| by Linda Viertel |

The Taco Project has recently obtained its liquor license and will now be serving Mexican beers, predominantly Spanish red, white and rose wines, plus Argentinian chardonnays and red and white sangrias. Owner Nick Mesce is excited about this next phase of the restaurant’s development, noting that eventually brunch specialty drinks such as mimosas and micheladas (a Mexican beer prepared with salt, lime juice, sauces and peppers and served in a salt-rimmed glass) will accompany brunch in the fall. But, for now, on Taco Tuesday from 5 to 10 p.m., he is offering one-half off on all beer, wine and sangrias. Customers can just come on in and order a drink.

Silver Tips Tea is now serving breakfast Monday-Friday from 9:30-11 a.m. Apple cinnamon, blueberry and cranberry scones arrive table-side with Silver Tips tasty preserves. And, owner Anupa Mueller’s breakfast special, scone with tea, is only $5. In addition, she is offering strawberries with yogurt and cream, croissants with smoked salmon on cream cheese, or croissants with sliced hard-boiled eggs and cream cheese, Gluten-free bread is also an option.  And, don’t forget that her personally selected and directly sourced teas – flavored, organic, decaf or herbal – are always available.

Open Table has become the new successful direct link to Irvington’s Mima Vinoteca. Still the welcoming 75-seat restaurant and bar serving comforting Italian dishes like the ones owners John Leggio and Dana Santucci’s grandmothers and mothers served, their new spring/summer menu features baby kale salad, zuppa del giorno (made with the freshest seasonal ingredients) and market fish along with all their signature favorites. Happy hour is still Thursday and Friday 5-7 p.m. and house wine is half-price every Monday night.

The chef at Sweet Grass Grill, Juan Jimenez, comes from Mexico, and he and his sous chef Fernando Gomez, who hails from Uraguay, are doing interesting farmer’s board weekly specials so diners can sample a variety of offerings week after week. Also, Chef Jimenez is helping at the “farm to taco” Tomatillo where he and owner, Dave Starkey, are playing with some new menu ideas for late August. One new dish at Sweet Grass that has become a big hit is the vegan Philly cheese steak: sauteed seitan with kale, onions, peppers and vegan cheese. As always, Starkey’s farm-to-table mission keeps his customers dining on the freshest seasonal meat, fish and produce available in both restaurants.

| by Rick Pezzullo |

Steven Corbett was founding principal of the EastHarlem Scholars Academy II. Corbett was appointed last month by the Board of Education as the new assistant principal at Irvington High School.

Prior to joining Irvington on July 8, Corbett served as the founding principal of the East Harlem Scholars Academy II since 2013. During his two years at East Harlem, the school gained recognition for student learning and community building, as well as placing in the top three percent of all schools citywide in teacher and parent satisfaction.

Superintendent of Schools Kristopher Harrison and high school Principal David Cohen said Irvington was fortunate to hire such a high caliber educator as Corbett.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Corbett to our school,” Cohen said. “His prior leadership positions and experiences will bring a new perspective to our instructional practices, support our efforts to enhance student life, as well as further strengthen our professional learning community.”

Corbett holds a Master of Science in school building leadership and a Master of Arts in social studies/adolescent education. He is expected to graduate in January from Northeastern University with a doctorate.

“My career has allowed me to gain extensive knowledge of school culture and behavior, instructional practices, scheduling, special education, as well as observation and evaluation,” Corbett said. “I look forward to collaborating in these areas with my new peers at Irvington High School. I’m excited to be part of such a great district and look forward to immersing myself in the numerous high school activities with staff and students.”

To the Editor: 

Re: “Lighthouse Celebration Focuses on Coming Riverfront Development (July 2015 issue)

I think it’s great to celebrate the lighthouse restoration. However, I am not celebrating the addition of 1,177 condos and townhouses, a 140-room hotel, and office/retail space. How are we going to handle an additional 2,000 or so cars on our already overcrowded streets?

Irene J. Kleinsinger

Tarrytown

The NEW Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Farmers Market (the TaSH) has made strides toward making healthy, fresh, locally produced food more accessible to senior citizens, veterans and low-income residents.

The TaSH now accepts Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks available to both low-income mothers and to senior citizens, and also began accepting SNAP or food stamps.

Those who use their SNAP electronic benefits cards at the market can increase their spending power. For every $5 spent, the TaSH gives customers another $2 check to be spent at the market through the state’s Fresh Connect program. These are programs the TaSH applied and was accepted to.

The TaSH has also received part of a federal grant through New Jersey-based City Green, a non-profit food justice organization, to help extend SNAP benefits. The money will double the value of SNAP purchases at the market.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to provide their families with fresh, nutritious meals and since there is a cost attached to providing produce from small, family-run farms rather than large farming conglomerates, we hope this program will help level the playing field for SNAP customers by increasing access to locally grown, picked-at-their-peak fruits and vegetables,” said Rachelle Gebler, vice president of Rivertowns Village Green (RVG), the non-profit, all volunteer, citizen-run organization that operates the TaSH. Gebler is also president of the Community Food Pantry of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown.

The TaSH is actively seeking additional grants to continue to expand the Double Bucks program and help stretch the food dollar of SNAP participants even further.

Veterans also benefit from these programs. Vets are able to get Fresh Connect checks through their veterans organizations. They can get a coupon book worth $20.

Using these programs at the market is easy. Seniors can spend their Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks and new mothers can spend their FMNP/WIC checks directly with vendors of fruits and vegetables.

Veterans can spend their Fresh Connect checks with vendors who are eligible to accept SNAP benefits. These are most vendors at the market except those selling ready-to-eat foods.

For shoppers to use their SNAP EBT cards, they should stop by the TaSH tent at the market to swipe their cards and receive tokens to spend at the market.

“It has always been part of our organization’s mission to make the farmers market inviting and welcoming to all members of our community,” said Suzanne Sorrentino, RVG co-president. “So we are delighted that these programs are finally online and we hope the word gets out to all those who can benefit from them.”

AWARDED

The New York State Library has awarded construction grants to four public libraries in Greenburgh. The grants, which are supported by a $14 million capital fund appropriation in the 2014-2015 state budget for the construction and renovation of public libraries and public library systems in New York State, are being awarded to the Warner Library (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow), as well as the Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson and Greenburgh public libraries.

The Warner Public Library will receive $155,589 for the Roof Replacement Project – providing the library with a fully functional roof and drainage system, protecting the building and its contents.  The Dobbs Ferry Public Library will receive $25,591 to retrofit or replace existing light fixtures with energy efficient, long lasting LED fixtures. The Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library will receive $19,107 for the purchase and installation of a Mitsubishi Hyper Inverter heating (cooling) pump system for the expanded and renovated library community room.  The Greenburgh Public Library will receive $14,661 for the installation of a glass partition and door in the passage between the adult reading room and the teen section of the library – alleviating noise issues and increasing patron comfort and staff use of both areas.  “I am pleased that these libraries were recognized and selected to receive these much-needed grants,” said NY State Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.  “Local libraries are critical to our communities and I will continue to be an advocate for more state investments to the library system.”

