Halloween Parade at Heathcote School, Costume Parade in Scarsdale Village
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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For some, the Heathcote Elementary School Halloween Parade is their favorite day of the school year. Cool but sunny weather and classes of excited kids made this year really joyful. As the class paraded around the school's circular entry to the tune of "Monster Mash," parents snapped photos of smiling students.We saw quite a few Harry Potters and Hermoines, blow-up dragons, lifeguards, skeletons, a cop, a firefighter, a bunny, angels and even a cell phone.Check out these photos of the Halloween Parade at Heathcote and send us your photos to add to the gallery at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.
Halloween Parade in Scarsdale Village
The Lady with the Yellow Hat and Curious GeorgeScarsdale's youngest residents had a Halloween party of their own at 4 pm on Halloween day in Scarsdale Village. Stores were open and stocked with candy for the tiny trick or treaters and the Recreation Department organized a parade and goodie bags. Langes supplied donut holes and cider while kids and parents posed for photos with Batman. Parents got into the act as well - some wearing coordinating costumes with their kids. Check out this woman dressed as the Lady with the Yellow Hat and her child as Curious George. Following the parade around the Village kids were treated to a magic show in Chase Park.
Halloween Window Painting: The Artists at Work
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- Written by Emmeline Berridge and Brooke Bensche
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On Sunday October 21st, the Scarsdale Parks and Recreation Department held their annual Halloween Window Painting contest. Children grades 3-10 spent their Sunday painting original creations on the storefront windows of Scarsdale Village, competing for prizes and enjoying the Halloween spirit with friends and family. To many Scarsdale residents, the artistic windows signify an excitement for the upcoming Halloween season.
Mia and Samara, both fifth graders, had a vision for a “Shady Witch," (pictured at top) because their assigned window was an eyeglass store. Mia’s favorite part of the experience is waiting for the window to be done and peeling off the tape. This is the duo’s second time competing together.
Anastasia Stefanou, a tenth grader, simply “felt like drawing a face,” letting her passion for creativity and art flourish from there. Her method was to leave the background clear, adding to the “freakiness factor.” Anastasia got an early start to her window, as later in the day she competed in the Varsity Girls Soccer playoff game, which ended up being a win against John Jay East Fishkill. She scored a goal in the game.
Whitney, a third grader, painted her window based on her favorite TV show, Ultimate Beastmaster. For Whitney, the best part about Halloween Window painting is doing the background. This year was Whitney’s third time competing, and she looks forward to painting with her dad every year.
Anna Henry, a 7th grader, recreated a famous painting, “Sunny Day in the Afternoon on La Grande Jatte”. She learned of this painting in Art for Looking in 5th grade, and used the and inspiration to add her own Halloween flare. Anna has been doing window painting since 1st grade, winning a number of awards throughout her years.
Ursie, a fourth grader, has been doing window painting since she was eligible. Her design this year was 3 pumpkins, mimicking the “hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil” monkeys.
Although the harsh winds reminded everyone that winter is near, the persistent spirit of all competitors was a perfect reminder that the fall and Halloween seasons are still present in Scarsdale. While some participants compete for prizes, most are simply excited to be a part of this long-standing Scarsdale tradition. Window painting is a great outlet for students of all ages to come together and celebrate their love for Halloween.
Text by Emmeline Berridge, Photos by Brooke Bensche
SVAC Seeks Volunteers for Active Shooter Drill
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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SVAC along with the Scarsdale Police and other outside agencies are conducting an indoor Active Shooter, Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill on Thursday October 18 from 5:30 – 10:00 pm at the Congregational Church on Heathcote Rd, in Scarsdale.
SVAC needs your help and is looking for participants to act as “victims”.
Data recently released by the FBI illustrate a grim new reality of American life: we live in an age of public shootings. The number of "active shooter" incidents is up sharply since the early 2000s. In 2000, there was only one such incident in the U.S.. Last year, there were 20, one active shooting incident every 18 days.
Incidents involving active shooters are unpredictable, evolve rapidly and have substantial consequences. Public expectation is that first responders will immediately respond with a well-developed and exercised plan.
The purpose of this drill is to ensure that our first responders perform a coordinated and effective response during an actual event. The lessons learned from this drill will identify strengths as well as weaknesses in our emergency planning and help us take corrective actions that will improve our response to an actual emergency.
Safety Officers will be on duty to insure the safety of all participants. Make-up artists will be there to create the illusion of serious injuries. Participants should wear comfortable clothes that they don’t mind getting dirty or possibly stained with make-up and close-toed shoes or sneakers. Food and beverages will be served.
If you are interested, please register at www.ScarsdaleVAC.com to register. Questions call 914-722-2288 or email training@scarsdalevac.com.
