New Pickleball Courts at Crossway Get a Warm Welcome
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Photo Credit Michael HeffnerMany Scarsdale residents have been eagerly awaiting the dedication of the newly renovated pickleball courts at Crossway, and this past Saturday, the wait was finally over. After years of playing on six temporarily converted pickleball courts squeezed onto three tennis courts, local players now have a dedicated, polished space to enjoy one of the country’s fastest-growing sports.
Pickleball has exploded in popularity over the past decade, attracting players of all ages and skill levels. Its popularity soared during the COVID years, when it became one of the few recreational activities that could be enjoyed outdoors while maintaining social distance. In Scarsdale, the sport quickly developed a loyal following, with players gathering reglarly at Crossway for games, competition and, of course, plenty of “dinking.”
But the temporary courts had seen better days. Over the past year or so, cracks had spread across the pavement, nets had become worn and the assortment of orange lines marking the temporary pickleball courts alongside the tennis lines could make the court layout more than a little confusing.
The recent renovation has changed all that. The courts were repaved, permanent nets were installed and the playing surfaces received a fresh, crisp blue finish. The result is a dramatic transformation, turning what had once been a makeshift pickleball setup into a clean, inviting and professional-looking sporting venue.
For Edgewood resident Dana Crane, who plays regularly with a WhatsApp group called “Team Pickle Power,” the renovation was eagerly anticipated. Crane said she and her group spent the summer playing on the courts while waiting for the work to be completed.
“Playing on the new Crossway pickleball courts with our WhatsApp group ‘Team Pickle Power’ all summer has been amazing. I was anxiously awaiting the work to be done, which took almost 3 weeks… We are all excited to have state of the art new courts to play on. We celebrated with all 6 courts filled with 24 of us dinking away and afterward we had a pot-luck feast as the sun started to set. A perfect way to end a perfect summer night.”
The improvements have been met with enthusiasm from Scarsdale’s growing community of Pickle Ballers, who range from beginners to seasoned players. The sport has brought together residents of all ages, and with the new courts looking better than ever, they should be even more inviting to newcomers and longtime players alike.
A big thank you goes to the Scarsdale Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for listening to the community and making these much-needed improvements. The renovated courts are a welcome addition to Crossway and a great investment in a recreational activity that has brought so many residents together.
For Scarsdale’s Pickle Ballers, the message is clear: the courts are ready, the paddles are out, and there’s plenty of dinking to be done. And as one local resident put it, the newly renovated courts are simply “a big ‘dill’!”
Scarsdale takes Dominant Win over Mount Vernon in Boys Soccer
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Nate Kofman dribbling up the ball. On Monday afternoon 9-14, the Scarsdale Boys Varsity Soccer team took on Mount Vernon. Scarsdale had a decisive win, with a 9-0 shutout. Scarsdale started off the first half hot, with Nate Kofman getting an early 
Ben Masry controlling the ball. goal in the sixth minute. The Raiders kept the heat with Max Stern scoring a goal in the seventh minute, and Gavin Waldman scoring two minutes later. Scarsdale had an early lead of 3-0 in the ninth minute. The Raiders kept the pressure with Benjamin Masry and William Bertini scoring in the 20th and the 21st minute. William Bertini ended the half by scoring in the 31st minute. Scarsdale ended the half up 6-0.
Starters huddling up before the game.
The second half was similar to the first. William Bertini started the second half by scoring in the 58th minute with a header. This goal got him a hat trick for the game. He scored another goal with a header in the 63rd minute. He now has four goals for the game. Nate Earthy scored in the 82nd minute, giving Scarsdale their ninth goal of the game. Mount Vernon was never able to come back or even score. The final score of the game 9-0, with Scarsdale winning. The player with the most goals was William Bertini with four goals.
Kensico Community Green Dedicated to Congresswoman Nita Lowey
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Westchester leaders, friends, family and President Bill Clinton gathered at Kensico Dam Plaza on September 9 to honor Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey and to name the large lawn in front of the dam as the “United States Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey Community Green at Kensico Dam Plaza.” Lowey served sixteen terms in the United States House of Representatives and passed away in March, 2025.
