Best March Events 2018 In & Around Town

Best March Events 2018: This list will keep you busy well into the spring if you are a townie, foodie, culture vulture or weekend warrior!

March 

Crafting the Future of Beer, Stone Barns Center – Thurs, 3/1: 6:30-9pm: Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture and Blue Hill at Stone Barns present leading brewmasters to discuss their cutting-edge work. This event features a festive beer tasting and a reception of hors d’oeuvres and small plates from Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Featured brewers include Captain Lawrence, Kent Fall Brewing Co., Newburgh Brewing Co., Industrial Arts Brewing Co. and Valley Malt. (630 Bedford Rd., Pocantico Hills; TKTS)

Beer Fest of Westchester, County Center – Sat, 3/3: 4-8pm: Homestyle Caterers present Beer Fest Westchester. Sample over 300 craft beers from local and micro- breweries. A VIP Ticket will get you early entry and unlimited food from 3-4pm, souvenirs, giveaways and more in the VIP section near the stage. With live music from The Nerds. (198 Central Ave., White Plains; www.countycenter.biz)

New! Orchid Dreams, Lasdon Conservatory – Tues-Sun, 2/17-3/18: 10am-4pm: Northern Westchester has its own orchid show. Landon Park will assemble over 200 orchids in their new glass house conservatory in this new display of flowering tropical orchids. It’s easier to get to than NYBG and tickets are just $5 for adults and $2 for kids. (Lasdon Park, 2610 Amawalk Rd., Katonah; www.lasdonpark.org)

New York Botanical Garden, The Orchid Show: Sat, 3/3- Sun, 4/22. The Orchid Show celebrates its 16th year at The New York Botanical Garden. The Orchid Show celebrates its 16th year at The New York Botanical Garden with this display of thousands of orchids featuring a series of installations by Daniel Ost, the international star of flower arrange. Hailed as the ”Picasso of flower arranging”, his large-scale flower displays have been compared to the work of sculptors Claes Oldenburg, Anish Kapoor, and Andy Goldsworthy. Open Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm. (New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx; www.nybg.org)

Sloane Wainwright, Schoolhouse Theater, Croton Falls – Sat, 3/3: 8pm: Katonah resident and singer/songwriter Sloane Wainwright returns to the Schoolhouse for an evening of folk, rock, jazz and blues. Sister of Loudon Wainwright II and aunt to Rufus Wainwright, Sloane, a mainstay on the local music scene, has released 8 albums of mostly original works with notable covers of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Neil Young’s “After the Goldrush”. P.S. she does house concerts for 25-50! (3 Owens Rd., North Salem; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Local! TCO Octet Chamber Series, First Congregational Church Chappaqua – Sun, 3/4: 3pm: The Chappaqua Orchestra’s Chamber Players and guests perform classical, contemporary and jazz favorites. (210 Orchard Ridge Rd, Chappaqua; www.chappaquaorchestra.org)

A Taste of Westchester, Peter Pratt’s Inn, Spring Lamb – Wed, 3/7: 6-8pm. In this colonial homestead from 1780, Executive Chef and Owner Jon Pratt, tells stories of the Inn’s history and culinary past that dates back to 1926. And prepares an all lamb menu with wine pairings including house-made lamb merguez sausage with gigante beans and fresh herbs; crispy lamb confit served over mint fusilli pasta with leeks and pan-roasted lamb loin with bacon and braised red cabbage. (673 Croton Heights Road, Yorktown Heights 914-962-4090; register here.)

Westchester Knicks, County Center – 3/8 & 3/23: Former University of  Michigan star Trey Burke, averaging 26.9 points per game, leads the 15-8 Westchester Knicks as they battle the LI Nets for the Atlantic G-League division championship. Thurs, 3/8: 7pm vs. Long Island Nets; Fri, 3/23: 7pm vs. Erie. (198 Central Ave., White Plains; Westchester Knicks)

Local! Edwin McCain, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center – Fri, 3/9: 8pm: Soulful Greenville, South Carolina-based singer/songwriter with roots in folk, pop, and Americana, Edwin McCain rose to fame with his hit song “I’ll Be”. Edwin comes to the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center this March. TKTS