St. James the Less Hosts Graveyard Tour and Halloween Party
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The ghosts will haunt the graveyard at the Church of St. James the Less on Sunday evening, October 28th, beginning at 6:00pm. However, Mother Astrid Storm, rector of St. James, assures everyone there is no reason to be afraid – these are historic spirits not horrifying ghosts.
Buried in the cemetery at St. James the Less, the only graveyard in the Village of Scarsdale, are a number of historic figures, including Major William Popham, who was a friend of George Washington's, and John “Scarsdale Jack” Van Kuren Newkirk, a Scarsdale High School alumnus, fighter pilot and World War II hero, who was killed in action against the Japanese.
Another somber and historic feature of the graveyard is the burial site of slaves who attempted to find freedom in Canada via the Underground Railroad but died en route. Since it was a crime to assist escaping slaves, the church buried these African Americans without formal headstones instead using a loose grouping of rocks to mark the spot where these brave people were interred.
While tours of the graveyard are ongoing, there will also be a Halloween party for children inside the church, complete with a haunted house run by the Senior Youth Group of St. James the Less. The Halloween party and haunted house are a longstanding and popular tradition at the church.
St. James the Less
10 Curch Lane
Scarsdale, NY 10583
www.StJamesScarsdale.org
Your Child is Off to College: What About You? Confronting the Empty Nest
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- Written by Julie Stonberg
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Congratulations – your youngest is off to college! You’ve spent months (really years), planning for this day, anticipating the loss along with the freedom. In many ways, it is a sign of a job well done. So why does it feel so….empty? And how do you get through this period of transition, when your “new normal” doesn’t quite feel normal yet?
It is sometimes said that raising a child is the only job that you eventually get fired from if you do it right. And it can certainly feel like that. It’s so strange after all those years not to think about your child’s schedule or dinner plans, or any of the other things that come with day to day parenting, even if he or she has been fairly independent during the last year or two at home.
So, for starters, be ready for some strong emotions. You may feel absolute happiness one minute (that doesn’t mean you don’t love your children) and bone crushing grief the next. You may feel a quiet sadness, or tremendous anxiety. Is your child going to be ok? Are you? It’s all normal – in fact, you may feel different feelings on different days, or hour by hour. Give yourself the space to be with it all. The answer is most likely yes, you and your child will both be ok, but it is a huge transition, and one to be honored and respected.
Some suggestions:
Plan a few days away after you say good bye at the dorm. This can help ease the transition between school drop-off and your newly quiet house. It can also give you a chance to reconnect with your spouse, with friends, or with yourself, before “life” begins again. If a full trip isn’t in the cards, planning some fun days/evenings in the months to come can help too – concerts, day trips and other things you might not have done easily when there was a teenager still at home.
If you are married, plan projects and activities together. When the two of you are working towards something, not to mention spending the time away from soccer games and college visits, it helps you reconnect as actual human beings and not just parents, which can feel refreshing.
If you truly miss and love the structure of caring for someone/thing on a day to day basis, consider a puppy! There is something genuinely lovely about coming home to a creature that loves you unconditionally and is always up for a cuddle – not to mention that they never roll their eyes, borrow the car, or come home at 2 am. But one word of caution: wait a few months to adopt one – you may relish your newfound freedom more than you expect!
In fact, hesitating a bit before making any big new change is not a bad idea. You may have the urge to dive into a totally new lifestyle – sell the house, travel the world, etc. But wait, settle in. Give yourself time to make thoughtful decisions.
In the meantime, think about ways to spend your time that you enjoy that you may have put on the back burner during all those years of active parenting. Things like hobbies, working late without guilt, meeting friends for a drink after work, taking long weekend hikes, or even going back to school for new certificates or degrees are all possibilities. It can help to make an actual physical list of ideas and start checking them off.
If the idea of spending lots of quality time alone with your spouse fills you more with trepidation than delight – you are NOT alone. After all, it’s been at least 18 years! It may help to know that most couples report that once they settle in, they begin to enjoy each other’s company again, and empty nest marriages often thrive. Of course, there are exceptions, and if you are worried that having kids around helped you avoid some real conflicts, it is ok to meet with a professional to talk things out for a few sessions and see where you are.
And that idea about getting fired…It’s really not true. Parenting doesn’t end once your youngest leaves for college, but it does change. There is still advice and wisdom to be shared, crises big and small to be dealt with, and apartments to be furnished. The challenge now is figuring out how to let go and hold on at the same time, as you transition to parenting a young adult.
Julie Stonberg is a clinical social worker at Westchester Family Counseling in Hartsdale, www.westchesterfamilycounseling.com. She is the mom of two in college and one still in the nest.
