Armonk Ushers in Special Week With Run for Love, Festival
There were perfect conditions last Sunday morning for a 5K run, a cider and donut festival and even a carnival for kids. All of that and more took place last weekend at Armonk’s Wampus Brook Park, featuring Jamie’s 5K Run for Love, a race held in memory of Jamie Love, the late Byram Hills High School graduate and cross country and track team member who died suddenly from cardiac arrhythmia in February 2013 while attending the University of Vermont.
A healthy crowd turned out for the race, which also included a one-mile run and a dash for children two to eight years old, the festival and the Byram Hills Pre-School Association Carnival. The day wrapped up in the early evening with a concert by North Castle resident John Krupa and his band Group Therapy at the gazebo at Wampus Brook Park.
More than 200 runners hit the pavement for the 5K, and fittingly the women’s division was captured by Love’s sister, Noelle. Justin Mitchell of Old Greenwich, Conn. was the men’s winner.
Michelle Love, Jamie’s and Noelle’s mother, noted the community spirit and cooperation on display is always greatly appreciated by her family.
“We know what it means to have friends and teams supporting our community and we love that this is just done in this community,” she said. “This is the type of town we want to live in.”
A year after the annual event was canceled due to the pandemic, Armonk Chamber of Commerce President Neal Schwartz said having people congregate in the heart of the hamlet was great for morale and business. The chamber is the sponsor of the race and the cider and donut festival, and after more than a year of concern, it was encouraging to see the crowd.
“I saw people as we were setting up yesterday in the park coming through here saying, ‘Wow, this is really cool that they do these things,’” Schwartz said.
The chamber, in conjunction with the town, also had a series of concerts through the summer in the park and at Armonk Square.
The organization double checked with the county about whether bringing in a crowd of people was the right thing to do, but officials encouraged them to do so, Schwartz mentioned. All they needed was a break from the weatherman and that certainly occurred.
“To be able to bring people in on a consistent basis is great,” he added.
Town Supervisor Michael Schiliro said events such as Sunday or the upcoming Armonk Outdoor Art Show is what makes communities like North Castle special.
“I love the town, I love being a part of it,” he said. “Any challenges or problems that we have as long as we listen to each other, (there’s) two eyes, two ears and one mouth for a reason.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