Local! From Lute Songs to the Beatles, Songs of the British Isles, Schwab Vocal Rising Stars, Caramoor – Sun, 3/11: 3pm: Artistic Director Steven Blier selects four young voices and a pianist for a week-long residency, culminating in a Music Room performance to bring these songs to life. Assisted by Michael Barrett, Associate Artistic Director of the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), this bracing survey of British song offers four centuries of musical elegance, razor-sharp wit, and refined sentiment.(149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Local! Bedford Playhouse Presents: The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm, Fox Lane Middle School – Sun, 3/11: 5-6:30-pm: When ten-year-old Elliott asks his 90-year-old great-grandfather, Jack, about the number tattooed on his arm, he sparks an intimate conversation about Jack’s life that spans happy memories of childhood in Poland, the loss of his family, surviving Auschwitz and finding a new life in America. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker Amy Schatz and the film’s narrator ten year old Elliot Saiontz – both Bedford residents. The film is the centerpiece of a new installation at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. RSVP at www.Bedfordplayhouse.org/events

Local! Caractères De La Danse, REBEL Baroque, Bedford Presbyterian Church – Sun, 3/11: 4pm: REBEL Baroque, one of the most aired American Baroque ensembles in the US, and one of our area’s most noteworthy regular players, join up with baroque dancers in this performance of works by Rebel, Leclair, Lully, Handel and Vivaldi. (Village Green, Bedford Village; www.rebelbaroque.com)

Local! John Jay Lecture Series, Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the Fate of the American Revolution – Tues, 3/13: 6:30pm:  In his new book, Nathaniel Philbrick, gives a challenging and sympathetic interpretation of the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold, who was a hero, brilliant general, and close confidant before he became a traitor. Valiant Ambition has won the George Washington Book Prize; Philbrick is also the author of 10 other books, and winner of a National Book Award (In the Heart of the Sea), and Pulitzer Prize finalist (Mayflower).(John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay St., Katonah; www.johnjayhomestead.org)

Westchester Jewish Film Festival, Jacob Burns Film Center – Tues, 3/13- Fri, 3/29: 41 films in 17 days including a mix of documentaries, narrative films and all 10 episodes of the hit Israeli TV drama, The Writer. Narrative highlights include: Israeli director Eitan Anner’s suspense thriller, A Quiet Heart starring Ania Bukstein (Game of Thrones). Razzia, a new film set in Morocco from Nabil Ayouch, whose Horses of God was nominated for an Oscar in 2014. And two takes on the holocaust including the Hungarian film, 1945, that is built on cinematic metaphors of the Western film genre and is shot in high-contrast black and white. And, The Testament, about a holocaust researcher set in present day Austria. Top documentaries include the festival’s centerpiece GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II, featuring Ed Koch, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner onscreen helping to tell the story of 550,000 Jewish-Americans who served in WWII. And Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, narrated by Susan Sarandon. Plus a showcase of the work of actor Alan Arkin with screenings of Glengarry Glen Ross, Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburne, Jules Feiffer’s Little Murders with Elliot Gould, The In Laws with Peter Falk and the 2006 indie-hit road comedy, Little Miss Sunshine with Steve Carell, that garnered a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Arkin. (364 Mannville Rd., Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)

Local! Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund Spring Gala – Fri, 3/16: 7pm: The Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund will honor Seven Bridges Middle School teacher Brian O’Connor and Chappaqua School Foundation board member Ellen Miller at its Spring Gala. Dinner and drinks will be served. The event will include a live auction and a raffle for a 14 karat gold diamond pendant necklace and an iPhone X. RSVP by February 27. (Mt. Kisco Country Club, 12 Taylor Rd., Mt. Kisco; www.hgsf.org)

Local! The Horszowski Trio, Three Pianos Trios of Brahms, South Salem Presbyterian Church – Sun, 3/18: 4pm: Hailed by The New Yorker as “destined for great things”, the Horszowski Trio features two-time Grammy-nominee Jesse Mills (violin). He is joined by Raman Ramakrishnan, founding cellist of the prize-winning Daedelus Quartet, and Rieko Aizawa who debuted at The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall and was the last pupil of legendary pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski. (111 Spring Rd., S. Salem; www.thesanctuaryseries.org)

