Education

Tribeca Community School Brings Reggio-Inspired Learning to Ridgefield

New Preschool Combines Child-Led Education With Flexible Hours for Families Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Tribeca Community School For many parents, choosing a preschool means choosing between philosophy and practicality. A nurturing, child-led educational approach typically comes with a three-hour school day. Full-day care might provide the hours working families need, but not necessarily the educational experience they envisioned for their child. “Parents want a rich pedagogy and...

Local Services

Pawpaw Tree Veterinary Clinic

Dr. Maria Kremerman-Waltz Opens a New Practice Built on Kindness and Continuity Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Natasha Fleming Photography A handwritten card adorned with bespoke artwork was given to Dr. Maria Kremerman-Waltz, DVM, at her former practice. The sentiment read: “Kindness is the one commodity that you should spend more freely than you earn.” That sentiment became a guiding principle for Dr. Kremerman-Waltz, better known as Masha—one that has shaped how she practices...

Fitness

Beyond the Belt

For Over Three Decades, SDSS Martial Arts Has Helped Ridgefield Students Build Confidence, Character, and Resilience Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Natasha Fleming Photography Most parents don’t enroll their children in martial arts because they dream of raising the next black belt. They’re looking for something that’s harder to teach: confidence, discipline, respect, resilience. The high kicks, one-two punches, and swinging nunchaku may be what draws kids in. But at SDSS Martial...

Life + Culture

Young Entrepreneurs, Big Ideas

The Children’s Business Fair in Ridgefield Celebrates Kid-Powered Commerce Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Natasha Fleming Photography When Xin Zhang Zeck’s 12-year-old son Gavin asked her for a credit card, she was stunned. “He wasn’t asking how to make money,” she recalls. “He wasn’t asking for a debit card. He wanted a credit card! And he had no idea how to make money in the first place.” Xin, an acupuncturist, and her husband, attorney Mark Zeck, are both small business owners...

Home Services

Indoor Air Quality Management in Luxury Homes

Why Clean Air Is Now Part of Proper Luxury Property Maintenance Article by Andrew C. Hopkinson Luxury homeowners invest heavily in architecture, finishes, mechanical systems, landscaping, security, and interior design. Yet the one thing they rely on every minute inside the home is often overlooked: the air they breathe. Homeowners often notice the symptoms long before they identify the cause: persistent dust despite constant cleaning, rooms that never feel consistently comfortable, lingering...

Arts + Culture

The Great Good Place

The Past and Present Converge at Weir Farm National Historical Park, Where American Impressionism Remains a Living Tradition Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Jennifer Zarine Photography Most national parks ask visitors to leave no trace. A visit to Weir Farm National Historical Park—the only national historical park dedicated to painting—invites the opposite. Its lush, slightly overgrown but meticulously maintained grounds, antique storybook stone walls, and winding woodland paths seem...

Local Services

Service Above Self

From Fly the Colors to Taste of Ridgefield, The Rotary Club of Ridgefield Has Spent 85 years Showing Up for the Community Article by Katie Parry The story of The Rotary Club of Ridgefield is impossible to share in the span of a few short pages. Because it isn’t about just one fundraiser, one event, or one service project. It’s scholarships for local students. Grants for nonprofits. Trees replanted along Main Street. Meals delivered to first responders. Thanksgiving baskets for families in...

Home + Design

Dannick Carpentry

Inside Dan Musolino’s Five Decades of Craftsmanship—From Custom Homes to Cutting-Edge Energy Retrofits Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Veronica Green Photography In Ridgefield, you’d be hard-pressed to find a contractor with as much experience as Dan Musolino. Dan has been swinging a hammer since 1977, and he’s never stopped learning. After graduating from Ridgefield High School in the late 1970s, he headed west. “I moved to California in 1979 and joined the Carpenters’ Union,” Dan...

Life + Culture

The Art of Hospitality

From The Savoy on The Strand to Ross Artisanal Bakery & Café in The Marketplace, Ian Lewis’s Journey Is a Story of Purpose, People, and the Pursuit of Excellence Article by Katie Parry | Photography by Jennifer Zarine Photography As a kid growing up outside of Liverpool, England, Ian Lewis’s first job was on a milk float. “It was a quiet, battery-powered vehicle filled with bottles of milk,” Ian says. “A needle on a crate outside each house told us how many pints to deliver the next...

Health + Wellness

Dear Denise: Strength, Truth, and the Space In Between

A Therapist’s Journey Through Breast Cancer—and the Courage to Face Life with Honesty, Resilience, and Heart” Article by Denise Santangelo When I first heard the words “you have breast cancer,” my world flipped upside down. I’ve spent my life helping people walk through fear, teaching them how to sit with uncertainty, how to regulate emotion, how to move forward when life doesn’t go according to plan. But there’s a quiet, humbling truth no one prepares you for: when you’re the one facing the...