The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Just Between Us

Moms of the World

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A ‘selfie’ before the Chappaqua Library author talk. I was ‘hair ready’ too thanks to Carolyn Vento and Miranda at the King Street Salon!

A picture of strollers left on the Poland/Ukraine border to greet the massive influx of refugees pulled heartstrings internationally. So many good moms of the world, parents & non-parents alike, are reeling from what has befallen Ukraine especially knowing that children have been killed and in harm’s way. One child victim is one too many. As I wrote this column while closing editions on March 19th, I hoped by the time you read this, a peace, however imperfect, would have arrived. But here in my update, I’m sad to state this brutal war goes on. However, no surprise to me, local moms and non-moms alike are stepping up to do what they can.

I was especially grateful to hear about an effort by two area humanitarians–Ivana Denniston (an aesthetician formerly of the Chappaqua Wellness Center) and Kristen Salomon–who were with an on the ground team working furiously at press time to help Ukrainian refugees into Slovakia. I shared their efforts online in case you missed it.

Meanwhile, strolling along Armonk’s Main Street one day, I came upon two young ladies, both freshmen at Byram Hills High School, selling baked goods on behalf of the Ukranian Crisis Mission Relief. Adrianna Zawojek had asked her friend Ariana Foreman to join her in baking some 200 items to sell. Adult friends also dropped off coffee & cake to their table. They raised close to $3000!!!, including what was donated to their Venmo, @helpingukraine914

The girls offered this statement: “When you have no political power (for example, high school freshmen), and the world is in dire need, you often feel helpless. You think, ‘Oh, I’m not a politician, I’m not a huge business owner, what influence can I have to make this better?’ It is humanity’s obligation to help each other when the time calls for it. When we heard the appalling & terrible news of what was happening in Ukraine, we knew that we had to do something!”

‘Mom’s World’ happened to be a theme developed months ago before this war began. Of all the issues published each year in the last 19 years, preparing Mother’s Day editions is always my favorite. After all, nothing has brought me more joy in my own life than being a mom, even with its challenges sometimes. I loved gathering the heartfelt essays and stories you’ll find in the current editions and here online from talented contributors who I count as dear friends now too.

For our Mother’s Day coverage, I was thrilled to include a touching cover love story about two Chappaqua Rotary Citizens of the Year, the indomitable Frank and Suzanne Shiner! Plus, please check out our more up close and personal interview with New Castle’s dynamic new Town Supervisor Lisa Katz. Please also don’t miss the spotlight on the Chappaqua School Foundation and consider supporting their efforts for innovation in education at the upcoming Tacos & Tequila night on April 29! It’s sounding like a rollicking great time is in store. In Armonk, we were struck by the enthusiastic response to the Armonk Fire Department’s CPR education offered free to local residents, thanks to the department’s awesome Julie Gallagher, assisted by Rich Greenwald. We were also delighted to learn about the return of the Fol-de-Rol!

A side note: while producing these editions, I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from my interview with author Dorothy Wickenden during a Chappaqua Library Author Talk: Dorothy Wickenden Sheds Light on the Strength & Perseverance of Three Women Who Fought for Abolition & Women’s Rights (theinsidepress.com)  For  the next edition, I’m looking forward to sharing future events the library has planned to celebrate 100 years of serving the New Castle community; indeed, we plan to explore the future of libraries in general!

All three editions offer a substantial nod to the considerable gardening and beautification efforts around town–a maternal endeavor if ever there was one considering the many moms involved. Their efforts are spotlighted in each edition, and the upcoming Mother’s Day Plant Sales, but we also ‘packaged’ them altogether for a special Mother’s Day floral celebration of sorts in Inside Pleasantville & Briarcliff Manor. In that edition, you’ll also find info about the upcoming Pleasantville Day, an animated conversation with two key community leaders about all things spring and summer in Briarcliff Manor, plus a colorful ‘mom profile,’ Stacey Winnick, a compassionate local volunteer and businesswoman.

We have additional articles for your reading pleasure as always. We have also been actively promoting the idea of subscriptions in print and/or online if you’d like to support our efforts! Finally, the balmy weather arrived early, so we spotlight three fabulous locales for spring strolling on Mother’s Day, or any day! Enjoy!

 

Imagining the Possibilities

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Hello everyone!  Welcome to our first 2022 editions, including Inside Pleasantville & Briarcliff Manor (Inside P&BM). We gratefully brought a third title back after a Covid pause. I chose a theme called ‘Spring’s Possibilities’ as we set out to produce three editions.

To that end, you’ll find our press enthusiastically supporting local commerce as in the Inside P&BM  cover story written by Stacey Pfeffer and photographed by Donna Mueller. It hopefully conveys our focus and was even generously taped by Pleasantville Community Television. Stacey’s entire interview with Bill Flooks, president of the Pleasantville Chamber of Commerce, is available for viewing at https://www.pctv76.org/video/2907/.