Local! Bedford Chamber Concerts, Vladimir Feltsman (piano) – Wed, 3/21: 8pm: Vladimir Feltsman returns as guest soloist for this recital of works by Bach and Brahms. Feltsman, known for his devotion to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic at the age of 11. About when most kids are learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions. (St, Matthews Church, 382 Cantitoe St., Bedford; www.bedfordchamberconcerts.org)

Local! BHEF Spring Event 2018 – Brae Burn Country Club – Fri, 3/23: 7-11pm: The Byram Hills Education Foundation serves up a casual evening of dinner, drinks, and live music by U2Nation to benefit future educational opportunities for children in Byram Hills.There will also be a silent and online auction with interactive bidding. Since 1994, the BHEF has awarded 344 grants totaling more than $4.3 million to Byram Hills schools. (39 Brae Burn Dr., Purchase; www.byramhillsfoundation.org)

Local! Rickie Lee Jones, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center – Fri, 3/23: 8pm: Rickie Lee Jones, a two-time Grammy Award-winning singer (for Best New Artist 1980 and Best Jazz Vocal Collaboration in 1989), musician, songwriter, and producer comes to ChappPac this spring. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards. TKTS

Local! Academy Award Nominees, Marshall, Chappaqua Library – Fri, 3/23: 7pm: Film buff Carol Durst presents this 2017 biographical legal drama about Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice directed by Reginald Hudlin. It stars Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall, and focuses on one of the first cases of his career. With Josh Gad and Kate Hudson. It’s song “Stand Up For Something” is nominated for a 2018 Academy Award.(195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)

Local! Soul Session, Schoolhouse Theatre – Sat, 3/24: 8pm: Master guitarist Peter Calo and friends pay tribute to Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and B.B. King – the bluesmen who inspired The Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers. Calo has performed with Carly Simon, James Taylor, Hall & Oates and the David Letterman Show band. (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoohousetheatre.org) 

Local! Colin Jacobsen, Nicholas Cords, Edward Arron, Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Rosen House Music Room, Caramoor – Thurs, 3/29: 7:30pm. Caramoor favorites Colin Jacobsen (The Knights and Brooklyn Rider) and Evnin Rising Star alumni Nicolas Cords and Edward Arron join forces for a special performance of Bach’s iconic and beloved Goldberg Variations, arranged for string trio. Opening the program will be Biber’s haunting Passacaglia from his Mystery Sonatas, for solo violin.(149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

April

Local! LoHud Comedy, The Schoolhouse Theatre – Fri, 4/6: 8pm: Comics from Letterman, Comedy Central and The Tonight Show take the stage at the intimate 99 seat Schoolhouse theatre. Including Adam Oliensis (winner of 2013 Parmount Theatre Standup Star Search) who wrote and starred in the movie The Pompatus of Love, Frank Vignola (Just for Laughs Comedy Festival with Bill Maher) and Cynthia Kaplan (Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same). (3 Owens Rd., Croton Falls; www.schoohousetheatre.org) 

Local! 6th Annual Run for the Hills, Bedford Hills – Sat, 4/7: 8:30am: Meet at the Bedford Hills Metro North Train Station for the Bedford Hills Neighborhood Association’s 5K Run for the Hills. (48 Depot Plaza, Bedford Hills; www.bhna10507.com)

Friends of NCPL! Author Talk with Gail Simmons, Bringing it Home, Fortina – Tues, 4/10: 7pm: Friends of the North Castle Public library present an author talk, dinner and book signing with food writer and permanent judge on Bravo’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef, Gail Simmons at Fortina restaurant in Armonk. Gail will talk about her new cookbook, Bringing it All Back Home: Favorite Recipes fro a Life of Adventurous Eating. TKTS on sale 3/1. Won’t last. (17 Maple Ave., Armonk; www.friendsncpl.org)