The ceremony was led by Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins who said, “Congresswoman Nita Lowey spent more than three decades serving the state and the people of Westchester.” He said, “Today is about remembrance but it’s almost about something more, it’s about legacy. When we speak of Congresswoman Nita Lowey there’s no shortage of accomplishments to point to. For more than three decades she represented the people with strength, intelligence and a commitment to public service.” …she stood up for families and children….. she highlighted her opposition to proposed cuts in the public broadcasting service with Bert and Ernie hand puppets.… One of the most important parts of Nita’s legacy cannot be measured in legislation, funding or years in office. It can be seen in people. Nita understood that leadership was not supposed to end with you. It means opening doors to those who are not usually invited into the room.” “… She developed the next generation of leaders.”
In the audience were many people who she helped to get on their way.
He continued, “…A community green is not something simply to be looked at. It’s a place where people gather, it’s where conversations happen, where children play, where communities celebrate their heritage.”
President Bill Clinton took the mic and joked, “I knew her (Nita) way before I thought I would be taking orders from her…. She understood how democracy really works.”
He said when he was President and Lowey was serving as the first woman to co-chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, she was on the “just say Yes list.,” among the people who got their way virtually 100% of the time. He told aides, “Why waste your time? We are going to cave anyway.” He remembered, “Her smile concealed a will of steel. She beat you to death but always smiled.” He called, her, “Miss Efficient Government.”
He remembered that unlike some politicians, Nita did not play fast and loose with the facts, but “99% of the time, she actually knew what she was talking about.”
Remarking on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 this week he remembered that he was in Australia at the time of the attack where all along the great barrier reef signs were posted that read, “Our Hearts Are With You America.”
He said, “Do you think we would get that kind of response today?”
He continued, “I’m here today because we have been through a series of challenges which should make you wonder if we can preserve our constitutional democracy.”
“Earlier this year Trump committed an act of candor. He said, “I do not consider myself bound by the constitution or bound by my oath of office. At least he fessed up about it.… “ The former President said, “No one is right all the time. No one has the right to be a dictator. We need a system that is self-correcting because we all make mistakes.”
He thanked Nita for making America work – and showing that we can reach across the lines that divide us. He said she taught us to “Talk to your neighbors whether they agree with you or not. And keep showing up.”
Congressman George Latimer took the stage, and said, “What an honor to be at the podium where William Jeffreson Clinton spoke. He said, “The legacy of Nita Lowey is not forgotten. She brought Bert and Ernie into Congress to make the case for National Public Radio. She was a warm person who was always there for us.”
Latimer said, “I didn’t really understand her until these last 19 months in Congress. She did good things all across the country with her position in Congress. She had very small feet, and very big shoes to fill.”
He continued, “I wish I could hit that button (on his phone) and ask Nita how I can get something through Congress. I want to be like Nita Lowey. She took the authority and used it well.”
State Senator Shelley Mayer knew Lowey well calling her “my mentor and friend. She was the consummate leader – what we should aspire to be.” "She was the daughter of Jewish immigrants, the President of her class at Bronx Science and the first women to chair the House Appropriations Committee. She understood that money was to make people’s lives better.”
Mayer said, “She will be remembered for how she treated people. I commuted to Albany with Nita. We talked about how to make government better…. She could really listen – and made people feel heard. She wanted to hear what you were saying, what mattered to you and how she could make that happen.” She believed “that government should leave peoples’ lives better than what they found it.” Mayer said, “May this beautiful place remain a gathering place for the future.” – and make the legacy of Nita Lowey be what a leader can be.”
Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators Vedat Gashi noted that Lowey believed in him and supported his own path to public service. He remembered her coming to one of his earliest campaign events and joining an Albanian dance with his mother. He said ,“She was warm, down to earth and genuinely interested.”
