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New Castle Historical Society

Chappaqua’s Always Magical HOLIDAY STROLL on December 3rd: Ice Sculpting, Tree Lighting, Horace Greeley Encords… and More!

November 17, 2022 by InsidePress

The annual Holiday Stroll is back in Chappaqua December 3! Memory making and heartwarming activities for the whole family! Discover a host of shops, new and old favorites! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, or just wish to embrace the spirit of the season, you do not want to miss this! 

December 2022, Chappaqua, NY –  It’s the most magical time of year again and the annual Holiday Stroll is back! The holidays come alive in this charming hamlet; this is the perfect time for families to enjoy a festive day in downtown Chappaqua. 

This year’s Holiday stroll on December 3 will feature a meet and greet with Santa Claus bringing cheer to all and posing for pictures with little ones from 2 to 4 p.m. 

Experience a live ice sculpting presentation in front of Desires By Mikolay at 3 p.m., where you can watch master carvers create two holiday themed carvings out of giant blocks of ice using nothing but chainsaws. This is a decade long tradition you have to see for yourself!

Festivities continue at 4:30 p.m. at the New Castle Historical Society where you can enjoy the sounds of Holiday-themed Carols by Horace Greeley Encords and witness a festive Christmas tree lighting with thousands of twinkling lights.

Enjoy the charm of downtown Chappaqua as you pop into local shops, discover new merchants, checkout the latest fashions, shop local for holiday gifts, and pick up all the necessary essentials this gift-giving season. 

If you are worried about the cold, we got you covered! There will be a complimentary food truck from the Chamber of Commerce serving up Hot Cocoa and apple cider donuts to make sure everyone is warm and toasty.

Chappaqua’s Holiday Stroll will be on December 3, from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. throughout downtown Chappaqua. 

In addition, save the date December 18 for more holiday festivities in town including a December 18th Menorah Lighting and bonfire!

News courtesy of the Chappaqua Millwood Chamber of Commerce, Desires by Mikolay and the New Castle Historical Society

Filed Under: Happenings, Happy Holidays, New Castle News Tagged With: Desires by Mikolay, Downtown Chappaqua, Holiday Stroll, Ice Sculpting, New Castle Historical Society, Train Show

What’s Love Got to Do with it? For the Shiners… Everything!

April 8, 2022 by Jean Sheff

Frank and Suzanne Shiner… with Baker! PHOTO BY Donna Mueller

Maybe you know Frank and Suzanne Shiner. Then again, you might not.

Ask Marlene Canapi, president of the Chappaqua Rotary Club, about the couple and she offers insight. “Frank and Suzanne are extraordinary community members,” she says. “They are always stepping up to the plate to help, but they keep their actions under the radar.” 

Canapi can reel off their many generous measures. “They’ve sponsored amazing benefit concerts, hosted fundraising and celebratory events at their home, and supported many local organizations including the Chappaqua Historical Society and the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center,” says Canapi. “They have given much and their actions continue. Their generosity and community spirit are ongoing.”   

True to their nature, the Shiners were modest, yet very honored, to learn that the Rotary Club of Chappaqua will present them with the Rotary Club of Chappaqua Community Service Award on May 4, 2022. This award is given to a person(s) who most exemplifies the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” The award comes with the opportunity for the honorees to make a Rotary sponsored donation to the non-profit of their choice.  

Canapi, who has known the Shiners for eight years, says it’s not only what they do but also how they do it that makes them so special. “They give from the heart,” she says.

The Shiners have had many challenges through the years, but their support of each other and their upbeat attitude along the way is exemplary. To hear Frank tell it, they just don’t get caught up or sidelined by unnecessary details. “When we purchased our home in Chappaqua some 18 years ago, the 9/11 tragedy was still top of mind,” he says. “Our realtor regretfully explained the only available date for the closing was September 11th. That suited us just fine. We are not superstitious.” They loved the 100-year-old home and were excited to move in and raise their three children there, Matthew (33), Jeremy (31) and Lindsay (22). That can-do attitude has always served them well.