Meanwhile, for all our editions, Christine Pasqueralle interviewed Mary Jo Ziesel, the new Jacob Burns Film Center director, for an always welcome update on ‘all things Burns.’ Christine also gathered a host of fun and rewarding activities ‘to do’ in Briarcliff Manor–amazing to consider in a small village. 

The debut of Orchestra 914 in Pleasantville, with new conductor Russell Ger, as reported by Jean Sheff, is reason alone to celebrate. At Arc Stages, too, I’ve discovered there are always so many creative offerings to engage the community. Rich Monetti shines a spotlight on a fascinating spring exhibit at Arc Stages, as just one example, that of photographer Chad David Kraus’s work.

A real special treat is a Pleasantville Puzzle, created by Will Shortz, who took time out from running his amazing Westchester Table Tennis Center to produce it. The idea for a puzzle came my way from the newest addition to our Inside Press team, John Fisher, a (very) long time Pleasantville resident and now Inside Press Director of Business Development. Lisa Samkoff, our long-time Art Director, designed all the beautiful pages for us.

In the interest of ‘Sharing the Heart of the Community’–our mission–we support Briarcliff Manor’s Irene Unger who describes living with Multiple Sclerosis and who spotlights the MS Walk on March 27th in Briarcliff. In Inside Armonk we share resident Jennifer Drubin Clark’s journey with breast surgery, and the poignant thoughts she courageously shares, surrounding her community of healing and support. 

There’s a big ‘sports’ component this go round too, as we celebrate an Armonk Girls Varsity Tennis Team’s path to victory–Girl Power!–and in Chappaqua, Nolan Thornton’s interview with Geoff Curtis, the district’s athletic director, gets to the heart of what sport team efforts are all about, too.

Enjoy the online stories, and please do consider the online subscription. As we inch toward 20 years of publication, print advertising can be a tough sell,  so reader support is deeply appreciated more than ever to help fund the editions and maintain a healthy online presence. 

We have an awesome team! We also have two more spring editions coming, one mailing April 8 and another mailing June 1, so keep an eye out! And this spring, as always, keep imagining the possibilities.

 — Grace

Grace Bennett with Bill Flooks (left) and Paul Alvarez Photo by Donna Mueller
Stacey Pfeffer with Bill Flooks.
Photo by Shane McGaffey, Pleasantville Community Television

A real special treat is a Pleasantville Puzzle, created by Will Shortz, who took time out from running his amazing Westchester Table Tennis Center to produce it. The idea for a puzzle came my way from the newest addition to our Inside Press team, John Fisher, a (very) long time Pleasantville resident and now Inside Press Director of Business Development. Lisa Samkoff, our long-time Art Director, designed all the beautiful pages for us.

In short, we have an awesome team! We also have two more spring editions coming, one mailing April 8 and another mailing June 1, so keep an eye out! And this spring, as always, keep imagining the possibilities.

To all that’s Life Affirming

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If I had to name my most heart wrenching moments in 18 years of publishing locally, it has been unquestionably reporting or covering the loss of a young life. But they have ironically felt the most meaningful, if only in some tiny, immeasurable way, when sharing the memories of a precious son or daughter provided even the smallest degree of comfort to a grieving parent–and to a community of family, friends, and neighbors in mourning too.

You’ll learn about the remarkable life of a young lady, Linda Zhang, her unyielding passion to save our planet and the impact she had on all those who knew her.

I met Linda’s warm and wonderful parents at an event at the Chappaqua Library earlier this summer when a first Linda Zhang writing award was presented. Writing was another passion of Linda’s. Pamela Brown’s article about Linda and the foundation formed in her honor: www.lindazhangfoundation.org

As we went to press, news came of another devastating loss to the community, that of Danielle Taylor Leventhal, an immensely talented artist described by her family and friends as “a beautiful ray of sunshine and a strong-willed woman.” Danielle’s mom, Jennifer, had sent me her family’s poignant words in a story I then posted about this brilliant, joy-filled young lady. https://www.theinsidepress.com/in-remembrance-of-danielle-taylor-leventhal/

A packed service at Temple Beth El led by Rabbi Jaffe–the remembrances by her family and friends – conveyed the enormity of the love for Danielle and her legacy.

If this letter column feels ‘heavy’ for back- to-school editions, as spotlighted by various stories, I hope you might see it as life affirming instead, because learning more about these two wonderful souls really has been.

Please enjoy all the articles assembled with gratitude and with a hopeful but watchful eye over ‘everything Covid’.  Speaking of gratitude, please don’t miss our stories about the Byram Hills Education Foundation ‘funding our student’s futures’, the New Castle United for Youth ‘EXPERIENCE’, as told by two interns, and one of Byram Hill’s student Anika Bobra who has created a remarkable podcast devoted to promoting gratitude widely.

