festival

Fun & Fitness at Jamie’s 5K Run for Love and the Annual Cider & Donut Festival

October 24, 2018 by Stacey Pfeffer

Armonk residents of all ages gathered at Wampus Brook Park for the annual Jamie’s 5K Run for Love and the Cider and Donut Festival on September 23rd. The morning kicked off with the run, which had several toddlers racing in the Donut Dash. Older kids got to participate in the McIntosh Mile and runners ages 10 and up raced to the finish line in Jamie’s 5K Run for Love. The race was created in order to honor the memory of Jamie Love, a passionate runner and former member of the Byram Hills cross country and track & field team who died suddenly of a cardiac arrhythmia while attending the University of Vermont.

Every year friends from his former college participate in the race. Rafael Rodriguez from Bristol, CT was one of Love’s friends from college who studied engineering with him. “We were with him the week that he died. No one could believe it. He was like family to us and that’s why I run.” This year the race had 358 participants with some hailing from lower Westchester and others from as far away as Seattle.

After the race, festival attendees had plenty of activities to choose from. Slime making was a hit for the kids as well as the ever-popular train ride. Food trucks as well as fresh apple cider and donuts were enjoyed by many in attendance. Other activities included donut fishing, pie eating contests and listening to live music by Vinyl Countdown. The autumnal weather was the perfect setting for the fun-filled day.

“The Cider and Donut Festival has become a staple of the community,” commented Neal Schwartz, President of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce. Fresh apples and cider are an Armonk tradition, dating back to 1951, when Ed and Mary Schultz opened their renowned cider mill in town. In 1965, they added hot donuts, whose recipe has endured, even after their closing in 2002. Locals still hunger for those memories and get to relive them at the annual fall festival.

“The Armonk Chamber’s Cider and Donut Festival, which includes Jamie’s 5k Run for Love and the Byram Hills Pre-School Association Carnival, has grown to be a local favorite. We give our member businesses and local organizations a chance to interact with the community in a big way. It’s great to see so many families participating in both the races and all the activities. This is what small town living is all about,” noted Stacy Wilder, the Executive Director of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce.

Net proceeds from the event benefitted children’s programs at the North Castle Public Library, the Byram Hills Pre-School Association and the Armonk Chamber of Commerce.

Four-year old Reed Bond of Armonk
won the Donut Dash
PHOTO BY SAMUEL PFEFFER

Memories Made during Huge Turnout at the 6th Annual Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

October 24, 2018 by Jessie Greenstein

The sixth annual Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival was held on Saturday, September 29th at the Robert E. Bell Middle School’s grounds. With a bright blue sky above, smiling faces all around, overjoyed kids playing and browsing their favorite books, the festival was a special and memorable day for the approximate 7,000 local book lovers as well as visitors from as far away as Boston, Albany, Maryland and New York City.

The goal of this year’s festival was to attract people from all backgrounds and expose children to authors and books about different cultures. The festival showcased a diverse group of 95 authors. The festival exceeded its expectations as the kids were quite eager to learn about the unique culture and diversity around them through the pages of books and conversations with the authors.

The event saw a huge turnout this year. Dawn Greenberg, the event organizer, said “The police estimated there were at least 7,000 attendees. Last year we had about 6,000. We worked very hard to get the word out throughout schools in Westchester County, lower Connecticut and New York City. Our goal was to have every child in the area attend and get a book.” The festival sold more than 9,000 books.

Rye Brook resident Michael Barnett attended the book festival with his two daughters. He stated “I’ve been to this book festival several times. This is the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen. We did notice a lot of books with characters of different races and ethnicities and I think it’s great.”

Inside Chappaqua asked several authors and illustrators “What does diversity at the festival mean to you?”

Torrey Maldonado, who was voted a “Top 10 Latino Author” and best Middle Grade and Young Adult novelist for African Americans, uses his students and his experiences in his work. He said “Being here at the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival is amazing. I feel like I am more at an amusement park. Because every book is a different journey, different thrill ride. You can get elementary, early childhood books or just enjoy something fun and thrilling at that level. I have met a lot of different people here from different places so it seems to be like the United Nations, but about books.”

Jerry Craft, an illustrator and author who has won five African American Literary awards, said “It’s showing the crowd different kinds of books that they may not necessarily be familiar with. Whether it is boys having books that have female characters, African American characters or Latino characters. That’s something I always try to vary in my work.”

John Parry is an illustrator. “I think diversity represents all of us. For me, most of my book focuses on Latino culture or other different cultures. Growing up, all my friends were from different backgrounds and different families and learning from each one of those families is so important. I think that helps to influence me in my work. Having the background I have is a very positive thing for me. So, I celebrate those things. Like diversity, the more the merrier, and everyone is invited to the party.”

Vivek Agastya is a Chappaqua resident who thinks it is important for his kids to be exposed to diversity in literature: “As the dad to two Chappaqua girls that are part of a minority community, I think it’s helpful for my kids to be able to experience literature that has a diverse theme. The diversity theme of the festival gives me a chance to expose them to that.”

