Writer/editor/storyteller, bicyclist and hiker roaming the Hudson Valley on two feet and two wheels. Brum as in drum; not Blum or Broom.
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Articles by Robert Brum
Celebrating Port Chester Native Ed Sullivan and the Capitol Theatre
The name Ed Sullivan may conjure images of a rather stiff gentleman in a suit introducing novelty acts like plate-spinners, ventriloquists, and dancing bears. But come November, he’ll take his place beside the iconic musical acts he hosted on his long-running TV variety show when he’s inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Sullivan, who grew up in Port Chester, is receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes nonperformers for their role in shaping rock ’n’ roll.
Sleepy Hollow Street Fair Rescheduled for Nov. 8
Here’s hoping the third time will be the charm for the Sleepy Hollow Street Fair. After two successive weekend rainouts, the event, which draws some 20,000 people to the village each year, has been rescheduled to Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Beekman Avenue in the heart of the village’s historic downtown. Beekman Avenue will be closed to cars, creating a free, walkable Sunday for visitors to peruse arts and crafts stalls, food trucks and local shops with their doors propped open.
Teatown to Host Annual ‘Night in the Woods’ Gala
Teatown Lake Reservation, the 1,000-acre nonprofit environmental education center and nature preserve that stretches into Ossining and Yorktown, will host its annual A Night in the Woods Gala at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx on Friday, Oct.
Anthony Giaccio to Debut New Album at Sleepy Hollow Music Fest
Anthony Giaccio (2nd from right) and his band The Assortments will kick off the day on main stage at the Sleepy Hollow Music Festival. Photo: Anthony Giaccio Music Anthony Giaccio has released his third album, The Tide is Turning, showcasing his growth as a songwriter and a stronger bond with his band, The Assortments. The lifelong Westchester County resident’s been penning tunes since he was a teenager at Ardsley High School, culminating years later when he began assembling the band during COVID.
90s Rocker Art Alexakis on Rockin’ into His 60s with Everclear
Everclear Photo by Natalie J. Russell Alt-rockers Everclear are coming to town on Oct. 3 to headline the third annual Sleepy Hollow Music Festival, a daylong celebration of rock’n’roll embracing the Halloween season that’s made the village a worldwide destination.
Fade Out: Sleepy Hollow Cinema’s Strand Theatre Plans Dissolve
The curtain has come down on Sleepy Hollow Cinema’s plans to create a movie house in the Strand Theatre in the village’s downtown. The community-based nonprofit, which wanted to develop a one-screen theater in the historic building, collapsed amid a disagreement over the lease with the landlord, according to a letter sent to the cinema group’s donors. The century-old building on Beekman Avenue was purchased in 2025 by Lou Gruber for $1 million through Sleepy Hollow Long Table LLC.
Capitol Theatre Celebrating 100th Birthday With Tribute Concert Saturday
One-hundred years ago, the luxurious, ornately designed Capitol Theatre treated a sold-out crowd of 2,000 in Port Chester to a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by a 10-piece orchestra and the premiere of the silent film “The Sea Wolf.” Ticket holders who paid between 40 cents for a balcony seat and 75 cents for a box also enjoyed vaudeville acts including Lulu McConnell Co. Not so fortunate were the hundreds turned away at the door that Wednesday night in mid-August.
Marking 25 Years Since ‘Day that Forever Changed Our Nation’
The Rising at Kensico Dam Plaza, Valhalla. Photo: Westchester County This year marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center that took the lives of 111 Westchester County residents and 12 former residents, as well as those who later died of 9/11-related illnesses. Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins called 9/11 “a day that forever changed our county, and our nation.” Jenkins added: “Behind every name is a life, a family, and a story that was never the same.
Surhoff, Chong, Monk: How Their Legends Were Born
B.J. Surhoff (right) as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Photo: Manderson PR productions To anyone who’s followed local sports over the years, the names B.J. Surhoff, Art Monk and Saniya Chong are legendary. Surhoff, a Rye native, was a 1985 MLB top draft pick who went on to a standout 18-year career culminating with induction into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. Monk, a White Plains High School football standout, starred for the NFL’s Washington franchise during a Hall of Fame career.