APPOINTED

Hudson Chorale has appointed Conductor Ira Spaulding as its new Interim Music Director.  Spaulding, who brings a breadth of training and choral experience to his new role, has enjoyed a multi-faceted career spanning more than 35 years: teaching at the Conservatory of Amsterdam for 20 years, performing concerts and recitals and giving master classes and choral workshops in more than 60 countries, and singing in more than 55 countries.  As part of American Voices, he was a soloist with orchestras in South America and Europe, and a guest choral conductor in Russia, Germany, Viet Nam, Mexico and several other countries.  In 2008, after living in Europe for 27 years, Spaulding returned to his native New York to accept the position of Professor of Vocal and Choral Music at City College of New York and was also Artistic Director of the Park Slope Singers in Brooklyn.  With weekly rehearsals in Pleasantville, the 90-voice Hudson Chorale is a collegial ensemble of men and women dedicated to the joy of music-making.  For more information, visit: http://hudsonchorale.org/

RANKED

Phelps Memorial Hospital Center has been named one of the top 25 hospitals in New York State, ranking 16th by U. S. News and World Report.  In the New York metro area, which includes NYC, Long Island, Westchester County and Northern New Jersey, Phelps was ranked 18th. Phelps was also rated as “High Performing” for hip replacement and knee replacement.  These achievements are based on Phelps’ track record of maintaining high quality standards in delivering healthcare.

JOINED

Orthopedic surgeon Jason Hochfelder, MD of Rye Brook has joined the staff of Phelps Memorial Hospital Center.  Dr. Hochfelder brings expertise in hip and knee replacement and hip arthroscopy.  Surgeons at Phelps excel at performing advanced, complex procedures, from sports injury surgeries to joint replacements.  Dr. Hochfelder is also experienced in a procedure called ACI (Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation), a treatment for cartilage damage that is an option for people who are too young for knee replacement.  After receiving his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Hochfelder served his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopaedic Institute and a fellowship in hip and knee surgery at the Insall Scott Kelly Institute, both in NYC. 

NAMED

The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA), a leading mental health agency in the community, has named Jennifer L. Kasoff to its Board of Directors. Ms. Kasoff, an experienced nonprofit professional, will advance the mission of the agency which offers comprehensive recovery-oriented, integrated mental health services for all ages.  MHA is located at 580 White Plains Road in Tarrytown.  For more information, visit: http://www.mhawestchester.org/

AWARDED

Helayna Herschkorn, an Irvington resident and 2004 graduate of Irvington High School, was awarded a Doctoral Degree in School Psychology from St. John’s University in January, 2015.  Helayna participated in the university’s Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on May 7th and its Graduation Ceremony on May 17. She is the daughter of Nicole and the late Ronald Herschkorn and sister to Candice.

Please send submissions about distinctions, honors, and awards given to local community members, students, and organizations to:  thiwatercooler@thehudsonindependent.com

| by Zoe Kaplan | 

“Let’s get back to basics. What more do we need for Shakespeare in the Park than Shakespeare and a park?”

Kristen Ippolito, former camper, counselor, and assistant director of YMCA Summer Theater, felt incomplete with a change the program brought to the summer 2015 schedule: performing a musical rather than Shakespeare. While she, along with the campers, happily embraced the switch in genre, it couldn’t be denied that something was missing.

In June, Ippolito casually reached out to six campers, ones who had done as many as six past YMCA Summer Shakespeare performances. When she suggested doing more Shakespeare work, all responded with excitement despite their busy schedules: most of them were in the YMCA production of Les Misérables.

“Luckily, over the last 11 years, I’ve developed a very strong network of enthusiastic and talented actors, who were just as excited about getting to work on this troupe as I was,” Ippolito explained. Soon the group met to discuss their plans for the summer; while they couldn’t possibly learn a whole show, they could work on multiple scenes.

The group calls itself The Phoenix Shakespeare Company. William Shakespeare wrote, “When the bird of wonder dies, the maiden phoenix, / Her ashes new-create another heir /As great in admiration as herself.” Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the group believes it is rising from the end of YMCA Summer Shakespeare, and, hopefully, creating “another heir” by continuing to perform Shakespeare’s works.

Now made up of seven students, the troupe has performed a total of 14 scenes from five shows: As You Like It, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Twelfth Night, Henry IV Part I, and Much Ado About Nothing. Instead of doing a whole show, they focus on two characters from each and demonstrate the arc in their friendship as the show progresses. In As You Like It, the two main female characters, Rosalind and Celia, first have a scene expressing their happiness, then a scene filled with tension, and finally a last scene cementing their friendship and parallel weddings.

After performing at both the Philipse Manor Beach Club and the Tarrytown Farmer’s Market, the troupe’s performances have come to a close for this season. However, the members have already made future plans. While they enjoyed getting a taste for multiple shows this summer by doing only scenes, next summer they hope to expand their group and delve into one show. No decisions, however, are final yet.

“What I do know for certain is that, as we move forward, I want to find a balance between the collaborative and free nature of this year’s performance with the structure that a full play demands,” Ippolito said. “This is definitely a difficult task, but I’m confident that our team will rise to the occasion.”

| by Krista Madsen | 

Signs from the United Auto Workers building on Beek- man Avenue

For longtime workers at North Tarrytown’s General Motors plant, the 100-acre wasteland that defines the riverfront of what is now called Sleepy Hollow smarts like an open wound.

While recounting the end of his 32-year history with GM when the site closed for good on June 28, 1996 – “I recall the date” – Elias Tsekeri got choked up with tears. “That Friday was the worst day of my life. When we left the plant, it was like a funeral. We just could not talk to each other. I looked back and that was it. It’s one thing to be able to retire and be able to go back and see the workers left to visit. We have nothing. That’s really hard, I still really feel it.”

Three men who worked for decades at the plant, one who worked three consecutive college summers in the ‘50s and had many stories from his father’s time as well, and three women tangentially connected to the operation – through working at one family’s luncheonette on Beekman Avenue or seeing the shift-change traffic clogging the H-bridge – gathered to tell stories at the first themed session of a new Warner Library initiative to record local and topical oral histories.

Library director Maureen Petry introduced the session by explaining that they were about to participate in the “oldest type of historical inquiry.” A handy recording device resting on a stand allowed her to move to each speaker; the device was donated through funding from the Rotary Club. Once edited, the sessions will live online and be accessible to the public via Dropbox. Petry guided the speakers with questions – the only real rule being not to talk over each other. The group easily filled a fast and fascinating hour.