Personal and family enrichment via fabulous local options are always something to be grateful for.  So, do help celebrate ‘comeback’ events –  Community Day in New Castle, the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, Feed Me Fresh: An Edible Evening. and the Armonk Outdoor Art Show!

Do visit the Chappaqua Library’s new Teen and Children’s Rooms! Do feel inspired by Chappaqua’s Edward Lewis, the new director of Caramoor, and partake in any of its ever exciting programming. And also by Hammond’s executive director Elizabeth Hammer who kindly provided me with a fascinating private tour of this small gem of a Museum and its lush Japanese sculpture gardens.

Finally, I’m well into a second decade supporting the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. Please consider attending/supporting its upcoming annual fundraiser honoring Andrew Greenspan.  https://hhrecny.org/inspire_events/

Here’s also my ‘welcome back’ to you, and my wish to you for love and happiness and to all that’s life affirming.

Cherishing Family

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Family life is and always will be many things to many people, but the powerful connection and bonds forged within our family units–and for me and many that includes our friendship circles, too–is the common denominator. Family is love. Cherishing family, and the children I raised, grown and flown they may be, will always be central to any love I feel, and more so in challenging times.

I also like to recognize the larger family who touch us all–our local and county officials, caring neighbors, health care personnel and first responders who provide resources and actual lifelines in this most unusual year, and every year. Such community resources include the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, now planning a 30th year celebration feeding Westchester, and the Mount Kisco Child Care Center which advocates so successfully for families. You can read about both these terrific organizations here too.

Please enjoy all the stories, photography and artwork; our freelance contributors work hard to assemble the mix of stories you find every time, and I have a lot of fun sharing them on the web too, with some help from the Play Nice Together team, and always feel humbled by all the excitement around that. I have a feeling, for example, Lyssa Weiss’s savvy weight loss strategies, as conveyed by Ella Ilan, will be eaten up, with zero calories incurred. Our blogger series continues too highlighting writing by talented writers Kat Nemec, Rich Monetti and Deb Raider Notis.

A huge thank you to Congressman Mondaire Jones for carving time out of his packed schedule to speak with our writer Jennifer Sabin and for later visiting Chappaqua for an Inside Chappaqua & Millwood  cover photo shoot by Carolyn Simpson. I loved the opportunity simply to greet and meet him, and his district director, Joan Grangenois-Thomas, too. 

I also want to thank the lovely John Diaconis for a personal tour of the historic Miller House, and for sharing his inspiring story, our Inside Armonk cover story, by Christine Pasqueralle. Gratitude to Donna Mueller for the photographs of John and his family, and also those of Drew Bordeaux, a mega talented musician/artist, both solo and with his bride and fellow artist Tammy (story by Stacey Pfeffer), and of Adam Stone and his comeback team! at the Examiner Media (story by Andrew Vitelli).  Also, please don’t miss the following story gems (and photos by Carolyn too): Stephanie Spiegel of Centerpeace (story by Shauna Levy), Ian and Lauren Karr (story by Ronni Diamondstein), and Wendy Craft and Evan Echenthal (story by Anna Young). We are also thrilled to include stories by Robin Chwatko. These include one of Emma Freeman’s rising star. And a second highlighting the offerings at the amazing Armonk Tennis Club.

So bottom line: please enjoy all the stories presented by our hard-working contributors–you will find wonderfully warm and accomplished people and families to ‘meet’ and in the print editions, inviting page designs by art director Lisa Samkoff.

Finally, we hope you will read Ronni Diamondstein’s touching tribute to Lawrence Otis Graham; the reminisces and thoughts conveyed come from many corners of New Castle and beyond.

Wishing you well and time to enjoy spring’s glorious holiday and milestone celebrations. 

These being ‘double editions,’ wishing you much joy this spring at your Passover or Easter gatherings, perhaps, and/or for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day too. As an aside, you might wish to take some of those celebrations ‘outside’ on your deck or patio, so do check out Marianne Campolongo’s feature about trends in backyard living too!  We are continuing a quarterly schedule and will see you again in mid-August! Truth be told, I have a little trip planned, and some memoir writing to do with the precious extra time, too. Stay well.

P.S.  Sometimes a single person you’ve never met can make you feel awash with love and appreciation. A celebrated resident ‘vaccine fairy’ for example, reached out to help me with my vaccine appointment. She has helped innumerable others. For anyone who’s having trouble making an appointment to get a COVID vaccine, Christina is happy to help! She has booked almost 600 appointments for eligible NYS residents. Please email her at vaxfairy@gmail.com. 

