The Day Camp that Feels like Sleepaway
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
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Day camps in Westchester can really serve up a dose of sticker shock. As a stay-at-home mom with two kids, it was enough to send me off to employment interviews at local camps. I ended up working as a head counselor at a full-service day camp for three years. My kids learned to swim well but other than that, I realized that the camp was severely lacking in other activity areas as well as facilities.
Last year, as a writer for this site, I was putting together the camp guide and reached out to Breezemont Day Camp in Armonk. The Community Relations Director, Matt Pritikin described Breezemont as a day camp that feels more like sleepaway and he was certain that if I came up and toured it, even in the middle of winter with close to a foot of snow blanketing the grounds, I'd be convinced to enroll my kids. I had toured most of the other full-service camps in the area, but not Breezemont.
Needless to say, he was right. From the moment I pulled into Breezemont, it felt camp-like and kid-friendly. Even the trees felt camp-y with the challenge course high in the canopy and the zip line running across the lake. A camp with a lake in Westchester? Check! I was impressed by the camp layout, the swim complex (which has been renovated for this upcoming summer,) the comprehensive art center, the tennis and basketball facilities, and the athletic field space. Many of the facilities have been recently renovated and blend with the camp environment well. I loved the idea that each camp group had their own changing area for swim instead of hordes of girls being stuffed together in one loud, wet, smelly, dirty cubby room.
I enrolled my daughter for summer 2016. (Unfortunately, the boys group was filled up so I couldn't enroll my son.) Even before the summer started I was impressed with camp communications. They had a weekend "open house" where the kids were all invited to camp to meet the staff and their counselors and explore the grounds/activities. They did a "dry run" for the round-trip transportation included in the tuition and delivered my daughter a Breezemont backpack filled with a t-shirt, a water bottle, and lots of other goodies. The ride wasn't too long from Scarsdale (about 20-25 minutes) and she came home every day with high-quality art projects and stories about new things she had learned.
I was impressed with camp security when I went to visit my daughter at camp one day. There was a guard at the gate to direct me where to park and then he directed me straight to the office to be signed in. (You cannot leave camp grounds until you are signed out.) I received a visitor tag and was brought to my daughter's group. They were at art and I was invited to participate. (I made a necklace I actually wear on occasion!) Several of the kids had swimmer's ear, including my daughter, and I was happy to see that they didn't just have to sit at the pool and watch the other kids swim. We went to the library and the non-swimming girls worked with a staff member on the weekly camp newsletter, created and published by campers. Luckily that day also included my daughter's favorite part of camp: zip-lining over the lake! The swim program was excellent and her other favorite activities included "imagination playground," gaga, yoga, theater, music and she enjoyed all of the sports even though she told me at the start of the summer that she wouldn't. She loved the special events and shows at the camp as well.
There are no extra fees at Breezemont but there are plenty of "extras." Picture day at camp came and went and I never received any information about how I could purchase some wildly overpriced camp photos; that's because camp pictures are included and even framed for each camper and family. Each camper gets a Breezemont t-shirt. (I don't know about you but if I'm paying sleepaway price for a day camp, I hate having to shell out another $20 for a t-shirt.) During the year, there are camp reunions such as a Westchester Knicks games for Breezemont families and a fall festival on the grounds of camp. There is an early drop off option at 7:30 AM (no extra charge) and they will even feed your kids breakfast. There's also a 6:30 PM late stay option (again, no extra charge) and the kids continue to be entertained and fed after normal camp hours. One of the highlights of the summer for our family was the Thursday night campfires and barbeques. Families are invited back to camp for a light dinner and many of the camp activities are open including the pools, fishing, the ropes course, tennis, basketball, soccer, beach volleyball and more. The night concludes with songs around the campfire and, of course, s'mores. Friends and family are invited and my daughter always brought a friend from school for the festivities. (Our guests always enjoyed catching fish in the lake!)
Breezemont Day Camp is not a budget option but you truly get what you pay for (if not more). The owners/directors come from a sleepaway camp background and they're totally on-point when they say that Breezemont is the closest thing to sleepaway you'll find in a day camp.
Breezemont Day Camp
62 Cox Ave, Armonk, NY 10504
914-367-1936
Two Literary Events: Elena Ferrante's Publisher and Abigail Pogrebin at Scarsdale Library
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Sign up now for two literary events taking place in March at the Scarsdale Library:
Michael Reynolds from Europa Editions
Do you wonder about the real identity of the author of "My Brilliant Friend" and the three subsequent books in the Neapolitan series credited to Elena Ferrante? Here's your chance to find out. On Monday, March 13, 2017, Ferrante's publisher Michael Reynolds will visit the Scarsdale Library. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Europa Editions, the independent publishing company known best for the widely popular Elena Ferrante Neapolitan series. Reynolds was born in Australia and now lives in New York. He has been with Europa Editions since its founding in 2005, when its main office was located in Rome. He and his immediate family are bilingual English and Italian speakers.