The New York Public Library’s Alexandra Kelly had led a conference on recording such stories, based on a program that the city library is doing neighborhood by neighborhood. This and the national success of StoryCorps, where two people enter a room and record an intimate conversation, point, perhaps, to a wider societal need to simply hear good stories from real people. “The stories are so humane,” Petry said. “You feel like we are hungry for this.”

Former GM workers share stories at Warner Library, from left to right: Elias Tsekeri, Frank Cofone, and John A. Inzar.

“You have to get these stories before they are gone,” Petry said, easily landing on the first topic of working at GM. “There’s surprisingly few people left around here who worked there.” Petry’s husband did, as did her father, a plumber. By 2016, 20 years after the plant closed, developers plan to have shovels in the ground for Edge-on-Hudson; the lighthouse has been relit as a beacon of renewed hope for the village. “The community right now still hurts from that plant being closed,” Inzar said.

The men described really hard work, but they spoke of it with fondness and pride, recalling positive relations between management and the union and how they felt respected.

Manuel Arbelaez did every kind of job there was during his 31-year career, from the body shop to welding to quality control. When computers came along, he learned to install those too. “At the end of the line, it doesn’t have to be perfect but the best you can do it,” he said.

Tsekeri reminded everyone that GM was only great to work for because of what the union brought. “They didn’t give us anything we didn’t negotiate for.”

Before unions – a time Cofone recalled from his father’s career – the conditions were rough. With the unemployment rate at 24 percent in the 1920s, there were lines of men down Beekman eager to replace you if you didn’t like it. “The demands they put on people were tremendous,” he said. “There was pressure.”

Several of the men had worked “relief duty,” taking over for someone who needed a restroom break. These breaks grew through the years from under ten minutes to 23. Time went fast when it was usually quite a hike to get to the restrooms, and you couldn’t return late. At a pace of 400 cars completed in a shift, the line didn’t stop. The place was so vast, men would bike to get around inside.

Inzar drove cars around the factory, bringing ones in need of fixes back and forth to the “big room” repair shop.

The men drove their own GM-made cars. They seemed to agree that the best car that came out of the place was the 1957 two-door Chevy coupe.

The worst – at least for Inzar – was the Buick Century. It was tough for him to fit the roof on the body without messing up, which he did often. “I didn’t do right but I did my best.”

There is still a sign in the front of the United Auto Workers building on Beekman that says you can’t park in the lot without an American-made car, a credo these men live by. “When you buy something not made here, you put your neighbor out of work,” Tsekeri said.

The plant closing during what some would say was its resurgence after recovering from layoffs in the mid-‘70s took everyone by surprise. It was so “ideally located,” said Cofone, with the river, train lines and major highways so close. But despite the tax breaks that then-Governor Mario Cuomo had granted the plant, lowering electricity and gas rates, it was cheaper to move operations south.

Inzar spent one of his nearly 43 years at the plant staying on after the closure for the clean up before he went to work for eight years in Linden, New Jersey. “It was a great place to work,” citing, as did Arbelaez, being able to buy a home and put two kids through college.

“We made a good living there,” Inzar said, likening the team spirit to a very large football team. “We did it, we got the job done, and we built better cars in the end because we put our hearts in it.”

The men also recalled a bit of comic relief during three days in the ‘80s when the Disney characters came in costume to work with them as thousands of school children looked on. Five years prior Disney made a similar visit and a lawsuit ensued: one kid was apparently traumatized in the car plant when a character took the head off his costume to get to work.

The library is interested in finding more volunteers to help collect – and someday transcribe – these oral histories. To learn more, contact Maureen Petry at (914) 631-7734, director@warnerlibrary.org.

Note: “The Oral History Circles” project will be an ongoing collaboration between Warner Library and The Hudson Independent. Are you living with a ghost in your house? On Friday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. at Warner Library, Krista Madsen will be recording stories of the real ghost of Sleepy Hollow. To sign up, email krista@sleepyhollowink.com or visit/call the Reference Desk at the Library, 914-631-7734.

| by Rick Pezzullo |

Tarrytown Village officials are hoping an investment made to study the best the village has to offer will pay off in the near future in terms of revenue and a better quality of life for residents.

The village has hired Collaborative Planning Studio for $85,000 to put together an economic development strategy. The same firm completed a study last year of the train station area.

“It’s a document that will help shape and reform development of the waterfront and beyond,” urban planner Kevin Dwarka explained to the Board of Trustees last month at a work session. “We’re looking village-wide.”

Village Administrator Michael Blau noted the village received a $15,000 grant from the Hudson Valley Greenway to offset a portion of the study’s costs and said this will help Tarrytown seek state and federal funding down the road.

Tarrytown last updated its Comprehensive Plan in March 2007 but has adopted some amendments to certain sections of it over the years.

Before meeting with the Board of Trustees, representatives of Collaborative Planning Studio gathered information from merchants, developers, county officials and village employees. Dwarka told trustees he wanted to focus on key village assets and community strengths, planning strategies to explore, and potential barriers to achieving economic development success.

Trustees were quick to respond when asked to list what they considered the “Best of Tarrytown.” Among the village’s assets mentioned were: the Hudson River, parks, restaurants, historic sites, diversity in the village, volunteers, the Tarrytown Music Hall, and the business district.

However, there was also an equally lengthy list of hurdles suggested by trustees that could stand in the way of progress. Those hurdles included traffic, parking shortage, aging infrastructure, nearby retail competition, housing costs, and some negative perceptions of public schools.

Addressing those concerns, Trustee Tom Butler said the village should look to attract revenue-generating businesses that don’t increase traffic. Trustee Becky McGovern said Tarrytown should better communicate with neighboring municipalities and try to share services and events when possible.

Collaborative Planning Studio is slated to hold a public workshop in late September. A final report is expected to be delivered in March.

| by Linda Viertel |

Piccola Trattoria – Italian Home-Cooking in Dobbs Ferry

“In my dining room, everyone who comes here is family,” declared Sergio Penacchio, Piccola Trattoria’s chef/owner and Irvington resident. This August was his second anniversary in his Dobbs Ferry trattoria, which he took over from his brother. After a remodel, he fashioned his traditional Italian menu with a modern twist and a salute to his Argentine heritage.

Penacchio’s Sicilan father and Spanish mother settled in Mendoza, Argentina – the land of Malbec, where, he notes, “ Some of the best wines in Argentina come from.” His uncles still maintain vineyards there. Arriving in the States at age 19, he has been cooking here since age 22. He spent 13 years running his first restaurant, Pasta e Pesce, on Central Avenue in Yonkers. Now, his successful catering company, Chefs at Work, provides staff, tents and tables for multiple corporate, gala, wedding and residential events. But, the trattoria is his first love. “Here I get to be more creative and interact with the customers,” he says.