Beginnings

The couple met in a New York City acting class when they were in their early 20s. Frank was an up-and-coming actor from Pennsylvania working a day job as a manual elevator operator. Suzanne was a dancer and aspiring actress who had just arrived from Arkansas to the big city. Frank admits he was smitten at once. “This woman (Suzanne) walks into class and I was never dazzled like that,” says Frank. “She was the last woman I ever looked at.” 

However, Suzanne, arriving fresh from a small town with 3,000 residents, enjoyed dating. “People dated back then,” she says. “I was having such fun being wined and dined.”

Frank was living at Leo House, a residence for men, and Suzanne was lodging at Katherine House for young women. Both houses had strict rules, and neither allowed guests. A lone pay phone in the hall was the only source of outside communication. With an enormous stack of quarters and nickels in his hand, Frank telephoned Suzanne. Every three minutes he’d feed the phone another coin. “We talked like that for hours,” he says. After that phone call, they were a couple.

They dated for a year and a half, spending most of their time talking, talking and talking. They’d move from coffee shop to coffee shop to split a cup of coffee, then stroll through Washington Square Park, or roam the streets of the city together. Meanwhile, Frank was getting work as an actor in soap operas and theatre. Suzanne says Frank excelled in Shakespearian roles. With what she calls sheer determination, and we suspect plenty of talent, Suzanne got soap, commercial, and theatrical roles. “It felt like a miracle,” the small-town girl in her says.

It wasn’t long before they had to get married. “There was just nowhere for us to be alone together,” Suzanne laughs. Even the proposal smacked of what would become their way of dealing with the world–focus on what’s really important–namely their love. Frank planned a true New York proposal by arranging a horse and buggy ride through Central Park. Come the day, the weather was miserable, sleet blanketed the streets and wind screeched around every city corner. Instead, Frank whisked Suzanne into the Essex House restaurant. He discreetly told the staff his intentions, and they showed them to a romantic corner booth and treated them royally.

There were no regrets; no mulling over plans gone awry. It was perfect foreshadowing for a life well spent together.

Suzanne found a letter she wrote to her mother when she first met Frank. The wining and dining were low key. “He would pick me up on his bicycle,” she wrote. It was the man he was that won her heart. “He had a passion and a love for life, he was just fearless,” she says. He also loved his parents, wonderful, smart people who lived simple lives and put all their children through college. Suzanne gets teary when she recalls thinking that she knew he could love the family they would build the same way. “He’s a good man,” she says. “He has worked hard every day and has done everything he can do to make a better life for his family.”

Building Their Family

That included giving up his theatrical dreams. Frank was up for a lead in a Broadway musical when the songwriter, Garth Brooks, had to pull out and then so did the investors. With one baby and another on the way, Frank realized he needed a solid job to support his family. Frank admits it wasn’t easy at first. He took a job in sales and sailed forward. He eventually started his own firm. Suzanne provided encouragement and took on the role of office manager and marketer. “He is a brilliant at business,” says Suzanne, “He wound up creating a nationwide company.”

The couple is community minded, and on moving to Chappaqua, they took on the roles of active citizens. They joined the Church of Saint John and Saint Mary in town, got involved in the school system, volunteered at area organizations and enjoyed life in what Suzanne says is “a lovely town where neighbors help neighbors.”

Challenging Times

During this time, their third child was born and when she was in elementary school, Suzanne was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. It was a dire diagnosis but 10 years and 14 operations later Suzanne is cancer free. It was a grueling, painful decade, but true to form, the Shiners rallied. “So much love came from the community to help us,” says Suzanne. “Complete strangers were delivering food!”

On the way home from a chemotherapy treatment, the couple stopped at a local restaurant. It was open mic night and Suzanne put Frank’s name on the list. Frank says he demurred when he was asked to perform. Suzanne insisted, “Sing for me.” The appreciative crowd, the bandleader’s reaction and the joy of performing propelled Frank back onstage.

Moving Forward

For eight years, Frank was a low-profile singing CEO, and he loved it. After selling the company, Frank and Suzanne turned their attention to performing and giving back. “Everything we make through performances is given to charity,” says Frank. “We’ve come full circle. We don’t have to worry about where our next meal is coming from, but I will never forget how that feels.”

