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editor

Cozy at Home

October 26, 2019 by Grace Bennett

I’m writing this on a grey, damp day in October, cozy in my loose ‘at home’ clothes. I guess the gloomier, chillier weather had to arrive sooner or later after one of the most spectacular Septembers on record. I was grateful for the extra stretch of summer, but equally so for the rains that help us transition through seasons, too. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing if we don’t mess with her too much! And as we head full full steam ahead into fall and winter temps, I do ponder the comforts of home, and feel ever grateful for my own. When it’s grey, there are fewer temptations. I get more of my ‘serious’ work done (like writing this column!). But I can also opt for lazy.

I might surf more, catch up on a grocery item list or other errands. If I’m feeling social, I’ll check movie listings at the Jacob Burns Film Center and inquire with a friend or two. But no matter what I do, I always feel that at home days maximizing your time solo or with family are every bit as precious as time out on the sunniest of days.

If you’re reading your second edition of Inside Biarcliff & Ossining on a grey day too, I have some good news. I promise it will give you plenty of reasons to smile, whether it’s Carine Feist’s ‘Friendsgiving Menu’ or Peter Chatzky’s ‘etcetera’ humor essay on ‘Loving Briarcliff.’

Please enjoy our second edition which celebrates two town histories-aside from our cover story on the fabulous historical society in Briarcliff Manor, don’t miss learning about the ambitious educational undertakings of the Sing Sing Prison Museum and also the inspiring vision of the Bethany Arts Community. We hope to continue trying to capture different slices of life and culture in the area… rain or shine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Just Between Us Tagged With: Bethany Arts Center, Briarcliff Manor, Carine Feist, culture, editor, Editor's Letter, grey, home, Inside Press, Jacob Burns Film Center, Just Between Us, life, Ossining, Sing Sing Prison Museum, social

Celebrating Grit & Resilience

April 18, 2019 by Stacey Pfeffer

When I think back to my 9th grade journalism class, I still remember my teacher saying that “everybody has a story to tell–you just have to ask the right questions, sit back and listen.” Her advice still rings true today. Because we live in affluent communities in a prosperous time, people often think that all is copasetic here in bucolic Northern Westchester but everyone has their struggles. Sure, some are bigger than other’s but it’s all relative.

This issue features many stories focusing on grit and resilience. As a first generation American, Anna Young’s article on refugees coming to our shore despite dangerous circumstances with very limited support resonates deeply with me. Thankfully there are local residents doing amazing acts of kindness to help them resettle.

Anyone who has ever suffered from a serious illness knows how it can impact the entire family. Gilda’s Club of Westchester is offering support workshops for bereaving parents and children. Plus, as Beth Besen’s article points out they are starting new support groups for anyone undergoing treatment for cancer at the Bedford Playhouse.

Sometimes a story sticks with you and I’m sure you’ll remember Shauna Levy’s profile on alopecia awareness advocate Ali Lambert Voron. I had seen her at my gym swimming and smiling with her kids mistakenly thinking that she had cancer. Voron became completely bald at age 16 due to alopecia, an autoimmune illness. Her strength and resilience coupled with a sense of humor is something we can all aspire to.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our cover story on The Armonk Players. Now you are probably wondering how this one relates to grit and resilience but anyone who ever has been in theater knows that it is takes blood, sweat and (sometimes) tears to put on a production. The fact that this community theater group has been churning out fabulous productions for more than two decades is proof that this group knows how to overcome obstacles.

Finally, as a mom of three kids, Marlene Kern Fischer’s column perfectly describes the grit and resilience that any parent needs to survive to what I refer to as the “best but hardest job you’ll ever do with the lowest pay.” To all the moms out there in the trenches, Happy Mother’s Day and for all our readers happy spring!

Enjoy,

Filed Under: In the Know Tagged With: Alopecia Awareness, editor, Editor's Letter, Grit, in the know, Stacey Pfeffer, struggle, The Armonk Players, trust

Easy Street

August 27, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

When my colleague, Grace Bennett, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of this magazine, mentioned that this issue’s theme is “Happy Days and Back to School”, I let out a groan. I’m sorry but “back to school” and “happy” don’t really go together like peanut butter and jelly, at least in my house. You see this past summer was the most relaxing one I’ve had in a good decade.

With my older two in sleepaway camp and my youngest in full day at her summer camp, I was living on “easy street” as I like to say. Less laundry, dishwashing, chauffeuring and cooking left me with a whole lot of time for summer fun. I made it a point to do something for myself everyday that made me happy – whether meeting a friend for lunch, catching an indie film at Jacob Burns or running with my dog. And I did just that. I felt fulfilled.

Turns out that I wasn’t the only one that had a fulfilling summer. Read through these pages to see a whole slew of Chappaqua residents doing exciting things this summer that are not only fulfilling but also altruistic. Our cover story celebrates a 50-year program, the Chappaqua Summer Scholarship Program, where teens from underperforming high schools in the Bronx are invited to live with local host families in July as they participate in an academic enrichment program. The teens and the host families had a blast. Greeley grad James Rosenberg took a cross-country bike trip to raise money for the women of Kore, Ethiopia and local couple The Roses travelled to McAllen, Texas to help migrant families.

