Irvington is Everyone
If you have driven down Main Street recently, you have probably noticed two things:
- Our friends at Con Edison continue their work upgrading their gas service to Irvington.
- The colorful artwork adorning many businesses with the welcome message “Irvington is Everyone”.
While I hope the Con Ed work on Main Street will be done in the next few weeks, I hope the welcoming message that Irvington is Everyone will last forever. Led by an informal group of local volunteers, local children have been asked to provide their original artwork that celebrates inclusiveness, diversity and the critical message that Irvington is for everyone. As Mayor, one of my biggest charges has been to ensure that everyone feels at home in Irvington, so I appreciate such a creative way to spread this message far and wide in our downtown area.
This celebration of art and inclusion concludes tomorrow, Saturday, October 10th, when Irvingtonians and visitors are getting together from 4pm to 6pm for the “Irvington Is Everyone Walking Gallery”. Everyone is invited to walk around Main Street and view the art work, to take selfies, and post on the Portraits of Irvington Facebook and Instagram pages with the hashtags #portraitsofirvington #irvingtoniseveryone.We also encourage participants to patronize our local merchants – to eat at local restaurants, to grab treats at the local stores, and to get familiar with all of the wonderful businesses in town. Of course, with the precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask that all participants respect physical distance and wear masks. The Project is currently at over 20 Irvington merchants – quite a celebration indeed.
Halloween
Now that we are firmly into the month of October and the weather is getting a bit crisper, thoughts of Halloween start to pop up. This year’s Halloween, like the rest of 2020, will be different and more challenging.
The CDC has put together a list of low-risk activities to help people celebrate Halloween more safely. While some of those activities are not all that appealing, some seem like a lot of fun and could lead to a safe and enjoyable Halloween for all. Here’s a link to the CDC guidance.
Here in Irvington, as you all know so well, that, during a typical year, the Main Street area becomes THE destination for Halloween revelers. I think it is obvious that this year is not a typical year and it would just not be safe to have hundreds of people descend upon Main Street. The Village is not holding any events this Halloween season and the Fire Department will not be giving out candy. I have also asked the Main Street residents to avoid creating any attractions, like those great front porch music concerts of recent years or the “cider house” that gives our hot cider.
I am not a Halloween version of Ebenezer Scrooge (costume idea!) and we will not be ticketing toddlers for not following mask mandates. However, we ask that everyone uses some commonsense and puts safety first. Our suggestion is to return Halloween to a “traditional” Halloween that is largely contained to the houses in your immediate neighborhood. The CDC guidelines mentioned above have tips to allow for safe trick-or-treating, again with some commonsense, we can all have a great time on Halloween 2020. And, of course, make sure everyone wears a mask…And not just the scary kind!
Lastly, to make Halloween even a bit more fun, the Recreation Department will also be holding a virtual Facebook Live Halloween Party with our favorite DJ Rooney Tunes. More details about that will be sent out soon.
Community Use of School Facilities
Dr. Harrison reached out to ask that I help emphasize an important safety issue at the schools. Please read the following:
The health and safety of our students and staff is the District’s top priority. With this in mind, it is necessary to limit the use of facilities to contain exposure to COVID-19. At this time, the District is not opening its facilities to use by any outside organizations. Additionally, while the District understands that our facilities are valuable community resources, it is necessary to restrict community members from being on school premises during the school day or while school programs are taking place. Therefore, the Oley Track is closed for community use during the school day as the track and field are being used for Physical Education Classes and at any time the Athletic Program is using the facilities. During these times, community members are not permitted to exercise on the track. Further, when using the track all community members must wear face masks and adhere to social distance or at least 12 feet between one another. Thank you for your cooperation.
Be well and mask up,
Brian C. Smith, Mayor
Village of Irvington, NY
bsmith@irvingtonny.gov