Peekskill Makes Me Merry. Bloggable Peekskill events keep washing over me, and I can't keep up. It's great to be busy - no complaints - but my writing time has been getting squished by income-earning activities. So I'm afraid I'm time-lag topical.
Once again the Peekskill BID is sponsoring (and co-sponsoring) three weekends of downtown holiday events. If you don't yet have your Peekskill Makes Me Merry button, you can pick it up at the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce. (I wear mine all the time - except for last Monday when Alexis asked me take it off for the super elite West Point Holiday Social. I admit it did look a little out of place with all the other insignia emblazoning the room...)
The first weekend already happened, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. Last Saturday BID director Jason Angell organized the first-ever Peekskill Kids Crawl. (OK, it wasn't called that, but it probably will be in the future.) Alexis and I had come up with this same idea two years ago - even naming it the Peekskill Kids Crawl - but we didn't have the time or energy to implement it. But Jason and the BID actually did it!
Peekskill has a lot of family-friendly offerings, yet previously we all had been working independently. Organizing an afternoon of visits to a sweeping variety of downtown Peekskill kid-oriented businesses was a fantastic start towards getting the word out that our city is not just for grownups.
Jason led the tour (parents and kids) which started at Be First Boxing then headed to Westchester Community College. Next, they came here, to my loft, where I presented a 20-minute magic show. Afterwards they headed to Orange Splot, the Treat Station, Kwan's Kung Fu, EMBARK Performing and Literary Arts (at their new home at Energy Movement Center), and Antonia Arts. THEN there was the tree lighting, with Christmas carols, free hot chocolate and cookies from Kathleen's Tea Room and THEN Santa arrived (on a BIG firetruck)! Kid Heaven.
It was a great beginning for what I hope will become a Peekskill tradition. Since it was the very first time, it was a learning experience and needs a little tweaking. Perhaps next year, rather than a guided tour (which was tiring for little kids) the offerings may be open during a specified time frame, with the kids and parents able to pick and choose a few favorite and intriguing activities.
This weekend - starting tomorrow - is the Art Crawl! It's co-sponsored by the BID and HVCCA. It's been exciting watching local artists creating installations in storefront windows all over downtown. The following weekend is the Santa Pub Crawl.
You see why I can't keep up...
