Sprainbrook Nursery to Close
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After 68 years, Sprainbrook Nursery on Underhill Road in Scarsdale will close. Owner Al Krautter announced his decision this week citing a host of factors that contributed to the nursery’s economic woes. He called the move “gut-wrenching” but said that old-fashioned garden centers have become “obsolete,” and that he is faced with competition from a wide variety of retailers. Though he loves his passionate and loyal customers, there “are just not enough of them.”
Krautter grew up at Sprainbrook and attended Cornell University where he got a degree in horticulture. He worked in the family business with his wife and parents and “enjoyed his mother’s daily company until she died at age 95.” Krautter’s own children helped out at the nursery as well, and attended the Edgemont School District.
He said “Sprainbrook has been my life” and told his customers that he did not give up on it easily, pouring all of his resources back in the business in the hope of saving it. However, he said, “due to the economic recession our sales have dropped and our costs continue to rise. With health insurance, rising fuel prices, a huge jump in water bills and a very high property tax for the area we are battling huge costs before we ever open the doors.”
We asked Al if a strong fall season could change his mind and what would become of the property if does need to close. Here is what he shared with Scarsdale10583:
We are out of money and cannot continue. I would love to sell it as a nursery but nurseries in particular are all having a difficult time. Part is due to the economy but also because of changing buying patterns. We do need to sell so it will probably go for real estate. We are not sure what our options all are as of yet as we are at the beginning of this process.
The 3.79 acre property in Edgemont will soon be for sale. Stay posted.
Deadline Approaching for Contributions to the Annual Book Sale
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The deadline to donate books to the Friends of Scarsdale Public Library Annual Book Sale is quickly approaching -- and Kathy Steves, who runs the ambitious sale says that more than 60,000 almost-new and out-of-print books, including bestsellers, classics, biographies, fiction, parenting, cooking, art and antiques, computers, humor, self-help, drama, religion, business and poetry have already been donated. The last day to make your donation is Saturday August 25, so take care of it today.
Steves reports that though contributions are robust, the donations may not include as many current bestsellers as there were in previous years. Why? Because this year many residents were downloading books to their Kindles, Nooks and iPads, and therefore had fewer new offerings to donate. The good news is that the volume of donation remains strong – so you are sure to find something you like at a very reasonable cost. Massmarket paperbacks are already for sale in the library lobby.
Over 30 volunteers are now presorting the books into categories for the buyer’s convenience. There is also a large selection of books for children, as well as DVDs, CDs, videotapes, books on tape, and sheet music. More than $45,000 was raised last year. All proceeds from the sale support library programs and projects.
The official book sale will be held from Friday, September 7th through Sunday, September 16, 2012 at the Scarsdale Public Library, Olmsted Road and Post Road, Scarsdale, NY. The sale will begin on Friday, September 7th from 7 to 9 pm with a “Friends” preview. New members may join at the door that evening for $25. New books are added to the sale daily.
Here is the complete schedule for the sale:
Regular Sale
- Saturday, Sept. 8: 9am - 4:30pm
- Sunday, Sept. 9: 10am - 4pm
- Monday, Sept. 10: 11 am – 8pm
- Tuesday Sept. 11: 11 am – 8 pm
Half-Price Sale
- Wednesday, Sept. 12: 11am – 8 pm
- Thursday, Sept. 13: 11 am – 5 pm
- Friday, Sept. 14: 11am - 4:30pm
Blow-Out Sale
- Saturday, Sept. 15: 9am - 4:30pm
- Sunday, Sept. 16: 11am - 4pm
For more information, please contact Kathy Steves at Steves10583@gmail.com. The Scarsdale Public Library is located at 54 Olmsted Road, Scarsdale, NY, 10583. Phone: (914) 722-1300. Website: www.scarsdalelibrary.org .
