Sometimes, there’s an embarrassment of riches. This past week was one of those times. Halloween pictures rolled in like tumbleweed on the prairie. Not that we aren’t grateful. Quite the opposite. Problem is, we keep hearing, “It’s too long!” “The scrolling takes forever!” So, this week’s Residents Website is dedicated to Halloween at Kendal. We’re holding onto other important “happenings” of this past week and will put them in next week. We have included a few other non-Halloween items that either take up little space but are terribly important or are weekly standards that come at the end (so that those who collapse from scrolling won’t miss any of the Spooky Season contents). Enjoy!
In and Around: Setting the Stage for Halloween
It’s Spooky Season, so time to set the scene in beautiful fall colors.
Morning Light, by Carolyn Reiss
The Path Leading In, by Ed Lannert
Band of Gold, by Edward Kasinec
Photo by Edward Kasinec
Afternoon Light, by Carolyn Reiss
Out and About
The Halloween Morning Commute
Halloween morning Jane Hart noticed a fellow commuter into The City who she felt just happened to fill the bill for the season
We Live at Kendal--and Beyond!
Harriet Halloween
For years, at Halloween, Harriett Barnett has invited preschoolers and other members of the Asociacion de Familias Hispanas de los Tarrytowns to Kendal for some storytelling. The Association is a project of the Tarrytown School District in its dual-language early- literacy program where parents and children learn together. Kendal pitches in with supplies for the program. Though Harriet’s readings are aimed at preschoolers, many older children and their parents come along.
The morning starts at 11 with Harriet dressed as a witch—a friendly witch, of course. She tells them all about the season, then reads Halloween stories in English and Spanish. There’s also a sing-along led by, yes, Harriet the Witch. Next stop: Adirondack Country Kitchen for milk and cookies. But this year, first a tour of the staff pumpkin contest!
Photos by Amanda Slattery
Kendal's Halloween Parade!
Halloween is known for two main things: costumes and treats. Here at Kendal we try to avoid too many treats (well, except ice cream, but that’s calcium), but Halloween costumes are another thing all together. (See how many Kendal residents you recognize.)
And so we have:
The Kendal Halloween Parade 2026
Watch out Moby Dick!
Talk about surrealism . . .
Did Paul Revere wear glasses?
All the way from . . .
The Kendal Coven
Party-Ready!
The Mysterious Madam X
Whoa!
Clairmet the Frog
Ike and the Fairy Princess
Photos by Ruth Dinowitz
Weekly Construction Report--Including New Dining Venue Information!
New Dining Procedures
Weekly Construction Report
From the Office of Ellen Ottstadt
For Your Funny Bone
Hope XXV Collage, by Sheila Benedis
Art and photos by Sheila Benedis
Art by Hart
As long as he had his support chicken and his mother, Searle was fine going to the dentist
Kiddingly, Marlie called Richardson the “Catch of the Day”
For Roger and Doreen, it was “goodbye” until next April
Bliss, Freddy’s baby sitter looked up “sudden pink spots” on Dr. Google
Radley family gatherings were lively, but not always in a good way
Art and Photos by Jane Hart
In and Around
Future Kendal Residents, Perhaps?
Recently, Margaret Lundin’s family came visiting. Great nephews DJ Zuniga (left) and Xander Zuniga (right), took to Kendal right away.
Photo by Cynthia Ferguson
Wild Animal Cited in Rockwood Park
Recently, Louise Kikuchi discovered a fuzzy new Rockwood Park inhabitant on the prowl.
Rockwood in Autumn Glory
Photo by Carolyn Reiss
Bridge over still waters, by Edward Kasinec
Autumnal reflections, by Harry Bloomfield
Out and About
Joyce and Ed Lannert took a trip upstate to High Falls. No vacation that. They were on a mission: cat sitting for their son and his wife while they were away from home. The cat certainly didn’t seem to mind.
In Lannert fashion, they decided to explore the area. The nearby town of Rosendale seemed particularly inviting.
Meanwhile, in their travels, they came across a particular creature that seemed to be ready for Halloween.
Turns out they’re Milkweed Bugs—a nuisance rather than a scary thing.
Photos by Ed Lannert.
What Happens to Our Recycling?
On October 14, ten members of the Kendal Environmental Action Committee toured the Westchester Materials Recovery Center in Yonkers. Bob Abramovitz, Chair, Kendal Environmental Action Committee, reports:
From the third-floor viewing deck, we watched trucks unload paper and cardboard on one side and mixed glass, plastic, aluminum, and metal on the other. Our guide, Tom Higgins, explained how magnets, optical scanners, air jets, and lasers sort the materials into separate streams for shipment to buyers.
