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- On The Record: No Mistletoe Magic?
On The Record: No Mistletoe Magic?
Event organizers say they're short on funding
Good morning subscribers. ☕This is your Wednesday, Oct. 29, 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 59 degrees 🌥 Check out the forecast for the rest of the week here.
Tis the season? Mistletoe Magic, a longstanding tradition that transforms Purchase Street into a winter wonderland, may be canceled unless event organizers can come up with nearly $25,000 to fund it in a matter of days.
One of the city’s showcase events, the holiday festivities are scheduled for Nov. 30, but will be called off unless more businesses sign on to support it by Nov. 8, according to Brian Jackson, president of the Rye Chamber of Commerce.
Facing a 90 percent drop in contributions from downtown merchants, the chamber has only brought in 10 percent of the annual event’s roughly $27,500 budget, he said.
The event, known in particular for its heated chili cook-off, is sponsored by the Rye Chamber of Commerce and raises funds for the Chamber’s Scholarship Fund.
The dire situation led Jackson to send out an urgent email Tuesday to chamber members.
“We’re at a crossroads: without additional funding and volunteer help, we may not be able to host Mistletoe Magic this year, and we can’t imagine the holidays in Rye without it,” he wrote about the event which has been running for more than 30 years.
To read David Hessekiel’s full report, click here.
Mistletoe Magic participants stroll down Purchase Street last November. (Photo Alison Rodilosso)
-Today’s newsletter is curated by Christian Falcone
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IN OTHER NEWS
GAME OVER. Despite the picturesque nature of the annual rivalry, what really mattered was the score — and the Garnets got their storybook ending with a historic 49-28 win Saturday over the Huskies. Rye scored the most points in a game in the rivalry’s nearly 100-year history, topping a mark set in 1954. -Ian Colalucci
DIRTY DONOR. A donor to Rye’s Democratic City Council slate was convicted on federal fraud charges for stealing confidential documents from a New York City company and continues to face legal troubles. -Rosie Newmark
SEEING RED. The Rye Republican candidates for mayor and City Council have left off any mention of their party affiliation from their marketing and advertising, a move campaign leaders say is not meant to distance them from President Donald Trump but rather to reflect their focus on local politics. -Rosie Newmark
AROUND TOWN
-Ahead of Veterans Day, columnist Paul Hicks takes a look at “Margaret Garland” — believed to be the only female WWI veteran from Rye.
-Rye kids painted more than 400 windows as part of the city’s annual Halloween window painting contest on Oct. 20, marking the 72nd year of the spooky tradition. The hallowed happening once again transformed downtown into a hauntingly vibrant festival, anchored by the second annual costume parade and contest. -Erin McAward
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FROM OUR PARTNERS
REAL ESTATE
Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for New York City mayor has apparently sent shockwaves through the local real estate market, one broker told The Record.
Local real estate agents are weighing whether the likely election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City will drive disgruntled city dwellers to move to the suburbs, including Rye.
Mamdani, a Democrat, is positioned to defeat both of his opponents — former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The 33-year-old frontrunner — a self-identified Democratic Socialist — plans to freeze prices for rent-stabilized city apartments; raise the city’s top corporate tax rate by 4.25 percent, from 7.25 percent to 11.5 percent, the same as in New Jersey; and impose a new 2 percent flat tax on city residents who make $1 million or more annually.
-by Camille Botello
The final October campaign filings give the GOP ticket a $31,869 fundraising margin over their Democratic opponents, including an additional 38 donors.
POLITICS
In the last campaign finance filings before Election Day, the Rye Republican ticket continued to maintain a decisive fundraising margin, more than doubling their Democratic counterparts, while also inching closer to the $60,000 threshold.
The GOP amassed a total of $58,341 in donations from 115 donors, according to the latest financial report filed with the state Board of Elections on Oct. 24. The total reflects an increase of $7,067 and 20 new donors since the Oct. 3 filing.
The average contribution was $507.
-by Rosie Newmark
SPORTS
Sophomore Will Alexander held Byram Hills scoreless. (Photo MQS Media)
Since August, Rye coach Jared Small has preached the same message: play one game and one possession at a time.
In a 1-0 section quarterfinal win Monday against No. 9 seed Byram Hills in Nugent Stadium, Small’s top-seeded Garnets demonstrated they got the message.
Rye hosts No. 5 seed Panas (12-3-3) at 6 p.m. tonight in the section semifinals.
-by Steven Kearney
The Rye football team celebrates with a swim after beating Harrison 49-28 on Saturday. (Photo Alison Rodilosso)
SPORTS
Record photographer Alison Rodilosso captured images from Saturday's pre-game at McGillicuddy Stadium through the Garnets' celebratory post-game swim in the Blind Brook.