a variety of purchases and improvements to the Center. (See a ‘Gotta Have Arts’ profile about Shiner at theinsidepress.com). A Friends of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, headed by Michele Gregson and Tracy Stein, aims to raise $50,000 this summer toward programming efforts.

“The building could well have been demolished,” Katz points out, “to make room for town homes at the upcoming Chappaqua Crossing on the old RD campus. Town officials ‘jumped,’ to save it, she explained, and for a pittance, the Town of New Castle became the Center’s official owner. A theater camp for kids with one-week sessions is planned on site for the summer too.

The possibilities are endless, Katz says. She listed possibilities ranging from major art exhibits and comedy nights to an A-List lecture series (such as at the 92nd Street Y) or, “who knows, maybe an a capella concert featuring high schools from around the county. My goal is to transform the Center into a pre-eminent destination for visual performing arts and music and art.”

The success of the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville inspired the members of a Town Arts and Culture committee, formed two years ago, Katz added. “We want to create here for performing arts what the Burns Center is for film in Pleasantville.”

At press time, a programming schedule was in the works, and a website for the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center is still in development.

Donations are welcome! Write to: The Friends of the Chappapaqua Performing Arts Center, P. O. Box 351, Chappapaqua, NY.

Grace Bennett, Publisher and Editor of The Inside Press, looks forward to watching ChappPac evolve.

Inside the ChappPac: the May Concerto Winners’ Concert (L-R): David Restivo, Chappaqua Orchestra Executive Director; Julian Langford, Cello: the George and Sheila Drapeau, 1st Prize winner, Senior Division; Dylan Wu, Cello: the Frank and Suzanne Shiner 1st Prize winner, Junior Division Georgia Lazaridou, Piano: the Rita Ross 2nd Prize winner, Senior Division; Sara Scanlon, Cello: The Carmen and Rafael 2nd Prize winner, Junior Division; and Radaslawa Jasik, Piano: The David and Natalia Restivo 3rd Prize winner, Senior Division. Not shown: William Tang, Piano: the Georgia and Ron Frasch 3rd Prize winner, Junior Division.
PHOTO BY LANA ROSENBLIT

Aura Salon: The Best Kept Secret on Upper King Street

June 3, 2017 by Stacey Pfeffer

The first thing you notice outside the entrance to the Aura Salon on upper King Street is the beautiful flowers in the artfully arranged window boxes.

Once you step inside on the lower floor you’ll be welcomed by four vanities bathed in natural sunlight where make-up artists use the latest Aveda products to enhance your natural beauty. In the mood for beachy waves or a blowout? Check, the stylists can do that too using the high-end Dyson Supersonic blow dryers which have a built-in sensor to protect your luscious locks from any heat damage.

If you need a fabulous cut or color or mani/pedi without all those harsh chemicals, simply walk upstairs and let the magic begin at the salon.

The salon and beauty bar is owned by Leticia Villagran and Chappaqua mom Jenn Filardi. Jenn was actually a client of Leticia’s for many years when Aura Salon focused on hair and nails. Realizing that there was an unmet need for expertly applied make-up and blowouts that won’t break the bank, Leticia teamed up with Jenn to open the Style Bar in February on the first floor of the salon. Having worked in the city at fashion shows and with celebrity stylists, Jenn brings a wealth of knowledge about the latest beauty trends and loves creating updos, braids and signature blowouts, all at an affordable price point.

Both Leticia and Jenn have relatives in the beauty business. Originally from Guatemala, Leticia’s father and grandfather cut hair. She went to cosmetology school there where students learn everything from facials to applying highlights.

Once she came to the U.S., she obtained her license and still takes classes to stay abreast of the latest beauty treatments and trends. She has more than 20 years of experience in the beauty business. Jenn’s grandfather was a barber and says working at the Style Bar is “in her genes. It’s so much fun. It doesn’t feel like work.” She also enjoys educating her clients about the best products to maintain the health of their hair.

With the upcoming prom and wedding season, the salon is ready to pamper clients for special occasions. “We do communions and wedding parties from the bride to the youngest flower girls,” said Villagran. Parties of four or more get a 10% discount and if the client requests it, they can provide at-home services. But Filardi is quick to point out that Aura is also a great destination if you need express services like speedy make-up applications for a night out or a quick blowout on a more regular basis.Villagran and Filardi and their staff have trained with leading beauty experts at Bumble and Bumble, Vidal Sassoon Academy, Wella, the Aveda Institute and Organic Salon Systems. They are passionate about having staff take industry workshops and continuing education so that clients have access to the latest products and styles.

