Issue #028 · LatestSunday, October 11, 2026 · 90 percent rain today, clearing to 70 Monday · Little Haunters comes to Wildcliff · youth jobs deadline Wednesday
Is the New Rochelle haunted house too scary for kids? Little Haunters runs Oct 18 and Oct 31, a soaker of a Sunday ends in thunderstorms, and youth job applications close Wednesday
Free local email · Monday + Friday mornings · written by Alex Tiratsuyan · 4-minute read
The night version of the Haunt at Wildcliff Mansion has rules: ages 10 and up recommended, and nobody under 15 goes in alone. If your kid is younger, the city calendar now lists the way in. Little Haunters runs Sunday, October 18 at 11:00 AM and Halloween Saturday, October 31 at 4:00 PM at the mansion, 44 Wildcliff Rd. The city listing keeps it simple: no jump scares. Lighting, sound and fog stay on, and trick-or-treating waits at the end of the walk-through.
Adults get their own additions. On Saturday, October 17 at 4:30 PM, the 18th Ward Brewing taproom at 40 Division Street becomes a colonial tavern for one night, with the Tutti Bravi Singers, a sing-along and tavern games. And on Saturday, October 24, the haunt grounds host HAUNTFEST at 7:00 PM, with music, a food truck and vendors alongside the regular night haunt.
Check hauntatwildcliff.com before you go. The city calendar lists the sessions; the haunt site carries the tickets and prices.
Search answers
The questions New Rochelle searches this week, answer first, source after.
When does the rain end today?
Not soon. New Rochelle sits under a 90 percent chance of rain, and the steadier rain holds off until about 11 AM. The National Weather Service calls for half an inch to three quarters of an inch, with a high near 63. Tonight adds thunderstorms before 2 AM and gusts to 28 mph. Monday still carries a slight morning shower chance, then turns sunny and 70 by afternoon. No weather alerts were active for New Rochelle this morning.
The outlook moved since Friday's issue. Thursday's opening day still looks dry and sunny at 64. But the Weather Service now shows a 50 percent shower chance Friday and a 30 percent chance Saturday, which covers the MOTH Story SLAM, the makers markets and the Lynx tours. Five days out, those numbers will move. Build the rain plan now, then re-check the forecast Thursday morning.
When is the deadline for the New Rochelle youth jobs program?
Wednesday, October 14 at 4:00 PM. The Year-Round Youth Employment Program pays 17 dollars an hour for up to 18 hours a week, runs in 8-week sessions, and takes ages 14 to 20. Thirty applicants get in per session, and the city's income eligibility guidelines apply. Emailed applications will not be accepted, so file through the city's youth jobs page.
The last yard waste pickup of the season lands Saturday, October 24. After that, everything shifts to the fall leaf rules: biodegradable paper bags or open containers up to 75 pounds, set out separately from trash. Plastic bags and loose piles get left at the curb, and the city says they can bring fines.
The weekly rhythm, re-checked against the city notice: north end pickup runs Monday and Tuesday, south end Wednesday and Thursday, bags at the curb by 7:00 AM. If a holiday lands on your day, Friday is the makeup. Thanksgiving week has no collection at all.
The fine print, same as last issue: the notice on the city site is the 2025 posting, so confirm the details for your block with DPW before the first pickup. Sunday's storm will test all of it. The Weather Service puts up to three quarters of an inch on the city by Monday morning.
The state named New Rochelle a Silver-certified Climate Smart Community during Climate Week 2026, up from the Bronze level the city earned in 2023. The Department of Environmental Conservation runs the program, and Silver is its higher rung. The certification strengthens the city's case for state grants on flood mitigation, energy and infrastructure work.
The city also posted its 2026 GreeNR Annual Report. It tracks all 139 actions in the updated climate plan and counts more than 12.8 million dollars in recent grant investment behind climate and resilience projects. The report lives at engagenr.com/greenr.
AI Corner: one plain-English AI thing, every issue
This week: build the rain plan for ArtsFest before Friday.
Last issue had the AI plan your ArtsFest weekend. This week, give it the harder version, because the forecast turned. The Weather Service shows a 50 percent shower chance Friday and 30 percent Saturday. Try a prompt like this: "Here is the ArtsFest calendar: [paste it]. Saturday has a 30 percent shower chance. I have a 9-year-old. Pick three stops that still work if rain starts, mark each one indoor or outdoor, and give me the order plus walking or driving time between them."
The indoor-outdoor tag is the part that matters. Studios, galleries and library stops survive a shower. The car show, the makers markets and the Lynx deck tours do not. Then check the AI's picks against the real calendar at newrochellearts.org before you drive anywhere.
Reply with questions; they become future AI Corner topics.
Paine to Paine Trail Half Marathon, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, starts at New Rochelle High School, 265 Clove Rd; rain, 90 percent chance, up to three quarters of an inch
New Rochelle High School · city calendar and NWS
ITPS: Quaff and Quill with historian Richard Bell, 5:30 to 7:00 PM at 20 Sicard Ave; slight morning shower chance, then sunny and 70
20 Sicard Ave · city calendar and NWS
City Council committee of the whole, public hearings and Community to Be Heard, 3:45 PM at City Hall; mostly sunny at 70
City Hall, 515 North Avenue · city calendar and NWS
Deadline: Year-Round Youth Employment Program applications close at 4:00 PM at newrochelleny.gov/youthjobs; Toast 250! Tavern Night with the tall ship Lynx, 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Kenny's on the Water, 2 Pelham Road; HLRB meeting, 6:00 PM
Online, Kenny's on the Water and City Hall · city calendar and Youth Bureau
ArtsFest 2026 opens, running through Sunday, October 18, with FROG playing the kickoff concert; sunny at 64, the dry day of the weekend
Downtown · NRCA and city calendar
The MOTH Story SLAM, 6:30 PM at Trinity Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 311 Huguenot St; tickets 15 dollars at themoth.org; 50 percent shower chance
311 Huguenot St · city calendar and NWS
Free public tours of the tall ship Lynx, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Municipal Marina, free tickets at Hudson Park; Howl'oween dog parade steps off at 11:00 AM at Ward Acres; Colonial Tavern Experience, 4:30 PM at 18th Ward Brewing, 40 Division St; 30 percent shower chance
Hudson Park, Ward Acres and downtown · city calendar and NWS
Little Haunters at Wildcliff Mansion, 11:00 AM, 44 Wildcliff Rd, no jump scares, trick-or-treating at the end; Battle of Pell's Point reenactment, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, viewing from Orchard Beach; ArtsFest wrap-up at Echo Bay Yacht Club
Wildcliff Mansion, Orchard Beach and Echo Bay Yacht Club · city calendar and 250th announcement
City Council Regular Legislative Meeting, 6:15 PM
City Hall, 515 North Avenue · city calendar
Halfway to Earth Day Fall Festival, 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Ward Acres; United Nations flag raising, 5:00 PM at City Hall
Ward Acres and City Hall · city calendar
FALL-O-WEEN for Pre-K through 5th grade, 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Five Islands Park, LeFevre Lane; costumes encouraged
Five Islands Park · city calendar
HAUNTFEST at Wildcliff Mansion, 7:00 PM, 44 Wildcliff Rd, music, food truck and vendors; last day of yard waste collection
Wildcliff Mansion · city calendar and DPW
State of the City 2026, doors 6:00 PM, address 6:30 PM at the JCC Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Rd; RSVP at newrochelleny.gov/SOTCRSVP