Frank, now an award-winning vocalist, has been delighted to appear in sold-out concerts beside Vanessa Williams to raise funds for the 100 percent scholarship driven San Miguel Academy of Newburgh, at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, and the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center. He’s also released two albums, appeared with Orchestra 914, and a performed at a wide variety of other professional venues.

For the empty nesters, music is healing. Suzanne says in this last third of their life they are delighted to be doing what they love–giving back as partners. “Frank’s my soldier, my warrior. He’s made a beautiful life for our family and I love seeing him happy.” Frank credits Suzanne for believing in him when he had nothing. “She’s my spark plug, my inspiration, the fire behind everything.”

Others see that devotion. Rotarian Marlene Canapi sums them up, “They are just lovely, incredible people.”

Catch Frank Shiner Live!

Attend Swingin’ into Spring on May 14, 2022 from 7-8:30 p.m. Frank Shiner is underwriting a fundraising concert at Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, Chappaqua, New York to benefit San Miguel Academy of Newburgh. Frank performs with the 22-piece Orchestra 914 Big Band Ensemble under the musical direction of Russell Ger. The evening includes a special performance by the San Miguel Choir. 100% of your ticket purchase goes to benefit San Miguel Program of Newburgh. Tickets are $50 or $75.

To purchase tickets: https://newburghsanmiguel.org/news-events/

To learn more about Frank Shiner Music visit https://frankshiner.com.

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Benefit Concerts, Central Park, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, Frank and Suzanne Shiner, Love Story, Marriage Proposal, New Castle Historical Society, Rotary Citizens of the Year, Rotary Club of Chappaqua, San Miguel Academy, The Sheen Center, The Shiners

A Slice of New Castle History, Visited In our Writer’s Letter to Dorinda Dodge

February 24, 2022 by Stacey Pfeffer

Dear Dorinda,

The first time I came across your tombstone in the Quaker Friends Meeting House graveyard, I was awestruck. It stood out. While others were weather beaten and some barely legible yours stood at attention and was clearly new. What I found even more interesting was that it listed your birthdate – May 23, 1938 but no date of death. As someone more accustomed to Jewish cemeteries, I had never before seen a headstone listing a birthdate but no information recording a date of death.

A daily walker amongst those tombstones with my two dogs, I knew that you were probably from a prominent family in Chappaqua. After all, there were tombstones from the Kipp family of Kipp Street in this same graveyard and the Haights of Haights Cross Road. I had an inkling that you were a descended from the family that built Dodge Farm which is abutting the Quaker Friends Meeting House.

And with extra time on my hands (thanks COVID lockdowns) and a natural curiosity about local history, I reached out to the New Castle Historical Society first about you and then another somewhat trusty resource aka Google who informed me of your nickname Rindy and your current residence in Vero Beach, Florida.

Gray Williams, the omniscient town historian answered my inquiry and promptly replied that “Dorinda (Rindy) Dodge is the daughter of Courtney Dodge, the developer and builder of the family homestead property, Dodge Farm. Marcourt Drive (one of my favorite running spots btw) is a compression of his and his sister’s names: Mar[jorie] and Court[ney]. Rindy decided that she wants to be buried with her family and arranged to have her monument erected to mark the spot.” 

So of course, his reply piqued my curiosity and I did a bit more research on your Quaker family who had roots in this town dating back to the 1740s. Your father’s contribution to the development of this town caught my eye in particular. Looking at notes from the Horace Greeley High School Class of 1957, I found that your father Courtney started building homes 1938 around Dodge Farm, the very same year that you were born. Perhaps he needed income for his growing family or he had a strong desire to keep putting roots down in this bucolic slice of Northern Westchester.

With you turning 84 this year, I get a little burst of happiness every time I pass your tombstone and see no date of death listed. You must be alive and kicking in the Florida sun instead of succumbing to COVID as one in 100 older Americans have in this pandemic.”

It couldn’t have been easy building homes with a newborn and no formal training in construction or real estate development but he was described as a “natural at building things.” The class notes explain that Courtney would buy land in Dodge Farms from his mother, build a house on it, move in, build another house, put them both on the market and sell whichever went first. 