P.S.S.  The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center’s “Memory Keepers Story Hour” (see below) continues with three additional April virtual presentations. They always hit close to home. April 5, 2020 marks two years since my own survivor father’s passing. I have told his story in bits and pieces on social media, and hoping to convey a more complete tale of ‘Poppy’ one day, too. Please consider registering for one of these events.

Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Spring 2021 ‘Memory Keepers Story Hour’ Continues

A virtual online platform created by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center and that features Holocaust Survivors, Liberators, and GenerationsForward speakers–a second and third generation group that includes children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors–continues through April with Kathy Grosz-Zaltas on April 15; Wendy Sandler on April 22, and Michelle Gewanter on April 29. All virtual events begin at 7 p.m. To register, email Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrecny.org for Zoom log-in information or call the HHREC at 914 696-0738.  The Memory Keepers Story Hour series launched in 2020 supports the HHREC mission to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, to promote the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect, and to encourage speaking up and acting against all forms of hate, bigotry, and prejudice. Its Bureau includes 26 Holocaust Survivors, three Honorary Holocaust Liberator Speakers, and 36 GenerationsForward Speakers who tell their stories from a “next generation” perspective, adding new meaning to the survivors’ powerful stories. Visit www.hhrecny.org for more info.

A Community Engaged

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April 15th marks 15 years since my mom passed of pancreatic cancer, that notorious Silent Killer, just a few days shy of her 70th birthday, also in April. I remember this difficult period well, from her diagnosis and hospitalization at Sloan Kettering to hospice care at Calvary Hospital where the palliative care at least helped fend off terrible pain. Over a brutal four-month period span, many family members and I stayed constantly at her bedside. I was also acutely aware of and had met others in my own community experiencing similar journeys–grappling with and reconciling the limited options for afflicted loved ones. Over the years, I have often wondered about the progress for earlier detection and more treatment options. Zabeen Mirza, whose father succumbed to the disease at age 40, had approached me about producing a story recognizing area families actively fundraising for key organizations like PanCan and the Lustgarten Foundation. I jumped on board and assigned the story to Robin Chwatko, and a cover story for Inside Chappaqua was born. Please know how grateful I am to the many in our community engaged in the battle.

In a similar vein, we also shine a light on efforts to fundraise to battle blood cancers by including a Greeley student’s most promising efforts via his personal campaign. In so doing, Spencer Katz honors his mom, Lisa Katz, a New Castle Town Board Member and a lymphoma survivor.

I’m continuously amazed and touched by our engaged and caring communities. With that in mind, I can point to several ‘engaged people’ profiles (and cover subjects!) we included such as one on Ronni Diamondstein, and of course, her beloved Maggie Mae. Megan Klein captures the essence of this ‘dynamic duo’ and their contributions, so enjoy. 

In this same edition, Megan’s work is featured in a story by Stacey Pfeffer about under the radar bloggers. Time to discover ‘Operation Happiness’ if you haven’t yet! Keira O’Sullivan’s delightful Pizza Ratings also made the cut, and in the next edition, we have more bloggers to introduce, too!

A first-time book author, Zach Schonfeld, offers a behind the scenes account of 24 Carat Black, an under the radar ‘70s era funk group.

Our schools have been meeting their greatest challenges in their very histories in managing this pandemic. In Inside Armonk, and as our cover story, Ella Ilan finds out how one district in particular persevered! 

Please don’t miss Jennifer Drubin Clark’s fun profile about Armonk’s favorite outdoors proponent and much beloved town figure. That would be Skip Beitzel, 2014 Armonk Citizen of the Year, and the owner of Hickory and Tweed for the past 36 years.

We also offer a forum to a much beloved figure at Breezemont Day Camp, Marnie Levy, whose transition to “Life Coach” could inspire many grappling with career choices to find their own path. If you are pushing yourself just a bit too hard, a must read are Marni’s self care tips too.

Per usual, there’s ‘much more’ to enjoy, a gorgeous poem by Tanvi Prasad that I’ll forever think of as a gift to Mother Earth, and our ‘Etcetera’ column by Dan Levitz on how the pandemic has changed things up dramatically but how we still as a community retain so much that’s meaningful.

Anna Young takes us into Briarcliff Manor for a glimpse of newly revitalized parks and trails. Fewer excuses not to hit the great outdoors!

If you are among the many thousands who miss planned and unplanned jaunts to the Burns, here’s a chance to catch up with Christine Pasqueralle on what they are up to and how they have made community comfort and safety a priority too with their virtual offerings.

Our advertisers share some exciting spring promises, too, as Shauna Levy relates.

And here’s my final Springtime promise: In our next set of editions, I plan to tip my hat to an array of some truly darling and community-minded moms and dads residing among us. We are planning just one more set of editions for this spring, doubling up on our Mother’s Day/Father’s Day coverage efforts, and already so much that’s wonderful is in the works. Happy Spring to you and yours.