Patients from Ronald McDonald House Enjoy a Great Day in Scarsdale
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Scarsdale Firefighter John Savarese outdid himself to make this year’s Ronald McDonald House event the best ever. This is the third year that the Scarsdale Fire Department has sponsored a day of fun for pediatric cancer patients from Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan and their families, The event was held on Thursday July 19 at the Crossway Firehouse in Scarsdale and Savarese planned an ambitious program to thrill the kids and their parents.
It started with a police escort to lead the bus from the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan to Scarsdale. Kids arrived at the firehouse and found carnival games and rides to enjoy. Savarese arranged for some classic cars to be on display, as well as a monster truck called Monster Mayhem and two humvees.
But he didn’t stop there. He used his contacts in the military to bring a swat team, and k9 unit in for a demonstration, and in a most spectacular display had skydivers jump from a plane and land at the firehouse to greet the visitors. He had even planned for some skywriters to write “Ronal McDonald House” in the sky, but this 
had to be cancelled due to the clouds. The Westchester County Police Department landed a helicopter that kids could explore.
He invited a host of local officials to attend including County Executive Rob Astorino and Amy Paulin as well as wounded war veterans.
To fund the venture, Savarese raised $14,000 and purchased 34 trays of food from local restaurants and asked them to donate the drinks.
It was a great day for the kids and everyone involved.
Photos provided by Jon Thaler – see more at: www.JonThaler.com
Lights, Camera, Action
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Large trucks, lighting apparatus and a film crew assembled in Chase Park on Friday August 10 causing much speculation about what was being filmed…. a movie, a tv show? And would the rain hold off long enough for the work to be done? Turns out the crew of 30-40 people came to Scarsdale to shoot a commercial for United Healthcare and AARP. The location scout selected Scarsdale because of the park’s setting in Scarsdale and shot the commercial to showcase the village. Though no famous actors were on the set, a representative from MacGuffin Films told us that SAG actors were employed and it was a union job.
Lange’s catered food for the crew all day and lunch was served at Moscato. The visitors found Scarsdale to be “friendly and cooperative.”
According to Assistant Village Manager Justin Datino, the production company “approached the Village, applied for and received an approved special event permit from the Village Manager’s Office.”
Datino then reviewed what was involved in getting permission to film here, “There are a number of requirements to obtain the 
permit including: references, insurance, site plan, parking plan and advanced payment. The Village requires the film company to reimburse all expenses related to Police, DPW, parking as well as using the Village facility (Chase Park).”
Datino also added the following: “The Village receives many inquiries regarding filming, only a handful end up actually submitting a permit application for review.. Filming does bring with it both benefits and drawbacks. On an otherwise slow business day in the summer a crew of 30-40 people can stimulate business and activity in the Village Center but other circumstances could bring a variety of disruptions so there is a delicate balance and why the Village reviews each film request on a case by case basis.”
At 12:15, there was a big downpour so we don’t know whether the crew beat the weather and finished their work. However, we were told that the television spot should air in October so watch for Scarsdale on your television.
Power Outage in Greenacres
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A portion of Greenacres went dark on Tuesday evening July 17th at 6:10 pm. With temperatures well into the 90’s and high humidity, most had their air conditioning running at the time of the blackout. After taking the report, Con Edison used their robo calling system to let residents know that they would have the power restored by 2 am and many anticipated a long hot night as they ate dinner in the dark.
But fortunately, just as the sun went down the power came back on at 8:35 pm. What a relief!
We contacted Sandra Miller at Con Edison to find out what had happened and how the strike may have impacted service in Scarsdale. Here is what she shared:
“There was an outage to 75 customers in Scarsdale last evening from about 6:15 to 8:25 pm. The cause was a blown fuse on a pole at Brook Lane and Walworth Avenue. Crews were dispatched and restored service. We will be monitoring the weather today as thunderstorms are predicted for later this afternoon. Our focus is to keep the power flowing and maintain reliable service as the company works to have the contract dispute with the union resolved. Talks resume today. “