Dorinda, I am sorry that you moved so many times in your childhood but at least you weren’t uprooted to a new town. I understand that your family moved many times because people usually wanted to buy the house your family was living in because it was beautifully adorned with antiques. The notes continue to say that “Rindy would leave one house in the morning, go to school and come back to the next house at night..almost everything unchanged.” What cherished objects did you take with you from home to home – a stuffed animal, a doll? 

It is believed that your father built around 25 houses or so with a brief hiatus during World War II. Houses in the early days sold for under $10,000 but today yield well over a million. 

But enough about him… I wonder more about you. I know you have many artistic talents, painting among them and have previously been an interior decorator. I was thrilled to hear that you have many grandchildren too and have traveled the world. 

With you turning 84 this year, I get a little burst of happiness every time I pass your tombstone and see no date of death listed. You must be alive and kicking in the Florida sun instead of succumbing to COVID as one in 100 older Americans have in this pandemic. 

And Mr. Williams confirmed for me that you are indeed “very much alive.” May you continue to live a vibrant life Dorinda and if you ever come to your hometown for a visit, look me up. I’d love to meet you and learn more about your family’s history and ties to our hamlet.

With warmest wishes,
Stacey Pfeffer

PS  I’m glad you decided to honor your family’s roots here by choosing your hometown as your final resting place and joining the six other Dodges already buried here. There was clearly a reason why the Algonquins called our town shah-pah-ka, a place where nothing is heard but the rustling of the wind in the leaves.

PPS  It’s great to see that the house building talent was passed down from your father and that you are working on building your third house in sunny Florida. If wintry weather continues, I may just look you up and pay you a visit.

Filed Under: Armonk Cover Stories, Cover Stories Tagged With: Dorinda Dodge, Gray Williams, New Castle Historical Society, New Castle History

All Aboard the Great Holiday Train Show at the New Castle Historical Society 

December 11, 2021 by Grace Bennett

“Every Train Tells a Story”

Chappaqua, NY–Have you purchased yours and your family’s tickets yet to the quintessentially adorable train show that’s the talk of the town in New Castle?  The Great Holiday Train Show at the New Castle Historical Society in progress through January 9th was an idea initially brought to the NCHS by Chappaqua’s Richard Diefenbach, a New Castle Historical Society trustee and a trained collector, as is his son, Michael, a senior at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains; the family immediately offered their classic, turn of the century cars of the New York Central Railroad Company–all in all, fine trains with which to kick start a train show. 

In between multiple tours: Georgia Frasch, vice president, New Castle Historical Society tending to NCHS trustee Rich Diefenbach’s trains, a set which initially set the stage for the Great Holiday Train Show at the New Castle Historical Society. The show, with each train set and assorted memoribilia (and related gift items too!) housed in the individual rooms of the Greeley House, grew to include over a dozen exhibits from local residents and beyond. The show continues on Saturdays and Sundays through January 9, 2022. 

 

“Rich had suggested that we do a train show,” shared Georgia Frasch–yes, that Georgia Frasch of Chappaqua Moms’ fame, but also the current vice president of the board at NCHS, who gave the Inside Press the lowdown of how the show was brought to New Castle, along with a tour of the train show.  Initially, because of Covid, the idea got tabled, she explained. 

 

“In September, however, we started talking about it again as things were loosening up with Westchester becoming more and more vaccinated,” said Georgia. “I said to Rich, ‘You know, let’s consider maybe we can finally do this train show.” 

 

Added Rich: “The idea for the train show came from my son 10 years ago when we would visit the Nauset Model Train Show in Orleans, MA on Cape Cod.” As a new trustee, he told the NCHS board a train show would draw the community and its families together.

 

“My son Michael was instrumental in helping me set up the tables along with Frank Shiner, and Tom Childs. It was great to work with Georgia Frasch who listened and helped me brainstorm ideas for the show and used her social media to get donations for trees, and loaner trains. It was a collaborative effort,” he said.