If you are looking for fulfilling opportunities in town this fall, be sure to mark your calendar for Community Day on September 15. There are many non-profits here that are in need of volunteers. Community Day is a great way to get introduced to all of them.

As much as I’ve enjoyed my summer, it is not all doom and gloom when fall arrives. I’m happy to have my whole family back and I’m excited (and sad!) for my youngest to start kindergarten and my oldest to start middle school. I’m not quite sure how that happened so fast but maybe it’s because time flies when you are having fun. Here’s to a fun and fulfilling fall for all!

Enjoy,

Filed Under: In the Know Tagged With: Back to School, community day, editor, Editor's Letter, in the know, stacey, summer is over

Remembering ‘Back to School’ Days

August 30, 2017 by Stacey Pfeffer

EDITOR PHOTO BY Sally Foster; HAIR & MAKEUP, Aura Salon and Style Bar, Chappaqua

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

Filed Under: In the Know Tagged With: Armonk, Back to School, Chappaqua, editor, Inside Press, New Editor, Stacey Pfeffer

Up Close with Jean Sheff: Westchester Family’s Beloved Editor

April 24, 2017 by Andrew Vitelli

When Westchester Family editor Jean Sheff took over the helm of the magazine in 2006, the print media industry was on the brink of its most tumultuous period in generations. Publications and newspapers across the country were folding or laying off staff, as the financial downtown hit a sector already facing challenges to its business model.

Jean Sheff  PHOTO BY GRACE BENNETT

“Everyone was afraid print would die. Print is not dead, but you have to do multiple things,” says Sheff, who is also the magazine’s co-publisher. “People need their information in a different format.”

Sheff has certainly overseen significant changes during her decade as editor of the monthly publication geared towards parents across the county; it now has a dynamic website, a presence on social media, and increasingly finds ways to engage readers. Articles are geared as much towards parents checking their smartphone on the go as those reading the print edition at the kitchen table.

“You write smaller bits. People don’t have as much time,” Sheff notes. “You have to meet the parent where they are.”

Westchester Family was launched in 1989 by Susan Ross and Felice Shapiro, and this past year, was purchased by Brooklyn-based CNG publishing. This has had little impact editorially, Sheff says, as the new owners stayed the course in taking over a successful product whcih aims to provide support to area parents with columns from experts, features on family-friendly activities and a calendar of events. “You don’t get a degree to be a parent. You’re kind of thrown into it,” Sheff explains. “You need somebody on your side, you need a little coaching, and you need a little support.”

After 18 years in New York City, Sheff moved here “kicking and screaming” in 1992; she was pregnant, and saw Westchester County as a natural middle ground between Manhattan and the country. “I wasn’t a big nature girl,” Sheff admits. “I was coming from the city,       and I did not want to be on a dirt road with no lights.” Sheff first moved to White Plains, but then settled in Chappaqua two years later. When looking for a home, Sheff remembers that the first thing she did in each prospective community was visit the local library. “If I liked the library it had a chance,” she recalls. “I went into the Chappaqua Library, and I fell in love. And then I got really serious about looking into Chappaqua.”

Sheff had been working for UNICEF, but left in 1997 to work as a freelance writer for several publications (including Inside Chappaqua!). In 2004, she began freelancing for Westchester Family and two years later she became the magazine’s editor. “All my life, I’ve always been interested in children and families,” says Sheff. “It was just what I was passionate about, right to this day.”

Sheff lived in Chappaqua for two decades, moving to neighboring Briarcliff Manor in 2013. Her daughter, Juliana, now an account manager for the clothing company PVH, went through the Chappaqua school district, graduating from Horace Greeley High School in 2010.

At Westchester Family, Sheff and a small team of two sales managers, editors and mostly freelance writers have built on the magazine’s initial success, staying true to what made the magazine successful. But along with incorporating changes to the medium, the coverage has also evolved. While many of the articles feature local activities or destinations–one of its most popular stories, Sheff notes, tells readers where to go for the best apple picking–the magazine doesn’t shy away from topics like domestic violence.

“It is a good combination of information for parents and features and articles that parents want to read and know about,” says Susan Goldberg, a Chappaqua resident who has worked for the magazine as the calendar editor since 2011. “My kids are adults now, but I think when I was a young mother I would have loved this kind of resource.”

Sheff’s coverage has allowed her to meet and interview some notable sources, from then-Yankees manager Joe Torre to, most recently, Dateline NBC correspondent Andrea Canning. For a profile on Sesame Street, Sheff toured the show’s studios in Astoria, Queens.

But just as important to Sheff are her conversations with the magazine’s readers, which she uses as an “informal focus group” to gauge the publication’s impact.

“Even people who don’t have kids anymore will say, ‘I used to read that all the time. I raised my kids with that magazine,’” she says. “It’s very endearing. They’re very appreciative.”

And it hasn’t just been local parents who have recognized the magazine’s contributions. The publication has won a number of awards, including several from the Parenting Publications of America and the Parenting Media Association. When it comes to finding activities to write about, Sheff says, there is never a shortage. With everything from the Westchester Children’s Museum in Rye to the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville and with New York City a short drive away, neither parents nor the magazine risk running out of ideas.

“Westchester is just a great place to grow up,” Sheff says.

 

Filed Under: Armonk Cover Stories Tagged With: editor, Jean Sheff, Westcester Family

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