Hope your Fourth involved more sparklers than flashlights. Mine came with a scare: a huge tree came down at the corner of my house (photo below) and missed it by just a couple of inches. In storm-related housekeeping, Port Chester's Independence Day fireworks celebration has been rescheduled for Friday, July 24, at Port Chester High School.

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Saturday night thunderstorms tore through the Sound Shore, cutting power to hundreds in Rye and tens of thousands region-wide, canceling Playland's, Port Chester/Rye Brook fireworks (and more for sure), and forcing health officials to close Coveleigh Club and other beaches over bacteria risk. Beaches reopen Thursday if the rain holds off. The storm proved bigger than forecast, with golf ball-size hail reported in parts of Connecticut.

The $383,000 renovation of Oakland Beach's outdoor showers was supposed to be done by Memorial Day. Then July 4th. Beachgoers are still relying on two shower stations at the park's entrances while the retaining wall and shower rebuild finish up. Town Administrator Debbie Reisner said permitting delays, not the contractor, caused the holdup, work paused for weeks awaiting a City of Rye building permit before resuming in late June.

Why it matters: it's the second missed deadline on a historic beach complex serving Rye City, Rye Town, Port Chester, and Rye Neck. No new completion date has been announced.

Heavy rain doesn't just knock out power, it closes beaches. Westchester County's health department preemptively shut Coveleigh Club and other Sound Shore beaches this week after 1.96 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, warning that bacteria from road runoff can make swimming unsafe after a storm. The closures, which also hit beaches in Mamaroneck and New Rochelle, are expected to lift Thursday, July 9, barring more heavy rain. It's the second time this summer the county has closed local beaches after a storm.

The proposal to tear down 2 Greenwich Ave, first filed this spring, got its first formal public hearing yesterday night. The Historic District Commission met to review plans from the building's owners to demolish the 1894 structure along with 10 Greenwich Ave and 10-12 West Putnam Ave, combining the parcels into a four-story, mixed-use building with 14 residential units and ground-floor retail. The developers say they'll reconstruct the corner "in its Tudor Revival spirit."

Why it matters: the building sits on the National Register of Historic Places but lacks a local Historic Overlay, meaning it has no formal protection from demolition. The proposal has already drawn a wave of letters and public opposition.

What to watch: whether the commission pushes for design changes before any final vote.

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Rye Arts Center's push to expand its Milton Road campus heads to the Planning Commission July 15. The zoning change would let the nonprofit grow its footprint for classes and performances.

Greenwich is expanding its food-scrap recycling program. Starting July 9, new 24/7 drop-off bins at Binney Park and Cos Cob Park let residents compost anytime, not just during scheduled collection hours.

Playland's ride lineup took a hit over the holiday weekend. Roughly 22% of rides sat closed for repairs, according to park ride-watch trackers, though the park stayed open daily.

Rye Brook's Ice Cream Friday tradition is back at Pine Ridge Park. Neighbors have been trading cones and catching up all summer; the next one lands July 10.

A Port Chester native published a book about guitar pedals as art. Chris Cassone's "Art of the StompBox" features 300-plus photos of pedal art from 60 designers across 18 countries.

I first met Bar Rosina's through a friend's recommendation (way better than online reviews). I got curious about the name and found out that the owners didn't want a generic one: Frank's mother, Rosina, had lived in the neighborhood for about 85 years, a fixture at the local bingo nights and Italian feasts. When she passed away, the three owners built the restaurant around her memory instead.

What they built is a straightforward, old-school Italian brasserie: hand-made pastas, up to ten rotating pizzas a day from a Pizzamaster oven, and appetizers worth ordering in bulk. For appetizers, I recommend the fried artichoke and the burrata toast with strawberries and brown butter. For the main, honestly, anything on the menu works. I've had pretty much everything already, and nothing has disappointed me.

Worth knowing:
230 Mill St, Greenwich.
Closed Mondays.
Patio seating with string lights, weather permitting.

Greenwich Sidewalk Sale Days
Where: Greenwich Avenue and side streets, Greenwich, CT 06830
When: Thursday, July 9 through Sunday, July 12. 9:30am-6:30pm (Sun 10am-5pm)
More info: greenwichchamber.com

Port Chester Concerts in the Park (season opener)
Where: Port Chester, NY (venue confirmed via Village Recreation)
When: Saturday, July 11
More info: portchesterny.gov

Crawford Park Free Concert Series
Where: Crawford Park, 122 N Ridge St, Rye Brook, NY 10573
When: Thursday, July 9, 7:00pm
More info: crawfordparkny.com

Movie Night in the Park: The SpongeBob Movie
Where: Pine Ridge Park, 17 Mohegan Lane, Rye Brook, NY 10573
When: Friday, July 10, 8:15pm-10:00pm
More info: ryebrookny.gov

Playland Friday Night Fireworks
Where: Rye Playland, 1 Playland Pkwy, Rye, NY 10580
When: Friday, July 10, after dusk
More info: ryeplayland.com

Rye Farmers Market
Where: Theodore Fremd Ave lot, behind Purchase St, Rye, NY 10580
When: Sunday, July 12, 8:30am-2:00pm
More info: downtoearthmarkets.com

Harrison Mobile Passport Event
Where: Village Green, Lake Street, West Harrison, NY 10604
When: Thursday, July 16, 5:00pm-8:00pm
More info: harrison-ny.gov

Harrison isn't just marking the country's 250th birthday, it's helping tell the story behind it. As Revolutionary Westchester250, the county's nonprofit history initiative, ramps up its semiquincentennial programming this July, the town is one of the local stops getting new tools to make its Revolutionary War history visible: free, GPS-enabled audio tours that narrate historic sites as visitors walk or drive past them, and a new printed map and guide to Revolutionary-era locations across the county, Harrison included.

The bigger regional moment: RW250 is coordinating with organizers extending New York City's July Fourth "Parade of Sail" north up the Hudson, hoping to draw tall ships, and the crowds that follow them, into the county's orbit.

It's a low-key rollout, no ribbon-cutting, no ceremony, just new signage and an app most residents will stumble into on a summer walk. But for a town whose Revolutionary-era history rarely gets top billing next to Rye or Greenwich, it's a chance to be found on the map, literally.

Did you know?
During the American Revolution, Westchester County was known as the "Neutral Ground"—a volatile, lawless buffer zone between the British-occupied New York City and the American-held territory to the north. Towns like Harrison, Rye, and North Castle were constantly subjected to raids, divided political loyalties, and chaos from roaming bands of loyalist and patriot militias.

his 2016 award-winning shingle-style home sits on one of the highest, largest lots in Lucas Point, a private waterfront association with its own beach, dock, and boat storage. Designed by Greenwich architect Steven Mueller, it has nearly 2,000 square feet of covered porches wrapping sunrise and sunset views of Long Island Sound. Just steps from Tod's Point.

$9,875,000
5 bed / 6 bath · 6,852 sqft
203 Shore Rd, Old Greenwich

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