Message from the Mayor: Parade, many events, critters
Posted on: May 26, 2018 - 1:02pm
Fellow residents,
Summer is here, in spirit if not formally, with Memorial Day weekend. There’s a LOT going on in the next week to engage you, and also what is now an annual reminder about local critters, heading into the summer. The Great Dig on northern Warburton has finally come to an end, and the street has been (somewhat miraculously) restored and striped, pavement damage fixed, and we are ready for the parade. The pool opens as well: the restoration work there has come to an end just in time.
Memorial Day Parade this Sunday, 2PM, downtown
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This is the annual big parade blowout – bands, fire trucks, community organizations, convertibles with vets, and an actual contingent of Marines and Naval personnel from the ships in NYC harbor for Fleet Week. It ends with a short ceremony acknowledging the many Hastings residents who passed on our behalf in answering their country’s call (the “Memorial” part of this weekend, often forgotten). It’s a great parade. Weather looks like if there is rain, it is in the morning, so please come. Click HERE for Village closures and Parade information
Friday Night Live, Friday, June 1st, 6PM
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Themed “Old Fashioned Street games”, this Friday Night Live will have an exhibition by the National Double Dutch League at 7PM (no, for real, you will have to drag everyone you know to see it), and Stoop Ball, Hit the Penny, Box Ball, Marbles, Hopscotch, live music with Radio Prison, an event at Nigel’s, food, and more. Always a great way to spend the early evening with friends and family. More HERE
RiverArts Music Tour, Saturday, June 2nd, 12PM to midnight
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This is the 4th annual iteration of this event, and now getting officially crazy-big with 120 performances (!!!!) across 36 venues in Hastings, Dobbs, Irvington and Tarrytown (but mostly Hastings). It’s cleverly set up so that these performances run on the hour with a suitable intermission between each so you can get to the next one. You can see everything from student bands to Grammy Award-winners, all free. Invite your friends from out of town in and make a day of it, wandering from performance to performance. It’s wonderful. http://2018musictour.riverarts.org/
Library Fundraiser
The Friends of the Library run many programs and support the library in many ways. On their 60th birthday, they are throwing a Broadway Musical-themed fundraiser on June 3rd (from 5pm to 9pm at the library), starring Hastings’ own resident honest-to-God Broadway stars (performances start at 6:30), as well as light refreshments and a silent auction. Tickets are $30 in advance for adults (available at the library) and $35 at the door, $20 for teens. All proceeds support children’s programs. Click HERE for more information
Animals
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Summer season brings with it the joy of the outdoors. Considering that we live in a dense suburb 12 miles from Manhattan, the diversity of wildlife here is remarkable. We share the outdoors with a variety of wildlife long absent this area, but now back with a vengeance. With a few precautions, it can be enjoyed with minimal stress.
Ticks
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Forget the coyotes or other carnivores (yes, other) we enjoy in our midst. The most dangerous is the smallest. The common deer tick (well-named) is the bane of non-urban existence now for almost half the country and can carry a range of diseases, but most prominently Lyme. Lyme’s impact is real as many in town can attest (just about my entire family has had it), and potentially very deleterious. Protect yourself and your kids by how you dress, the repellants you wear, AND, most importantly the head-to-foot tick check you perform daily, that should be a matter of course during this half of the year. Some counsel a visit to the doctor if bitten; others suggest that watchful monitoring for Lyme symptoms is sufficient. If you remove the tick in the first 24 hours, you are not likely to catch Lyme if it is present in the tick. Conversely, you can be bitten by a tick, have that tick fall off, and only know you have Lyme’s by the onset of symptoms. The classic “Lyme bull’s eye” is the single best indicator (though, as I personally learned, it is possible to have two or more bull’s eyes simultaneously). This ring-shaped or pie-plate shaped rash is a signal (klaxon) for an immediate doctor’s visit. Unfortunately, not everyone who gets Lyme’s Disease gets the telltale bulls-eye. Flu-like symptoms, joint stiffness and ache, headaches and swollen glands are other symptoms. For more information about Lyme’s, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme. and http://www.aldf.com/
Coyotes and Foxes
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We have several of each in town, you will continue to see them (and please don’t call the police each time), and unless they are behaving strangely (specifically: not running away from you when yelled at, or walking in circles), they are not a threat unless you are a fawn, chicken, mouse, feral cat or dog of its leash. Both of these carnivores remain shy of us and we like it that way. In the unlikely chance that you encounter them, yell or motion broadly. You’re the apex predator here (well, maybe the SUV is, but still) and we collectively need to remind them of that and not come off acting as prey. Coyotes are not strictly nocturnal, so observing them in daylight is not rare and not a sign of disease. Important tips HERE. Do not allow your pets (especially small dogs and cats) to run free, particularly at night. You should strongly reconsider if you are accustomed to walking your dog in the woods off leash (against the law, by the way).
Possum, Raccoons, Muskrats, Rats, Groundhogs, Squirrels
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These are all here, in varying numbers. All of them are appropriately shy of us but are perfectly capable of inflicting a nasty bite if cornered (but really, why would you? Unless you are a dog off its leash, and then you don’t know better. Theme here.) Raccoons are a serious reservoir of rabies in Westchester. If you encounter a raccoon in daylight, and they don’t run from you or are walking erratically, the animal is likely rabid. In this case, PLEASE call the Police (914-478-2344).
Deer
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Deer are the epitome of prey animals, and while they are not nearly as shy here as points further north where they are shot at, they should rarely pose a threat. As with most animals, don’t get between doe and fawn. They are perfectly capable at that point of knocking you down. Be wary at dusk and never exceed the speed limit: if you see one deer crossing the street, assume that there are others likely to emerge as well right behind. When startled, deer can turn and run in an unexpected direction, so be on hyper alert when you see them. They also carry ticks. (See above.) Finally, there’s a range of things you can do regarding deer and depredations against your garden. I find that Liquid Fence, an eco-safe deer (and rabbit) repellant liquid, works reliably, though it has to be periodically reapplied and it really stinks for the first day. (Deer apparently don’t like really rotten eggs any more than we do.) Go HERE to read more about other tricks.
As a general rule, they’re all wild. None of them should be fed or otherwise habituated to human contact.
Finally, the leafblower ban is in effect now through October 15th. Please instruct your contractors not to use them and report use to the police, with the name of the contractor if you can, immediately. This is a quality of life issue that makes many crazy. Please respect it.
A wonderful time of the year, with blooms everywhere, temperate nights, and excitement of summer ahead. Enjoy, be safe, and please join us at the above events.
Sincerely,
Peter Swiderski
Mayor