44°
POUND RIDGE, N.Y. The Scotts Corners business district of Pound Ridge was packed with revelers on Saturday who showed up to take part in what organizers hope will be the first of many annual fall festivals.
The Pound Ridge Fall Festival was the brain child of the Pound Ridge Partnership, whose officers said that more than 1,000 people would likely attend the event.
For Pound Ridge Pride Day, we had around 600 people, said Ali Boak, a member of the partnerships board of directors. For this, we hired a professional public relations person and targeted six towns around us. We hope to have over 1,000 people here.
In fact, so many people were expected that the town set up parking lots at the Town House and Town Park and used shuttle buses to bring them to the festival.
Boak said the purpose of the event is two-fold.
We hope that, in the future, people will think to come back here to shop and eat, she said. But the goal is not only to bring the community together to also raise funds for beautification of the business district.
Westchester Avenue was lined with local businesses promoting their services. A range of groups and charaties promoted various causes, such as the Pound Ridge Open Space and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Pound Ridge Daisy Troop and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
Barbara Peloso, a Pound Ridge resident, manned the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer booth. She said she was trying to raise $1,800 and lauded the harvest festival as not only a great neighborhood event, but a helpful milieu for local charities to reach out to the population.
I think this a great idea for the community, she said and then motioned to the myriad booths that lined the streets. I think everyone here has something to offer.
The Pound Ridge Fire Department also had a major presence at the event, giving safety demonstrations while selling T-shirts, mugs, hats and lunch pails to raise money. Sparky the Fire Dog greeted kids who were also encouraged to climb up inside the fire trucks.
The kids love that, said Jane Darold, volunteer firefighter. They love to sit behind the wheel and have the firemen explain what the truck does and how it works.
While there was plenty for the kids to do, including the requisite bouncy house and face painting, grown-ups could enjoy adult beverages, including micro-brewed beer from Magic Hat Brewery and wine from Pound Ridge Wine & Spirit.
Also, the Westchester School of Rock was on hand to pound out an array of classic rock standards, ranging from Jimi Hendrix to the Allman Brothers. The featured performer was renowned singer/songwriter Edwin McCain.
Boak said the booking of such top-notch acts is due to one of the Pound Ridge Partnerships committee members.
One of our committee members, Steve Bensusan, owns BB Kings in New York City, she explained. He was responsible for booking the talent. This was our first year and we didnt want to have a rinky-dink festival. There was a lot of work done for this behind the scenes.
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Were you at the fall festival? What did you think? Join the conversation and leave your comment below.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Pound Ridge and receive free news updates.
