The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Sew Happy Sewing: Hand and Machine Sewing Instruction for Kids throughout Westchester

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Wainwright_37Sew Happy Sewing, Inc began in 2012 when Kim Mulcahy decided to turn her hobby in to a cottage industry. She realized that sewing was a life skill that was missing and yet desperately needed by the women and kids in her town. Now, in 2015, the Sew Happy Sewing program is being taught at after school clubs in over 13 schools in Westchester and Kim has 3 talented instructors who, under her guidance, teach sewing in a nurturing, grass roots fashion. Sew Happy Sewing covers both hand and machine sewing but Kim is a keen supporter of hand sewing and often explains to the kids that they can take out a needle and thread anywhere but not a sewing machine! As with everything it’s about finding a balance!

Sew Happy Sewing also offers “boutique” camps in Rye, Greenwich and Chappaqua. “Threads” Camp is tailored to inspire potential fashion designers and fashionistas out there. The difference between the Sew Happy “Threads” Camp and other fashion-type camps is that we actually teach the kids how to design and SEW wearable garments. At “Threads” Camp, the kids work through fun design challenges, sometimes in groups and sometimes alone to create unique garments and they plan and orchestrate their own fashion show on the last day.

Wainwright_8“Summer Of Sewing” Camp offers a combination of sewing projects from stuffed animals and gadget cozy’s to pj pants so it’s a great introduction to sewing allowing the kids to try their hand at many different areas of sewing.

The kids who attend our camps make great new friends and connections and often move on to advanced sewing classes and workshops with Sew Happy. We offer the camp to ages 8 – 17 and then we group the kids by age with age appropriate projects and assignments.

Sew Happy offers two birthday party packages, “Sew Fun” is hand sewing for ages 7 and up and offers a choice of super cute projects like bunny puppet, mouse-in-a-tin, gadget cozy or cup-cake softee. “Extreme Sewing” is a machine sewing party where the kids decorate fabric with decorative machine stitches and then they make it into a pillow.

In addition, Sew Happy Sewing has regular workshops in Rye and is planning to expand in to other areas of Westchester this year. Private lessons for individuals or groups are also available. Call 917 885 7716 for more information, visit www.sewhappyusa.net or email Kim at kim@sewhappyusa.net.

Get Ready, Get Set: Discover “Live Action Role Play” at ARC Stages

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Looking for a singular way to commemorate a lifetime milestone? Or a noteworthy evening with friends? There’s a new game in town, literally.

For the first time, a theatrical experience game–a bit of theater-style live-action roleplay (LARP)–is coming to Westchester.

Briarcliff native Warren Tusk, a theatrical experience game designer, will run his popular game, The Dance and the Dawn, a gothic fairy tale for 15 players who waltz and duel while in a search for true love, on Sat., May 2, from 6 p.m.-11 p.m., at ARC Stages, 175 Tompkins Avenue in Pleasantville.

To register to participate, visit www.paracelsus-games.com.
Cost is $25 (students, $15) for the evening.

Warren Tusk
Warren Tusk

There are boffer-style (physical combat) groups at Sarah Lawrence College and scattered throughout the county, but no groups running theatrical LARPS.

Dance, which was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, has been played at The Brick Theatre in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and dozens of times around the world.

Participants fill out a brief casting survey to be fit to the best role for them. There are seven female and six male parts available.

“I’m excited to help people live out their own theatrical narratives through this fun and social medium,” said Tusk. “Dance is the kind of game that makes it easy for new players to get swept up in the action; it’s introduced many to the hobby.”

Dance and other games he has written are also available on his website so people can run a game on their own. Included is a game written by Betsy Isaacson, daughter of author Walter Isaacson, and as well as a private event service for those hoping to feature one of his games at a celebration or simply to engineer a memorable evening in the NY metro area.

While role-play has its roots in early make-believe games, today’s more modern role-playing hobby can be attributed to the mega-popular game Dungeons & Dragons, which, since the 1970’s, spawned worldwide interest in the medium. Live action role play was influenced by D&D, but also includes elements of theater and historical reenactment.

Tusk fell in love, as he puts it, “pretty hard and fast,” with theater LARPing in 2003, when introduced to the medium as a member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association (HRSFA). “I joined up for the whiz-bang fantasy-fulfillment element of it all,” he says, “but I stuck around for the power and the complexity of the stories that got told.”

As a 17-year-old college sophomore, Tusk was inspired by the opportunity to combine his interests in gaming and theater. He had often performed onstage in his youth and in Harvard student theater. And he was deeply involved playing many kinds of games, from board games and video games to tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.