Kendal sends its recyclables here for free, compared with $46.37 per ton to burn our trash if sent to Peekskill. Last year, the center earned $4.5 million selling recyclables, helping cover its costs. The message is clear: recycling saves money, conserves resources, and helps protect our climate.
Join in the Fun!
An American Art Salutes America
The 250th commemorative community quilts for Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown are complete and ready to be handed over to the two villages as part of the special event scheduled for November 1. (See “Coming Soon” section of Residents Website.) The quilts will be part of a procession from Sleepy Hollow Riverwalk, down to Pierson Park where they will be turned over to the villages around 1:30 pm. They will hang in the Town Halls of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow.
Here are pictures of the quilts made by people in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown to celebrate the 250th birthday of the country. All the heart squares were made by the public at schools, libraries, farmers market, senior groups, and more organizations. Squares for Kendal on Hudson are on each quilt. Three Kendal residents, Sheila Benedis, Ginny Bender and Marilyn Bottjer provided eight squares for the quilts. Those squares are divided between the two quilts.
In six months, hundreds of community members of all ages sewed a total of 500 little hearts to small squares at 14 public events and in their homes and schools; and designed and sewed a total of 52 large squares; and all of the pieces were quilted together by talented volunteers.
And, and to their historical meaning, each quilt will be backed by Lenape cotton, seen below.
Don’t think you can make the great November 1 event, but still want to see the quilts? Or you want to see them closer up? Good news is here:
The quilts will be here at Kendal on display in the Craft Room on Friday, October 30, from 2 - 3:30 pm.
Come have a look at our present, past, and future.
Early Voting Has Begun!
Want to Vote Early?
Don’t Know How You’ll Get to the Polls?
Sharry Lukach Has the Answer!
Shelly Lukach was sandwich boarded on Friday. Her message was a simple one. Available: Rides to the Polls for Early Voting!
Here, again, are the days and times:
Thursday, October 29 3 – 8 pm
Friday, October 30 10 am – 4 pm
Saturday, October 31 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday, November 1 noon – 6 pm
Need a ride? Call Sharry: x 1322 or (917) 595-0845!
Election Night Watch Party
The Votes Will be Rolling In!
Planning to watch the election results? Join an evening of election watching, lively conversation, and community. Who knows what surprises the night will bring? What will the results mean for our country, our communities, and Kendal?
Let’s watch, talk, and find out together! Tuesday, November 3, 7:30 pm, in the GR
Weekly Construction Report
This is short notice, as the focus this week and next week will be finishing up the Palisades Dining Room and the new kitchen. The open house for both of those areas has been postponed until next Friday, October 30th. We are still working on escalating the pool issue again to the next level.
I know there are a lot of questions about when the Gathering Room and other areas will be open or closed. As frustrating as it is for you, it is as well for Administration as we go through our phasing issues. As of now, we are working to piece together all the moving parts to keep as much as possible in place for the next phase.
By the end of next week, you will receive a letter regarding dining on the opening and the process. The Palisades and the new kitchen are set to open either November 4th or 5th. We will let you know in the letter.
I will be trying to piece all this together over the next two weeks and reach out to certain committees. I know it is not the best answer for now, but I don’t want to give the wrong dates.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience. (Okay, not so short an update)
From the Office of Ellen Ottstadt
I Never Knew That
Sloths Can Take Up to a Month to Digest a Single Leaf
For a sloth, there’s no such thing as rushing through lunch — in fact, a sloth can take up to a month to process just one leaf through its digestive system. Their leafy diet is low in calories and difficult to digest, so they’ve evolved a slow metabolism and a digestive system that allows food to remain in the gut for a remarkably long time. Microbes help break down tough plant fibers and unlock nutrients and energy from the leaves they eat.
That slow digestion fits with the sloth’s energy-saving lifestyle. A sloth’s metabolic rate is just 40% to 74% of what would be expected for another mammal of the same body weight. Sloths conserve energy by moving slowly, eating relatively little, and spending much of their time resting. Because food can remain in the digestive tract for weeks, sloths typically defecate only about once a week.
Source: Britannica.com, “Animal Facts,” Kristina Wright
Contributed by Jane Hart
For Your Funny Bone
Contributed by Maria Harris