“The result speaks volumes – smiling faces of children and parents! People who never knew what the Greeley House have begun to enter its doors. It has been pure joy for the first time in my more than 26 years in this town. My hope is we will continue the tradition moving forward.”

Initially, there was Rich’s beautiful train set. Next stop, while at (Chappaqua resident) Frank Shiner’s house picking apples from his orchard for Intergenerate–community gardens that feed 50 households for Neighbor’s Link–Georgia told Frank about the show. He quickly hopped on board! 

 

“Frank said: “I have a 100-year-old train set in my attic, do you need it?” I said: ‘yes!’” 

 

“And then I put something out on Chappaqua Moms: ‘Anybody have trains?’ and the flood gates opened! We had more trains than we could possibly use!” 

 

And voi la, or perhaps, Toot, Toot–as resident train collectors/proud owners caught the news and considered the grand possibilities, the show grew, and grew, with more than a dozen fascinating exhibits now in place to enjoy and stir young and old imaginations alike. 

 

On the tour, you will receive a cool booklet about the show with colorful details about each train exhibit, with a tip of the conductor’s hat to those residents who graciously contributed to the holiday train show, each adding to its GREAT-ness. 

 

There is significant involvement from ‘beyond New Castle,’ too, including that of “a wonderful train store in Ardsley called Tom’s Trains,” said Georgia. “In fact, we did a little poster for him. He’s a lovely gentleman and during Hurricane Ida, he got wiped out–over $50,000 worth of one-of-a kind merchandise was lost. We reached out to him… he has been a great, great partner… he was a big help! As was Chris Fresiello, who works with Tom a lot, and who contributed one of the exhibits, too.”

 

There are group tours, non-gratis, happening, as well.  

 

“The Chappaqua Library’s Cathy Paulsen works with a group of disabled adults at Ability Beyond, for example, and we are offering them a day here. Another private tour is taking place for a young boy who is going through chemotherapy, and for his family.”

 

The show kicked off November 20 for 14 weekends and runs through January 9, every Saturday and Sunday with four, one-hour tours: 11, 12:30, 2 and 3:30. 

 

We discussed Georgia’s motivation for the show. “I was really inspired by the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival and Community Day–seeing parents at both with their children because it felt as if things were returning to a semblance of normalcy.” 

 

And beyond that… “For me, this train show was experiential: it was family, it was community, it was nostalgia, it was children; we have so many new families with young children. I wanted a way for new families to make memories and feel like this is something of value and, in fact, that is exactly the response we’ve gotten… Every train tells a story, and when you look inside the booklet, you’ll see all the people who have lent us trains.” 

 

For more info, please also visit https://newcastlehs.org/event/the-great-holiday-train-show/ which has this ticket link, too: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-great-holiday-train-show-tickets-199269178477 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Greeley House, New Castle Historical Society, The Great Holiday Train Show, Train Show

New Castle Historical Society Announces The Great Holiday Train Show

November 4, 2021 by Inside Press

It’s full steam ahead for The Great Holiday Train Show at the New Castle Historical Society! This family friendly event at the Horace Greeley House Museum will be open from November 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 on Saturdays and Sundays only at 11:00 am, 12:30, 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. This is sure to become a beloved holiday tradition!

 

The display will feature numerous vintage train sets, one dating back 100 years, running throughout the festively decorated rooms of the Horace Greeley House for the holidays. Children and adults alike can experience the magic of these heirloom items as they watch trains travel through such backdrops as a Bavarian countryside scene, the Rip Roaring 20’s, or ride the rails with the rugged Jesse James Gang, and then take it East to the New York Central….and more! Admission to this special event is $10 Members; $15 Non-Members; $8 Children 8 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at www.newcastlehs.org/events. Please be advised that space is limited for each time and all visitors over the age of 2 years will be required to wear a mask when inside the Horace Greeley House. The New Castle Historical Society is located at 100 King Street, Chappaqua, NY.

 

For further information on this or other upcoming programs contact Jennifer Plick, Executive Director at director@newcastlehs.org or call 914-238-4666.

 

HAPPENINGS News courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society

 

Filed Under: Happenings Tagged With: New Castle Historical Society, The Great Holiday Train Show

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