Scarsdale Rocks Out at Village's First Music Festival

Event organizers ML Perlman and Marcy Berman-GoldsteinScarsdale Village was transformed into our own little Woodstock on Saturday September 14 when hundreds of rockers of all ages descended on the Village to hear some talented local bands, sample wines from the world over and feast from the food trucks. The concept of a downtown music festival was an ambitious one…. requiring funds from sponsors, a large stage and sound system, big tents, promotion, parking, and cooperation from Scarsdale Village government, the police and more. And if that wasn’t enough, just days before the event, originally dubbed “Scarchella,” the Scarsdale Business Alliance (SBA) received a letter from the Coachella Music Festival in California, asking for a name change for the Scarsdale event. Eager to avoid any legal challenges, the team worked quickly to change the name to the Scarsdale Music Festival and reworked all their branding and marketing materials to reflect this new name. Undaunted, they pulled off a perfectly executed day.

Who knew that Scarsdale was home to so many talented musicians, and these Randi Culang and members of Louise in Troublebands put on a great show from 12 to 6 pm on a big stage set up on Chase Road. Moms, dads, IT folks, realtors and high school students were just a few of the musicians we saw playing and singing on stage. We caught The Del Bocas, Louise in Trouble and Anytime – and if you didn’t know better you would think you were at a professionally produced rock concert. Fans danced in the street to The Del Bocas rendition of "Feels Like the First Time," and sang along when Randi Culang and Abby Sroka of Louise in Trouble harmonized their way through Lady Gaga's "Shallow." We can’t wait to hear more from these groups.

Erika Radin and The Del BocasThe music was just one attraction of this big event. Zachys “Wine Village” tasting tent covered Boniface Circle and brought vintners from the world over to the streets of Scarsdale. Adults – 25 and over of course –enjoyed white, reds and roses from California, France, Italy and even Argentina. It was perhaps Scarsdale’s biggest ever tasting.

In the family fun zone, kids were lined up to have their faces painted while others enjoyed hair braiding from Plush Blow, a balloon artist, bouncy castles and beading. There were two Gaga pits on site where kids were having a great time kicking around balls.

Running the show were Marcy Berman-Goldstein, owner of village store “I Am More Scarsdale,” and President of the Scarsdale Business Alliance along with ML Perlman who heads the Arts Advisory Council, Andrew McMurray from Zachys and Robert Shire.

David Raizen and Angela Manson with SVAC's newest emergency vehicle.We spotted David Raizen and Angela Manson from the Scarsdale Village Ambulance Corps who were proudly displaying their new emergency vehicle – part jeep and part ambulance- that can be driven in tough to access areas like golf courses, to help those in distress. The vehicle was purchased with a gift from Quaker Ridge Golf Club.

Also on hand were Village Mayor Marc Samwick, Deputy Mayor Jane Veron, Village Trustees Justin Arest, Lena Crandall, Seth Ross and Rochelle Waldman, Deputy Village Manager Rob Cole and Assistant Village Manager Ingrid Richards. SNAP, representing Scarsdale's Neighborhood Association was on hand with tatoos.

The Police Benevolent Association hosted a smoky barbecue where police were grilling up burgers and hot Jane Veron, Marc Samwick, Deb Pekarek, Susan and Seth Rossdogs. People stood on long lines to buy good eats from the food trucks offering sloppy joe’s, crepes, pizza and burgers, from the new Westchester Burger Company, soon to open on Garth Road. Local restauranteurs from Bistro 808 and Sapori also offered lunch and of course there was ice cream.

Madelaine Eppenstein and Michelle Sterling from the Conservation Advisory CouncilEven better, the Scarsdale Music Festival was a no waste event. Unlike other street fairs that result in huge mounds of trash, just about everything that was used on Saturday could be recycled. Food was served on compostable or recyclable serveware, and representatives from the Conservation Advisory Council were busy enrolling new participants in the Village’s food scrap recycling program.

It was a proud day for Scarsdale, and a joyous celebration for everyone who participated.

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Commenting on the event, Marcy Berman-Goldstein and ML Perlman said the following: 

Marcy Berman-Goldstein: "The Scarsdale Business Alliance believes that everyone in our community shares in the benefit of a thriving merchant community. We are thrilled with the overwhelming positive response from everyone involved in the event; attendees, merchants, sponsors, the Village Board, Staff, and Councils, community groups, and charity partners. The extraordinary turnout is exactly what this event needed to continue into the future, and we are grateful to have been a part of something so meaningful to our community. This event could not be possible without our sponsors who provided us every resource we needed to succeed; especially our presenting sponsor Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and platinum sponsors Zachys who were the first to join the event and Pepe Infiniti who sponsored the live stage and Houlihan Lawrence who sponsored the Family Fun Zone. The Arts Advisory Council assembled the local musical talent and we are proud to announce that the Conservation Advisory Council organized 40 local residents (including local students!) who made sure the event generated less than one bag of garbage - all waste from 3,000 attendees over 6 hours was either composted or recycled.

ML Perlman: "Like so many other attendees, I was filled with joy to spend the day with neighbors and friends of all ages. This event is the culmination of countless years of effort from so many residents and local community groups who have endeavored to provide structure and guidance toward a strategy for downtown vibrance and public engagement. Having the Scarsdale Business Alliance is a game changer for our community and this event is a direct result of their dedication to forging a meaningful program for compelling events in the public realm. As the Chair of the Arts Advisory Council, the Village Board has provided our council with the opportunity to advise them of opportunities for the arts to be more accessible to all residents - and having the SBA provides a valuable opportunity for the costs of this enormous undertaking to be subsidized by the generous support of the event sponsors. Two of our Arts Advisory Council members, Robert Shire and Lee Miller, organized the lineup of local Scarsdale talent and oversaw the production of the live stage program. This event demonstrates that the arts are an enduring shared value of our community and I look forward to seeing this event become a model for success over many years to come.”