The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Chappaqua

CCBF “Funraiser” is May 1; A Chance to Meet Rosemary Wells!

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A Kids’ Carnival and “Funraiser,” with activities and carnival games for kids, will take place at 586 King Street in Chappaqua on Sunday, May 1 from 1 p.m. – 4pm, with proceeds benefiting the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. Families will have a rare chance to meet Rosemary Wells, of Max and Ruby fame, courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence, and there will be lots of carnival fun including Kiwi Country Day Camp’s gaga pit, blow-ups, carnival games, plus raffles and refreshments.

A special appearance by Rosemary Wells at is planned at the May 1 funraiser.
A special appearance by Rosemary Wells at is planned at the May 1 funraiser.

“The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival has grown to become one of the most anticipated family events in Westchester,” said CCBF Executive Director Dawn Greenberg. “In order to continue championing our cause to promote children’s literacy, we need the support of our community. It’s through fundraisers such as the Kids’ Carnival, as well as through our thoughtful sponsors, that we are able to raise funds to keep our Book Festival as vibrant as previous years.”

COST:
Admission is $20 per family.

REGISTER:
To register visit, EVENT BRITE.
(https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=24333125032)

WHEN:
Sunday, May 1, from 1 to 4pm

WHERE:
586 King Street, Chappaqua, NY

WHO:
The Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival is the only children’s book festival in Westchester County. From princesses to pups, to angst-filled tweens, and every crazy character in between, you’ll find them all at the fourth annual CCBF, on September 24, 2016. More than 85 popular authors, who bring your favorite characters to life, are expected to participate. Most will be signing their books and reading excerpts. It will be a family event with tons of fun, food, kid-friendly activities, entertainment and, of course, books! For more information, visit www.ccbfestival.org or follow the CCBF at www.facebook.com/chappaquachildrensbookfestival.

Macbeth at Horace Greeley High School: April 27, 28

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The Horace Greeley Repertory Company will perform Macbeth on Wednesday, April 27th and Thursday, April 28th. Performances are at 7 p.m. in the Horace Greeley Theater. The kids seen in these photos are hard at work at rehearsals. It is sure to be an offbeat, riveting evening.

In the pictures Alexander Newman stars as Macbeth, Rebecca Ozer is Lady Macbeth and Violet Gautreau, Lindsay Shiner and Megan Warshofsky are the Witches.

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Dave Mann, World War II Hero/Author, to Speak: MAY 2, NOON

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“A VERY special visit to Chappaqua” with honored Vet, Broadcast Personality and Author, “What I Fought For.” All are Welcome!

By Grace Bennett

Dave Mann, a World War II veteran who wears the Purple Heart honor, long time broadcast personality and author, will address our own Rotary Club and guests at Crabtree’s Kittle House on Monday, May 2 at noon. The Rotary is hoping New Castle can show him a hero’s welcome, says the Rotary’s Sandy Bueti.

David Mann at a Signing of his book, "What I Fought For"
David Mann at a Signing of his book, “What I Fought For”
Mann is the author of “What I Fought For.” The book is described as “a veteran’s love letter to America, her flag, and her freedoms.” He has been touring nationwide and has been featured widely, including on NBC.

Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Mann attended the University of New Hampshire as a pre-med student. He was drafted into the army in 1943 and spent three years in Europe as a combat engineer, Third Army, under General George Patton.

He was awarded the Purple Heart after action he saw at Normandy and Battle of the Bulge. He is now a “Life Member of Military Order of the Purple Heart.”

In 1946, he returned to Boston and graduated from Emerson College where he studied radio and communications. Since then, his broadcast career has spanned New England, New York, and the Midwest. Mann also does voiceovers and is heard on many regional and national commercials as well as documentaries

Attendance by any group of high school students and/or local vets are especially encouraged. Kindly RSVP to Sandy Bueti: bbuilder95@aol.com> Subject: Dave Mann Talk

Chappaqua’s Newest Novelist Lynda Cohen Loigman Debuts “The Two-Family House”

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By Debra Hand

On March 8, 2016, surrounded by friends, family and admirers at the Chappaqua Library Theater, New Castle resident Lynda Cohen Loigman officially launched The Two-Family House, an engrossing family saga about two brothers and their families living in postwar Brooklyn that has drawn rave reviews for its compassion, thoughtfulness and complex, vivid character development from the likes of the Associated Press, Publisher’s Weekly, Bookreporter, Booklist Reviews, RT Book Reviews and the Jerusalem Post.

“I am so grateful for the tremendous community support I have received, both from the Chappaqua Library and our town residents,” Loigman said, after reading several passages from the book and answering attendees questions about its background. “It was a thrilling night!”