Bridge Path’s Humps Create a Bumpy Ride for Cyclists
Hummocks – rounded mounds – dot the shared use path across the Mario Cuomo Bridge in this photo by Daniel Convissor of Sleep Hollow, director of the advocacy group Bike Tarrytown. Call them bumps, humps or hummocks: You’ve felt them underfoot or under your wheels on the Mario Cuomo Bridge’s popular Shared Use Path.
Briarcliff Mom’s App Takes Travelers Off the Beaten Path
Morgan Pile, a Briarcliff Manor mom and educator, recently launched the Pleasant Routes app. Contributed photo In 1982, William Least-Heat Moon published Blue Highways, recounting his trip through America’s small towns along secondary roads that steered clear of the Interstate. He relied on a Rand-McNally atlas to trace the rural roads printed in blue and avoid the red-outlined highways.
Lyndhurst Unveils Paula Hayes Garden Surrounding Restored Hudson River Overlook
Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown has unveiled the Paula Hayes Garden, a permanent land-art installation by sculptor and land artist Paula Hayes, enveloping a Hudson River overlook terrace, which explores issues of sustainability and climate change.
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Names New CEO
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which operates the Pocantico Center on the former Rockefeller estate in Tarrytown, has appointed Ian H. Solomon as the fund’s eighth president and CEO. Ian Solomon during the Dalai Lama Fellowship in Dharamsala, India, in March 2024.
$10M in County Bonds Issued for Teatown’s $23M Reboot
Teatown Lake Reservation has received financing through more than $10 million in tax-exempt bonds issued by the Westchester County Local Development Corporation to support the nearly $23 million campus renovation underway. The project includes the renovation of Teatown’s Nature Center and the construction of a 5,400-square-foot, leaf-shaped education center. Site work is in progress, with the grand reopening of the campus anticipated for mid-2027.
Seeking Deeper Consciousness at a Cortlandt Retreat
A steep, narrow road winds uphill from Quaker Bridge Road in Cortlandt to a century-old estate modeled after a quaint European farmstead. A towering archway opens onto a cobblestone courtyard surrounded by a stone- and wood-framed stable capped with a clay tile roof built for J.M. Kaplan, who owned Welch’s Grape Juice and later became a prominent philanthropist.
A.A.’s foundational manuscript coming home to Katonah
Notes and edits in the manuscript can be seen in this closeup. CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD 2026 By ROBERT BRUM The original manuscript for the publication that gave birth to the 12-step recovery movement is coming home to Stepping Stones in Katonah.
Renaissance Briarcliff Developer Eyes 2027 Launch
An exterior photo of Dow Hall, the 120-year-old centerpiece of the campus, taken in January 2026. Photo: Robert Brum The developer of the proposed Renaissance Briarcliff estimated his project to build 110 luxury townhouses and five single-family homes on the former Pace campus could start in mid-to-late 2027 subject to final approvals.
Tarrytown’s Jazz Forum Swings to a New Beat
How do you replace the founders of a popular free summer concert series and an acclaimed jazz venue when they’re living literally on top of you? For Jazz Forum Arts’ new Executive Director Darrian Douglas and Chief Operating Officer Clara Winder, it’s done by respecting your elders but opening the door to a new generation of enthusiasts for this uniquely American artform.
Repairs Coming to Route 9A in Briarcliff, Hawthorne
Work is expected to begin this summer to repair badly damaged sections of Route 9A stretching from just south of North State Road in Briarcliff Manor to the Westchester County Police headquarters near Route 141 in Hawthorne, according to Briarcliff Village Manager Josh Ringel. Route 117 from the Pace University’s entrance to Route 141 in Pleasantville is also included in the project, which is being overseen by the state Department of Transportation.
The Strand Theatre’s Past Meets Its Future
A booth hidden in a corner of Sleepy Hollow’s Strand Theatre holds a pair of 35 mm movie projectors, decaying film and empty reels from the 110-year-old building’s heyday. Weathered wood flooring stretching the length of the building’s cavernous upstairs recalls a short stint as a roller rink in the 1980s. Exam rooms and cubicles from the medical center that moved out in 2018 fill the ground floor of the structure at 80 Beekman Ave.
