|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHAPPAQUA, NY – Westchester County’s new hidden treasure, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, is finally ready to officially open its doors this weekend.
The inaugural season kicks off Saturday, September 23 with an opening night concert by the acclaimed jazz vocalist CYRILLE AIMÉE at 8:00pm. Tickets are $25-$75 are available in advance at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 and in person on the night of the show in the lobby box office.
Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy an entire evening of rich artistic experiences. Chappaqua Performing Arts Center has partnered with the LOVE ART Gallery to present a pop-up exhibition and reception entitled “Art for Positive Social Change” taking place in the lobby of ChappPAC from 4:00 to 7:00pm. The exhibition will feature a group of twelve artists from Connecticut and New York sharing a cross section of works focusing on social issues from race, to feminism to politics.
Described as “one of the most promising jazz singers of her generation” by the Wall Street Journal, CYRILLE AIMÉE is a vocalist with French and Dominican roots who fell in love with gypsy music and its culture heritage at an early age. Aimée grew up in Samois-sur-Seine, France – a village best known as the home of gypsy guitar icon Django Reinhardt – and its little wonder that its legacy resonates throughout her performances and recordings. In recent years Aimée has toured and recorded in a variety of ensembles configurations, among them, various duet projects with Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo. Her rich hybrid of influences has resulted in an award-winning vocal style that incorporates gypsy swing with Brazilian rhythms and melodies into well-known standards and original compositions that led the New York Times to proclaim, “No other young artist gives me hope for the future like Cyrille Aimée, the brilliantly inventive jazz vocal prodigy.”
Located on the former campus of Reader’s Digest in a building once known as the Wallace Auditorium, the 425-seat Chappaqua Performing Arts Center — or ChappPAC for short – was recently saved from demolition and established to provide a blend of local and national arts and cultural programming for people throughout Westchester County and the region.
2017 CHAPPAQUA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FALL SEASON LINE UP
9/23 Cyrille Aimee (Jazz)
10/8 Tim Kubart & The Space Cadets (Children)
10/14 So Percussion (Classical)
10/20 Soulshine: An Allman Brothers Experience (Rock)
10/27 Rocky Horror Picture Show (Film)
10/28 Echos of Sinatra (Swing)
11/2 Matt Schofield (Blues)
11/11 The Greatest Pirate Story (N)ever Told! (Children)
12/1 What Fresh Hell Live! (Spoken Word)
12/9 Ragtag Theatre’s Cinderella (Children)
12/17 ELF (Film)
The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center is located at 480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514 just inside the gate on the former Reader’s Digest campus.
Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000
For additional information, visit www.ChappaquaPAC.org or call 914-458-5143
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChappaquaPerformingArtsCenter/
Six years ago this month we moved to Chappaqua from the city two days before school started. We had wanted to move in the summertime but the house closing and Hurricane Irene had other plans for us. I was nervous that my city born and bred son would have trouble acclimating to a new school and an actual house as opposed to an 800 square foot apartment but those fears quickly dissipated once we started school.We were welcome with open arms at my kid’s nursery school. So many parents had made the same journey just like us – from city parents to country transplants.
Yes my parents still consider this lovely part of Northern Westchester “upstate N.Y.” After all, I do have deer roaming my backyard. What drew us to our community was the excellent school system. This is one of the many reasons why I am so delighted to helm this “back to school” issue as the new editor of both Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk. There are so many great things happening in our schools and the wider community that I want to highlight.
First up, I had the pleasure of interviewing and writing the cover story on The Comedy Kids for Inside Chappaqua. These two Roaring Brook Elementary School students had an idea to raise money for pediatric brain cancer that germinated during rainy day recess. It all started with a simple idea that grew from a grassroots joke booth at the Chappaqua Farmers Market to a charity that has gained national attention.
Our cover story for Inside Armonk is also “back to school” themed and features the Byram Hills Preschool Association which plays a critical role in making sure Armonk’s preschoolers are ready to enter elementary school and helps parents and caregivers make connections in the community.
With the back to school season in full swing, there’s never been a better time to visit downtown Chappaqua on October 14th for the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, an annual event that now draws more than 90 children’s authors and illustrators and thousands of attendees to the town. Be sure to read the profiles of three Chappaqua-based authors Matthew & Mara Van Fleet and Barbara Dee who will be meeting eager readers and signing books at the festival. Even if you don’t have children that are school age anymore, the Festival is a lot of fun and a book is a gift that you can open again and again. Plus what’s better than an autographed book for a beloved grandchild?