From Idea to Manuscript

Loigman, who lives in Chappaqua with her husband Bob (“my biggest advocate and Googler”) and children Ellie, 17, and Charlie, 13, did not set out to be a novelist. A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, Loigman practiced trusts and estates law at a large Manhattan law firm for eight years, and was then a legal recruiter. She had written poetry throughout high school and college –and considered writing children’s songs because of her facility with rhyme–but had never even taken a creative writing class. She had a story in her head, though, that would not release its grip for 16 years.

Loigman’s mother grew up with her sisters in a two-family house in Brooklyn shared with their three cousins, also girls. The mothers got along well, the six cousins practically siblings. But Loigman’s grandmother always spoke of how she would have liked a boy. Loigman wondered: what if one family only had girls, and the other only boys? Would each crave what the other had?

After losing her mother, Loigman decided to finally write the story that had been evolving in her mind and which she had been bouncing off friends. She registered for “The Writer’s Essential Selves” course at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, a weekly, unstructured class in which the students wrote and discussed whatever they chose. Six and a half years later, Loigman remains a student in the class.

That first class “was a magical, unbelievably talented group of people,” said Loigman, crediting it with truly teaching her how to write. When she began, she had only written the “hook” of her story, yet was encouraged by her teacher and classmates to continue until the story was told.

The Path to Publication

Loigman acknowledges her luck in getting her book noticed and eventually published. Nearing completion of The Two-Family House, she registered for Sarah Lawrence’s June 2014 Publish and Promote Your Book Conference, which included interactive panel discussions with literary agents, editors and publicists and three “pitch sessions” for each registrant. Coincidentally, she was assigned to meet Marly Rusoff, the agent for an old acquaintance. Rusoff liked that Loigman’s story had that “hook” as well as a clear beginning, middle and end, and asked to see the manuscript upon its completion.

Loigman sent the manuscript in late July 2014; two days later, Rusoff called after reading the book in a day and offered to represent her. At Rusoff’s suggestion, Loigman wrote an essay about the inspiration behind the book, which with the manuscript was sent to editors that August.

The Two-Family House was bought that November by editor Jennifer Weis of St. Martin’s Press. The book would be released at the end of winter 2016 (one of three publication periods); cover art was chosen, and advance copies were sent out for feedback and cover “blurbs.”

Promotional Tour and Future Plans

After a launch-week book signing at Scattered Books in downtown Chappaqua, scheduled spring promotional events included (at press time) author readings at Sarah Lawrence, UJA-Federation of New York, the Museum at Eldridge Street, Temple Israel in Westport, and Brookline Booksmith in Massachusetts. Loigman has also received a great deal of support–interviews or “guest blogging” appearances –from writing and book club blogs and websites. The Jewish Book Council has even created a discussion guide for The Two-Family House, which was listed under “Best Books of the Month” in the Goodreads March Newsletter.

Loigman has already started work on her second novel. But in the interim, she hopes to meet someone with a connection to Natalie Portman, who she envisions as the perfect “Rose” in a film adaptation of her debut!

You can “Like” Lynda Cohen Loigman, Author, on Facebook. Also, please visit: lyndacohenloigman.com

Debra Hand is a longtime writer and editor for Inside Chappaqua, thrilled for her friend’s successful debut and inspired to follow in her footsteps!

Spotlight on Skin Health: Up Close and Personal with Dermatologist Dr. Lydia Evans

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Photo by Carolyn Simpson
Photo by Carolyn Simpson

By Stacey Pfeffer

Nestled on a tree-lined section of King Street close to downtown Chappaqua is the office of dermatologist Lydia Evans, M.D.. From the minute you walk into her cozy, yet state-of-the art office, it’s evident that you’ll be given individualized treatment and that she truly takes her time to know her patients’ concerns. Dr. Evans has been practicing both medical and cosmetic dermatology for more than two decades in this location and is passionate about treating families in our area.

Dr. Evans was initially studying both internal medicine and oncology and clearly remembers her rotation through dermatology. Although she fell in love with treating skin conditions, at that point she was already committed to completing her oncology residency. After practicing oncology though for six years, she decided to switch to dermatology.

“Oncology at that point was not what it is today. There are lots of significant strides made forward in the past years but when I was practicing it was not the case. I knew oncology was not the long-term answer for me so that’s why I went back and completed another residency in dermatology and that was clearly the best move I’ve made,” Dr. Evans notes.

Working in the local community for so many years, she’s had the privilege of treating multi-generational families. “I think my longest relationship is with one family, where I see five generations of them, including a very senior grandmother and a relatively new baby. That’s just one of the many things that I love about my job,” remarks Dr. Evans.

As the warmer months approach and sun exposure increases, many patients come in asking about skin cancer prevention. But taking care of your skin “is really a life long proposition,” explains Dr. Evans. “People tend to be very careful with their children about getting their kids to use sunscreen but are not so diligent themselves. A lot of proactive work will save a great deal of aggravation ultimately in terms of skin health such as preventing cancers and the cosmetic aspects.” If patients haven’t been careful about sun protection, visible signs of aging can begin to appear in their early 30s.

