Did you notice the Sound Shore Dispatch didn't hit your inbox the past 2 weeks? (I hope you did) I took some days off, that's the reason, and I hope you all had the chance to recharge too. 😎

Let's get back to it: Greenwich said goodbye to a 70-year-old middle school and hello to a $112 million one this week, last days of summer, a marine rescue, a senior-living expansion clearing a major hurdle, and a fresh wave of boutiques on Purchase Street.

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Greenwich cut the ribbon Monday on its new $112 million Central Middle School, replacing a building that served the town nearly 70 years. Students arrive Friday. "Today we bid a fond farewell to our old school," said Building Committee Chair Joe Rossetti, as demolition began next door.

Why it matters: it's the costliest school project in recent Greenwich history.

Summer is basically over: Port Chester's last 8 p.m. sunset happened back on Aug. 10. Since then, the region has been losing a few minutes of daylight every evening, a slide that continues clear through Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year. Sound Shore actually loses its long evenings earlier than most of the country. Sit near the eastern edge of the Eastern time zone at this latitude, and the math just doesn't work in our favor the way it does for the South and West, where plenty of metros held onto 8 p.m. sunsets past Labor Day.

A few places never even lose them: parts of southeastern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and all of Hawaii see the sun stay up past 8 p.m. year-round.

Why it matters: that stretch of after-dinner light on the beach or the back deck is already shrinking, whether the calendar agrees or not.

Rye's Planning Commission approved The Osborn senior living community's sweeping expansion plan last week, a goal CEO Matt Anderson has pursued since 2018. The 56-acre campus will add independent living buildings, a new assisted living building, a wellness center, cottages, and underground parking, its first major update in more than two decades. "Perspectives change rapidly in senior living," Anderson told the Rye Record. "It became clear our goal goes beyond the word 'expansion.'"

Neighbors raised concerns over tree removal, wetlands, and traffic during a lengthy hearing process, though the Commission found no significant environmental impact.

Why it matters: Anderson estimates it's still two years to groundbreaking, but after nearly a decade, The Osborn is finally moving.

Applications to fill two Republican seats vacated by Board of Education Chair Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony and member Wendy Vizzo Walsh closed Monday, Aug. 24.

The board now moves to candidate interviews, aiming to seat two new members, both required to be registered Republicans, by Sept. 2, ahead of the year's first BOE meeting on Sept. 3.

Why it matters: the district heads into a heavy budget and building-committee season with two empty seats it's racing to fill before students are even back.

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Rye Marine Police rescued three people Sunday after their boat sank off Manursing Island, the department's second water rescue in as many weekends. Crews pulled eight passengers from a sinking vessel off Long Island just a week earlier.

Rye novelist Annabel Monaghan's new book, "Dolly All the Time," just landed a movie deal. It's the latest sign of Hollywood's growing appetite for the local rom-com writer's work.

Greenwich's Fifth Element Academy opened a new martial arts studio this month, built around high-level training for students at every skill level. It's the latest addition to the town's growing fitness scene.

North Street in Greenwich fully reopens to traffic Friday, Aug. 28, ending a long closure tied to the North Street Bridge replacement project.

Rye City Schools named retired NYPD detective Erik Green its new director of security, overseeing safety planning as 22 new faculty members join the district for the year ahead.

The storefront at 544 Milton Road cycled through MKT and, before that, Cornerstone Caterers, until Bronx restaurateur Joe Fiore spotted a gap Rye didn't know it had. A year later, Antonio's Italian Deli & Market has settled into exactly what Fiore pictured: the town's closest thing to a real Italian deli, a role once held loosely by Bobby D's, back when Frank Barone ran the kitchen.

Fiore, who also owns Antonio's Trattoria on Arthur Avenue, built an old-school deli inside: hanging sausages, copper ceilings, exposed brick, and shelves stocked with Borgatti's pasta, imported oils, and cured meats sliced to order.

Worth knowing: 544 Milton Road, Rye. Mostly takeout, with a few outdoor tables, and the lines haven't let up a year in.

Collective Soul.
The Capitol Theatre, 149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester.
Friday, Aug. 28, 8 p.m.
thecapitoltheatre.com

Playland Friday Night Fireworks.
Rye Playland, 1 Playland Pkwy, Rye.
Friday, Aug. 28, 9 p.m.
playland.com

Greenwich Point Comedy Night.
Greenwich Point Park, Greenwich.
Saturday, Aug. 29, 6 p.m.
greenwichct.gov

Down to Earth Rye Farmers Market.
Theo Fremd Ave, behind Purchase Street, Rye.
Sunday, Aug. 30, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ryechamberofcommerce.com

Music in the Park.
Pine Ridge Park, Rye Brook.
Sunday, Aug. 30, evening.
ryebrookny.gov

Harrison Summer Concert Series.
Ma Riis Park, downtown Harrison.
Monday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.
harrison-ny.gov

Where Sam Goody and a rotating cast of bank branches once anchored downtown Rye, a wave of independent clothing shops now draws crowds thick enough that parking disappears by midday. Retailers nationally closed more than 7,300 stores in 2024 alone, but Rye Record reported that Purchase Street is bucking the trend, and business is booming.

The shopkeepers bring resort-town instincts, honed on Shelter Island and Martha's Vineyard, to a year-round Main Street. Tim Baxter, who opened Baxter four months ago, keeps it simple: "It has become very difficult for people to shop and buy clothes, so the idea is we make it very simple for people to pop in." Down the block, Betsie Carroll's boutique, The Stand, skips e-commerce entirely. "You can find stuff everyone has anywhere. You can just go online," she said. "I'm trying the old-fashioned way."

About 30 to 40 percent of shoppers come from neighboring towns, drawn by what Carroll calls "making a day of it." Locals, it turns out, are still the backbone of Main Street.

Set on 5.89 private acres at the end of a tree-lined lane, this 1903 estate got a full remodel in 2023 while keeping seven fireplaces, a tree house, a tennis court, and a stone tower that once supplied the home's water. It's zoned for the Harrison school district and has sat on the market since June, longer than most comparable Purchase estates.

$4,595,000
15 Sarosca Farm Lane, Purchase (Harrison), NY
7 bed / 9 bath · 9,549 sq ft

View listing

— $ 1,000 or less
— $ 1,000 - $5,000
— $ 5,000 - $10,000
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👉 Vote here

Last edition's poll results: Where have you spent, or are you going to spend, your summer vacation this year?

Here in the US — 44%
Going to Europe — 44%
I'm staying home this summer — 11%

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