The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Pleasantville

POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19 CLOSURES: a Survival Benefit with LIVE MUSIC FROM RED GRENADINE

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Red Grenadine will be performing at Lucy’s Lounge in Pleasantville on March 27, 8 p.m., to help raise funds toward cancer research. A $25 donation will be collected at the door. Come one, come all!  “We are participating in this fundraiser because it allows us to help support such a worthy cause while doing what we love to do,” Jenn Filardi, one of the lead singers of Red Grenadine, told the Inside Press.  

100% of the evening’s proceeds will go directly “toward cutting edge research at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.”

For more about Red Grenadine: https://www.theinsidepress.com/its-only-rock-n-roll-and-these-parents-love-it/

For more information about Cycle for Survival: https://www.cycleforsurvival.org

 

Pleasantville: A Close-Knit Community with Walkability

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It can be said that residents of Pleasantville “bleed green” (the school district’s official color). Many in the community don’t just consider themselves residents, but members of a tight-knit community that is always there to help one another. The Gorsuch family has called Pleasantville home since 2008. Abe, a private financial advisor for a large bank, Jenn, co-owner of Go Take a Hike Dog Walking with fellow Pleasantville mom, Beth D’Alessandro, Elizabeth, age 15 and Jack, age 12 love living in Pleasantville.

The family moved from the Upper West Side citing the great schools and quick city commute and soon embraced everything Pleasantville had to offer. It was hard to adjust with both parents working full-time in Manhattan, but as Jenn said, the community made it so much easier. “I met so many wonderful families just because we don’t have any buses. This is a walking community, we were forced to make new friends at school pick-up, the library, the playground. Lifelong friendships were made and I then knew we had the ideal community to raise a family in.”

The Pleasantville community comes together both in happy times and times of tragedy. After a recent loss in the community, Jack said to Jenn, “Mom, we did not have to know the family to be sad, this is Pleasantville, we are family.”  Jenn continues, “We don’t just support each other during a tragedy, we are there to celebrate each other, coach each other, parent together.” One event the family participates in each year is Break the Hold’s Into the Light Walk, which aims to break the stigma on mental illness and honor the memory of Pleasantville’s own Brian T. Halloran.

The Gorsuch family enjoys walking to most places in town. Some favorite spots include the farmers market, Jacob Burns Film Center, Arc Stages and countless restaurants such as Bistro 146. There are many community events throughout the year such as the Halloween Ragamuffin Parade, Pleasantville Day, and the fire department parade.

As Jenn says, “There is nothing like this village. I am truly blessed and so lucky to be part of it and my family is too. You can see as people come back to raise their own families here after growing up here. We are a special mix of people.”

At the Jacob Burns Film Center: November and December Screenings

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Adapted: Page to Screen

Sometimes a Great Notion

Nov. 13

 

Brokeback Mountain

Dec. 11

 

Caramoor at the Burns: Movies Musicians Love

Presented in partnership with Caramoor

Alexander Nevsky

Nov. 5

 

The Triplets of Belleville

Dec. 3

 

JBFC Kids

The community partner of JBFC Kids is the Westchester Library System

Mary Poppins

Nov. 16

 

Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema

Our annual series returns.

Dates and titles TBD

 

Remix: The Black Experience in Film, Media, and Art

Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts

The Learning Tree

Nov. 14

Retro Revival

Sponsored by Wine Enthusiast

My Little Chickadee

Nov. 20

 

Senior Afternoon Cinema

Defending Your Life

Nov. 5

 

They Came to Play

Dec. 10

 

World Stage on Screen

Sponsored by The Knolls—A Bethel Community

NT Live: Hansard

Nov. 7—Live Broadcast

 

NT Live: Present Laughter

Dec. 5

Fireman’s Day Parade: Chance to Honor First Responders

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On May 31, Pleasantville children and parents alike crowded the streets, excitedly watching our volunteer firefighters and their fire trucks parade through the town in the annual Fireman’s Day parade. However, being a volunteer firefighter isn’t just parades and celebrations. Our local volunteers work hard every day to ensure the safety of their community members. Whether they’re responding to a house fire, a carbon monoxide detector going off, accidents, or downed wires after a storm, the brave Pleasantville volunteer firemen selflessly sacrifice their time, and often safety, to keep their friends and neighbors out of harm’s way. Each year, the parade presents a way for the community to honor the men and women who risk their lives to keep everyone safe.