ArtsWestchester Arts Awards Luncheon, Westchester Country Club – Wed, 4/11: 11:30am – 2:30pm: At Westchester’s own version of the Academy Awards™, ArtsWestchester recognizes the stars of the county’s local arts community! Recipients include patrons, organizations, educators and more. This year’s recipients include The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College, Conductor William Crutchfield, The Play Group Theatre, Lee Pope – founder of the Schoolhouse Theatre in Croton Falls and more. (99 Biltmore Ave., Rye: www.artswestchester.org)

Mary Bridget Davies & Mia Dyson, Fri, 4/13: 8pm: Merging 21st century blues with classic influences, Mary Bridget Davies released an album of original songs, Wanna Feel Something in 2012. A disciple of Janis Joplin, she received a Tony-nom for Best Lead Actress In A Musical for her performance as Janis in A Night with Janis Joplin. Raised on Little Feat, Ry Cooder and Bonnie Raitt, Mia Dyson is an Australian singer/songwriter who plays with blues and roots influences. Her album Parking Lots won the Best Blues & Roots Album at the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Music Awards. (480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua; 914.458-5143) TKTS

Darkest Hour, Chappaqua Library – Fri, 4/13: 7pm: If you haven’t seen this British War drama from Joe Wright starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill – go see it here! Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actor for Oldman, this behind the scenes look at Churchill’s rise and uneasy reign over Parliament during WWII provides the perfect back-bench politicking that went on during the Dunkirk evacuation and is the perfect sequel to the summer hit Dunkirk for history and movie buffs. Present by resident film buff Carol Durst. (195 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.chappaqualibrary.org)

Local! Bedford Spring Antiques Show for St. Matthews Church, The Harvey School – Sat, 4/14: 10am-5pm & Sun, 4/15: 11am-5pm: The Bedford Spring Antiques Show at The Harvey School is the primary fundraising event for St. Matthews each year. It features a Champagne Preview Party and Dinner. Preview party: Fri, 4/13: 6:30 pm. New this year is a silent auction for a week’s stay at an English Castle and US Open court-side celebrity seats. Plus, Bloodys & Bubbles and small bites on Sunday at noon. (Harvey School, 260 Jay St., Katonah; www.stmatthewsbedford.org)

Local! Frederich Chiu, South Salem Presbyterian Church – Sun, 4/15: 4pm: Frederic Chiu has been described as “a stunningly virtuosic pianist with a dynamic range that defies the capabilities of modern recording…” – BBC Music Magazine. Here he performs Chopin, Debussy and Prokofiev showing the way composers used the piano, from a singing instrument to a sound machine to a percussion box, concluding with the Liszt transcription of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, considered among the most demanding piano music ever written, and labeled “the greatest works for the piano,” by Vladimir Horowitz. (111 Spring Rd., S. Salem; www.thesanctuaryseries.org)

Local! Richard Goode (piano), Caramoor – Sun, 4/15: 3pm: Richard Goode, hailed as one of the “finest pianists in the world” (The Washington Post) performs in the intimate Rosen House Music Room. Known for his interpretations of Beethoven, Goode will offer one of the composer’s late masterpieces, the Sonata Op. 101, plus works by Debussy and Renaissance and Baroque masters Byrd and J.S. Bach. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Here’s Two for Golfers from Northern Westchester Hospital: Check out NWH’s free lecture Fore Your Health: Injury Prevention and Treatment for Golfers including demonstrations of exercises for injury-free golf and Keiser equipment and K-Vest at The Athletes Warehouse Thurs, 4/19: 6-7:30pm. (220 Tompkins Ave., Pleasantville; register here) Then head out to Hudson National Golf Club in Croton on Judson for the annual NWH Golf Outing on Monday, June 4.