Sourcing from local farms is a priority. “We live in the Hudson Valley,” he adds. “It’s a perfect spot to make farm to table accessible to us. This is a small place, so it’s easy to change the menu and cook seasonally.”

Penacchio’s nostalgic memories of his nonna, sitting at the head of the table for Sunday suppers, surrounded by her 13 children and a raft of grandchildren, have informed Piccola’s style.  The charming 40-seat dining room creates just the right homey spirit to enjoy Penacchio’s signature in-house pastas: pappardelle con nocciole (house made pasta with butternut squash and roasted hazelnuts in a cream sauce) and the paglia e fieno con barbietole (house made spinach and egg fettucine with red beets, fresh ricotta, parmigiano-reggiano, olive oil and basil) being two of his signature presentations. Rotola, gnocchi, lasagna and pasta con le vongole – the more traditional pastas, all receive his masterly touch.

Piccola’s appetizers feature traditional favorites in Argentina, such as the provoletta alla griglia, grilled provolone cheese served with prosciutto and marinated chopped tomatoes. Calamari pepe, a crispy mound of perfectly fried calamari accompanied by  a spicy pepperoncini sauce, is enough for the table to share. And the unique polpetta al sugo, a large meatball stuffed with gouda and reggiano cheeses, also provides a giant helping for fellow diners to taste. Grilled branzino, prepared whole or filleted, is served with a garlic and paprika aioli. Bistecca, always on the menu, is accompanied by Argentina’s famed chimichurri sauce (a delectable garlic, parsley and olive oil mélange), in addition to caramelized onions and house potato chips.

The mostly Italian wine list saves room for Argentine malbecs and chardonnays from Mendoza: it is moderately priced by both the glass and bottle.

All desserts are home-made, including a traditional cheesecake, tiramisu, dulce de leche flan and espresso crème brulee. Farmhouse artisanal ice cream offerings, from Peaches and Cream in Litchfield Connecticut, include toasted almond, kahlua, mango and lemon sorbets, all of the chef’s favorites. But do try Penacchio’s signature creation – the mascarpone zabaglione with nutella and pistachios – if you have any room left, that is!

If You Go:
41 Cedar Street, Dobbs Ferry
914-674-8427
piccolany.com
Sun.-Thurs.: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Fri. and Sat.: 11:30 a.m.- 11 p.m.

Eatarry Opens in Tarrytown

When Henry Cabral and his wife Ana visited Mario Batali’s Eataly in lower Manhattan, they were struck by “a grand European feel.” Cabral, Tarry Tavern’s owner/chef, reveled in, “Cheeses, wines, pastas, paninis all available in a piazza –type environment. Seeing Americans do that inspired us.” That’s how Eatarry, their next-door venture to Tarry Tavern was born. But, Henry is quick to add, “It’s really Ana’s baby.” After 3-year old Ryan, of course. She is in charge of their joint venture.

Eatarry feels Italian, but with a local twist. Espresso, coffee, a dizzying array of gelato choices, paninis, home-made salads and pastries, Balthazar breads, and in-house gaufrettes for tasting are an eyeful.  Complemented by photos of our region’s historical landmarks, the Cabrals are crafting a casual breakfast, lunch and take-out spot that reflects both their heritage and their hometown. In addition to the fresh berry tarts, courtesy of Tarry Tavern’s bakers, look for hard-to-find all natural orange, pineapple and passion fruit Portuguese drinks in the future.

Pressed hot foccacia paninis, made with D’Artagnan heritage meats, Sprout Creek Farm cheeses (coming soon) and locally sourced greens from famed Satur Farms, have been created with local luminaries in mind. “The Rockefeller” is a tribute to David Rockefeller, who just turned 100 years old, filled, as it is, with some of his favorite ingredients: braised and roasted lamb, Sweet 100 tomatoes, olive tapenade, truffle pecorino and crispy shallots. The Lyndhurst features braised short rib, red onion marmalade and aged cheddar; while the Kykuit (the Dutch term for “lookout), combines heritage ham, Dutch gouda, caramelized onions and mushrooms.

Un-pressed “but nicely dressed” sandwiches reveal a charming twist in their titles as well. The Lighthouse, made with roasted portobello mushrooms, summer squash, peppers and goat cheese on a multi-grain roll is a veggie-based “lite” sandwich, hence –  “The Lighthouse.” The Philipbsurg, honors our local 17th century mill, with layers of smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, radish and red onion on a whole wheat baguette – hence “the whole wheat bread thing,” as the menu explains.

Soups this summer include chilled gazpacho and local corn soup – dairy and gluten free. The Orchard Street salad, a refreshing combination of kale, beets, apple pistachio and yogurt-cumin dressing, chicken Caesar, potato salad with caramelized onions, farfalle dressed with both a sun-dried tomato and basil pesto, faro salad  with corn, zucchini and olives, and egg salad with crispy bacon are made fresh daily from scratch.  All Eatarry’s dressings, pickles, potato chips and tapenades are made in Tarry Tavern’s kitchen.

Irving Farm Coffee Roasters provides the locally roasted coffee, and Johny Gelato, a father/daughter team hailing from Carmel, New York, makes the fresh gelato. Baldor, a specialty food provider, supplies local corn, blueberries and produce – everything in season – from its mobile market van, which stops by Eatarry every Wednesday.

Call ahead for pick-up, and look for delivery availability in the future.

If You Go:
25 Main Street
914-909-5212
Fri./Sat.: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Mon.-Thurs.: 8 a.m.-6.p.m.

A few years ago, Kim Kaczmarek, Sleepy Hollow High School’s Special Education teacher and Pioneer team coach, began a program to get her students more involved in athletics within the school.  Back then, no-one predicted the huge positive force that this program would become.   

Kaczmarek’s Pioneer Team is a group of her special education students, along with other student interns (unified partners) from the high school, who play various sports together nearly every day.  Kaczmarek also helps organize the regional Special Olympics, a community wide event in which disabled athletes from all over the Hudson Valley come to compete together, with huge crowds of supporters watching. Thanks to this success students from Kaczmarek’s Pioneer Team were invited to the Special Olympics World Games this summer in Los Angeles.

Sleepy Hollow’s team, which played in the Olympics basketball events, was a combination team of students from Sleepy Hollow and Brewster, with both athletes and unified partners. From Sleepy, the participating athletes were Felix Veloz and Min Li, along with unified partners Hunter Burnett and Brendan Murphy.  From Brewster, the athletes were Tim Schneider, Stephen Booth, and Kevin Green, accompanied by partners John Ashley, Jagger Ashley, and Yash Patel. The team has been working tirelessly for the past year to prepare for the World Games, which had athletes from 170 countries. Their hard work paid off when they went unbeaten through the tournament and took home the gold medal in basketball.

