What To Do: The Great Outdoors Fall 2016

What To Do: The Great Outdoors Fall 2016: This one’s for road warriors, bird watchers, family bikers, bi-athletes, orienteers, sailors and garden voyeurs. We mean that in a good way.

Schooner Soundwaters – Thurs-Sun, 9/1-25: The Schooner SoundWaters sails through September from Stamford’s Harbor Park Marina. The Schooner’s 2-hour family sails offer a hands-on educational experience for kids 5 & up. (Sat-Sun: 9/3-25: check times) Or pack dinner and your favorite quaff and watch the sun set on the horizon on a sunset sail. Sat-Sun, 9/10-25: 5-7pm. (Stamford Harbor Park Marina, 333 Ludlow St., Stamford; www.soundwaters.org)

6th Annual Church Tavern Biathlon – Mon, 9/5: 9:30am: This 7 mile bike and 4 mile run on hilly secondary roads, circles Truesdale Lake and offers a scenic vista of Lewisboro from Mount Church Tavern. Be prepared for a 602-foot ascent on the bike course and a 414-foot ascent on the run. There is also a run or walk only race. The race ends with a free BBQ, music from Quadrasaurus, a water slide for kids and medals for all. St. John’s Episcopal Church sponsors the race to benefit the Community Center of Northern Westchester and Puppies Behind Bars. PBB trains inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and law enforcement. (82 Spring St., S. Salem; more here.)

Bird Walk at Muscoot Farm – Mon, 9/5: 7:30am: Not up for the Church Tavern biathlon? You can take a more leisurely early morning bird walk with Anne Swaim, the Executive Director of the Saw Mill River Audubon Society, at Muscoot Farm. Visit the Farmers Market after the trek. (Muscoot Farm, Rt. 100, Somers; www.muscootfarm.org)

Local! Katonah Village Improvement Society 5K, Katonah – Sat, 9/10: 8am.: The KVIS 5K is staged to begin and end at the junction of Edgemont and The Parkway in the heart of Katonah Village. This event will also feature a 1 mile challenge for kids. For more info email katonahvis@gmail.com or check online: www.katonahvis.com)

Bicycle Sundays – Sun, 9/11, 18 & 25: 10am-2pm.: Bicycle Sundays return for three Sundays in September. Westchester County closes off a 6.5 mile stretch of the Bronx River Parkway for the exclusive use of bicyclists, joggers, scooters and strollers. Park at the County Center and take a 13.1-mile round trip bike road to Scarsdale Road in Yonkers.  www.westchestergov.com.

Local! Mt. Kisco 5K & Kids Mad Dash – Sun, 9/18: 8:30am: The 3rd annual Kisco 5K starts and finishes at Kirby Plaza at the Mt. Kisco Train Station. The Kids Mad Dash begins after the 5K finishes. Prizes for top 3 female and male runners and age group winners. (Kirby Plaza, Mt. Kisco; www.kiscorun.com)

Local! Jamie’s 5K Run for Love, Armonk – Sun, 9/18: 10am-12pm. This memorial run for Jamie Love who was a member of the Byram Hills cross country and track teams is part of the Armonk Chamber of Commerce’s Armonk Fall Festival. Events include: Petite Picassos 100 yd. dash for ages 2-8, the Monet Mile and Jamie’s 5K Run/Walk. Proceeds benefit children’s programs at the library. (Wampus Brook Park, 28 Maple Ave., Armonk;  www.armonkchamber.org) 

