Storm Debris Pickup Ongoing, Christmas Carol Reading Planned

1. KMA hosts staged reading of A Christmas Carol

Actors from the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival will gather for a special staged reading of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol on Sunday, December 18, from 6-8:30pm at the Katonah Museum of Art. The press release for the event described it as follows: "In their trademark style that is closer to Dickens than Disney, the actors from the acclaimed theater company will take the audience on the long night’s journey from Christmas Past to that which is Yet-to-Come, bringing the text to life without extra frills." Click here for more info.

2. Gingerbread adventures at the New York Botanical Garden

I took my kids to this three years in a row and we had a great time. It's the perfect activity to do after preschool pickup. Children will have the chance to discover all the spices that compose a classic gingerbread recipe, plus decorate their own ginger cookie. And the Everett Children's Adventure Garden has a lot of hands-on fun activity. And the child-sized gingerbread outdoor playhouse in the Discovery Center Plaza is a great backdrop for Christmas card photos!

3. Storm debris pickup is ongoing

As per the town's highway department, debris (logs and brush) from the 10/29 snow storm are still being picked up. As of Tuesday, about 25 percent of residents have had debris picked up, according to highway officials, and the remainder of streets will be completed by January. Leaf pickup has begun and is also ongoing. The highway department doesn't have a definitive schedule of pickups by location because the unpredictable amount of debris and leaves vary from street to street. All loose leaves in designated hamlet areas must be out by December 5th. After December 5th, all leaves must be bagged. For more information, click here.

4. Town budget work session

There will be no town board meeting Tuesday night but council members will gather Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at town hall to discuss the budget.

5.Warm weather fading

The balmy temperatures we had for the holiday weekend through yesterday will start dropping in the next few days, and we're likely to get some rain, too, according to the National Weather Service. Showers may arrive by 5pm Tuesday, with an 80 percent chance of overnight thunderstorms.