Dr. Evans believes that sunscreen should be a daily ritual year-round like flossing your teeth. “Two minutes of prevention equals long-term remarkable benefits,” she notes. She recommends that people look for a sunscreen with both ultraviolet-A (UVA) and ultraviolet-B (UVB) protection. UVA light penetrates glass and UVB light does not but it is the most burning part of light. The intensity of UVA light does not change that much from season to season but driving in your car you are still exposed to it. “Unfortunately exposure to UVA light is associated with cosmetic signs of aging and melanomas,” Dr. Evans said.

In her practice, she recommends that people use an SPF at least in the 30s or 40s. Higher SPFs don’t necessarily protect better, they just protect for a longer period. There is some controversy about the higher SPF numbers because people assume that reapplication isn’t necessary. In reality, sunscreen sometimes gets toweled or perspired off. Dr. Evans suggests that her patients “reapply every 90 minutes, maybe two hours if using a really high SPF.” In addition to sunscreen, Dr. Evans is a proponent of antioxidant serums, which can prevent sun damage in the future. She also recommends that patients have an annual skin check exam to look for moles.

Very often Dr. Evans has patients that come in initially for a skin health exam and then want to find out about other cosmetic procedures to improve their skin’s appearance. Dr. Evans’ practice offers a variety of procedures such as Botox, fillers, Coolsculpting and Ultherapy but her number one rule is patient safety first. “I’m the first guinea pig, so we test everything here personally before it ever is given to a patient. If I’m going to discuss a procedure I want to be able to answer does it work? What’s the recovery like? What’s the downside?” Her office receives many products to sample but Dr. Evans estimates that she only brings in probably one out of eight products that have passed her stringent tests.

Botox and fillers are extremely popular with her patients but are used for different purposes. Botox is used for lines of motion (e.g. crow’s feet, forehead creases) whereas fillers are used to help with lines of rest and help to reshape and recontour the face. “We have a number of different products so treatment can now be very individualized.”

Another procedure that is gaining traction among Dr. Evan’s patients is Coolsculpting for fat reduction. Researchers have now figured out the exact temperature that freezes fat. It can treat a specific site and only takes an hour. About three months post-treatment, patients can expect to lose 25 percent of the fat on a specific area of the body. Besides stubborn belly fat, the company is evolving their technology, so that Coolsculpting can be used under the neck or by the side of the knee where you have smaller pockets of fat that are hard to target with diet and exercise.

Dr. Lydia Evans and her husband Arnold Toback, M.D., who is also a dermatologist along with being an actor.
Dr. Lydia Evans and her husband Arnold Toback, M.D., who is also a dermatologist along with being an actor.

Ultherapy is another technology that improves the skin’s appearance. It is based on deep ultrasound that stimulates collagen production deep under the skin and is used for sagging. It’s offered as a single treatment and results on average can last 2.5-3.5 years. “There’s no question it works and you can tell that because I’ve had my machine for five years and I’ve had many people come back for a second treatment and people don’t do that unless it works. It’s fun to see these much less invasive, much less aggressive non-surgical technologies that offer alternatives. You want a change that takes off five to ten years and makes you look more vibrant, more alive. You don’t want people to say, ‘Oh, you got a facelift,’” said Dr. Evans.

One of the main reasons younger patients come to Dr. Evans office is for acne treatment. “Acne is a genetically driven condition that needs persistence. Some people have a relatively minor problem and some carry it in adulthood, so there is almost a spectrum of conditions within acne,” she explains. Dr. Evans believes that treatment should take into account a patient’s lifestyle, convenience and how much the patient is invested in improving. “I may have ten patients come in for acne treatment and there may be eight different treatment regimens because it’s not all the same. It is not formulaic.”

She also considers how the patient’s skin will look in the future and if scarring is present, she will offer more aggressive treatments than for someone with mild acne. Dr. Evans is committed to learning about the newest products in the dermatological field and attends professional meetings regularly to keep abreast of the latest skincare trends. Recently she saw a sunscreen product that is used as a shower gel and bought some samples home to evaluate it. It is supposed be left on for two minutes in the shower but Evans wonders if people will really leave it on for a full two minutes. “It’s a great idea conceptually but you have to think how will this work in practice?”

“It’s an exciting time to be involved in the field and it really pleases me from both the medical and the cosmetic aspect to see such great strides forward. I feel blessed to practice at this juncture because when I compare now what’s available to 25 years ago it’s exponential and I think that’s only going to continue,” concludes Dr. Evans.

Stacey Pfeffer and her husband and three young kids are New Castle residents. With summer on the horizon, she’s hoping her children will be less difficult this year with sunscreen application.