Teatown’s New Addition: Pond, Brook, Forest
Map of Teatown’s newly acquired 21-acre parcel along Blinn Road in Ossining. Image: Teatown Teatown Lake Reservation has purchased 21 acres adjacent to its preserve on Blinn Road in Ossining, an acquisition the nonprofit hailed as a milestone in securing critical habitat, wetlands and forest. The property includes a freshwater pond, wetlands, and predominantly forested uplands composed of native maple, birch, beech, and oak, along with a small hemlock grove.
Picasso tapestries, Martha Graham dance highlight Pocantico Center's summer season
This summer, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund presents a season of free and low-cost programming at The Pocantico Center in Tarrytown exploring themes of renewal and reimagination. Performances, tours, and exhibitions will bring new life to historic spaces, enduring artistic traditions, and iconic works of art. The season opens June 4 with this is the beginning, this is the end, a performance by renowned choreographer Joanna Kotze examining the cyclical nature of history.
The Gilded Age Glory of Walter Law’s $2M Estate
A visit to the eight-acre estate once owned by the business titan who founded the Village of Briarcliff Manor is like stepping back in time to the Gilded Age. The 15,000-square-foot stone mansion built by industrialist Walter Law in 1898 sits high atop Scarborough Road, home to famed estates once owned by the Astors, Vanderlips and Speyers. The estate is on the market for $1.9 million, listed by Jamey Gelardi of Houlihan Lawrence.
Briarcliff Pastor Faces Cancer With ‘Strength, Positivity’
Rev. Anthony “Tony” Karlik has helped his neighbors in the Briarcliff Manor and Ossining community face life’s challenges over the years. Now the pastor of Faith Lutheran Brethren Church and life member of the Briarcliff Manor Fire Department is facing his own challenge. He’s scheduled to undergo surgery on May 19 for bile duct cancer — a rare and aggressive form of the disease, his daughter, Laura Karlik said.
Summer at Pocantico: Martha Graham Dance, Shakespeare, Jazz Fest
This summer, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund presents a season of free and low-cost programming at The Pocantico Center in Tarrytown exploring themes of renewal and reimagination. Performances, tours, and exhibitions will bring new life to historic spaces, enduring artistic traditions, and iconic works of art. The season opens June 4 with this is the beginning, this is the end, a performance by renowned choreographer Joanna Kotze examining the cyclical nature of history.
Calling Women Cyclists: Velo de Femmes is for You
The Westchester Cycle Club is hosting its fourth annual Velo de Femmes on Sunday, June 7, to build community among women cyclists of all levels — from beginners to experienced riders. Participants do not need to be club members sign up to enjoy this day of riding and connection. The event begins and ends in Armonk and is designed to encourage more women to participate in recreational cycling in a welcoming, supportive environment.
Pocantico Exhibits Picasso Tapestry Renderings, MoMa Sculptures
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund will open two installations at The Pocantico Center in Tarrytown this spring that celebrate modern art, history, and collaboration. Woven Wonders: Kykuit’s Picasso Tapestries, an exhibition in the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico, spotlights eight large-scale textile renderings of Picasso paintings from Nelson Rockefeller’s collection.
A Welcoming Destination for Corporations and Celebrations
Aerial view of Windrose on Hudson’s 62-acre campus. Contributed photo A scenic campus in Ossining, once an exclusive corporate retreat, has opened its doors to the community for special occasions, vacations or an occasional morning cup of coffee. Windrose on Hudson, 62 rolling, wooded acres off Shady Lane Farm Road, is marking its second year following a re-branding of GE’s Crotonville Conference Center named for CEO, Jack Welch.
Mind Your Manors: Sleepy Hollow’s New Parking Rules
As far back as the 1950s, no-parking rules along the streets of The Manors enclaves in the village of Sleepy Hollow went more or less unenforced. That came to a halt April 22 when a new village ordinance went into effect limiting parking to three hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday in Philipse Manor and allowing unrestricted parking outside of the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. in Sleepy Hollow Manor.
Sister Act: Voices of Hope Behind Prison Walls
Jacqueline Wesley-Rose and Devonnee Wilkerson in a scene from Sister Act: The Musical at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility on April 9, 2026. Photo: Rehabilitation Through the Arts. A recent visit to the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility began with a body search, metal detector screening, UV hand stamp, and a walk through locked antechambers capped with razor wire.