German Pastry Alert! The Legacy of Brandenburg, Ars Antiqua, Church of St. Mary, Chappaqua – Sat, 4/21: 8pm: Mark Kramer (Baroque cello) is joined by Jörg-Michael Schwarz & Karen Marie Marmer, (Baroque violin) and Dongsok Shin (harpsichord) of REBEL Baroque and his Ars Antiqua chamber players for an evening of music from the private library of  Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Including J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto IV and music of Vivaldi, Valentini, Brescianello & Albinoni. German pastries, Italian confections and coffee after the show. (191 S. Greeley Ave., Chappaqua; www.ars-antiqua.org)

Sloane Wainwright, ChappPac– Sat, 4/21: 8pm: Katonah resident and singer/songwriter Sloane Wainwright comes to ChappPac for an evening of folk, rock, jazz and blues. Sister of Loudon Wainwright II and aunt to Rufus Wainwright, Sloane has released 8 albums of mostly original works with notable covers of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush”. P.S. she does house concerts for 25-50! (3 Owens Rd., North Salem; www.schoolhousetheater.org)

Anthony Roth Costanzo (countertenor) with Ruckus, Caramoor – Sun, 4/22: 3pm: The “utterly riveting” (The New York Times) Anthony Roth Costanzo appears with the newly-minted period instrument ensemble Ruckus, for a concert of cantatas by Scarlatti, Handel, and Vivaldi. Plus instrumental works by Couperin, Saint Colombe, and Marais. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.org)

Local! 24th Chappaqua School Foundation Spring Benefit, Sleepy Hollow Country Club – Fri, 4/27: 7pm: This event, held at The Sleepy Hollow Country Club, offers cocktails, a buffet dinner and a raffle. CSF recently announced 11 grants for 2017-18 totaling over $260,000 and featuring software literacy tools that will be used district-wide, LEGO Robots for the Bell Middle School, Curious Inventor Coding blocks for Bell and Seven Bridges Middle Schools, Language Dept. Virtual Reality Pilot Program for HGHS and classroom redesigns for both middle schools, Griffin and Roaring Brook Elementary Schools and a redesign for the 4th grade commons at Westorchard Elementary School. (Sleepy Hollow Country Club, 777 Albany Post Rd, Briarcliff Manor; www.chappaquaschoolfoundation.org)

New York Botanical Garden Daffodil Celebration and Wine Weekend – Sat-Sun, 4/28-29: 12-4pm: Enjoy a selection of New York State wines and vintner talks when NYBG’s Daffodil Hill is blooming with more than 670,000 daffodils. Plus live music on the Wetland Trail, guided tours of Daffodil Hill and refreshments. (2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx; www.nybg.org)

19th Native Plant Sale, Westchester Community College – Sat, 4/28: 10am-1pm: Take your pick from thousands of beautiful and beneficial native plants at WCC’s Native Plant Center. The Native Plant Center promotes sustainable gardening through the use of plants that naturally grow in our region through educational conferences and events. Park in Visitor Lot #1. (75 Grasslands Rd., Valhalla; www.sunywcc.edu)

Local! Bedford Riding Lanes Association Annual Spring Trail Cleanup & Family Picnic, Sat, 4/28: Help clean up BRLA’s trails and stay for the picnic. For information call (914) 234-BRLA. (www.bedfordridinglanes.com)

May

Hope’s Door Spring Gala, Brae Burn Country Club – Fri, 5/4: 6:30pm: An evening of dinner, dancing and a live and silent auction. This year’s event will honor children’s book writer and Board Member of the Westchester Land Trust, Lee Manning-Vogelstein. The shelter provides services and shelter to victims of domestic violence. (39 Brae Burn Dr., Purchase; www.hopesdoorny.org)

Mandy Gonzalez, Caramoor Benefit Concert – Sat, 5/5: 8:30pm: Broadway star, Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton, Wicked, In the Heights, Madam Secretary) opens up the American Songbook in this cabaret benefit concert for Caramoor. A champagne and dessert reception with Ms. Gonzalez follows the performance. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoour.org)

Scenes from Motherhood, Magdalena Baczewska, South Salem Presbyterian Church – Sun, 5/13: 4pm: Pianist and harpsichordist Magdalena Baczewska [ba-CHEV-ska], Director of the Music Performance Program and Lecturer at Columbia University, has been acclaimed as a “world-class” musician (The American Record Guide), and lauded as “eloquent & technically flawless” (The Washington Post). She presents a special program for Mother’s Day with works by Schumann, Chopin, Ravel and more plus a Champagne Toast to mothers. (111 Spring Rd., S. Salem; www.thesanctuaryseries.org)

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