Wow…September has flown right on by and we now enter into one of my favorite months of the year. October brings with it beautiful foliage, amazing Farmers’ Market bounties, Oktoberfest’s Galore, my birthday month and, of course, Halloween!

And to get us started, it’s time to get spooky at this year’s Haunted Theatre. This Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop tradition is tons of Halloween fun. Please note, this is not recommended for children under the age of 13. Tickets are $12 for this event. Dates are October 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25.  You won’t want to miss this for a spooktacular good time!

The 2025 Unity Event is scheduled for October 4, 2025 from 11am till 3pm at the Creekside Park in Liberty. This fun-filled family day of community is sponsored by Sullivan Allies Leading Together, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Action Toward Independence, Liberty Police Department, Cornerstone Family Healthcare, Sullivan Central and Liberty Rotary Clubs, and Let’s Stop Stigma Sullivan County. This event is completely free. Come enjoy delicious food and giveaways (while supplies last), games, and dancing with a DJ. Come celebrate community, kindness, compassion and love together with our neighbors.

The Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce will hold its First Friday Networking Breakfast on October 3, 2025 from 7:30 A.M. – 9:30 A.M at Cornell Cooperative Extension Education Center, 64 Ferndale Loomis Road, Liberty, NY 12754. Start your morning with a delicious breakfast and the chance to connect with fellow professionals from across the community. It’s a great way to exchange ideas, share opportunities, and strengthen local relationships. For more information, please call 845-791-4200.

The Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre will host local vocalist and composer Mekayla Rayne for her first ever live concert! She will be on stage for one night only on October 3, 2025 at 7 PM. Mark your calendars, get your tickets and join in for a fun night of music and memories! Please call HPAC at 845-985-4722 for tickets or additional information.

For those who celebrate, Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Services will begin at 6:20 P.M. at Landfield Avenue Synagogue on October 1, 2025 with Morning Services to be held on October 2, 2025 starting at 9am. Yizkor will not be before 11:30 A.M. with concluding services beginning at 4:25 P.M. and Fast ending at 7:20 P.M. The Board of Directors will host a Community Break Fast immediately following services.

Leading the services and back by popular demand will be Rabbi Moshe Gitler who has dedicated his life to spreading the love, light and hope of Judaism everywhere he goes. He has been an inspirational chazzan for the past 9 years in Israel, Mexico and New York. Rabbi Moshe is also currently a Judaic studies teacher at Yeshiva of Flatbush High School. In addition, Rabbi Mendy Boteach will share the pulpit. Rabbi Mendy Boteach is an ordained Rabbi and the Chief English Speechwriter for the Speaker of the Knesset. He worked for years in pro-Israel advocacy and served as an emissary for Chabad in Germany and South Africa, and as an IDF soldier in Gaza and Lebanon.

Think you’ve got what it takes to be the trivia champ? Join the Liberty Public Library for its popular First Monday Senior Coffee Club Gathering Trivia Contest on Monday, October 6 at 10:30 AM, hosted by the always entertaining Doc Holiday! Featuring a wide range of questions, this event is perfect for trivia lovers of all levels. For more details call the library at 845-292-6070.

Happy Birthday to Dan Pariadiso, Cora Olsen-Williams, Mara Resnick (9/30), Donna Siegel (10/1), Nancy Katz Parsons, Roberta Byron-Lockwood, Jo-Ann Peabody (10/2), Sullivan County Treasurer Nancy Buck, Donna Wilson, Eileen Lungen, Colleen Barber (10/3), Jackie Seltzer Fine, Beth Lauri, Brooke Gordon (10/4), Joanna Gass, Louis Setren, Chuck Dorman (10/6).

And I would be remiss if I did not mention separately, a very Happy 100th Birthday on 10/3 to WWII Veteran, my former High School Science Teacher, and amazing human being Eugene Weinstein. Still attending Veteran Events, the outdoors, and his Eagle watching, Mr. Weinstein is an inspiration to us all. May you be like Moses and live to 120 in good health and happiness.

So – get out there and enjoy!  And, as always, just in case I really don’t “Know It All,” please keep me in the know by emailing me at LoriJames.SCDemocrat@gmail.com.