Theatrical experience games generally feature a story with pre-written characters, each with their own personality, motivations and goals, but no script. Participants interact with each other while improvisationally playing their characters, choosing their own actions and dialogue. Similar to murder mystery games, a LARP can vary in length from less than an hour to a weekend or longer.

There are various styles of LARPs. Theater LARPs center on improvisational play with elaborate stories and complex characters. Boffer-style, because they focus on physical combat using foam weapons, are most prevalent and best known. Freeform (often “Nordic LARPs”) games emphasize emotional intensity in realistic and minimalist settings and are a game design particular to Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland. Dozens of college campuses across the country have active groups. There is a strong community in the Northeast and are manifold role-play groups around the world.

Tusk wrote his first game in 2003, but his career as a LARP creator truly began in 2006, when he wrote Dance, based on an innovative tabletop game written by a friend; it draws on sources from philosophy-of-gender theorists to Japanese anime. His study of religion, folklore, bioethics and the law (Harvard ‘05, U Penn ’09) and varied media influences inform his creative work.

“It never really occurred to me, once I knew about these games, that I wouldn’t try my hand at writing them,” says Tusk. “I was embedded in a creative and motivated circle of people; if you cared about something, in that crowd, you’d find a way to try and make it your own.”

Tusk has run his games at Intercon, the annual LARP convention in Massachusetts, and all over the Northeast. His wife, a middle school teacher and fellow Harvard-vintage LARPer, will use a theater LARP in her classroom this spring to teach about the Age of Exploration.

Beecher Flooks Funeral Home: One of Six Businesses Inducted into Westchester’s New “Business Hall of Fame”

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From left, Anthony Justic, chairman of The BCW Board of Directors; William Flooks Jr., funeral director at Beecher Flooks Funeral Home and Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The BCW.
From left, Anthony Justic, chairman of The BCW Board of Directors; William Flooks Jr., funeral director at Beecher Flooks Funeral Home and Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The BCW.

Westchester resembled the Great White Way earlier this week as The Business Council of Westchester held its version of the TONY Awards at its annual dinner event honoring some of the region’s most successful enterprises.

More than 600 people turned out to Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle on April 21 for The Business Council’s Business Hall of Fame Awards, which included a Broadway-themed celebration complete with a Playbill styled red-carpet, a Liza Minnelli look-a-like and performances by singers from the Westchester Broadway Theater – all overlooking the scenic Long Island Sound.

As part of the main act, The Business Council inducted a world-renowned technology developer, a leading holiday decorator, one of the nation’s oldest medical colleges, an affordable housing developer, a full-service insurance company and a family-owned funeral home that has operated for three generations.

From left, Amanda Volper, Hillary Volper, Brian Patrick Fontana, Eric Volper and Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council.
From left, Amanda Volper, Hillary Volper, Brian Patrick Fontana, Eric Volper and Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council.

New to the Business Hall of Fame this year was the addition of Chairman’s Recognition Award as well as announcing the winner of the Ron Volper Family Scholarship Fund for Business Excellence, which was given to Brian Patrick Fontana, who is pursuing an MBA at Pace University. The Business Hall of Fame, which is in its 14th year, has inducted more than 70 Westchester businesses.

“These winners represent all that is great in Westchester’s business community, its economy and its future,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester. “We have it all here — large corporations, family-owned businesses and leading technology companies. We are pleased to induct these companies into the 2015 Business Hall of Fame, and we’re so happy to help our future business leaders gain the tools they’ll need to succeed.”

County Executive Robert P. Astorino congratulated the winners for joining an exceptional roster of inductees and for their great achievements. He also thanked them for their contributions to Westchester’s economy and its communities. The master of ceremonies was News12 anchor Scott McGee. The event co-chairs were Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson of Thompson and Bender and Thomas Lalla of Pernod Ricard.

The winners in their respective categories are:

Corporate Citizenship: New York Medical College in Valhalla. Dr. Robert Amler, vice president for government affairs and professor of public health, accepted the award.

Entrepreneurial Success: Mindspark in Yonkers. Erik Esterlis, co-president, accepted the award.

Small Business Success: York International Agency, LLC in Harrison. Robert Kestenbaum, CEO, accepted the award.

Women in Business Success: Rella Fogliano, president of MacQuesten Development in Pelham. Fogliano accepted the award.

Family Owned Business: American Christmas in Mount Vernon. Fred Schwam, CEO, accepted the award.