But to the team and coaches, the glory does not lie only in their awards received.  The athletes and interns had a chance to compete in a world stage of athletics, where they represented Sleepy Hollow and the United States with pride and integrity, and showcased the inclusion that our community works hard to inspire and protect. 

“They are all so bonded now, that they don’t want the team to dismantle,” said Kaczmarek, who refers to her unified team, the Special Olympics USA NY Unified Basketball team, as a family.

The Special Olympics World Games is the pinnacle of the Special Olympic movement Many residents of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown became familiar with this program thanks to the regional Special Olympics events, which were hosted by Sleepy Hollow in 2013 and 2014.  The Special Olympic celebrates athletes and athletic performance for those who may suffer a mental or physical disability. The Pioneer Team at Sleepy Hollow is one of the most successful teams in the area, and it has gained enormous recognition over the years—with support from the high school student body—a support rivaling that of the football or soccer team. It’s a program that promotes equal opportunity to any student who is willing to put in the effort, and encourages school-wide inclusion with the intern program that has drawn dozens of volunteers over the last few years. 

“The games included athletes from 170 countries, some of whom may be in conflict in the outside world, but at the World Games everyone gets along, no matter what,” Kaczmarek said. “Politics doesn’t matter. I wish the world could be like this!”

| by Rick Pezzullo | 

Last October, voters in the Irvington School District approved a $4.6 million fields and facilities renovation referendum that included authorization to install artificial turf at Meszaros Field on the high school/middle school campus.

District officials anticipated after the vote that the organic product turf and resurfacing of the surrounding Oley Track would be completed by this fall, but unexpected lengthy delays in the approval process by the state Education Department have resulted in that work not scheduled to be finished until the beginning of the 2016 school year.

“The district fulfilled all of its obligations in a timely manner,” said Superintendent of Schools Kristopher Harrison, who noted the district submitted all the required paperwork to the state two days after the much debated October 7 vote.

Harrison said the district received approval letters from the Education Department on August 20, but since most of the projects would be disruptive to students and teachers, they cannot be performed until classes end in June.

East Field, which has been closed since September 2012 due to the discovery of non-native fill and will need two to three seasons for the new grass to settle, won’t be ready for use until the fall 2017 or spring 2018.

Harrison said he expected the Board of Education to seek bids for the projects in mid to late-winter but believes the $4.6 million will be sufficient.

“We remain optimistic the amount of money approved on October 7, 2014 will cover these expenses,” Harrison said.

The district was able this summer to complete a goal it has envisioned for decades,—moving administrative offices out of a modular building on the Dows Lane Elementary School property. Eleven district employees will now work in newly constructed office space within Dows Lane, a project that cost an estimated $360,000.

The upgrading of the HVAC system at Dows Lane and gym roof restoration and conversion from oil to gas boilers at Main Street School will take place next summer.

| by Rick Pezzullo | 

The YMCA’s Early Learning Center is back on Main Street after a three-year run in the Tappan Hill School.

The Family YMCA at Tarrytown has gotten a facelift in recent months to complement its growing fitness and early learning programs, and even more changes are planned in the near future.

“This is very focused, very efficient,” said Barbara Turk, the Y’s Vice President of Marketing and Community Development. “We’re only doing what we can afford. We’ve always been community supported.”

Since June, the Y has raised about $150,000 of its capital fund goal of $350,000 for the Main Street facility’s first major renovations since 1998. The estimated cost for all the slated changes is approximately $600,000.

Last year, the Y did a utilization study of the 103-year-old building and determined several areas were being underutilized by its approximately 4,000 members, including the gymnasium and racquetball courts. As a result, the former gymnasium was transformed into an enhanced 3,500-square-foot Fitness and Strength Training Center, including new equipment, added cardio machines and a Pilates Reformer studio.

The fitness center is more than twice the size of the former workout space, but eliminating the gymnasium wasn’t an easy decision, according to Turk.

“It was very challenging. It was very difficult,” Turk said, noting it was still being determined where the Y’s youth basketball program, which served 50 to 100 youngsters, would wind up. One option being discussed is merging with Tarrytown’s recreation hoops program.

The Y’s adult basketball and volleyball programs have relocated to the EF International School facilities without a hitch.

The former racquetball courts will be turned into a spinning and dance studio, with classes scheduled to start in September.

Already successfully completed is the relocation of the Y’s Early Learning Center from Tappan Hill School after the Y learned late last year that the Tarrytown School District would not renew its lease, but instead would be renting the school to BOCES, a state educational program.

Youngsters in the YMCA’s Early Learning Center will enjoy more space to learn and play; all new equipment is enjoyed by members in spacious fitness center in former gymnasium.

While at Tappan Hill for three years, Turk said the Y program grew more than 50%, so it decided to dedicate three times the space on Main Street to accommodate more children.

“We didn’t want to lose that. We wanted to build on that momentum,” she said. “We have room to continue to grow.”

The Y took its former member lounge and Pilates and yoga studios and built two infant rooms, two toddler rooms, two preschool rooms, two flexible rooms, a multipurpose room and a library for its Early Learning Center.

Nicole Bernardone, the Y’s Early Learning Center director, said 67 children, ages six weeks to five years old, are currently enrolled in the center, which has a capacity to hold 106. One of the program’s unique services offered is swimming in the Y’s indoor pool.

Bernardone said it was great to be back in the center of Tarrytown. “We are so excited to be back in the community. That was something that we missed greatly,” she said, noting the children enjoyed taking walking trips to places in the village. “We missed a lot of that being up on the hill.”

Turk said the Y was currently seeking grants for an outdoor learning and play area on the south side of the building. Those plans, which include a garden, a stage/sandbox, block/building play and water play, are projected to cost between $50,000 and $100,000.

“We’re not looking for members or the community to pay for it all,” Turk stressed. “The community has always rallied around us.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the programs or renovations plans at the Family YMCA at Tarrytown or how to make a donation can visit www.ymcatarrytown.org or call (914) 631-4807.

| by Alexa Brandenberg |

Anna Kropp
Sleepy Hollow
“I’d like a contemporary flower shop that would have plants, pots, candles, and other decorative items in addition to loose flowers.”

Armando Gonzales, 42
Works in Irvington
“This is a spot for great dining but I’m always looking for a lower cost alternative for lunch.”

Bonnie Rofe
Irvington
“A great bagel place for my family, and I would love more places that offer healthy choices like chopped salads and gluten free options.”

Joelle Herbert, 17
Tarrytown
“I would like to see more thrift shops, and more affordable rec centers with dance studios.  Many of my friends have to go out of state to afford them.”

Johnny Cobe, 23
Tarrytown
“I feel like they have most of the stuff I need.  They have bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and the gym at the Y is new and improved.”

