Halloween, Halloween, Halloween...
Halloween Events
As you all know, Halloween is an important day in Irvington. While a lot of the extra excitement in our area can be attributed to our namesake Washington Irving and his “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” a lot of has to do with all the great events in area.
The Halloween season unofficially kicked off this past Saturday with the FACE Committee-sponsored Hay Ride that once again set a record for attendance. Although it was quite cold with a steady breeze down by the mighty Hudson, the long lines were made tolerable by plenty of hot chocolate and donuts. I would like to thank the Recreation Department employees and the volunteers that made this such a successful event.
Coming up at the Irvington Town Hall Theater during the Halloween period is the appropriate, if not slightly scary “Carrie the Musical” produced by Theater Now New York. Theater Now is a professional theater company that produces both original and re-imaginings of previously produced, well known titles. Steven King’s Carrie certainly falls into the latter category but my guess is that with its limited Broadway run, theater-goers might not be that familiar with it. Well, you have your chance to see it on October 30th and 31st or November 6th and 7th – all scheduled for 8pm. The show is appropriate for high school aged and up audiences; I will be there opening night.
Looking ahead to the actual day (and night) of Halloween there will be some changes this year. The recent tradition of the Halloween Block Parties, hosted by the proud volunteers of the Irvington Fire Company, will be replaced by our traditional Halloween Parade. The parade will kick off at 3pm at the Immaculate Conception Church parking lot and end in the Main Street School parking lot where our sponsors, again the Irvington Fire Company, will be giving out goody bags. I am happy that we have returned to this great Irvington tradition and am very grateful for the continued support, both financially and with volunteer staffing from the Fire Company.
Halloween Safety
The Main Street area has become THE destination in Irvington for Halloween. While this is a positive thing because the area is well lit, there are ample sidewalks, and a large police presence, the concern is that the entire area can get very congested. I am asking you to try to avoid driving on Main Street, if possible, from about 3pm to 9pm. We, of course, want you to enjoy the theater, all the festivities and restaurants in the Main Street area, so we arranged with the local churches to allow us to park in their lots so you can walk down to Main Street (although please do not park in the Immaculate Conception Church until after 6pm to allow the 5 o’clock mass to clear out). If your destination is the Bridge Street area, please consider using Station Road or West Clinton Avenue to get there.
While the safety of residents will only be ensured if other residents act carefully, the Board of Trustees and I have once again requested the Police Chief to increase the police presence on Main Street on Halloween. Pedestrians need to do their part and stay on the sidewalks and only cross in the crosswalks. If you do drive on Main Street, I ask motorists to be extra cautious and drive even slower than usual. If we all cooperate, we can experience another safe and enjoyable Halloween in Irvington.
Halloween “Candy Swap”
As we mentioned last year, the Village is organizing a program that will assist the Main Street residents with supplying candy for their unbelievable number of Trick or Treaters. While we originally planned for residents and businesses to drop off actual bags of candy, for safety and storage reasons, we have decided it is better to receive monetary donations. Then the Recreation Department will buy candy with the funds received and Main Street residents can pick it up from the Recreation Department before Halloween. Only donated funds will be used to purchase the candy that will be distributed. Early next week, I will send around details of exactly how we plan to distribute the candy to the Main Street residents. In the meantime, if you are interested in contributing, you can drop off cash or a check at the Village Clerk’s office or just click and donate online here.
Have fun this Halloween season, especially the incredible weather we are currently enjoying – it will be snowing before we know it…
Please never hesitate to contact me with thoughts or concerns.
Brian C. Smith
bsmith@irvingtonny.gov