Local! The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days – Sun, 9/18: The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program offers three local gardens for public visits on one day. Including the Dick Button Ice Pond Farm at 115 June Rd., In North Salem that is featured in The Garden Conservancy’s new book Outstanding American Gardens: A Celebration – 25 Years of The Garden Conservancy. It features a valley with an Ice Pond, a stone wall that thinks it’s a roller coaster, an outhouse with a view, a vegetable garden, a smattering of stone, iron and other minor oddities (10am-3pm); The Garden of Bernard Marquez and Tim Fish at 74 Hemlock Rd., South Salem: Bernard and Tim, recently featured in Garden Design, present  a talk on Digging Deeper: Making Visual Sense of your Outdoor Space as you tour their grounds that feature multi-level gardens of uncommon boxwoods, conifer cultivars, annuals, perennials and artifacts. There are water elements, stonework and a view of the Pound Ridge Reservation. (1:30 & 3:30pm) The White Garden at 199 Elmwood Rd., Lewisboro (also featured in Outstanding American Gardens) showcases a native oak-hickory forest, a modern Greek Revival-style house, a classically inspired nymphaeum, a pergola garden, theater court, hidden annual and perennial gardens, a conservatory “jungle” garden, and an Asian-inspired moss garden. There are several water features, many sculptures, a Temple of Apollo on an island in the main pond, woodland walking paths, a brook and several glasshouses. (10am-3pm).  www.gardenconsvancy.org

Sarah Bishop Run 10K – Sun, 9/25: This challenging 10K trail race in North Salem’s Mountain Lakes Park traverses 1,000 acres of scenic woodlands, streams and lakes and offers beautiful vistas. The course features 1,000 feet of total elevation gain taking runners over Bailey Mountain – Westchester’s highest point. There is also a 2-mile walk/run called Sarah’s Scramble for kids, hikers and walkers. This event benefits Northern Westchester Hospital’s School Health and Wellness Programs. Arrive by 8:20am for a 9:00am, start. The scramble starts at 8:20am. (Mountain Lakes Park, 201 Hawley Rd., N. Salem; www.sarahbishop.org)

Local! Westmoreland Sanctuary Orienteering Challenge – Sat, 10/1: 10am-1pm: The ultimate in Treasure Hunts that’s perfect for families or groups. Westmoreland Sanctuary and Hudson Valley Orienteering all-levels orienteering challenge offers three courses for kids and adults from beginner through intermediate as well as advanced courses for experienced orienteers. All the courses run through Westmoreland’s scenic woodlands. Maps, instruction, training and refreshments are provided. Compass rentals available. Start times begin at 10am and the last start time is 1pm. The courses usually run from 1 to 1 1/2 hours to complete. (Westmoreland Sanctuary, 260 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Mt. Kisco; www.westmorelandsanctuary.org)

AHA Heart Walk with Support Connection at Kensico Dam – Sun, 10/2: 10am. : Dogs and strollers are welcome at this American Heart Association walk at Kensico Dam in Valhalla. Register onsite beginning at 9am.(1 Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla; heartwalk.kintera.org)

Armonk, Bedford, Chappaqua Schools Color Run, Fox Lane HS – Sun, 10/16: 8:30am. The Family Reach Clubs of Byram Hills, Fox lane, Greeley and John Jay High Schools color run is a 5K race (where you run through a mist of non-toxic paint). The event raises funds for The Family Reach Foundation (FRF) – a non-profit that assists families struggling with cancer. They have raised over $200,000 for FRF over the past four years. The event is followed by a block party with lots of food trucks. Register onsite. Read more.

Run the Farm, Muscoot Farm Sun, 10/23: 8-9am: 7th annual run the farm races include a tough (but scenic) 5 mile course through the woods; a 1.1 mile race for kids (7-12), and a .6 mile race for kids under 6. Runners receive farm bucks to use at the Farmer’s Market. Races start at 8:30, 8:45 & 9:30am. Please arrive 30 minutes before race start time. (Rt. 100, Somers;  www.muscootfarm.org)

Bedford Turkey Trot – Sat, 11/26: Billed as “the hardest 5K in New York”, the Turkey Trot raises funds for Bedford Community Table/Pantry. The course begins on Court Road at the Bedford Village Elementary School. The halfway point is at the top of Indian Hill Road – not for the faint of heart – and finishes at Bedford Village Memorial Park. Pre-registration required. 7am for sign-in. Walkers start at 8am, runners at 8:20 am. (Bedford Village Elementary School, Court St., Bedford; www.bedfordturkeytrot.org)

More stuff to do here.

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