Just Between Us

At the Heart of Community

August 24, 2019 by Grace Bennett

One thing I’ve heard consistently about Pleasantville lately is how fiercely proud residents are of their town and of Mount Pleasant at large. As I produced this edition over the summer, and learned about Break the Hold, via Sabra Staudenmaier’s cover story for us, it was not hard to see why.

I feel like I’m getting to know a community that yes, celebrates all its gifts and good fortune, but also enthusiastically embraces solutions to challenging problems via its open hearts and extended hands. To me, such sincere involvement feels central to understanding the heart of a caring community. This story pulled my heartstrings right away. We also have a proud history covering mental health issues, and specifically the topics of depression and suicide. The Inside Press was the recipient a few years back of a Media Award from the Mental Health Association of Westchester. We hope to continue to shine a spotlight on mental health in future issues as well.

In additional heart sharing coverage, I am also thrilled to publish Ronni Diamondstein’s story about Pleasantville’s Gordon Parks Foundation; if you’re like me, you might be one of many who has walked by and felt curious about the foundation’s window on Wheeler Avenue. Its mission is to preserve the powerful images of artist and photojournalist Gordon Parks whose work has done so much to help bring attention to racism. It accomplishes that and so much more.

If you need more reasons to love Mount Pleasant, there is no shortage in this edition. We asked a long time savvy area resident and Inside Press contributor Jennifer Sabin Poux to compile ten, and she does a fantastic job of that too.

Two summer interns, Charlotte Harter and Madeline Rosenberg, have also helped turn our attention to community, with stories about how the Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce helps support local commerce, coverage of the town’s dedicated conservation efforts plus a look back at Pleasantville Community Day and the town’s firefighter parade.

We know fitness figures ‘big’ around here too, so please don’t miss the piece about area marathon runners either, which includes a Pleasantville resident!

Finally, we also keep hearing the music. In our debut edition, we offered a preview of the Pleasantville Music Festival (another mega successful day!), and in this issue, we give a nod to the area’s vibrant ‘music scene,’ as writer Miriam Longobardi spotlights a couple Rocker bands led by area moms!

Enjoy the edition, and we hope to see you again in 2020. Our plans for now are for at least four a year, so stay tuned! Follow Inside Press Magazines on Facebook or insidepress on Instagram, and soon enough, another surprise pub covering your town will be hiding in your mailbox!

Enjoy Our Debut Edition

March 8, 2019 by Grace Bennett

Grace’s cut and blow dry by Lisa Koebbe Bevan, owner and Master colorist at BELIEVE Beauty Lounge, a full service salon on 95 Manville Road in Pleasantville, believebeautysalon.com Makeup (and photo!) by Kara Delfino, karadelfino.com.

Please know that a lot of heart and soul went into producing this first issue of Inside Pleasantville! If you have lived in the area long enough, many of you may already have seen an Inside Press publication in a neighbor’s home, or perhaps at a real estate office–where the magazines make a giant impression (I’m told!) with area visitors considering a move here.

I’ve been publishing for 16 years after launching the first edition of Inside Chappaqua, The Magazine for New Castle and Beyond in April 2003. Five years ago, following that success, I decided to get two Castle pubs underway and produced our first Inside Armonk. And now here we are delighted to be covering your vibrant Mount Pleasant communities too with this first edition of an Inside Pleasantville!

I’m always grateful to my Inside Press team, including Caroline Rosengarden who lives ‘Inside Pleasantville’ with her beautiful family. She is positively a most enthusiastic proponent for the community.

Also, enjoy the work here by Lisa Samkoff, our consummate professional designer who brings a special flair to every page. Wonderful Stacey Pfeffer edits our Chappaqua and Armonk editions from which you may see some relevant articles appearing here too. First and foremost, as a publisher, I understand no community’s residents live in a bubble, so I do share from other communities, and will continue to as much as I can.

I also so appreciate Ryan Smith and Rick Waters, who designed and maintain our site theinsidepress.com. You can find all the stories here online too, a downloadable edition, along with other ‘in between postings,’ all as much as time and energy permit! Behind the scenes, we have Analia Boltuch, our invaluable account manager, and always a rotating group of talented ‘regular’ freelance writers and photographers. This issue’s cover work plus the photos for the Pleasantville Music Festival, for example, are from Pleasantville’s very own Lynda Shenkman, who shot many of my first Inside editions too.

