The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Horace Greeley House

Making Holiday Memories: Inspiring Ideas for Families

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The holiday season is upon us and it’s time to shop, plan celebrations and also enjoy all our communities have to offer at this special time. Here are a few ideas to help celebrate and enjoy the season all while having fun locally:

1. From Friday, Dec. 13, to Sunday, Dec. 15, in Chappaqua, shop artists’ special pop-ups between the King Street Studio and The Art Closet Gallery in the loft at Family Britches. The kickoff will take place in conjunction with the downtown Chappaqua Wine Around Town event on Dec. 13 from 5-8 p.m.

2. For a break from all the preparations the holidays entail, check out the Jane Condon Holiday Comedy Show at Armonk’s Whippoorwill Theater on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Rabbi Josh Strom of Congregation B’nai Yisrael will emcee the evening, which will also include a performance by Boston-based comic Kathe Farris. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.

3. Westchester’s Winter Wonderland returns this year to Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. Hours and days vary now through Jan. 4, winterwonderland.com for more info. There’s a circus, ice skating, rides and more. Tickets are $20 for ages 3 and up.

4. While the menorah lighting as well as a tree lighting already took place in Armonk on Frosty Day, before this issue went to press, the details of Chappaqua’s menorah lighting ceremony had not yet been firmed up. Ike Kuzio, superintendent of New Castle Recreation and Parks, said residents can keep abreast of this important annual event at Chappaqua’s community center by checking in on the town’s website.

5. Enjoy a screening of a Big Band Holiday program from Jazz at Lincoln Center in the New Castle Town Hall Assembly Room. The program runs from 6:30-9, p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 starting with refreshments provided by the Friends of the Chappaqua Library and will feature songs both “sacred and secular.”

6. Or attend The Movies’ Greatest Christmas Songs on Sunday Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. at the New Castle Community Center on Senter Street. Jon Reichman will use film clips, photos and piano performance to explore the history of famous holiday tunes White Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and Silver Bells.

7. Have yourself a historic Christmas. Visit the Horace Greeley House on Saturday Dec. 7, where a crafts workshop will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. and a tree lighting at 5 p.m. will be accompanied by the Horace Greeley High School Madrigal Choir leading carols, and a visit from Santa.

8. Why not spend some time in early December learning about the traditions of various cultures, communities and religions? Besides boasting many resources for learning about Christmas and Chanukah, the North Castle Public Library has several books about Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan. 1) and a CD of Kwanzaa music for loan. The Chappaqua Library also offers a book about the Hindu festival of Diwali (this year, celebrated already in October), titles about Chinese New Year, and more.

9. To offset the effects of kugel and cookies, give snowshoeing a try. Skip Beitzel, owner of Hickory & Tweed in Armonk, said “Snowshoeing is great. My adage for snowshoeing is, ‘snow and they will go.’” Beitzel, whose shop sells snowshoes for all ages, said his customers snowshoe on local golf courses or on the bike path that runs through Millwood. Those seeking a more arduous experience may even take their snowshoes to ski areas to use them when climbing uphill. “Why not snowshoe as a family?” Beitzel said, since after all many families ski together, and snowshoeing can be done easily and locally–providing there’s snow.

10. Or plan a family hike to The Eugene and Agnes Meyer Preserve, a 247-acre spot with more than six miles of color-coded trails. Spanning New Castle and North Castle, the preserve has kiosks at each entrance to help visitors plan their hikes. For more outdoor appreciation, make the Christmas Bird Count a part of your family’s December traditions (find dates and locations on audubon.org) – or even closer to home, join Cornell’s Project Feeder Watch (join.birds.cornell.edu) and find out how families can contribute meaningfully to important statistics on birds and migration patterns. It’s not too late to join this information-collecting effort, which will get you through the winter and into spring.

Preserving History and Keeping it Fun at the New Castle Historical Society

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Founded in 1966, the New Castle Historical Society (NCHS) is a non-profit educational organization that seeks to research, discover, collect, and preserve the history of the Town of New Castle. The NCHS is located in the Horace Greeley House and is open to the public for tours and research.

The Town of New Castle’s diverse history is evident in its many parks, buildings, roadways, trails, businesses, and organizations. Residents and visitors alike will quickly find that New Castle is home to many captivating historical narratives. These narratives range from the days of the Wappinger Confederacy’s use of the land, to the early Quaker settlement of the area, to stories from the Colonial Times, the Revolutionary War, and the 19th and 20th centuries.

At the NCHS, residents and visitors alike may experience the past by touring the Horace Greeley House and the many local history exhibitions on display, by performing historic research in the collection and archive, or by taking a self-guided walking tour of Horace Greeley’s former farm and downtown Chappaqua. 100 King Street, Chappaqua, NY 10514, newcastlehs.org

NCHS Annual Highlights

Historic Tin-Punch Workshop – January

Each January, workshop participants step back in time to become tinsmiths, also known as tinkers. Each participant makes several tin-punch decorations to take home.

