The Town of New Castle's tentative 2027 budget adds a revenue line that has never appeared before: $117,390 in "proceeds from partnership events at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center." The same budget message says the Town "continues to work with the theater manager and director of programming to bring new events to the community."
The new line explains a lot about this year's holiday calendar at ChapPAC. The holiday shows bring outside performers and partners onto the Town's stage: a bandleader raising money for a school in Newburgh, a ten-piece Elvis revue, and the theater's own Friends group. The free community dinner, the farmers market and the senior luncheon around them are partnerships too.
A busier theater on North Bedford Road
ChapPAC sits at 480 North Bedford Road, inside the building that was once Wallace Auditorium at Chappaqua Crossing. When it reopened as a performing arts center in September 2017, The Examiner News reported that the Town had saved the 13,000-square-foot, 425-seat theater from demolition the year before. That first season had 12 performances. The Friends of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center held an inaugural gala that same year to raise money for the building's infrastructure.
Nine years later, the theater is busy enough to show up in the Town's quarterly finances. According to the Town's October 29 e-newsletter, at the October 27 Town Board meeting Comptroller Karl Schlegel reported that overtime costs were running higher in several departments, ChapPAC among them, "due to increased activities, special events, and staffing needs," with savings elsewhere offsetting the overages. The building itself has also seen investment. The $7,065,000 in bonds the Town issued in 2026 covered capital projects completed since 2018, including a parking lot and drainage improvements at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center.
ChapPAC also hosts weekday programs that have nothing to do with ticketed concerts. The Town's October 29 e-newsletter lists Caregiver + Me and Theatrical Play Space there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The fall's rock night, Xtreme Queen's tribute to Freddie Mercury, was on the calendar for November 7. The rest of ChapPAC's 2026 calendar is the holiday run.
Three holiday dates, and who is behind each one
| Date | Show | Time | Tickets | Who is behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Big Band, Blues and Beyond…And a Touch of Holiday Spice | 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. | $55 to $200 | Sponsored by Frank Shiner Music; 100% of ticket price benefits San Miguel Academy of Newburgh |
| Friday, Dec. 11 | Holiday in Vegas: Viva Las Elvis | 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. | $45 to $65 | Dan Fontaine & The Memphis Sun Mafia |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Elf: An Interactive Movie Experience | 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. | $25 | Hosted by the Friends of ChapPAC |
November 28: a 25-piece orchestra, played for a cause
The Saturday after Thanksgiving belongs to Frank Shiner and his 25-piece orchestra, mixing big band and blues with holiday songs. The concert is sponsored by Frank Shiner Music, and the event page says 100% of the ticket price goes to San Miguel Academy of Newburgh, which runs a 12-year educational program for children facing poverty.
That arrangement accounts for the $55 to $200 price range, which is the widest of the season. People who can't attend can buy a sponsorship ticket, which gives a student or family a seat at the concert. The 6:00 p.m. start leaves time for dinner downtown afterward.
December 11: a ten-piece band on a Friday night
Holiday in Vegas: Viva Las Elvis brings Dan Fontaine & The Memphis Sun Mafia, a 10-piece band, to the stage for a Friday-night show of rock 'n' roll and holiday songs. It runs from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., with tickets from $45 to $65, which makes it the season's grown-up night out that doesn't run late.
December 13: the Friends group's own tradition
Two days later, the theater turns over to families. The Friends of ChapPAC call their interactive screening of Elf "beloved," which marks it as a returning event. An elf "from the North Pole" leads the audience through the film. Every child gets a goodie bag for joining in, and the afternoon includes an indoor snowball fight. Parents and caregivers get a goodie bag too, along with the interactive script so they can follow along. At $25, it is the cheapest ticket of the holiday run, and the 3:00 p.m. Sunday start suits young children.
The three dates sit together in the Town's own e-newsletter, which promotes the theater's calendar alongside its other community listings.
The same model, down the hill from the theater
The rest of the season works the same way. In her October 29 letter to residents, Town Supervisor Victoria Tipp highlighted two churches that serve free community dinners. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin hosts a monthly dinner called Miriam's Table and runs a small food pantry. First Congregational Church hosts its dinners in partnership with the Chappaqua Rotary Club Pop-up Pantry.
The holiday edition comes first. The Town calendar lists a Free Thanksgiving Community Dinner on Sunday, November 15, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 219 Orchard Ridge Road, co-sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chappaqua. The Supervisor's letter describes these dinners as open to everyone.
On Saturday mornings, the Chappaqua Farmers Market keeps its regular 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. hours at the train station. The Town's December calendar lists market days there on December 5, 12 and 19. The market's October 31 vendor roster marks Lagomberry Bakery as "NEW!" among the baked-goods stands. If you're planning a December Saturday, the market is in the morning and ChapPAC's shows are in the afternoon or evening, so you can do both. The fall Saturday routine around the station carries over into December.
For older residents, the New Castle Senior Activity Group sponsors a Senior Holiday Luncheon on Thursday, December 10, from noon to 3:00 p.m. at Ristorante Lucia in Bedford. The cost is $50, payable by check.
The season, in order
- Sunday, Nov. 15, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Free Thanksgiving Community Dinner, First Congregational Church, 219 Orchard Ridge Road.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 6:00 p.m. Frank Shiner Orchestra at ChapPAC.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Farmers market at the train station.
- Thursday, Dec. 10, noon to 3:00 p.m. Senior Holiday Luncheon, Ristorante Lucia, Bedford.
- Friday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. Holiday in Vegas: Viva Las Elvis at ChapPAC.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Farmers market at the train station.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 3:00 p.m. Elf: An Interactive Movie Experience at ChapPAC.
- Saturday, Dec. 19, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Farmers market at the train station.
Getting around Route 120 this season
There is one change to plan around if you walk or drive near the Duck Pond. The new Duck Pond Bridge is installed and open to pedestrians, which completes the first phase of the Duck Pond Bridge/Route 120 Pedestrian Walkway project. The Town replaced the walkway because Hurricane Ida damaged it in 2021. In its October 29 update, the Town said a test pile, a load test of up to four days, about two weeks of production piles and then pile caps would follow, so drivers should expect intermittent single-lane closures "over the next several weeks." The bridge stays open throughout the work.
Where the partnership line goes next
The $117,390 figure is still in draft. The Town's schedule puts the Preliminary Budget in front of the Board at its November 10 meeting, sets a public hearing for December 1, and expects adoption on December 15. That vote comes two days after the Elf screening, when the Board decides whether partnership events become a regular part of how the theater pays its way.
Buying tickets on the ChapPAC events page is the simplest way to keep these December shows coming back. We grew up with this calendar, and we pay as much attention to it as to the Chappaqua homes around it. If you'd like to talk about life near Chappaqua Crossing, the station or anywhere in between, Aurora Banaszek would be glad to help. Schedule a white‑glove consultation.
