The Greenacres Gallop
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Greenacres residents celebrated Independence Day with the traditional celebration at the field on Sunday morning July fourth. The fun included a candy hunt for the youngest participants as well as a spoon race, sack race, three-legged race, balloon toss, foul shooting contest, and the famous Greenacres Gallop. There were awards and ribbons for all of the winners. The event ended with a patriotic presentation and the Star Spangled Banner. Thanks to all the volunteers from the Greenacres Association who put this event together and to all the residents who participated.
Missing Puppy
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Broadmoor Road residents have lost their puppy and are asking for your help to find him. Riley is black labrador retriever, 8 months old and approximately 70 pounds. Riley was last seen on Friday night July 2nd at the corner of Broadmoor and Griffen Roads in Quaker Ridge. If you see him, please call Ethan at 914-860-4467.
Everything You Need To Know About Coyotes
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In response to two recent coyote attacks on young girls in Rye, Greenburgh Town Supervisor, Paul Feiner reports that the Greenburgh Police Department has been receiving many calls reporting the sighting of coyotes in Greenburgh. The New York Post reported an additional attack on a 3 year-old girl today.
Feiner has sent out an email with the following information about coyotes gleaned from the N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation website.
Here are some steps you can take to safeguard against coyotes:
- Do not feed coyotes
- If you see a coyote, make loud noises, wave your arms, throw sticks and stones and be aggressive.
- Do not allow your pets to run free.
- Do not feed pets outside.
- Make any garbage inaccessible to animals. Eliminate the availability of birdseed. Coyotes are attracted to the concentration of birds and rodents that come to feeders. If you do feed birds, clean up waste seed and spillage.
- Fence your yard to deter coyotes. The fence should be tight to the ground, preferably extending six inches below ground level.
- Remove brush and tall grass from around your property to reduce protective cover for coyotes
- Teach children to appreciate coyotes from a distance.
Here are some more facts about coyotes:
Wild animals such as coyotes are protected by laws established by the N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation. The Eastern coyote is firmly established in New York and they live here as an integral part of our ecosystem. People and coyotes can usually coexist if coyotes maintain their natural fear of humans. If you observe a coyote acting aggressively or lingering in an area you should report it to the police. In addition, if a coyote is acting aggressively call the police department. However in most cases there is little a police officer or animal control officer will be able to do other than chase it away from a populated area.
Some coyotes in suburbia have lost their fear of people, which can result in a dangerous situation. Coyotes in residential areas quickly learn to associate food with people. Suburban coyote food such as garbage and pet food is saturated with human odor. If people intentionally feed coyotes their potential for a coyote attack becomes very real.
Potential does exist for coyote attacks however they are extremely rare. On average 650 people are hospitalized and one person killed by dogs each year in New York State. Nationwide, only a handful of coyote attacks occur yearly.
Coyotes and Pets
Of greater concern is the interaction of coyotes with cats or dogs. Do coyotes kill cats? Absolutely, but so do foxes, dogs, bobcats, vehicles, and even great horned owls. Cat owners need to be aware that cats allowed to roam free are at risk. To protect your cat, keep it indoors, or allow it outside only under supervision. Coyotes in some areas appear to become "specialists" at catching and killing cats.
Owners of large and medium sized dogs have little to worry about. Coyotes, with an average weight of 35 pounds know they are overmatched by large dogs and will yield part of their territory (your yard) to the dog. A confrontation may occur between a midsized dog and a coyote. Such confrontations, however, usually do not involve physical contact between the two animals. The dog and coyote usually come to an understanding on whose territory is whose.
Owners of small dogs have cause for concern. The outcome of a confrontation between a small dog and a coyote will depend a lot upon the behavior of the dog. A coyote knows it is physically superior to a small dog and expects the dog to be submissive. Trouble occurs when a small dog does not submit to a coyote. The coyote will discipline the dog to correct its inappropriate behavior. This discipline will continue until the dog submits or is eventually killed. Coyotes view very small as easy prey and they are at risk to be killed.
