Celebrate The New Downtown Chappaqua Saturday

CHAPPAQUA, NY — Residents, business owners and New Castle officials will celebrate Saturday. Downtown Chappaqua will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their Infrastructure & Streetscape Improvement Project from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The project, which took several years, has transformed the look of the downtown.

The shops, galleries, boutiques, restaurants and businesses in Chappaqua are taking part in this community event called "Discover Chappaqua—A Celebration of All Things Local!" The event will include sidewalk sales, music, art, food, a scavenger hunt and more.

Everyone is invited to the pedestrian plaza outside of Great Stuff for the ribbon cutting at 11 a.m.

Immediately following the ribbon cutting, a bench will be dedicated to John Magnotta who passed away last year. John was the prior owner of Chappaqua Cleaners & Tailors (also known as George’s Men’s Shop) and merchant in Chappaqua for 47 years. His family has served Chappaqua for 85 years, spanning three generations, beginning with their grandfather in 1934.

This event will coincide with the launch of the Discover Chappaqua website. This new site will highlight all that Chappaqua has to offer. A small group of Chappaqua residents devoted their time and talent to make it all happen, and Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein collected comments from several of them:

“Creating the Discover Chappaqua website was a privilege and labor of love. I've developed many websites but the opportunity to rediscover our community and fall in love with our town all over again was very special. With this initiative, we hope to give everyone in the community a place to celebrate what makes Chappaqua so special.” —Dana Berk, owner of SAMCRO Design

“Having spent the majority of my 25 years as a Chappaqua resident commuting daily to edit magazines in Manhattan and raising three kids, I am so happy to finally be able to spend more time enjoying our beautiful hamlet beyond the train station, school gyms and ball fields! I was honored to volunteer as a content advisor for discoverchappaqua.com and am so excited for our town's future. —Linda Fears, owner of the local nutrition and healthy living business, goodfoodrx and freelance editorial consultant.

"Art matters. It informs our world. It transcends race, gender, history, politics, religion. There is great power in art and creativity—and even greater power when art and the community join together. Art changes people and people change the world. Our ribbon-cutting event is a great opportunity to make art together!” —Peg Kafka Sackler, local artist, co-owner of The King Street Studio and co-founder of The Northern Westchester Artists Guild

“I have always believed that celebration enriches our lives and that embracing the joys and accomplishments of ourselves, our loved ones, friends and neighbors enriches our souls. Collaborating with my clients and sharing those moments of celebration is why I love being an event planner. Having been a resident of Chappaqua for 29 years and raising two children in this very wonderful town of ours, it brings me great satisfaction to be part of this new Discover Chappaqua initiative.” —Monique Ross Banks, owner of Monique Banks Party

“The launch of DiscoverChappaqua.com and the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday celebrates the end of one era and the beginning of something new for our beloved hamlet. Join us as we re-Discover Chappaqua, a charming hamlet filled with artisanal shops, welcoming store owners, and friendly neighbors—a place to stroll, shop, dine, and connect. As we look to the future, the infrastructure project will be remembered as the critically important beginning of the resurgence of Chappaqua. Let’s celebrate!” —Ivy Pool, New Castle Supervisor-Elect

"The downtown infrastructure and streetscape project was driven by the need to replace aging infrastructure which created the opportunity to make improvements to the hamlet streetscape. However, it was tough on our merchants. This Saturday is the time to celebrate and show our merchants some extra love. The improvements to downtown Chappaqua, combined with the launch of DiscoverChappaqua.com, will help downtown Chappaqua grow and prosper. I want to thank Ivy Pool, Dana Berk, Linda Fears, Peg Kafka Sackler and Monique Ross Banks for their work on the Discover Chappaqua website and our ribbon-cutting event.” —Rob Greenstein, New Castle Town Supervisor