Ultimately, this pub comes to you after 22 years of happy Westchester living, having raised two terrific children: my daughter, Anna, 26, and son Ari, 22, both living in the city. I also visit my dad a lot in Yonkers. He’s going on 97 and still in good health at a senior residence. Being empty nest, and having this amazing Inside Press team in place, I’m expanding our publishing efforts.

Chappaqua’s also is just a hop, skip and jump to Pleasantville. In fact, when I think of ‘fun times’ in Westchester, Pleasantville elicits those feelings enormously, whether it’s at gorgeous Rockefeller Preserve, or enjoying countless movies at the incomparable Jacob Burns Film Center, or even acting classes I discovered with Rachel Jones at the Howard Meyer Acting Studio/Axial Theater! In the meantime I can live vicariously enjoying others performing in stellar shows such as those at Arc Stages, or setting aside a day to dance or sing along with the mega talented musicians at the Pleasantville Music Festival.

All these places and institutions and more – don’t miss a terrific story on Cycle for Survival! – are covered in this debut edition, which I hope you will treasure and keep as a collector’s item. We will be ‘back again’ with a back to school September/October 2019 edition arriving in your home by late August too. Remember, you can read us online too at theinsidepress.com and follow our assorted musings primarily on Facebook and Instagram.

I am aiming for at least four editions in 2020, so stay tuned for more fun and meaningful coverage in which we will keep on ‘Sharing the Heart of Your Community.” And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also communicate a resounding THANK YOU to all the generous sponsors and contributors who made this edition and future ones possible. ENJOY!

Grace Bennett
Inside Press Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Imagining the Glorious Possibilities of ‘I Can’

August 29, 2018 by Grace Bennett

Can I do this? Yes I Can!

When you are Empty Nest and single, but still living in the suburbs, ‘Back to School’ feels more like an experience from the sidelines—I admit to being more observer, than participant. It’s also easy to fall into ‘missing my kids’ mode, and I so do. However, this year, I plan to celebrate their wings by approaching life with a hefty dose of joie de vivre.

Indeed, the possibilities are rather glorious. While I consider others’ September scramble for book supplies and finding out teacher assignments, and while I certainly wish our Chappaqua Schools a very happy 90th birthday at Greeley’s homecoming, in truth, my mind wanders a bit as I plot multiple ways to fill more ‘me time.’

Two words I’m saying more: ‘I can.’ I can get to the gym more. I can go to karaoke or a favorite musician’s gig (if I can take a nap first, that is). I can take more walks in our amazing ‘hoods and parks. I can sleep longer. I can meditate or schedule an occasional massage. I can write a novel or a movie, or start a new publication…yes, I think about that, if I can simply pull myself from social media a bit more! Or I can get over myself and accept however each day plays out! I can volunteer. I can get more politically involved, as fraught with ‘issues’ that sometimes feels. I can binge on a hot TV series, wrack up movies at the Burns, and I can cook more or I can treat myself to lovely meals. I can hop Metro North more to take advantage of the amazing city we live a stone’s throw from. I can make a bucket list travel wish come true. One certainty: I can keep soaking up precious time spent with my 96-year-old Poppy.

I can… I can…

Fortunately, anytime I feel like stepping up Community life, I can do that, too. I’m ultimately blessed to live in an area where, in truth, fun opportunities abound at any life stage–our ‘Happenings’ section makes that clear–whether its stopping by Community Day, the Chappaqua’s Children Book Festival or Armonk’s Outdoor Art Show and Cider and Donut Festival–these are all on my I Can calendar too. Ultimately, I plan to do it my way, in Can Do…the world is my oyster…mode.

Inside Press: 15 Years of Caring

May 23, 2018 by Grace Bennett

As we wrap up two more beautiful late spring/early summer editions, I proudly call your attention to a local publishing history that includes the following honors:

Westchester/Putnam Women in Communications ‘Superwoman of the Year’ Award
Media Award, Mental Health Association of Westchester
Bernard J. Rosenshein Courage to Care Award, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center

We conceive and produce community and regional stories that keep in step with our times and a larger national picture sometimes too. Mostly, we like when our stories touch hearts and stir souls, or otherwise resonate with our readers. We aim, whenever we can, to make a difference to lives both inside and outside our area. Our editions, given that they spotlight your neighbors, are read cover to cover, and all our stories are linked online to theinsidepress.com.