Compton Tennis Tournament Results
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The John Parker Compton Memorial Tennis Tournament was held from June 7-11 in Scarsdale. The Tournament has been a tradition in Scarsdale since 1945 and matches are played at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club and at the Brite Avenue tennis courts. This was the first year the tournament registration moved online and the change may have hampered sign-ups, as some were not aware the tournament was on.
The tournament is now part of the USTA which in future years should draw more players to the roster. Boys and girls ages 14-18 could sign up to play singles and doubles and many skilled players participated. There were not enough girls in the eighteen and under category for a draw, but there was good competition in all the other categories.
According to volunteer organizer Dorothy Yewer, “the boys draw was extremely competitive and the tennis was exquisite.”
Here are the final results:
Boys 18 Singles: Preston Poon defeated Austin Kaplan 6-3, 7-6; 7-6(7-5)
Boys 14 Singles: Luke Smith defeated Benjamin Goebel 6-2, 6-1
Girls 14 Singles: Christina Sisti defeated Adrienne Travis 7-5, 6-1
Boys 18 Doubles: Halpern/Poon defeated Greenwald/Somekh 6-1, 6-1
For more tournament results and information click here
July 4th Celebrations at Van Cortlandt Manor and Sunnyside
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Participating in old-fashioned ice-cream making, listening to a spirited reading of the Declaration of Independence, marching in a grand parade, and drilling and mustering with military re-enactors are some of the activities visitors can take part in at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside in Tarrytown, N.Y. and Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. on Independence Day, Sunday, July 4th, from 12-6 p.m.
Both sites, living history museums that are part of the Historic Hudson Valley network, will be dressed up in their finest patriotic regalia to celebrate the nation’s founding. Visitors can journey back to 1800 at Van Cortlandt Manor and to 1850 at Sunnyside. Tickets are available online at www.hudsonvalley.org . Admission for children under 18 is FREE when you purchase online using code JULY4.
Dramatic readings of the Declaration of Independence are a feature at both events.
Sunnyside will feature a reading of an 1850s speech by Irving contemporary George William Curtis on abolition, who spoke “attended by a bodyguard with a great mob outside ready for violence, held in check by a large body of police. A few paving stones and a bottle of vitriol were thrown through the windows, but no serious injury was inflicted. This was one of the last instances in which an attempt was made to suppress free speech in the free states in the interest of slavery.” Curtis was also a close colleague of George P. Putnam, Irving’s longtime publisher.
Comic vignettes featuring toasts to the Republic and spirited debates about the pros and cons of temperance and women’s suffrage will also take place. On the issue of whether women should be granted the right to vote, two sisters will duke it out in a lively fashion.
Visitors can participate in country dancing with caller Eric Hollman, join in rousing renditions of patriotic songs, witness the feats of comedic juggler Will Shaw, and play “town ball,” an early version of baseball that uses a big bat and small ball. Plus, there will be ice-cream making demonstrations. The home of Washington Irving will be open for tours throughout the day.
At Van Cortlandt Manor, the day’s centerpiece is a vast parade starting at 2 p.m. in front of the manor house. The parade will traverse the entire site and end with a special ceremony, singing, dancing, and games. Children can carry banners and all are invited to march.
From 10-2:30, a military re-enactment group will set up camp and invite one and all to drill and muster. Visitors can help with camp activities such as fire starting with flint and steel. Storytelling and 18th-century fiddle music round out the day.
While either event could be a perfect preamble to a picnic elsewhere, classic Fourth of July food from Geordanes Market in Irvington will be available, giving visitors an easy option for lunch. Of course, picnickers are welcome to bring their own treats.
Admission to either site is $12 for adults; $10 for seniors; $6 for children 5-17; and free for children under age 5 and HHV members. Tours of the sites’ houses are included in the price of admission. Tickets for all children under 18 are FREE when you purchase in advance online using the code JULY4.
Washington Irving’s Sunnyside is at 89 West Sunnyside Lane in Tarrytown, one mile south of the Tappan Zee Bridge, off Route 9. Van Cortlandt Manor is at 525 South Riverside Avenue in Croton-on-Hudson, just off Route 9A. For information: 914-631-8200 or www.hudsonvalley.org