If you are hoping to savor the beautiful autumn weather, North Castle is chock full of events this fall such as the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, Jamie’s 5K Run and the Cider and Donut Festival. There’s something for everyone right at your doorsteps or in a neighboring town.
Finally if your kids need a break from hitting the books or you are too tired from figuring out after-school schedules, check out Jordan Stutts story on the best local biking trails and get a sneak peek of fall’s foliage. Yet another reason to love living in Northern Westchester.
Best,
Stacey
Editor, Inside Press
For one glorious day each fall, authors, readers and their families flock to downtown Chappaqua for the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival (CCBF). Founded by a group of volunteers in 2013, the festival is now considered the preeminent children’s book festival in the tri-state area.
More than 90 children’s book authors and illustrators from as far away as Maryland fill the daylong festival with laughter, excitement and fun for children of all ages. Authors take the time for conversation and inspiration, to demonstrate the art of illustration and to read aloud favorite books in the adjacent St. Mary the Virgin’s garden. Attendees can expect festival favorites such as Rosemary Wells and Jane Yolen to return plus new authors such as Betsy and Ted Lewin and Roxie Munro.
Families can find additional activities from book making to balloon animals to a Gaga pit in the family fun area. Food trucks and the Great Chappaqua Bake Sale provide many lunch options and scrumptious dessert and treats.
Since it’s inception The Great Chappaqua Bake Sale has raised more than $130,000 for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign and has connected children with more than 1.3 million meals. “It’s hard to believe this will be our eighth year working to raise monies to fund school and summer meals programs for kids in New York State. The Great Chappaqua Bake Sale community of supporters and volunteers make this event successful each year and we are particularly inspired by the many children who devote their time and passion to helping children in need,” noted Alison Spiegel, one of the Bake Sale founders.
A portion of the proceeds from the CCBF go to JCY-WCP literacy programs in schools throughout Westchester. The fifth annual CCBF is on Saturday, October 14th, from 10-4 pm. Admission is free. Cash and credit cards are accepted for book and food purchases. Free parking all day available at the nearby Chappaqua Metro-North train station.
For information on sponsorship and volunteering, visit www.ccbfestival.org or visit us on Facebook at Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival.
Betsy and Ted Lewin – Author and/or Illustrator of almost 200 children’s books plus recipients of numerous awards including the Caldecott Honor Book Medal and the NY Times Best Illustrated Award
Julie Fogliano – Author of beloved books including When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons and Old Dog Baby Baby
Roxie Munro – Author/Illustrator of more than 40 nonfiction and concept books for children using “gamification” to encourage reading, learning and engagement; NY Times Best Illustrated Award recipient
Stephen Savage – Author and Illustrator of 9 books for children, including the NY Times bestselling picture book Polar Bear Night, written by Lauren Thompson and creator of the Where’s Walrus? books, Supertruck and Little Tug
For more than two decades, husband and wife team Pete and Maura Kennedy have performed on stages in the U.S. and the U.K., as a folk/pop duo and as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra. Now for the first time ever the show will be one of the inaugural events in a special benefit concert at the new Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPAC), formerly known as the Wallace Auditorium on the Reader’s Digest campus. The benefit concert titled “Life is Large” at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 22 will raise funds for the Axial Theater, a professional theater company founded in 1999 that is a member of the Westchester Arts Organization. Axial Theater presents contemporary theatrical hits, timeless stage classics and original works in addition to hosting a bi-monthly Sunday Writers Series for play development.
The Kennedys have released over a dozen CDs, are longtime core artists on metropolitan New York’s jazz radio station WFUV and were named Artists-in-Residence at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Their original music has been described as uplifting, encouraging and empowering, and their choice of covers is emblematic of their love for the classic songwriting of Buddy Holly, The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Long time New York City residents, they are regulars at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on Hudson and have played legendary venues including Carnegie Hall, the Beacon Theater and the now defunct Bottom Line.
Tickets for The Kennedys’ Axial Theater benefit are $45 and can be purchased online by searching for “Axial Theater” at brownpapertickets.com. ChappPAC will play host to a variety of cultural events in its inaugural season through December including children’s concerts, jazz performances and family movies.
The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center is located at 480 North Bedford Road. Ample free parking is available.
Voluntary subscriptions are most welcome, if you've moved outside the area, or a subscription is a great present idea for an elderly parent, for a neighbor who is moving or for your graduating high school student or any college student who may enjoy keeping up with hometown stories.