The Star Next Door: Audra McDonald Shines at The Paramount
Audra McDonald took an adoring audience at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater on a journey through the Great American Songbook that touched on some of her most celebrated performances. The April 18 show at the Peekskill theater was a hometown gig for the Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning soprano, who joked that “it only took me eight minutes to drive here” from her home in Cortlandt Manor.
Hundreds Attend Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
The keynote speaker was Holocaust survivor Joseph Gosler. Contributed photo The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center and Westchester Jewish Council Annual Countywide Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemoration was held April 14 at the Garden of Remembrance in White Plains. An estimated 400 people including over 40 Westchester County elected officials turned out to hear a keynote speech by Holocaust survivor Joseph Gosler.
Peekskill’s Jeffrey Deskovic: A Journey from Jail to Justice
Jeffrey Deskovic returned to Ossining — just a mile from Sing Sing Correctional Facility — for the screening of a new film covering his release from prison after serving 16 years for a crime he didn’t commit. The film Sixteen Years documents Deskovic’s arrest, conviction and exoneration for the 1989 rape and murder of Peekskill High School classmate Angela Correa, whose body was found in the woods behind Hillcrest Elementary School.
Next up for Aerin Frankel: Pro Hockey with Caesar Salad on the Side
Following her Gold Medal performance at the Winter Olympics, Aerin Frankel is back in the goal for the Boston Fleet, her team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Photo: PWHL For Aerin Frankel, these are indeed salad days. Especially if you toss in a little romaine lettuce.
Audra McDonald: Life on Stage and in Northern Westchester
Audra McDonald, who will be performing at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill on April 18. Photo: Allison Michael Ornstein Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning soprano Audra McDonald makes a rare Westchester appearance when she takes the stage April 18 at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill. The Cortlandt Manor resident owns an unparalleled resume, including most recently her heralded Broadway performance in Gypsy.
Decorated Army captain receives Rockland County Freedom Award
Rockland County's 2026 Freedom Award has been presented to U.S. Army Captain (Ret.) Emily Klinkenborg, a U.S. Army Signal Corps officer who served on active duty with distinction, professionalism and leadership during assignments that spanned the globe. Klinkenborg's duty stations during her seven years of service included Korea, Kuwait and Hawaii.
Audra McDonald: Life on Stage and in Northern Westchester
Audra McDonald, who will be performing at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill on April 18. Photo: Allison Michael Ornstein Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning soprano Audra McDonald makes a rare Westchester appearance when she takes the stage April 18 at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill. The Cortlandt Manor resident owns an unparalleled resume, including most recently her heralded Broadway performance in Gypsy.
Sleepy Hollow Gets a Seat at the Table in Mt. Pleasant
The Mount Pleasant Town Board voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 10, to accept a settlement with a group of Hispanic Sleepy Hollow residents who alleged that its current at-large election system violates the New York Voting Rights Act. The settlement means that starting in the fall of 2027, the town’s election system will include a district that encompasses the majority of Sleepy Hollow, a village whose population is estimated to be more than half Hispanic or Latino.
Briarcliff Manor Public Library to Reopen by May 1st
The library is aiming for a May 1st reopening.Photo: Kim Naples The Briarcliff Manor Public Library will be returning to its permanent home at 1 Library Road this spring, with an anticipated reopening to the public by May 1, with the possibility of welcoming patrons even sooner. The shutdown to replace the building’s HVAC system began last fall, when the library moved to its temporary home at 555 Pleasantville Road in the Briarcliff Corporate Campus.
Ossining’s $21M Transit Hub Project Breaks Ground
Construction is underway on the Village of Ossining’s $21 million downtown Multi-Modal Transportation Hub, which is projected to add some 242 parking spaces, EV charging stations and E-bike rentals and repairs. The hub, on the site of the former Brandreth Street parking lot near Main and Spring streets, is intended to spur redevelopment and expanded park space in the southwest corner of the village’s downtown by freeing up space used for parking. Construction is estimated to take one year.