The Village of Tarrytown is hosting an open house to discuss village-wide economic development strategies on Sunday, September 27th from 1pm-4pm at the Tarrytown Senior Center, 238 West Main Street. The purpose of the session is to discuss preliminary strategies for:

• Better connecting Main Street and the waterfront
• Supporting local business
• Retaining and attracting jobs
• Providing diverse housing choices
• Improving parking; and
• Celebrating Tarrytown’s unique character

The Village’s economic and planning consultants, Kevin Dwarka LLC, Land Use and Economic Consulting, Collaborative Planning Studio and Regional Plan Association, will be on-hand to explain preliminary concepts, answer questions and obtain feedback from residents and business owners. Members of the Station Area Steering Committee, which has been guiding the station area planning effort under the leadership of Planning Board members David Aukland and Joan Raiselis, will also be in attendance to listen to comments and answer questions.

This work is part of the Village’s broader station area revitalization effort whose purpose is to ensure that infrastructure improvements and site development proposals in the station area are functionally and aesthetically compatible with one another. The area around Tarrytown’s train station and waterfront is considered one of Tarrytown’s most valuable economic assets. The consensus among village officials is that thoughtful waterfront planning along with transit-oriented development has the potential to create substantial economic benefits to Tarrytown, enhancing connections to Main Street/Broadway businesses, encouraging tourism and generating tax revenue. Sunday’s workshop will provide the public with an opportunity to review and comment on proposed economic development strategies that will set the stage for the development of a blueprint for station area land use and density that is physically attractive, environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and economically beneficial to the Village.

Further information on the station area project and the related Tarrytown Economic Development Strategy (TEDS) can be found on the Village web site:
StationAreaStudy@tarrytowngov.com 

| by Alexa Brandenberg |

| by Linda Viertel | 

Neopolitan Pizza Arrives at RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen in Tarrytown

RiverMarket Bar & Kitchen’s wood-burning oven is now open for business, offering Neopolitan-style pizza to local diners who might not have the good fortune to be able to travel to Naples. Owner Glenn Vogt is providing his customers with the real deal, and he’s had a lot of time to think about how he wants his pizza to taste. During the 18 months it took to garner approvals, permits and upgrades, he had the opportunity to experiment with his 800 degree oven and how ingredients reacted to the high heat. He and his pizzaiola chefs got comfortable with their new state of the art, Italian Pavesi oven, gas-assisted but fired with a combination of cherry, apple and birch hardwoods.

Vogt’s dough, made from premium 00 wheat flour, rises overnight, with a two-day fermentation period. This attention to detail gives the pizza dough real body and flavor, plus a crunchy base. Just two minutes in his hot oven is enough to afford his pizza the chewy yet crispy puffy edge that so characterizes Neopolitan pizza. The woodsy taste of his hardwood combination adds perfect flavoring to his naturally raised ingredients – a signature at RiverMarket. With a mission, and a visible motto on all servers’ t-shirts –“naturally raised,” customers can be assured they are dining on the same high quality ingredients on their pizzas that they have come to expect from RiverMarket’s classic menu.

Sausage and meatballs are made in-house, mushrooms are marinated in the chef’s own vinaigrette recipe, and the pepperoni is local. R&G Cheesemakers supplies the hand-crafted mozzarella (available for purchase in the restaurant’s entrance market); heirloom tomatoes, local arugula and Montauk clams provide added natural ingredient choices.

The basic tomato, mozzarella and basil (margherita) or white mozzarella and basil pizza can be ordered with your choice of sausage, pepperoni, wild mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, arugula , little neck clams or jumbo shrimp. And, come this fall, RiverMarket will be adding 5 or 6 additional signature pizza preparations featuring local and seasonal produce.

When you visit, take time to wander over to Vogt’s wood-fired oven to examine the unusual decorative tiles fired in ancient Spanish kilns that present a brick-like facing. Their unevenness and color give the oven a delicate, variegated color plus a sense of movement reflecting RiverMarket’s view to the Hudson River.

Before winter descends and the joys of sharing Neopolitan wood-burning oven pizza indoors becomes a hearty reality for RiverMarket customers, stop by during this fall’s warm final days and enjoy Vogt’s latest taste treat on the 100-seat patio with a treasured view.

If You Go: 

127 West Main Street
914-631-3100
rivermarketbarandkitchen.com
Facebook
Follow@Rvrmrktbk

Irvington Welcomes Suzanne’s Table: Cooking and Catering

Suzanne Hart’s love affair with food began long ago, though her new catering operation just opened September 9 at Le Moulin’s old location on Irvington’s Main Street. A popular resident for 25 years whose three children all attended Irvington’s public schools, she has been catering for the past five years and decided to offer her culinary talents to Westchester residents once her youngest went off to college. As she said, “It was time to launch a new career – sort of like having a baby.”

Everything Hart serves is made in-house, and her seasonal menu changes depending upon what farmers have on hand. But, until she runs out, her signature chicken salad with apricots and basil, will always be available, as will her golden beet, honey and goat cheese salad. For variety, try orange shrimp with yogurt, thyme grilled chicken, kale salad with citrus vinaigrette, or quinoa mixed with chopped tomato, mint, cucumber and red onion for a refreshing Mediterranean taste.  Specials highlighted on her store window’s chalkboard might offer Thai beef, a farro salad or chicken stuffed with basil, prosciutto and provolone for variety. Suzanne’s braised tarragon chicken salad gets its crunch from rainbow carrots, complemented by the earthiness of shitake mushrooms and roasted cipppolini onion sweetness. Every day presents new culinary possibilities for the chef/owner.

Suzanne’s healthy paninis, all made fresh to order, include kumato tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil or grilled vegetables with fontina; her delectable roasted turkey, apple, manchego cheese, and fig jam is a signature creation. The smashed avocado sandwich has become an immediate favorite, as has her egg salad with watercress, and dill on multi-grain bread. Roasted turkey with cranberry chutney and mayonnaise is served on a demi-ficelle, and her prosciutto offering is complemented by fresh ricotta, basil and roasted rosemary tomatoes. Having just opened, she is working toward expanding her panini, sandwich and salad offerings for the fall. A featured October item to anticipate will be a mélange of roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, sliced pears and pickled onion over a bed of field greens and topped with spiced pecans.

Balthazar bread provides croissants and breads, and Hilltop Hanover Farm’s produce graces the salad and sandwich offerings. Other healthy choices include Red Jacket Juices and Boxed Water is Better. Fresh-brewed GiacoBean Coffee, roasted locally by the owners of Antoinette’s Patisserie in Hastings, is on hand throughout the day; Suzanne’s home-baked chocolate chip cookies disappear quickly, so grab them while you can.

