Port Chester Day Shines After Last Year's Irene Delay

Hurricane Irene rolled through Westchester late last August and pounded the area with fierce winds and rain. Extensive flooding, damaged trees and downed power lines left thousands without power for days. It also delayed the summer tradition that is Port Chester Day.

“Port Chester Day is a good kick off to the new school year and it’s a last hurrah for the summer,” said Heather Krakowski, Recreation Leader of the Port Chester Recreation Department.

Port Chester schools got underway without the final celebration of summer last year. A year later, Mother Nature decided to cooperate and Port Chester residents got their last hurrah of summer on Saturday.

“Last year, Hurricane Irene was a major issue for everyone in the area but this year we have perfect weather.” said Assemblyman George Latimer.

There were clouds in the area and a chance for a shower on the radar but the day kicked off with sunshine and the weather held out.

“I am more than relieved about the weather,” said Krakowski. “After last year, people were calling me wondering if we were going to cancel because there was a chance for rain. The weather turned out to be better than I could have imagined. People are enjoying walking through the park and it has really just been a nice community day.”

Port Chester day is very family oriented and diverse. Music and flavors from different areas of the world are on display and it is a chance for the community to get together and enjoy summertime in Port Chester.

“Other than the weather last year, we’ve never had any kind of serious problems at Port Chester Day and I don’t anticipate any,” said Lieutenant Richard Conway of the Port Chester Police Department. “This is always a great event and with the weather holding up, this year things are fantastic.”

Fireworks were set off and Port Chester got to end the summer the way they wanted to, with Mother Nature’s permission of course. 

Here's a Patch of the day's festivities.