MORE PHOTOS BY BO SANDERS

Armonk Outdoor Art Show Draws a Diverse Crowd of Artists and Art Aficionados

October 24, 2018 by Madeline Rosenberg

Oil painter John Pompeo sat in front of his display of landscape and still life artwork, observing the adults and children who passed by his exhibit at this year’s Armonk Outdoor Art Show.

“I want to put peace out into the world,” said the Philadelphia-area artist, who has attended the show for three years. “I like that my paintings make people happy.”

Pompeo is one of 185 juried artists who attended the 57th annual Armonk Outdoor Art Show, displaying their work for thousands of visitors on Sept. 29 and 30. Sponsored by the Friends of North Castle Public Library, this year’s show not only featured artists spanning from sculptors to painters, but also a wide range of food vendors, a family activities tent, live music, and hands-on art for kids and adults. As 22 rows of tents lined an open field on Business Park Drive, visitors came to purchase or peruse photographs, paintings, mixed media, printmaking, jewelry and sculptures during the two-day event.

An attendee at Carl Zachmann’s display, who is a second-year Armonk Outdoor Art Show exhibitor and a machine artist.

Greenwich, CT residents Kate and Jordan Shaner said they were happy to attend this year’s art show for the first time, joining thousands of attendees to view a wide range of art exhibitions. The couple came to this year’s show after Israeli artist and Armonk Outdoor Art Show exhibitor Yoram Gal invited them to browse his paintings.

“We fell in love with his work in Jaffa, Israel,” said Kate Shaner on the second day of the show. “It’s great to see so many people in the community here to look at art.”

Not only did visitors enjoy this year’s event, but artists also said they appreciated the show’s atmosphere and the diverse selection artwork. First-year exhibitor Bruce Franklin said this event is his favorite show he has attended as a photographer, displaying photos from his excursions in Africa and the Bahamas.

“I’m really impressed by the quality of the work that is here,”

Photographer Bruce Franklin at his booth

said the photographer, who mostly captures images of wild animals and plants. “I love the patrons and the artists, too. The best part is the people–art savvy people.”

And it’s not so easy to become an exhibitor at the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, which Franklin’s comments reflect. Debbie Heidecorn, Armonk resident and one of several co-chairs for the event, said an independent group of jurors who are members of the art community chooses from more than 600 applications as part of the show’s year-long planning process. Only artists who receive awards at the show are guaranteed a spot the following year.

Although the process to exhibit artwork at the art show is competitive, both artists and visitors found themselves at a friendly community event, filled with hundreds of volunteers who look to improve the show each year.

“Every year we learn,” said Heidecorn. “It’s a learning experience because we only do it once a year. We are so happy that people are so easily adaptable to changes.”

Upcoming Cider & Donut Festival: September 23

August 29, 2018 by The Inside Press

The Armonk Chamber’s winning formula for a fun-filled day: Jamie’s Run for Love, Byram HillsPreschool Association Children’s Carnival, and an old fashioned Cider and Donut festival. Based in Wampus Brook Park, the annual festival is a perfect setting for all of the activities. Making fresh cider and donuts in the park brings back parent’s memories and has already begun creating new memories for generations. “But after the band, the food, the run, the most fun still goes to those brave kids and parents who will throw away their inhibitions and diets and go full throttle into the pie eating contest,” said the Chamber’s Schwartz. For more information, visit www.armonkchamberofcommerce.com

Diversity: A Key Focus at the 2018 Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival

August 29, 2018 by The Inside Press

The sixth annual Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival comes to town on Saturday, September 29th with more of everything–new authors, food trucks, activities and special attractions like the Bubble Bus.

Food trucks will include Mobile Pie, Walter’s Hot Dogs, The Melt Mobile and Three Little Pigs. Dessert will be available at the Great Chappaqua Bake Sale and also at Penny Lick Ice Cream’s cart which will feature a custom CCBF flavor in homage to author Bernard Most: If the Dinosaurs Came Back for Ice Cream. The Mike Risko Band and the Random Farms Kids’ Theater will provide entertainment.

Ninety-four authors including favorites like Victoria Kann, Rosemary Wells, Nick Bruel, Jane Yolen and Mark Teague will sign books and chat with their fans. Books are available through Best Book Fairs (cash or credit cards accepted). The festival, an all-volunteer effort, will also feature 18 new authors. A focus for the festival’s organizers was bringing books to a more diverse audience in 2018.

Dawn Greenberg, founder and executive director of the festival, noted: “Each year the author selection committee attempts to find books that will offer our visiting families the opportunity to be transported by our authors to different and diverse worlds, giving them a window on all kinds of characters and experiences–real and fictional. We are thrilled to bring in a wide selection of authors and genres this year who are getting great buzz in the children’s publishing world for their riveting stories and fresh voices.”