Suzanne’s says that her culinary influences, “Include everything from my sister-in-law Nina, to food authors like Laurie Colwin, M.F.K. Fisher and Elizabeth David, to the contemporary Yotem Ottolenghi. It’s that sensibility of wanting everyone around your table.” Suzanne embodies this homey concept in her cooking as well as her décor. Her new venue welcomes customers with generous herb-filled pots on the steps. Marble counters and tables provide seating in the comfortable white interior accented by charming steel grey wall stencils; country style pewter and antique enamel serving pieces decorate the store’s large hutch. An ample pine table for communal dining graces the back room, emblematic not only of her store’s name but also of her gastronomic congeniality.

Suzanne’s Table is a family affair as well. Husband Tom Casadei stops by to wash dishes, and their daughters were on hand to help open their mother’s new venue.“So many of my friends have contributed to this venture: some donated furniture, one presented me with the tulip photo. Charlotte Lyons, an artist for Trader Joe’s, created the chalkboard menu, and another friend stenciled the wall. The expression, ‘It takes a village’ was really true in my case.” Gathering around Suzanne’s table must have been a joy for family and friends, and now the rest of us get to find out why.

If You Go: 

75 Main Street | 914-231-9055 Call in order for pick-up Tues.-Fri.: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sat.: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Facebook
Website: www.suzannestable.com coming soon

| by Alexander Roberts | 

Just 22 years old, the pretty blond woman pretended to be a nurse searching for her Nazi soldier boyfriend behind enemy lines in Nazi–occupied France during World War II.  But in actuality, Marthe Cohn was a French Jew with forged papers who spoke fluent German, recruited by the Allies to funnel information about German troop movements. Two of her dispatches made history—once when she discovered that the Germans had abandoned the Siegfried Line, and a second time when she notified the Allies of a German trap that could have cost the lives of many soldiers.   

For her amazing exploits, detailed in her book, Behind Enemy Lines, Mrs. Cohn received the Medaille Militaire, France’s highest military honor. Mrs. Cohn, who settled in California after the war, will speak at The DoubleTree in Tarrytown on Tuesday, October 20.  Sponsored by Chabad of the Rivertowns, the speech is open to the public. For more information and tickets, please go to chabadrt.org.

| by Robert Kimmel | 

GM site East Parcel 2015

Created about a year ago, the Sleepy Hollow Local Development Corporation is looking at a number of potential projects in the village, but its most immediate task deals with the land it acquired from GM at the automaker’s former riverfront site. The east parcel, as it is known, was designated for village use in the agreement that permitted GM to sell its vacated 96 acre property to a developer.

The Sleepy Hollow Local Development Corporation, (LDC) was created to accept ownership of the parcel rather than having it go directly to the village, consequently freeing it from certain building restrictions imposed by New York State on municipalities. For example, the LDC could save an estimated 15% of future building costs by hiring one overall contractor, rather than have several or more deal with the varied aspects of future construction on the parcel, as required by municipalities.     

“The major items to be constructed there include a new Department of Public Works facility, as well as several recreation-related facilities, as yet to be determined,” LDC Chairman David Schroedel said.  However, before any anticipated construction, the board must initiate, “the requisite environmental review process, (SEQRA), for the entire east parcel,” he noted. 

Schroedel expects that to begin during the fall, and to be completed within six to nine months, “and for initial construction to begin within six to nine months of that date.”

With its next meeting scheduled for October 5, the board is exploring a wide range of topics, according to Schroedel. These include the “role it can play in supporting local development through bond financing of eligible projects,” he added.

The Chairman said that the LDC is “also responsible for determining the fate of the old viaduct, which provided the major access point to the old GM parking lot, “ which comprised the east parcel. Schroedel explained that it is in “serious disrepair, and cannot be used as an access point for our existing DPW fleet, as the trucks are too heavy.” It may be removed completely as a matter of public safety, he stated.  The Board, he said,  is “…examining the viability of building a bridge from the east parcel, over the Metro North tracks, to the west parcel.” It would be a “possible means to provide better access to and from the new west parcel for public safety and traffic mitigation.”   

Additional projects that the board is working on throughout Sleepy Hollow include the potential development of new, affordable housing supported by the SHLDC, Schroedel said. He stated he was confident that with those other projects targeted even while the east parcel is undergoing environmental review and cleanup, “…residents will see positive things happening very quickly.” 

Mayor Ken Wray  is an ex-officio member of the SHLDC, and he replaced its initial members earlier this year with Schroedel, a former trustee, Anthony Scarpati, Michael Dawley, and Teresa Oeste-Villaviaja, all of whom he said had the varied skills necessary for its function.

The larger, 65-acre section of the former GM site is being turned into a mixed use development, Edge on Hudson, with town houses, condominiums, apartments, retail and office space as well as a small hotel.                                                                                    

October 1-31

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery:  Free maps for a self-guided tour to 8 major gravesites, including Washington Irving’s, are available at the cemetery office or at the south gate, adjacent to the Old Dutch Church.  The cemetery gates are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Stone rubbing is not permitted.

Washington Irving & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tours:  Trace the footsteps of Ichabod Crane and learn more about Mr. Irving every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  Reservations required.  E-mail tours@sleepyhollowcemetery.org or visit www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org.   Also Oct. 21-23 & 26-30 at 2 p.m.

Lantern Tours:  Visit the tombs of Washington Irving, a Revolutionary War general, industrialists Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller and others during this popular two-hour tour at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on various evenings throughout the month. Reservations required.  E-mail tours@sleepyhollowcemetery.org or visit www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org.

“The  Good, the Bad and the Unusual” Themed Tours: Oct. 2,3,9, 10 and 16 at 7 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Reservations required.  E-mail tours@sleepyhollowcemetery.org or visit www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org.

“Murder & Mayhem” Themed Tours:  Thursday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Halloween night at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.  Reservations required.  E-mail tours@sleepyhollowcemetery.org or visit www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org.

Old Dutch Church Fest:  October weekends from 12 noon – 4:30 p.m. see the Headless Horseman, visit the Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse (1 p.m. & 3 p.m.), tour the Church and Burying Grounds and more at 42 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow.   Call 631-4497 or visit www.reformedchurchtarrytowns.org. 

October 2-3

Horseman’s Hollow:  Walk the haunted trail, stumbling upon scary scenes of a town driven mad by the Headless Horseman, and then negotiate the Horseman’s Lair where a party is being thrown in his honor and heads will roll at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow. Advance tickets required.  Times vary by evening.  Call 631-8200 or visit www.hudsonvalley.org. Also Oct.9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 29-31 & Nov. 1.

Irving’s ‘Legend’:  Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk offers a dramatic performance of Washington Irving’s classic tale, flavored with spooky organ music by Jim Keyes, in the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow on the hour from 5 p.m. through 8 p.m.   Advance tickets required.  Call 631-8200 or visit www.hudsonvalley.org. Also Oct.9-11, 16-18, 23-25, 29-31 & Nov. 1.