This year, the parade coincided with some local news pertaining to helping spur volunteer efforts. In order to make volunteer firefighting an equal opportunity for all who choose to be involved, NYS Senator Pete Harckham recently announced the passage of two new bills by the New York State Senate. These bills, S5418 and S5419, both aim to protect volunteer firefighter disability benefits in order to make sure that they will have access to critical disability benefits and medical treatments warranted by their duties. It is important that the NYS Senate passed these bills as it acknowledges the peril volunteer firemen put themselves into every day in order to save the lives of others. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the Pleasantville Fire Department, applications are available online through their website, pleasantvillefire.org.

Local Conservation Leaders: Making a Difference Toward Protecting our Natural Environment

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The Conservation Advisory Council of Pleasantville (CAC) is a local committee dedicated to the preservation and improvement of our village’s beautiful natural environment. Made up of knowledgeable members with a variety of strengths and skill sets, council members pool their collective talent, make recommendations, jumpstart projects or otherwise help to assist the Village Board with matters regarding the preservation and protection of the town’s natural resources.

This may sound daunting, but by tackling specific challenges, real progress is made. Individual members share their knowledge and skills on everything from wetlands mapping to clean-ups and sustainability efforts–all of which help maintain the beauty and integrity of our village’s natural surroundings.

As chairperson Helen Meurer puts it, the CAC exists to “protect natural habitats and water quality” and is made up of “members [who] are enthusiastic about the wonders of nature.”

Minding the Landscape

Many in the community embrace the Conservation Advisory Council and recognize its work as a very valuable asset to the town. This ensures that Pleasantville’s natural environment is always being considered when making town decisions. Essentially, their job is to advise the Village Board how potential upcoming projects and initiatives may affect the landscape.

Meurer explains that its function “offers checks and balances with regard to building proposals to ensure that our environment will still support wildlife and allow proper filtration of rainwater.”

New ideas and projects are constantly being brought up by and executed by the council.  In just the past three years, the CAC has mapped and submitted an open space inventory to the Village Board, created a new wetlands map, hosted Saw Mill River clean ups, and introduced a 50/50 tree planting program to help residents get a tree planted in their yard for half the wholesale price- just to name a few.

‘Tree Walk’ in the Works

Currently, the council is working on a tree walk at Nannahagen Park as well as a tree photography competition in which the winning pieces will be shown in a gallery to celebrate the diverse, beautiful trees all over the town.

According to Meurer, the hope of these two projects is to not just tell people what they shouldn’t be doing and what they’re doing “wrong,” but to instead help them appreciate and celebrate the environment around them. She says the projects’ aims are “to help people appreciate and love their trees,” as well as to “celebrate our local trees both for their beauty and the health of our environment.”

Getting Involved

Council meetings are open to all community members which presents a great opportunity to get involved. It is a great committee to invest time and interest in. They are held on the third Thursday of each month at the Village Hall.

The council’s efforts to preserve and protect our local environment range from educating the community with fun activities like “guess the tree” on Pleasantville Day to getting composting bins and rain barrels placed throughout the town.

They also strongly encourage local tree planting and maintenance through their 50/50 program, in which the Village will share the wholesale cost of a tree and help to plant it too! The CAC is currently encouraging residents to participate in their photography competition as an easy way to get involved and get outdoors!

To enter, follow @pleasantville_village on Instagram and tag them in your tree photo with the caption “I love #mypleasantvilletree because…” Entries are accepted until September 1st!