Nita’s husband Stephen Lowey asked the group, “How old was she when she was first elected to Congress?” The answer was 51 years old. She was born Nita Melnikoff in the Bronx and went on to Mt. Holyoke College. After graduation she worked at Young and Rubican taking surveys around the country, and me her husband in Nantucket when she was 23 years old. They had three children within five years and she was elected to head the PTA. After she campaigned for Mario Cuomo he invited her to work for him and she eventually rose to become the Assistant Secretary to the State of New York. Then she ran for Congress … and he said, “the rest is history.”
Pat Keegan served as District Director to Congresswoman Nita Lowey for more than 26 years. She said, “Members of Congress have two full time jobs – one in Washington and one in their home district. While in Washington Nita saved public broadcasting, chaired the House Appropriations Committee and set up an EPA office for LI Sound. Back at home she helped solve constituents’ problems and partnered with communties to make them better places. She helped with 2000 cases a year and rarely took a day off. Keegan said, “Nita was a doer,” who secured the funding for The Rising, which is the 9/11 memorial at Kensico Dam.
Following the speeches, the plaque naming the community green was unveiled.
Watch the ceremony here:
Scarsdale HS QB Preps for 2026 Season
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Trainer Lamont Wallace and Patrick SimonWant to be successful on the high-school football field this fall or any fall?
Then, pay attention here to Scarsdale High School’s elected football team captain and senior starting QB Patrick Simon’s advice, and you just might be successful almost immediately in future games this fall that count in the record book, home or away.
For openers, to get really ready for the season Captain Patrick, 17, 6 feet and 180 pounds, called for some unofficial sessions with fellow teammates and without coaches in attendance during the summer, as well as continuing his own personal physical training sessions with Physical Trainer Lamont Wallace, Director of the Fitness Center at the Scarsdale Golf Club (SGC) in Hartsdale.
Believe it or not, Patrick even sacrificed a cushy summer family vacation to practice informally with his teammates in the summer months. He is convinced those early training sessions will pay off in more wins in the fall.
An improved showing for Simon and the team’s record this fall season would be to better last year’s Raiders’ team record of 5 wins and 4 loses. “Better, for sure,” the captain says.
Last season, Simon, then a junior, shared the QB slot. This year he will be the starting QB, and no doubt will see plenty of minutes under center. As this year’s elected captain, Simon boldly predicts the team will improve on last year’s record. First game is at home on Butler Field, September 10, against the Yonkers Guardians.
Fortunately for Captain Patrick, he comes from an athletic family that is also most serious about academics, and he plans to continue his education pursuits in college. When at Eastchester High School, Dad, Chris, a television executive now, was the starting QB. Mom, Meg, a past president of SGC, is a regular at the Club’s Fitness Center. Patrick’s sister, Devon, 15, is involved in girls’ sports at SHS. 
Simon chats with Bill Doescher
Like most seniors at Scarsdale High School, Patrick is most serious about attending college after SHS. At this juncture, he prefers not to discuss his favorites. But he hopes football is in his college future.
As football captain, Patrick is a superb role model for his teammates. “Every night after practice,” he says, “I watch film about the opposing team of that week, do stretches and eat properly. On the day of the game, I eat clean, hydrate, watch film again, and stretch. It’s important I don’t get distracted. I conserve energy and listen to music.”
Go Raiders.
(Photo Credits: Lamont Wallace and Bill Doescher)
Matthew Fisher Completes Volunteer Firefighter Training
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Left to Right: Scarsdale Volunteer Firefighter Captain Lou Mancini - Volunteer Firefighter Matthew Fisher - Scarsdale Fire Chief Christopher Mytych
Matthew Fisher, a Scarsdale Volunteer Firefighter serving as a member of Fire Company #2, completed the interior and exterior firefighter training at the Westchester Firefighters Academy earlier this year. On August 12, 2026 at the Firefighter 1 Graduation Ceremony, Matthew Fisher (Company #2), received the Firefighter 1 certificate recognizing his successful completion of the training. Fire Chief Christopher Mytych and Volunteer Firefighter Captain Lou Mancini represented the Scarsdale Fire Department at the graduation ceremony and honored Firefighter Fisher with their presence at the graduation ceremony.
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Levin