Chairman’s Recognition Award: Beecher Flooks Funeral Home in Pleasantville. William Flooks Jr., funeral director, accepted award.

About The Business Council of Westchester

The county’s largest and most influential business membership organization, The Business Council of Westchester is committed to helping businesses market, learn, advocate and grow. In addition, The Business Council of Westchester is actively involved in reviewing federal, state and county legislation and regulations in order to assess the potential impact on the business community and to influence the outcomes through advocacy when the business community’s interests may be affected. It also acts as an information resource for the business community and government leaders at all levels.

Town Board Hashes Out the Proposed Opening Hours at Chappaqua Crossing

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By Eileen Gallagher

Chappaqua Crossing was on the agenda at the town board work session on Tuesday, specifically Whole Foods, and the conversation with the developer, Felix Charney, got heated. Much of the discord centered on proposed opening hours and a non-temperature controlled compactor/loading area, which could pose a problem in the warmer months.

What is not disputed is the necessity for some deliveries to occur an hour prior to opening. The hour for opening, however, is the issue.
Supervisor Rob Greenstein suggested having the store open at 8 a.m., and restricting delivery hours for tractor trailers until after 7 a.m. Charney supports a 7 a.m. opening, contending that morning users of the “mandated gym” are looking for something to eat when they are finished.

A resident in attendance, John Ehrlich, advised the town board after a quick internet search that all of the Westchester Whole Foods locations keep the same hours: 8 a.m-10 p.m..

Dr. John Collins, the traffic expert hired by Summit Greenfield, felt it would be sufficient to limit tractor trailers (there would be two a day) to 8 a.m. and allow the smaller trucks to “self-regulate.”

As for the compactor, town board member Adam Brodsky brought up the fact that if this “epicenter of one of the largest nuisances the property is generating” is not “refrigerated”, the refuse will “cook in the heat.”

Architect Andy Tung described the loading dock as an area enclosed on three sides with a cover on top. “The box itself is sealed, at the rear of the store, and 400 feet from any residential building.”

“The loading dock is the closest thing to existing homes,” said councilwoman Lisa Katz, expressing concern about residents hearing the beeping of trucks in reverse and being subjected to malodorous refuse.

Charney reiterated that Summit Greenfield is “not looking to be any more intrusive to our neighbors than this whole process has already been,” and reminded the board that the deadline for site plan approval for Whole Foods is June 30. “This has taken longer than we all expected.” Tung promised that a final site plan application would be ready in June.

Paving the way…

Gerry Moerschell, Commissioner of Public Works, requested an increase in the 2015 budgeted amount for paving town roads of at least $400k.

Citing the condition of the roads after years of economic woes, Moerschell explained in detail the need for rebuilding certain roads rather than just applying an overlay of asphalt.
“We pay a lot in taxes. If we have the money, we owe it to our residents to give them as smooth a road as possible,” Greenstein stated, going on to say that residents he has heard from are frustrated with the poor condition of many of the roads in town.

Comptroller Rob Deary eased the decision for the board as he described the town’s “good financial year” in 2014. “I am comfortable with [an increase of] $400k.”

Town Administrator Jill Shapiro summarized the paving budget amounts as $255k CHIPS ( Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program ) funding (a reimbursable amount), the original 2015 budgeted amount of $400k, and the additional request of $400k.

“We have to do it when we can do it, or else it’s never going to get done,” Greenstein stressed. “We need it, we have the money, and the comptroller is comfortable with it.”

Members of the board were willing to approve up to $600k, but councilwoman Elise Mottel was concerned about the depletion of the town’s salt supply. As Moerschell estimated that the purchase of more salt for the next winter season would cost an additional $200k due to the state’s increase of the price of road salt of 25%, the board unanimously agreed to the original paving request for $400k.

Coming soon…

George Barbarossa of Rev Design presented the new, easy to use, easy to update town website, expected to be unveiled around May 8th, after tax collection.

Barbarossa spoke of reaching out to department heads to get an idea of the most widely used features of the website in order to come up with a “rearchitected” site.

Board member Jason Chapin asked about a continuous improvement process. “How much is collapsed so it’s not three to five clicks?” he asked regarding the navigation of the site.

“The most heavily trafficked areas are one to two clicks.”

The site’s front page will feature drop down menus, and a running blog of latest news, along with press releases, e-news, and the Supervisor’s report.

In other news…

Town board members discussed the need for a “mailbox replacement policy” to address the incidental winter plowing of mailboxes (estimated between five and ten this winter) and the resulting reimbursement to the homeowners. Neighboring towns differ in their policies, with Bedford issuing $125, others $50, and New Castle $250, according to Shapiro.

