PHOTOS: Pleasantville Day Draws Big Crowd on Sun Splashed Afternoon
By late Saturday morning, Pleasantville’s Memorial Plaza was teeming with families who arrived to stroll the downtown, meet friends and neighbors and have a good time.
Residents and organizers of Pleasantville Day couldn’t have asked for better weather for the annual festivities. Under a refreshing breeze and bright sunny skies, it was a perfect day to sample some treats from vendors or put children on a ride.
“I like the community spirit,” village resident and Pleasantville Garden Club member Barbara Cox explained why she looks forward to the event while enjoying a hot dog with her husband, George. “I think it’s wonderful. People come out. There’s wonderful children, things for them to do. It’s a great thing.”
Along with vendors, there were dance and martial arts demonstrations, music and games. Representatives from most of the village’s service organizations, including the Pleasantville Lions and Rotary, were on hand to inform the public about the work that is done to benefit the community and how people can participate.
That strong community bond is what Chris DeGrazia, who brought his family to the downtown, enjoys about the village and Pleasantville Day.
“It’s a great day, the weather is perfect, so we came down to see friendly faces and really good people all for a good cause,” DeGrazia said.
It wasn’t only village residents who took advantage of what Pleasantville Day had to offer. It also drew visitors from surrounding towns. Elizabeth DeVito brought her two children from their Hawthorne home to spend part of the afternoon outside.
“I think just all the different things for the kids,” said DeVito when asked what she liked most. “There’s a lot of things that they can do.”
Dan McDonaugh and his wife, Caitlin, who moved from the city to Pleasantville about three years ago, said they look to join in the Pleasantville Day fun as a way to celebrate the community that has welcomed them.
“The neighbors here will come help you with anything,” Dan McDonaugh said.
Highlighting the spirit of Pleasantville Day was a table set up by village resident Carolin Schmidt, an eighth-grader at School of the Holy Child in Rye, to raise money for Real Partners Uganda. The charity runs a school called the Mustard Seed Academy near the Town of Lukaya, a poverty stricken area. For a $180 donation, that’s enough to pay for one child’s clothing, education, food and health care for the year, said Schmidt’s mother, Cathy. Schmidt said her daughter is raising money to build a roof and a floor for the school’s new auditorium.
But best of all, the village also helped accommodate the student by making sure there was room for her table, her mother said.
“It’s a great day and the town has been really helpful and supportive, helping her get set up,” Schmidt said.
Preceding Pleasantville Day, was the annual Pleasantville Community Scholarship Fund’s 5K run.
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/