October 2-4

Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze:  This Halloween event features more than 5,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins.  Discover a breathtaking display of gourd-filled Jack-in-the Boxes, shrunken Little Monsters, a giant sea serpent and more at Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on Hudson.  Times vary by evening.  Advanced tickets a must.  Call 631-8200 or visit www.hudsonvalley.org. Also Oct.9-12, 15-18, 21-31; Nov. 1, 5-8, 13-15.

October 2

Spooktacular Sip & Sketch: At 4 p.m. (children) and 7 p.m. (adults) paint a piece of the legend and enjoy refreshments at The Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns, 42 N. Broadway. Reservations required.  Call 631-4497 or visit www.reformedchurchtarrytowns.org.  Also Oct. 30.

October 3-4

The Legend Behind the ‘Legend’: From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. listen to ghost stories, hear live musicians, be awed by a bevy of magicians, puppeteers and a spooky mime scarecrow plus other kid-friendly Halloween activities at Sunnyside in Tarrytown. Call 631-8200 or visit www.hudsonvalley.org. Also Oct. 01-12, 17-18, 24-25, 31 & Nov 1.

October 3

Halloween Painting:  From 12:30 – 4:30 artist Heather Gleason teaches the process of painting a variety of her Spooky Characters at Washington Irving Chapel in Sleepy Hollow.  Reservations required.   Call 631-0081 or e-mail info@sleepyhollowcemetery.org.

October 5 – November 4

Scarecrow Invasion:  From 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, walk among some 400 spooky scarecrows created by artists, local businesses and sponsors at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown.  Call 631-4481 or visit www.lyndhurst.org.

October 7

Historical Presentation on Sleepy Hollow Cemetery:  At 7 p.m. Christina Orban-LaSalle, Cemetery Director, provides the fascinating stories behind the stones at the Ossining Public Library.  Call 941-2416 or visit www.ossininglibrary.org.

Virtual Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tour: At 7 p.m. learn about the famous and infamous who rest in peace in the cemetery at the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.

October 10

Scarecrow Making:  10:30 a.m. at Patriot’s Park in Tarrytown.  Just bring old clothes to stuff your scarecrow and string to tie it together; the Recreation Dept. will provide frames and straw.  Call 631-8347 or visit www.tarrytowngov.com.

October 11

Fall Festival:  From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. enjoy scarecrow building, pumpkin carving or painting, cider making and much more at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale.  Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.

Spooky Moves:  At 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. a Halloween performance event for families by Rivertown Artists Workshop at the Sleepy Hollow Fire House Performance Hall, 38 Beekman Ave.  Call 917-544-3974 or visit www.rivertownartistsworkshop.org.

October 12

An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe:  At 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Poe, portrayed by David Neilsen, rises from the dead for an evening of mystery and macabre at Washington Irving Memorial Chapel in Sleepy Hollow.  Call 631-0081 or e-mail info@sleepyhollowcemetery.org.

October 14

Window Painting:  From 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. children in grades 2 to 5 are invited to paint Halloween windows on Broadway in Tarrytown, starting at the CVS store.  To register call the Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce at 631-1705.

October 15

Not-too-Scary Stories:  At 7:15 p.m. Jonathan Kruk brings his storytelling magic to the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org

October 16

Happy Third Friday Halloween: From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. the Halloween spirit is glowing in Tarrytown. Come to Main St. & S. Washington to get Halloween gear and accessories, and get in the groove with the Y Dance Academy.   Call 631-8347 or visit www.tarrytownthirdfriday.com.

“Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities”:  From 6 p.m. visitors will be guided through an eerily lit and decorated Disenchanted Castle by a staff of spooky servants and meet a cast of haunted characters at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown.  Closing hours vary.  Call 631-4481 or visit www.lyndhurst.org.   Also Oct. 18, 22-31 & Nov. 1.

October 17

Rag-a-Muffin Parade: The parade begins at 2 p.m. at Patriot’s Park in Tarrytown, travels south on Broadway and then proceeds to the Main Street Firehouse where the party begins, featuring an exciting DJ as well as refreshments.  Call 631-8347 or visit www.tarrytowngov.com.       

Harvest Hayride/Haunted Hayride:  Starting at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively in Matthiessen Park in Irvington.  Bring the whole family and enjoy music, horse and wagon rides and refreshments.  Last ride at 8:30p.m.  Call 591-7736 or e-mail mdepaoli@irvingtonny.gov .

Y Halloween Masquerade Ball:  7 p.m. at Life the Place to Be in Ardsley.  There will be cocktails, dinner, dancing and fund raising.   Call 418-5562 or visit www.ymcatarrytown.org.

October 18

Spooky Stories from Six Feet Under:  At 5 p.m. David Nielsen presents four spine-tingling tales at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Chapel.  Tickets limited.  Call 631-0081 or visit www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org. Also Oct. 25.

October 20

Teen Crafts:  Halloween cupcake making at 3:30 p.m. at the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.

Mystery Book Group:  At 3:30 p.m. discussion of “The Halloween Party” by Agatha Christie at the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.

October 22

Beyond the Legend: Irving’s Ghost Stories:  Read by David Nielsen at 7:30 p.m. at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Chapel.  Tickets limited.  Call 631-0081 or visit www.sleepyhollowcemetery.org. Also Oct. 29.

October 23-24

Halloween Marathon:  Stay up and watch horror films all night long at Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville.  Call 747-5555 or visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.

October 24

“The Great Pumpkin Caper”:  Shows at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. & 3 p.m. at the Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford.  Come dressed in your Halloween costume.  Call 592-2222 or visit www.broadwaytheatre.com.

Creepy Carnival:  From 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. children should come in costume and enjoy face painting, games, crafts, refreshments and lots of treats at the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.

Tarrytown Halloween Parade:  Participants will step off from Patriot’s Park at 5:30 p.m. and march to Main Street which will be closed for the traditional Block Party until 10 p.m.    Call 631-8347.

October 25

Scarecrows and Pumpkins Parade: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. young children follow friendly scarecrows along the pumpkin trail, meet storybook characters and enjoy cider, treats and more at Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale.  Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.

October 26

Hudson Valley Hauntings: At 7 p.m. presentation by Linda Zimmerman, author of “Ghost Investigator”, at the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org

October 29

“The Pit & the Pendulum”:   At 7 p.m. voice-over actor Alan Sklar reads this Edgar Allan Poe short story at the Ossining Public Library.  Call 941-2416 or visit www.ossininglibrary.org.

October 31

Warts and All:  At 2 p.m. meet the creepy, crawly and bumpy at the Greenburgh Nature Center in Scarsdale and make a spooky craft to take home.  Call 723-3470 or visit www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.

November 1

Special Day-after-Halloween Treat:  At 2 p.m. the Stevens Puppets bring “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” to life at the Warner Library in Tarrytown.  Call 631-7734 or visit www.warnerlibrary.org.