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Locals Share Memories and Mirth at the “Adult Show and Tell” in Sleepy Hollow

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Live action Pong players (left to right): Nathan Scherich, John Lewis and Dave Arons

May 5, 2025

By Sue Treiman–

A coffee cup, a goofy winter hat, squishy Pokeman toys, and a shiny pendant may seem like unremarkable objects. To their owners, though, each is a treasured talisman marking a cherished moment, a departed soul, or an enduring connection.

Close to three dozen people delighted in the tales of those and other trinkets during the second-ever “Adult Show and Tell” storytelling event Thursday at the Sleepy Hollow Writers Center.

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The brainchild of former Writers Center managing director Krista Madsen, the event brought close to three dozen spectators to the Center’s Sleepy Hollow train station headquarters to reprise last year’s Halloween season Show and Tell debut. “I wanted to bring back the notion of kids in kindergarten sharing objects and stories in a casual setting,” says Madsen.

While the first gathering was plagued by holiday-related gridlock, last week’s session was comfortable and unhurried. Guests enjoyed kindergarten-inspired fare, apple juice and pretzels, as 11 presenters filled their allotted five minutes with humor and pathos.

For self-described “practical pack rat” Josh Lewis of Sleepy Hollow, a silly hat, half-century old notebooks, a long-neglected flute, and a glow in the dark “live human pong game” took center stage. All are early relics of his comedy career.

Lewis enlisted neighbors Nathan Scherich and Dave Arons to help demonstrate his live action recreation of the original 1972 pong video game. He also modeled the hat that transformed him into a nerdy “Soupy Falupavich” alter ego conjured up during his high school forays into comedy. A seasoned improv comic, Lewis now leads the Sleepy Hollow Arts Collective. “I kept the hat handy because you never know when you may need to be Soupy again,” says Lewis. The right occasion, he admits, hasn’t arisen in the last 25 years.

Anne White with her Starry Night coffee mug

Sleepy Hollow’s Anne White showed off a coffee mug featuring Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting. “The mug holds so much more than coffee,” says White. “It’s filled to the brim with precious memories of my father.”

UK-born Geoffrey Baker was an aspiring American citizen when Pearl Harbor convinced him to join the fight for freedom. Not yet eligible for the U.S. Army, he enlisted in the Canadian Air Force and flew combat missions that frequently took him away from White and her sister. He reassured the girls by taking them into the night to see that the North Star, one of the points of lights in the Van Gogh masterpiece, safely guided on his battle runs. He hung a print of the painting above their beds to reassure them.

When White found the same Van Gogh painting on a mug, she vowed to us it daily to honor her father. “He was my north star, a patient, warm and loving man who lived each day to the fullest,” says White.

Jennifer Convissor of Sleepy Hollow explained how a cherished pendant keeps the memory of her grandfather close to her heart. Hailing from Ukraine, Sydney Lederman trained as a wartime ship welder before his metal-working skill earned him lifetime employment for New York City jeweler Harry Winston. There, he fashioned a gold pendant for his wife depicting their beloved pup Heinzie. “The charm is inscribed on the back and represents the love they had for each other and for their dog,” says Convissor.

Ossining’s Meaddows Ryan clutched two yellow Pokémon dolls that represent the fun, frivolous, and loving link she forged with her late partner. After reconnecting with a boy she’d met in school decades earlier, the couple was inseparable until his passing in 2024. “We brought out the goofball in each other,” she recalls.

Croton on Hudson resident Vivienne Courtney’s treasure was a mid-century French ‘Blondette doll,’ that introduced girls to the “womanly arts.” Featured speaker Jim Logan showed off an antique chocolate mold from the historic Lofts Candy company. The object celebrates Charles Underhill, who ran Lofts during its 1920s tenure as the world’s leading candy maker. Underhill is interred at the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, where Logan is the director and resident historian.

Like its debut, Thursday’s Show and Tell lived up to Madsen’s original goal; to forge a sense of community during an uncertain time. “I think people are really longing for connection and storytelling, especially when a lot of us feel powerless,” says Madsen. “Maybe leaning into creativity is one way to help bring us together.”