I’ll be celebrating Father’s Day honoring my 96- year-old dad, of course… He’s my biggest fan and here he is enjoying recent Inside Press editions.

In my estimation, the call to ‘Shop Local’ means supporting local media too, whether you are an advertiser or a reader. After all, consider that social media could get a little dull without all the wonderfully reported stories to share, too! Still in 2018: September/October, November and Holiday edition advertising opportunities in print and/or online. To advertise and/or order a voluntary or gift subscription, drop a note to grace@insidepress.com

Thank you for all your support in spirit too. Buoyed as we head into (a hopefully warm!) June, celebrating dads and grads, I wish you and your families near and far a wonderful, and healthy summer of fun and exploration. — Grace

I can’t resist sharing some proud family news that my son Ari Bennett (HGHS ’14) is graduating Union College on June 17 too! He is seated here together with his fellow artist classmates during an Open House for a Senior Art Exhibit called Perspectives. Congrats to all!

Letter to the Editor

On behalf of Lagond Music School,The Mental Health Association of Westchester, and Music & Miles, Changing Minds, we thank you for attending our March 10 Living Proof event and writing an in depth piece that shines the light on the power of music, mental health awareness and education. We are so pleased we could raise enough monies for two high school music scholarships in Miles’ memory and mental health services. Your article brought the evening to life in a very meaningful way.

Shari and Ed Applebaum
Event Co-Chairs, Music & Miles: Changing Minds

Expressions of Support

December 1, 2016 by Inside Press

Remembering Memorial Day 2006 PHOTO BY MARIANNE CAMPOLONGO — Remembering Memorial Day 2006
PHOTO BY MARIANNE CAMPOLONGO

By Grace Bennett

At this juncture, my heart and mind (as is true for the vast majority of her neighbors and friends) are squarely with Hillary Clinton in appreciation of her exemplary spirit and hard fought campaign and its unwavering message of ‘love trumps hate,’ and her conviction that we all indeed are ‘stronger together.’

For years now, as a small, hometown publisher, I have enthusiastically supported the voice and vision of our two-time Senator, Secretary of State, and neighbor. Over the last year, as time and resources permitted, I was so excited to follow her historical campaign to become the nation’s first woman president. Together with fine contributors, we proudly attended primary and post primary rallies on the East and West Coast, along with the Democratic National Convention, with the goal of being actively engaged in covering an extraordinarily qualified and experienced hometown candidate from a local vantage point — while still offering a variety of community features both in print and online.

Before a Katy Perry GOTV rally and concert in Philly: Photo op with Dawn Evans Greenberg (to my right), Robby Mook, Hillary for America campaign manager, and Dawn Dankner Rosen.

By casting well over 2.5 million more votes for Hillary Clinton than for Donald Trump, a far greater number of American citizens registered their collective voice as to the preferred candidate, so the outcome may remain a source of sadness and longing to many for some time to come, particularly as recount efforts are underway. But we also harbor hope for a better future. A very long chain of connected hearts unequivocally know that Hillary Clinton embodies all that a president is meant to be. She set the bar high for the next president, man or woman.

And here, for now, I will simply echo the voices from many corners–warm

and loving expressions–conveying an immense gratitude to Hillary Clinton for her role as advocate and friend. I commend those in her corner, in our community and beyond who worked so hard on her behalf and who are continuing their work, whether through wise words or newly launched grassroots efforts.

Our election coverage stories and photos (special kudos to Chad Kraus’ enormous generosity) followed by many heartfelt messages from the merchant community and amazing local supporters.

I’m especially proud as well to include a couple millennial expressions of gratitude by Greeley grads and past Inside Press contributors: an essay by Cornell University Junior Lindsay Hand, and the “thank you” photo and artwork by my son, Ari Bennett, a third year art major at Union College.

Please also enjoy the entire issue with many articles that showcase our wonderful community, its residents and various sponsors. Wishing the greater New Castle community, and beyond, a happy and healthy holiday season. Here’s to Peace in the New Year too.