Historic Goldens Bridge estate’s future on the auction block
An exterior view of the home known as the Simeon Brady mansion in Golden’s Bridge. JIM BERGSTRASER PHOTOS The wine cellar in the mansion’s basement. By ROBERT BRUM The century-old yellow Greek Revival mansion in Golden’s Bridge known as the Simeon Brady Estate has a storied past and an uncertain future. Built around 1825 by Simeon Brady II and surrounded by iron gates and fencing said to have come from Tammany Hall, the estate once commanded a sprawling farm and a saw mill churning out apple cider.
Teatown’s EagleFest Lands at Croton Point Park
Teatown Lake Reservation welcomed crowds of enthusiasts to Croton Point Park on Feb. 14 for the 22nd Annual Hudson River EagleFest. The event celebrates the majesty of bald gagles during their annual winter migration along the Lower Hudson Valley with live bird-of-prey shows, educational exhibitions, crafts and games, food trucks and music.
Bad Bunny's Music, Impact Celebrated at Ossining Library
Book cover of “P FKN R How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.” The Ossining Public Library will celebrate the music and impact of Bad Bunny and the release of the new book “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became The Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance,” by presenting authors Vanessa Diaz and Petra Rivera-Rideau in conversation with CNN’s Sofia Sanchez on March 6.
For Sale: Church Where Washington Irving Worshipped
An exterior view of the historic church on Old Albany Post Road in Briarcliff Manor. Photo: Cushman & Wakefield The church in what is now Briarcliff Manor was first named St. Mary’s Church, Beechwood, before being renamed after St. Mary’s Church of Scarborough, England, according to “Our Village, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. 1902-1952.” The architecture was inspired by the English church.
Buffalo Soldiers: Courage, sacrifice and service
Three local veterans were recognized for their outstanding service during the annual Buffalo Soldier Award ceremony at the Rockland County Fire Training Center on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The 2026 Buffalo Soldiers Award was presented to Austin Hansen, Thomas Edward McBride Jr., and Douglas Dickerson for their military service. Jacqueline Anderson was an additional Honorary Buffalo Soldier Award recipient for her dedication to the program.
The Grand: Croton Cool, Brooklyn Hip
KJ Denhert and The Evening News on stage at The Grand in Croton-on-Hudson. Photo by Cara Politi If you stopped by The Grand in Croton-on-Hudson one night this winter, you may have caught a set by Brooklyn singer-songwriter Steve Gunn or were immersed in the sonic world of I Am a Snow Angel. On Wednesdays, a jazz combo or bluegrass band takes the stage. Fridays are reserved for all-ages-dinner-and-a-movie nights. Perhaps a bar mitzvah or wedding is being celebrated.
From Church to School: Ossining’s Historic Renovation
The Ossining Methodist Church in a 2023 photo by Robert Brum. How will the Ossining school district turn a 19th century church into a 21st century performing arts education space, while preserving the building’s historical character? The answers are being revealed during the design phase for the renovation of the former Ossining Methodist Church on Emwilton Place, which the district purchased in 2022 for $2.4 million.
Briarcliff Manor Mourns Trustee Malcolm Netburn
Flags in the Village of Briarcliff Manor are being flown at half-staff until Feb. 11 in memory of Trustee Malcolm Netburn, who died Feb. 5, the village announced. The cause was interstitial lung disease related to dermatomyositis, according to a memorial fund in Netburn’s honor set up by Columbia University.
Sing Sing Museum Compiling Prison’s Oral History
The Sing Sing Prison Museum in the Village of Ossining has begun collecting interviews as part of a multi-year Oral History Project on religion and incarceration. The museum is asking volunteers connected to the prison system, justice-impacted individuals, their family members and victims of crimes to complete an interest form on the museum’s website or share it with someone who may be a good fit. A small stipend is offered to those who participate in an interview.
Sleepy Hollow Officials Mull Police Commissioner Vote
The Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees has until mid-March to decide whether to allow a public referendum on creating a police commissioner’s position to run the village Police Department. A public hearing that began last September was closed at the board’s Jan. 13 meeting with no comment, and officials were given 60 days to vote on a resolution regarding the position. The next scheduled Board of Trustees meeting is on Feb. 10.
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