A member of the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce, the salon’s stylists have volunteered at several events at local schools including a new moms event at World Cup Nursery school and creating a Nordic braid bar at Seven Bridges International Day. They also are proud to have a Greeley senior Clara Perlmutter help them with social media through a LIFE School internship program. Many of the local businesses have helped them get off the ground by promoting their services. “The whole community has been very encouraging and helpful–a real communal effort! “ added Filardi.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILLIAM LULOW

Top 10 Financial Tidbits

June 3, 2017 by The Inside Press

BY SCOTT M. KAHAN CFP®

Join your company’s retirement plan and try to contribute as much as you can. Make sure you are contributing enough funds to get the maximum matching contribution from your employer.
One of the greatest gifts you can give is to help pay the education costs for your grandchildren. Any gifts, regardless of how large, made to anyone for the purpose of funding education, do not incur gift taxes as long as the payment is made directly to the educational institution.
Update your estate planning documents. Protect your health and your wealth with a health care proxy and durable power of attorney. Make sure your will and trusts leave money to the correct people.
Maximize your tax deductions. Donate items you don’t need to charity. If you expect a large income tax refund, change your withholding tax so you get more per month in your paycheck and less of a refund.
Buying low and selling high is a lot easier said than done. Have a solid rebalancing strategy in place that helps take the emotions out of investing.
A shorter mortgage isn’t always better. Consider taking a long-term mortgage, and then make additional payments when you can. If things become financially “tight,” you can stop making additional payments.
Protect tangible assets with the right amount of homeowners, automobile and liability insurance for liability and disasters.
Withdrawing retirement plan assets before age 59½ may lead to a 10% penalty; not withdrawing enough after age 70½ may lead to a 50% penalty. Moral of the story? Know when to make withdrawals.
Pay yourself first. As you set your budget each month, set aside money for savings and fixed expenses first. What’s left over can be used for other purposes.
Like regular checkups with your physician, regular reviews with a Certified Financial Planner professional are important to your financial “health.”

Scott M. Kahan, is a Certified Financial Planner® professional and President of Financial Asset Management Corporation, a fee-only wealth management firm located at 26 South Greeley Avenue in Chappaqua. Call Scott Kahan at 914-238-8900.

Artist Danielle Leventhal on Painting… and the Excitement about the 3rd Annual Art Around Town

June 1, 2017 by Inside Press

By Danielle Leventhal

I’m thrilled to be participating in the third annual Art Around Town event in Chappaqua. When this event first started, I was a junior at ‘WashU’ in St. Louis, where I studied painting and art history. I never guessed that I would be able to exhibit my work in the town I grew up in after moving back to New York last May.

Le Jardin du Roi is the perfect place to show my work. I have so many fond memories of birthday brunches, reunions and family dinners at Le Jardin. The work I’m showing for this event is a mix of some older pieces from school and new paintings. In college, I focused on portraits, and my thesis was a zeitgeist collection of paintings that I did based on live-sitters, all female students ages 18-22.

I was interested in the brain and the human ability to be naturally empathetic, and how we can intuitively tune in to another person’s emotions and intentions. Since then, I’ve gone on to explore other subjects in my paintings, including places and landscapes from my memory and old photographs. In all of my work, I am exploring color theory through the application of paint, layers of printmaking and mark-making.

Greeley grad Danielle Leventhal received a BFA in Painting, with a second major in Art History, from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis in 2016. She works in the mediums of oil paint, watercolor, and printmaking. Ms. Leventhal is the recipient of the Jeffrey Frank Wacks Scholarship for Fine Arts, the Mary Cowan Harford Award in Watercolor, and the Scholastic National Silver Medal for Painting. Her paintings and prints will be up the month of June.

3rd Annual Art Around Town Comes to Chappaqua

3rd Annual Art Around Town Comes to Chappaqua

May 31, 2017 by Inside Press

Artists to show their recent works at over 25 merchants in Chappaqua

Every art lover will find a work to enjoy in the Northern Westchester Artists Guild show this June, as the 3^rd Annual Art Around Town comes to Chappaqua. Art Around Town features some of the best local artists from the Tri-State area who are hosted by the generosity of 25 plus merchants in Chappaqua and highlights the diversity of area talent.

The event kicks off on Thursday June 1st at 5 p.m. and the opening night festivities will go to 8:30pm. HGSH Acapella group will be preforming and all the participating merchants will have mini receptions in their stores. Visitors can pick up an event map of participating merchants and artists at the main tent in front of Desires By Mikolay.

Art Around Town is easily enjoyed by the community. The art will be available for viewing and purchase during June and in conjunction with each establishment’s business hours, or by appointment. The event will conclude at the end June. During the opening hours artists will also have small works and objects d’art, related to their practice for sale.

The Northern Westchester Artists Guild is a group of artists from the Tri-State area, bringing their creative arts to venues around Westchester’s neighborhoods. Both emerging and established artists present their work allowing viewers the opportunity to appreciate and purchase quality art one can live with.

For more information, visit https://www.nwartistsguild.org