A Party in the Streets on Halloween
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
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The FMNA distributed Halloween gifts on Shawnee Road.This year several Scarsdale neighborhoods closed streets to allow for safer trick or treating. In each of the neighborhoods barricades were set up and manned by volunteers who barred cars from traversing the streets while kids and families were out.
Warm temperatures and beautiful weather turned Halloween into a party in the streets in Fox Meadow, Greenacres and
Heathcote.
Fox Meadow:
Janice Starr, President of the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association said, “It was so gratifying to see that the Halloween street closure event has become a part of the fabric of the annual Halloween celebration in Fox Meadow. Young families start their trick-or-treating by visiting the Fox Meadow Neighborhood Association table on Shawnee Road to get their water and complementary flashlight sand glowsticks and continue in the safety of the closed streets. The centralized location provides a party atmosphere and an opportunity for friends and neighbors to meet and mingle. Everyone seemed genuinely grateful for the organized evening and other neighborhoods have begun to emulate this successful model!
A crowd in Greenacres
The following streets were closed in Fox Meadow: Chesterfield between Brite and Kensington, Cohawney between Brite and Kensington, Shawnee between Chesterfield and Cohawney, Hampton between Chesterfield and Cohawney, Brewster between Fenimore and Butler
Greenacres:
In Greenacres, after quite a few emails, the neighborhood was successful in getting enough volunteers to man the barricades to close Brewster Road between Fenimore and Huntington, and Sage Terrace between Putnam Road and Brite Avenue. The streets were closed between 5-7pm on Thursday, 10/31. Neighborhood President Kristen Cipriano said, "For the second year in a row, in partnership with our neighbors and the village/SPD, the GNA was able to close streets in Greenacres without our amazing community members who volunteered their time."
Take a look at these photos of Halloween revelers enjoying the fun.
Heathcote:
According to Jeannie Rosenthal, Vice Chair of the East Heathcote Neighborhood Association. “The closed off area of East Heathcote had close to 1,000 people on Halloween. It was wonderful to trick or treat with my kids feeling relaxed and happy, not having to stress about cars. All the families were very grateful to the volunteers who organized this and monitored the barricades to make it possible. The East Heathcote Neighborhood Association definitely plans to make this an annual tradition.
Jessica Bandel added, “It was a huge success! Big shout out to Cliff Seltzer from EHNA who facilitated the insurance piece of it to have the streets closed! Cliff was also manning a barricade. Many neighbors also came out to man the various street barricades on Fayette, Lebanon, and Ardmore. All of the families felt so much safer with the street closures. This year, the closures included the part of Carthage Road from Fayette up to Ardmore. It was amazing!
An estimated 1,000 people came out for Halloween in Heathcote.
We also asked Scarsdale Village Manager Alex Marshall for feedback and she said, “I did receive a complaint from one resident prior to the Halloween road closures in Fox Meadow this year about the closures being inconvenient. I didn’t receive any other complaints or concerns about the road closures on Halloween. This year we used Everbridge, our emergency notification system, to give the community a heads up about these road closures as well.
Attorney, Volunteer and Village Justice Cindy Dunne Passes Away at 67
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The Honorable Cynthia ("Cindy") Keeffe Dunne: November 10, 1956 – October 24, 2024
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Cynthia Keeffe Dunne, affectionately known as "Cindy" or "Cindy Lou Who." Cindy left this world on October 24, 2024, surrounded by loved ones, after a courageous battle with Glioblastoma Multiforme. Cindy devoted her life to justice, community service, and to loving her family and friends. She is survived by her husband, Timothy Dunne; her children, Sean Dunne, Deirdre Dunne, Margaret Taubman; her son in law, Oliver Taubman, whom she recently welcomed into the family with open arms; and by her devoted caregiver, Hyacinth Roberson.
Cindy was born on November 10, 1956, in Yonkers, NY, to John Keeffe and Frances Keeffe. She was raised in Scarsdale, NY alongside her two sisters, Amy Peckham and Gigi Schwartzman. Scarsdale is also where she met, first in childhood and then years later, her beloved husband of 38 years, Timothy Dunne, and where they raised their family. Cindy ended her career in public service as the Honorable Village Justice of Scarsdale.
Cindy was a lawyer with extensive trial and appellate experience. She dedicated over 28 years to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, serving in both the civil and criminal divisions as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Senior Trial Counsel. Cindy prosecuted hundreds of cases ranging from public corruption, federal taxation, commercial disputes, employment discrimination, armed bank robberies, kidnaps, violent gang prosecutions, and civil rights violations to complex financial crimes. She earned numerous awards for her dedication and achievements, including being a three-time recipient of the Department of Justice's Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys Director's Award. She earned her B.A. from Rollins College and her J.D. from Pace Law School.
Cindy delighted in her children's lives and accomplishments—they were her greatest source of pride and joy. She cherished her bond with her siblings and was a tender and supportive aunt to her six nieces and nephews, as well as their partners and children. She was a loyal and generous friend who graciously hosted many joyful gatherings that will be sorely missed.
Cindy will be remembered for her resilience and her commitment to doing what was right. She was a two-time president of the Scarsdale Rotary Club, where she received the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her contributions to the public good. She was an active volunteer and board member for many organizations, such as the Scarsdale League of Women Voters and Hawthorne Country Day School. Cindy was dedicated to supporting America's first peoples as a board member of Lakota Children's Enrichment in service to the Oglala Lakota Nation.
The family would like to express their gratitude to her care team, especially her caregiver, Hyacinth Roberson, and her doctor, Dr. Peter Chei-Wei Pan, at the NewYork-Presbyterian William Rhodes and Louise Tilzer-Rhodes Center for Glioblastoma, for their compassionate support throughout her illness.