His session titled, "Talents and Trends Inside Fiction Publishing" will be held on Monday March 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Scarsdale Public Library and is hosted by the Scarsdale Adult School.
Over the years, Reynolds has held many different jobs: gold miner, maze groundskeeper, barman, windsurfing instructor, guinea pig for sleep deprivation experiments, poetry teacher, English teacher, gardener, builder, translator, director
of a writer's festival, director of a literary magazine, and author of three books. Yet he has stated that his current job at Europa Editions has been the most fun of all, where his mission is to find fiction books from abroad that can also fare well in the United States, regardless of whether the works are written or available in English.
The Europa catalog is eclectic, reflecting the founders' belief that dialogue between nations and cultures is of vital importance and that this exchange is facilitated by literature chosen not only for its ability to entertain and fascinate but also to inform and enlighten. In this SAS special event class entitled "Talents and Trends Inside Fiction Publishing," Reynolds will share his perspectives on trends in the publishing industry, up and coming new authors, soon to be published titles, and more.
Register at www.ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org; tuition is $20.
The Modern Day Meaning of the Jewish Holidays
Author Abigail Pogrebin will speak about her new 
book, "My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew" at Scarsdale Public Library on Thursday, March 16, at 7:30pm. "My Jewish Year" chronicles Pogrebin's experience researching and observing every holiday in the Jewish calendar. Released this month, it's a poignant, funny, and thoughtful take on finding modern-day meaning in ancient rituals. Combining a treasure trove of information with personal anecdotes, Pogrebin's spiritual journey is moving and inspiring.
Abigail Pogrebin also wrote "Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk about Being Jewish" and "One and the Same." Previously, she was an Emmy-nominated producer for shows including Charlie Rose and 60 Minutes. Currently, she moderates a blockbuster interview series at the JCC in Manhattan called "What's Everyone Talking About," with such guests as Malcolm Gladwell, Nicholas Kristof and Mario Batali. She is also the President of Central Synagogue.
"We are looking forward to having Abigail Pogrebin share her unique experience at the library," said Library Director Beth Bermel. "I think that the insight she gained while pursuing a 
greater knowledge and understanding of the Jewish faith is one that will be of great interest to our community."
This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required as space is limited. Copies of "My Jewish Year" will be available for purchase and signing. To register, visit scarsdalelibrary.org, or call the Reference Desk at 914-722-1302.
Over 500 People Celebrate the Year of the Rooster
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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So many people bought tickets to the Scarsdale Chinese Association 2017 Spring Festival, celebrating the Year of the Rooster, that the event had to be moved from the Scarsdale Congregational Church – where it was held last year – to Woodlands High School in Greenburgh. In fact, organizers estimate that 550 people in all attended the event on Saturday February 11, 2017.
Xue Su, the Chair of the Scarsdale Chinese Association spearheaded the day. The association began 12 years ago with only 25 families and has now grown to 250 families.
Guests were served delicious homemade Chinese foods as well as special delicacies ordered from Queens including noodles, fried rice, dumplings and scallion pancakes. Along with the fare were tables where kids could make Chinese lanterns, have their faces painted and solve riddles.
The auditorium featured 18 performances by children, parents and grandparents led by the traditional lion parade and dance. There was bel canto, pop-style, and Chinese opera singing as well as dancing, including ballet, a Spanish bull dance and Chinese traditional dance. A Qibao (Chinese dress) fashion show gave participants a chance to show off their beautiful Chinese costumes. Also on the program was a Kung Fu martial arts demonstration and karaoke.
The event drew candidates for Scarsdale Village Mayor and Trustee. We spotted Dan Hochvert and Carl Finger from the Scarsdale Citizens Non-Partisan Party and Bob Berg and Bob Selvaggio from the Scarsdale Voters' Choice Party. All will be on the ballot for the March 21 election.
Jing Lu, the former Chair of the SCA said, "While such an event entails many hours of many volunteers' devotion, people also cherish this opportunity to have fun together and work toward a common good."
Photos by BK Munguia and Joanne Wallenstein
Your Letters: In Support of Dan Hochvert for Mayor and Understanding the Financing of Capital Projects
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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To the Editor: I wanted to take a moment to talk about why I am proud to be volunteering in support of the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party slate. In particular, I would like to share some of my personal experiences with Dan Hochvert, candidate for Village Mayor.
