Halloween tradition on hiatus

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This October, shop windows on Riverdale and Johnson avenues will be bare, a striking contrast to windows of yore adorned with zombies, witches, black cats and other Halloween staples. 

After over 50 years of hosting an annual Halloween window-painting contest, the Kiwanis Club of Riverdale will not hold the event this month due to dwindling participation in recent years. 

“It breaks my heart not to see it go on this year, but the amount of work, for 10 or 12 kids, is not worth it,” said Robert Rubinstein, the club’s vice president, who was chairman of the window-painting committee for 40 years. 

Mr. Rubinstein said that around 50 businesses participated in the festivities in years past, contributing money and window space for children from the area to paint Halloween-themed murals. 

Though most of the businesses that took part in the past were still open to participating, Mr. Rubinstein said it was a lack of student interest — or knowledge of the event — that led to the club’s decision.

At its height, over 100 local students participated in the contest. Children met on a weekend morning in October and had a set number of hours to paint their assigned windows, using washable paints mixed with Bon Ami cleanser to ensure easy removal. 

Judges from the club would review each window and pick five winners. The first place winner received a $50 prize. 

Other prizes included “best humor,” “best originality” and a prize for best overall painting. 

Some of the murals in the past even had social messages. In 2010, St. Gabriel School student Gillian DeBard painted the window of HSBC with a mural denouncing bullying. 

“The kids used to have a lot of fun. It’s a tradition, it’s like apple pie in Riverdale,” Mr. Rubinstein said. “But we don’t have any cooperation from the community.”

He lamented a lack of participation by local schools, which used to send groups of students to participate in the event. 

“They don’t realize the sense of community this has established,” he said. 

He hopes that next year, the Riverdale and Kingsbridge communities will rally to re-institute the contest. 

“[It’s] wonderful for the kids, and it’s an opportunity to paint… but the kids are few and far between,” he said.

Halloween, window painting, Kiwanis Club of Riverdale, Robert Rubinstein, Riverdale Avenue, Johnson Avenue, Maya Rajamani

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