A visitation with the family will be held on Friday, November 8, 2025, from 3–7 p.m. at the Edwin L. Bennett Funeral Home in Scarsdale, NY. A funeral service will occur on Saturday, November 9, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the Scarsdale Congregational Church, followed by interment and a reception. Instead of flowers, the family requests donations in Cynthia's honor to the Pine Ridge Girls School or the Scarsdale Congregational Church.
Pancake Breakfast is a Hit in Greenacres
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Do I smell pancakes? The Greenacres Neighborhood Association hosted their ninth annual pancake breakfast on Monday October 14 and the aroma of sizzling flapjacks and maple syrup wafted across the field.
An estimated 200 people from 65 households turned out to enjoy chocolate chip pancakes, donuts, coffee and juice and the company of their neighbors.
This year everything was green like Greenacres. Plates and utensils were compostable and the new green tablecloths can be used over and over again.
Tony Moncheril from Brite Avenue headed up the event. There were four propane-powered griddles going, lots of tables and chairs and many volunteers to make it a success. He was happy to report that the neighborhood association has lots of new members and an uptick in community spirit.
Learn more about the Greenacres Neighborhood Association and join here.
Halloween Window Painting 2024
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The annual window painting contest on Sunday October 20, 2024 drew many young artists and families to the streets of the 'Dale. They painted both comical and artistic creations with cultural and political themes.
As always, it was a brilliant display of talent from the Village's young residents.
The event was enhanced by the presence of the Sunday Scarsdale Farmer's Market - and County Executive George Latimer stopped by to say hello.
Take a look at the painters in action here - and email your photos to [email protected] to add them to our gallery.
We will post the results of the contest later this week when we receive the information from the Recreation Department.
Bravo to the young artists!
This Fall, Mow, Don’t Blow, Your Leaves: Better For Your Lawn and the Environment
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- Written by Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council
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Mowing leaves into tiny pieces on your lawn--also known as mulch mowing-- is healthier for your lawn and soil than piling or bagging them to be removed. Leaf-mulched lawns often need less fertilizer and water. It is also better for our environment because the pollutants from leaf blowers and trucks that must haul away the leaves are avoided. And, leaves piled in the streets can be a thing of the past! Homeowners around Scarsdale have been mulch mowing leaves for many years with great results. Here are the facts:
Mulch mowing does not harm your lawn—it makes your lawn healthier. Decomposing mulched leaves nestle between the individual blades of grass where weeds can germinate. Once the small bits of leaves settle in, microbes and worms start breaking them down. The nutrients from the decomposed leaves enhance the soil.
Done correctly, mulch mowing should not make your lawn look messy. As long as the mulch mowing creates small pieces--about the size of a dime--the shredded leaves quickly settle into the lawn, and your lawn should not look messy. It is important that the leaves are shredded because whole leaves left on a lawn can smother the grass.
It’s easy. Mulch mowing can be done with any standard homeowner or commercial lawn mower. Simply mow over the fallen leaves. All types of leaves can be mulch mowed. (Pine needles, which are acidic, may change the ph balance of your lawn if mulch mowed in large quantities, so consider using pine needles as a mulch around the base of pine trees.)
All landscapers have the equipment to mulch mow. If you have a landscaper, ask them to mulch mow your leaves. Many, but not all, landscapers have experience mulch mowing. If your landscaper is new to mulch mowing, the following are key points for them to know:
Equipment: To help shred the leaves into small pieces, it’s recommended that a mulching blade be used. This type of blade, which has grooves to shred the leaves, is inexpensive and available for any type of mower. Mulching kits, which include additional attachments beyond just a mulching blade, are also available at any mower distributor and can be fitted to commercial mowers.
Mulching Technique: Mowing the leaves in a circular pattern, rather than back and forth in lines, will result in smaller pieces of leaves which decompose more quickly and will avoid “striping lines.”
Time: It should take your landscaper no additional time to mulch mow leaves rather than blowing them to the curb. In fact, if done correctly, it actually saves time. It is just as easy (or easier) to mulch mow than it is to blow leaves curbside.
Cost: Mulch mowing leaves should not cost more than having leaves blown to the curb or bagged. There are many landscapers in Scarsdale who have been mulch mowing properties for years at no additional cost. If your landscaper claims it will be more time-consuming, ask them to try it for a few weeks. They will see it takes no extra time.
If you mow your own lawn, just keep mowing! You can continue using your mower without installing a mulching blade, but sometimes you may have to go over certain areas of your lawn twice to make sure the leaves have been cut into small pieces. Better yet, you can install a mulching blade yourself or bring it to any local mower shop to install. Try to mulch leaves once a week so the piles don’t build up too high for your mower, especially during the heavy drop of leaves. Remember to keep the blade sharpened and the deck height adjusted as needed.
Large piles of leaves will become markedly smaller when mulch mowed. Shredding piles of leaves significantly reduces the volume of leaves. What looks like a huge leaf pile will shred into tiny pieces and quickly settle into your lawn. Even if you need to put some leaves to the curb during the heavy leaf drop, any reduction in leaves put curbside benefits our environment.
Excess mulched leaves can be placed in your garden beds. Leaf mulch can be placed into garden beds to help prevent weed growth, to conserve moisture and sprinkler usage and to provide a protective layer in winter. Shredded leaves look great, are a healthy addition to your yard and will save you the cost of buying wood mulch. Remember, to avoid damaging trees and plants, never place mulch directly against a tree trunk or shrub and never pile mulch more than 2”- 3” high in a garden bed.
Leaf mulch mowing benefits our local landscape, reduces the number of truck trips in our community and gets large piles of leaves off our streets.
For information on mulch mowing, including video tutorials, see the Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em Mulch Mowing site at leleny.org.
If you have any questions or comments, email Scarsdale’s Conservation Advisory Council.
