Good morning subscribers. ☕This is your Wednesday, Nov. 12, Rye Record newsletter, curating some of the latest headlines across the city of Rye.

Today’s Weather Channel local forecast calls for cloudy skies with a high of 49 degrees ⛅ Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.

Out of luck. The Rye Chamber of Commerce announced over the weekend that it would be canceling Rye’s annual Mistletoe Magic festivities this year due to a lack of funding.  

Just before Halloween, organizers warned of a possible cancellation if they couldn’t come up with approximately $25,000.  

“We have held out for the hope that the situation would improve or there might be a benevolent soul to help rescue the cause, but that has not come to pass,” the chamber’s Executive Board said in a statement on Sunday.  

The event is an annual holiday tradition that transforms Purchase Street into a full-on winter wonderland.

But the chamber relies on financial support from local businesses to support the event, and Rye Chamber of Commerce President Brian Jackson told The Record last month that the chamber is facing a major drop in contributions from downtown merchants.

Making the decision to cancel the event this year “devastating,” according to the board.  

To read Camille Botello’s full reporting, click here.

-Today’s newsletter is curated by Christian Falcone

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INSTAGRAM POST OF THE WEEK 📸

-Time to lace ‘em up, ya big turkey!

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IN OTHER NEWS

SYSTEM OVERRIDE. The city manager introduced his 2026 budget proposal that would raise property taxes by 8.43 percent and surpass the state tax cap without adding any staffing to the work force. -Rosie Newmark

POWER FAILURE. Westchester Power has decided to pull the plug on its renewable energy program, and contrary to its executive director’s claims, the decision is not due to new regulations but to the program’s failure to meet existing outreach and education requirements. -Rosie Newmark

WINNERS CIRCLE. Rye volleyball captured the first section tournament title in program history Saturday, storming back for a 3-1 victory over Tappan Zee at the Westchester County Center. -Ariana Ottrando

AROUND TOWN

-A 19-year-old from New Jersey has been charged in the late-night break-in at Playland amusement park that left behind tens of thousands of dollars in damage, according to Westchester County Police. -Rosie Newmark

-The rain stopped just in time for the residents of Chester Drive and Douglas Circle in Greenhaven to emerge from their homes on Halloween and lay down yellow brick road paint from a stencil bought on Etsy. -Rhonda Barnat

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FROM OUR PARTNERS

BUSINESS & ORGS

‘Light Up Rye’ Hopes to Expand This Year — Get All of Purchase Street ‘Glowing’

“Light Up Rye,” the holiday lighting project that turned Purchase Street into a glowing winter wonderland last year, is returning — and the group behind the project wants to extend its reach.

“We started in the middle of Purchase Street last year and fanned out on both sides,” April Saxe explained on behalf the April May June Team at Compass Real Estate, which was responsible for the lights.

“We couldn’t quite reach all the way, so our goal this year is to get the whole street glowing,” Saxe said. “We can’t guarantee it, but that’s what we’re aiming for.”

-by Laura Schiller

COMMUNITY

Conversing With Those We’ve Lost —Through the Nature Center’s Wind Phone

Alone along a leafy trail at the Rye Nature Center between a sweet gum and a birch tree stands a wooden box that holds a forest-green rotary phone. A simple wooden bench sits beside it. Disconnected from any man-made network, the phone is designed to help people process loss by sending to the wind their messages to a loved one.

Called a Wind Phone, the device has been visited by more than 50 people since its installation in September, according to Rye Nature Center’s Executive Director Christine Siller. Many leave notes on star-shaped white parcels filled with wildflower seeds to be planted nearby.

On a recent visit Siller found a stack of 30 notes; on top was one in a child’s handwriting: “Daddy.”

-by Eileen O’Connor

CITY

Rye City Hall Ceremony Calls Attention to ‘Shared Responsibility’ of Honoring Veterans

We enjoy the freedoms we have today because of the sacrifices made by our veterans. That was the message of Sabrina Murphy, CEO of the Rye YMCA, and the keynote speaker at the city’s annual Veteran’s Day observance held Tuesday at City Hall. 

“Honoring veterans is a shared responsibility,” she said, noting that in 1941, the national YMCA was one of several organizations that founded the USO (United Service Organizations). She then told the tale of a French Bulldog named Mutt, who as a member of the YMCA Cigarette Dog delivery service, was trained to deliver cigarettes and “small comforts” to soldiers in the trenches

-by Rhonda Barnat

SPORTS

Rye Football Finishes Strong in 36-22 Section Semifinal Win Against Eastchester

Rye has dominated nearly every opponent it’s played this season, definitively winning games and racking up points with ease. Despite a two-touchdown margin in Friday’s 36-22 section semifinal victory against Eastchester, the Garnets came dangerously close to disaster.

The third quarter ended with an Eastchester touchdown and two-point conversion, giving the Eagles a 22-21 lead and sucking the life out of Nugent Stadium.

For just the second time since 2023, Rye trailed going into the fourth quarter.

-by Ian Colalucci