In the upcoming weeks to Halloween, the Scarsdale Parks, Recreation, and Conservation department held an annual window painting contest for the children, teens, and the artistic parents of Scarsdale! The windows of multiple stores in Scarsdale are painted with Halloween-themed creative, funny, and scary designs. This year, this activity took place on October 17th with a thirty-dollar entry fee. Due to COVID-19, the activity was separated into morning and afternoon sessions as well as different groups according to grade. The participants were given a 17” x 27” window and required to bring their own art supplies. Stencils, felt tip markers, crayons, china markers, wax-based markers, glitter, glue, pens, a dark solid background, and pencils were not allowed. 

The contest has first, second, and third place winners, as well as a most comical award and honorable mentions for each group. There is also one grand prize winner for the whole event, which went to Isabelle Zhu for her painting at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “I find it as a fun tradition and more than a contest because to start, it’s so cool to walk in the village and Golden Horseshoe area and see your work on the windows of stores!” said Isabelle Zhu ‘25.  “Second, it’s very fun and I highly recommend trying it out even just for once. It’s bonding with friends and family and makes you feel connected to your community. It also gets you more excited for Halloween and the fall season in general!” she added.

The Halloween window painting in Scarsdale can be painted done, with a sibling, or with a friend. “During quarantine I gained interest in painting and have been doing Halloween window painting for a couple of years so I decided to sign up to perfect my skill. I found it as a fun activity to hang out with friends,” said Sydney Geringer ‘24, the first place winner for her age group. Overall, Halloween window painting is a great opportunity for one to show off their art skills, bond with the Scarsdale community, and have a blast!