Victorian Valentine’s Tea – February

A New Castle favorite every year! Participants make Victorian crafts for Valentine’s Day, and practice penmanship and etiquette, before sitting down to a formal Victorian Tea in the dining room of Horace Greeley House. Light refreshments will also be served. Held annually every February (exact date will vary year to year) for students in grades 2-4.

“Castles of New Castle” House Tour – May

Each year the NCHS hosts the “Castles of New Castle” House Tour every May. Local homeowners graciously open their interesting, beautiful, and historic homes to the public—all to support the historical society.

Ice Cream Social at the Greeley House – June

During the last week of school, the historical society hosts a “Make-you-own Ice Cream Social” at the Greeley House to celebrate the start of summer.

Live Music & Picnic in the Park – September

The NCHS’s Fall Benefit features a live band performing under the canopy of trees in the Chappaqua Station lawn and circle. Guests are encouraged to dance, dine, and get to know their neighbors. All proceeds from this elegant, early evening community picnic benefit the NCHS.

Community Sing, Holiday Crafts, & Tree Lighting – December

Held every December (specific date varies from year to year)

Annual Schedule of Activities:

– New Castle Community Sing presented by the Chappaqua Orchestra at Robert E. Bell Middle School (3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m.).
– Old Fashioned Crafts Workshop, Greeley House (4 p.m.–6 p.m.) Children of all ages are invited to create old fashioned crafts and to help us decorate the community tree.
– As darkness falls (5 pm), the Horace Greeley High School Madrigal Choir leads the community in heartwarming-carols, and the lighting of the holiday tree commences.

Other Programs, Events, and Services

The NCHS offers guided tours of the Horace Greeley House, a public research room, educational programming, digital resources, and a gift shop. Please check the website for more information: newcastlehs.org

 

Courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society

Antiques Appraisal Day at the Horace Greeley House Museum: April 22

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with Expert Evaluations provided by Rago Arts and Auction Center

It’s time to dust off your treasures! Do you have a family heirloom or garage sale treasure that you’d like to have appraised? Here’s your chance!

On Saturday, April 22, from 11 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., visitors are invited to stop by the New Castle Historical Society, located in the Horace Greeley House Museum in downtown Chappaqua, with their antique treasures for an Antiques Roadshow-style Appraisal Day. Special guest experts Sebastian Clarke (generalist), Katherine Van Dell (jewelry), Mick Byers (fine art), and Jennifer Pitman (silver), of the Rago Arts and Auction Center, will conduct the appraisals.

The event is co-sponsored by the Rago Arts and Auction Center of Lambertville, NJ.  Rago is a renowned venue for auction, private sale, and appraisal. Specialists from Rago appear frequently on the hit PBS series Antiques Roadshow. For more information about the Rago Arts and Auction Center, please visit www.ragoarts.com.   

A ticket for this Antiques Roadshow-style fundraising event includes the evaluation and appraisal of your antique treasure(s) by the expert appraisers. A ticket to the event costs $15 for NCHS members and $20 for non-members. Each guest may bring up to two items.

To kick-off the event, Rago specialist and Antiques Roadshow regular, Sebastian Clarke, will discuss his experiences ‘on the road’ in a talk titled “Tales from the Road” from 10 am to 11 am. There is a recommended donation of $10 to attend the talk.

To make a reservation for this event, please call Cassie Ward, Executive Director of the NCHS, at 914-238-4666. Walk-ins are also welcome. For more information about the New Castle Historical Society and this event, please visit www.newcastlehs.org. All proceeds from the event will benefit the New Castle Historical Society. 

Spring into History at the Greeley House

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Special Guest Presentation! “Westchester County: A Historical Tour in Postcards”– Thursday, March 24th, 7:30 pm

Please join the New Castle Historical Society in the Horace Greeley House parlor for an evening of local history presented through historic postcards. The program, presented by Patrick Raftery of the Westchester County Historical Society, discusses the history of Westchester County from the late-17th century to the present using historic postcards. Among the topics covered are historic houses and churches, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, the Croton and Kensico dams, monuments, transportation, education and recreation.
MainStreet
Many of us have only seen photos of the past in black and white, and thus we imagine our ancestors’ past in hues of gray. Obviously we know better, but it’s hard to visualize the vibrant colors of the past since many of us have never seen it. Luckily for us, photographers and postcard producers would colorize their photos and cards, so that those vivid hues and tints were widely available to those who could not experience it first-hand. We can enjoy these photos and postcards and imagine what our ancestors might have experienced: what scents they sniffed, what colors they saw, and what textures they might have touched! Looking at these items we can take a glimpse into the past.

Registration is recommended, but all are welcome to attend. Please register by calling Cassie Ward at 914-238-4666 or by emailing director@newcastlehs.org.
Recommended Donation: $10

Includes: Program, self-guided tours, and wine & cheese.
Location: Horace Greeley House, 100 King St., Chappaqua, NY
Other upcoming events: www.newcastlehs.org/events