Brodsky and Town Planner Sabrina Charney Hull will be members of a Streetscape Design Committee, along with Environmental Coordinator Steve Coleman, a merchant, and a member of the Master Plan Steering Committee.

Art Under the Bridge banners will be installed in Millwood and at the train station along with Farmers’ Market, Shop Local, and Distracted Driving banners.

Chapin expressed concern about increasing legal fees. “We’ve spent $14k on Conifer… so these numbers are going up and it’s making me uncomfortable.”

Greenstein responded, “Well, that site makes a lot of people uncomfortable.”

Finally, a reminder: The Rotary Club of Chappaqua will be holding a pancake breakfast and blood drive on Saturday, April 25 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, 191 South Greeley Avenue, walk-ins welcome.

What Music Means to Us: Music in Chappaqua

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Ava Anduze, Jeremy Goldstein, Brian Siegel, Ethan Quirke and Dhruv Franklin
Ava Anduze, Jeremy Goldstein, Brian Siegel, Ethan Quirke and Dhruv Franklin

By Kaila Allison

When you come into our studio, you’ll hear many sounds. In one room, a piano student will be blazing through scales; in another, a rock band will be plugging in and tuning up. Each day at Music in Chappaqua, students come to relax to an environment where they can express themselves freely.

I first arrived at Music in Chappaqua as an anxious ten-year-old and started piano lessons with Justin Jacobs, a faculty member since 2001. Shortly after, playing the piano became a necessary calming force for me. Justin summed up perfectly what music means to him, saying simply, “It’s life.”

That’s exactly what music is for the students here. However, the goal of the school is not to create perfect performers, but to foster musicianship and encourage students to use music in the way it will most benefit them.

Another long-time member of the faculty, Danny Golub, explained to me how music kept him out of a lot of trouble as a kid. “If it wasn’t for music, I wouldn’t be good at much else,” he said. Danny is adored by his students, who feel his unique attention pushes them to do better. His caring nature goes beyond just the students’ musical accomplishments, but extends to all aspects of their lives. Our faculty has also been responsible for motivating students to practice effectively and 
feel confident about their skills in development.

Live Pirrotti, Jake Gordon, Matty Templeton and Matthew Turk
Live Pirrotti, Jake Gordon, Matty Templeton
and Matthew Turk

Part of what solidifies the students’ musicianship is their participation in a variety of performance opportunities at different venues throughout the year. One such performance was our most recent concert on March 21st at MTK Tavern in Mt. Kisco (the pictures you see here!), featuring our rock workshop bands. Live Pirrotti, who performed, told us that music means more than just performing for fun, but also for a bandmate’s cause: “At our recent show we were able to bring awareness about the rare genetic disease, GSD, to people through music. Jake’s Dad wrote up information about GSD, and I made a speech before the last song (“My Hero” by the Foo Fighters) telling people about GSD and the need for donations to help fund the research for a cure. The Foo Fighters inspired Jake, and so our Band wanted to inspire others to help the cause… I’m very thankful to be able to be in 
an amazing band and to play shows. I’m truly my happiest when I’m singing on stage.”

The students here are impressive to say the least. They balance a full schedule of after school activities including plays, sports and academic clubs, while simultaneously maintaining their love and devotion to musical improvement.

Taylor Chiola, a high school senior and student at Music in Chappaqua, says, “All of the teachers have guided me in different ways and taught me valuable skills I need for my career as a musician.” Taylor says that her experience at the school has inspired her to want to become a music teacher herself. She is looking forward to interning at the school in May.

Tori Robinson, who plays piano, bass and sings in rock workshop bands at the school, says, “Music has given me a way to express myself in a way not a lot of people can.” Expression is a hard thing for many children, who are faced with difficulties going through school and adolescence in general. However, music can ease this journey.

As private lessons and rock workshops continue, Music in Chappaqua is getting ready for our popular summer day camp, The New York Rock Academy.

Zach Munowitz, 16, says,“Music allows me to express emotions in a way that isn’t possible through words.” He started rock workshops at Music in Chappaqua in 2009 and attended the New York Rock Academy for five summers, even working as an intern and teaching lessons of his own. His time at Music in Chappaqua has given him the skills required to form his own band and ignite his interest in music production and audio engineering. He was then able to design an electronic music course at his school. It’s this kind of success that drives Music in Chappaqua to continue its growth.

All of this and more is what music means to us. What does music mean to you?

For more information, visit 
www.musicinchappaqua.com