In 2015, our family had just bought our house. The kids were not in school yet, so I didn't have much of a network of local friends. I received an invitation from a neighbor to attend a Scarsdale Forum event, and there I was introduced to Dan Hochvert. I did not know at the time that Dan was a former two-term Trustee, Chair of the Planning Board, and Chair of the Forum's Education Committee.
All I knew was that Dan was friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming. Alongside other topics, I mentioned to him that I was curious about whether there was an old water well on my property. Dan, (a former engineer by profession which I also did not know at the time) offered to follow up with some helpful information.
That week I heard from Dan. Was there a time he could drop off some materials? Well, sure come by on Saturday. Dan showed up with a copy of the Scarsdale Comprehensive Plan, a booklet of historic homes, and an original sewer and waterline map from 1905. Dan helped me find my property on the map, explained the legends, and offered to let me temporarily keep the map on one condition: that I would show it to other people so that the history of Scarsdale would be more widely shared and appreciated. I held up my end of the bargain and returned the map to Dan perhaps a little later than he might have preferred. It really was a marvel and I loved having it.
A few months later I had started reading about trees in Scarsdale, how they are classified and protected, and I wondered about the history on the issue. By that time I knew that Dan had just finished his term as Chair of the Planning Board, so I asked if he would mind coming by for a coffee to discuss the "tree issue." Dan arrived at the scheduled time with a thick binder in his hands. It was the Village Code. His personal copy that he printed to make sure his notes and tabs were easily accessible for any work necessary for his duties on the Planning Board. Dan sat with my husband and me for about 45 minutes perusing the three main sections of code having to do with trees, providing a bit of history on how the code was revised over time, and what his thoughts were about how it might someday be improved.
I think it is important that people know these stories so that they understand not only how deeply knowledgeable Dan is about the Village, but also how generous Dan is with his time - and not just to old friends, but to a "nobody" like me who had just moved to town. I want Dan to know, I will never forget his kindness and hospitality making my family and I feel welcome and supported as new residents here in town, and how appreciative I am of his encouragement of my own involvement and volunteerism in the Village.
I support the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan slate because it is the only party to endorse candidates based on their character, experience, and temperament. I think the national political landscape has shown us that experience and temperament matter. I support a party that nominates people - not politics.
Not only did Dan earn the support of the CNC, but he earned my vote too. Thank you, Dan, for volunteering to serve!
ML Perlman
Carstensen Road
Dear Editor,
The candidates of the Voters Choice Party seem to have a poor understanding of financing of capital projects verses annual maintenance. While our roads may not be in great shape (but they are improving), road maintenance needs to paid out of the current budget. If we bonded it, I am sure the repaired roads would in horrible condition when the bond is finally paid off. Roads don't seem to last more than 5-10 years from what I see. Bonds also are expensive to issue and are not efficient for short term maintenance heavy infrastructure called roads. We are better served paying annually for roads, which in the long term would be cheaper than going to Wall St to finance. Bonds make sense for infrastructure that has a lifetime longer than the bond. Examples would be bridges or buildings that future residents (who will be paying for the bonds) will be using when they move into town. We should not make future residents pay for what we use today.
This basic misunderstanding of public funding should give everyone serious pause and is another reason to support the candidates of the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party, who actually showed up at Village budget meetings to understand the hard choices the Mayor and Trustees need to make every year.
Talk is cheap, and uninformed talk is dangerous. Vote for the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party candidates March 21 at the library.
Bruce Wells
40 Chase Road
Edgemont Mourns 2011 Grad Catherine Johannet
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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Catherine Johannet, a 23 year-old 2011 graduate of Edgemont High School was found dead on Bastimentos Island off the northern coast of Panama on Sunday February 5th. Her body was recovered on a wooded trail near a beach. Panamanian authorities are working with the FBI to investigate and have not yet released the cause of her death.
Johannet had been staying on Colon Island, also part of an archipelago called Bocas del Toro. She was last seen on Thursday February 2 on Colon Island and was reported missing by the hostel where she was staying.
A 2015 graduate of Columbia University with a degree in comparative literature, Johannet worked as an English teacher in Vietnam until October 2016.
Her family flew to Panama to search for her and handed out missing posters around Bastimentos Island.
Her older sister Laura Johannet shared the sad news on Facebook on Sunday night, saying "Unfortunately we have learned today that she has passed away," Laura wrote Sunday night. "My family is thinking of all our beautiful memories with our laughing, adventurous, warm little girl. She was always there to listen to you and just enjoy life with her loved ones. We will keep you posted on funeral plans."
