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- 💗 Loving Westchester's Weekend Stars: Shrek, Smokey & Songwriters
💗 Loving Westchester's Weekend Stars: Shrek, Smokey & Songwriters
Plus, trees are lighting up while the Blaze goes out & a beer lover's dream
Wes+Bec Willetts
November 14, 2025
Happy Friday, Westchester!
We hope you’re keeping warm out there. It really does feel like we blinked and went from pumpkins to Christmas trees with a quick Thanksgiving pit stop in between. Before we get into the good stuff, a small thank you — we’ve loved hearing about so many of you engaging with our partners. We only ever want to bring you things that add value, and your interest helps us do more of the things you actually enjoy.
From pumpkins on your doorstep to a cosy poker home game, the magic isn’t really in the props or the cards — it’s in what happens when people come together and remember to play a little. With Thanksgiving here, that spirit feels especially close.
We’ve pulled together some ideas if letting someone else worry about Thanksgiving appeals to you. We’d love to hear what your plans are.
Have a great weekend!
Bec+Wes
In today’s edition:
Featured events… a Grammy Living Legend visits Port Chester.
Kid-friendly fun… New York Knicks affiliate tips off in White Plains & it’s beginning to look like Christmas in Yonkers.
Grown ups & date nights… a weekend for all artistic tastes with a ton of comedy, a songwriters’ circle, opera & Grammy-winning jazz.
Live music beat… 13 gigs around the county across jazz, singer / songwriter, R&B and some Beatles, for good measure.
Stay out of the kitchen… stress-free Thanksgiving dinner at five top Westchester restaurants.
Eats-chester… we cozy up to one of the best burgers in the county at AJ’s.
Plus, a message from our partner, QueenBPoker. Book your holiday home or office poker game today!
On that note, if you’d like to chat about advertising with us, shoot us an e-mail at [email protected]. We love supporting local businesses and events.
Let’s go!
💓 The Pulse
Loving Westchester’s Featured Events!
Sat., Nov 15 | Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Elmsford | 1-6p | Tickets from $48.77
Captain Lawrence is throwing its 2nd annual Fun in the Fall Beer Fest with special brews from brewery guests Run & Hide, Wolf & Warrior, 18th Ward, Bronx Brewery, Yonkers Brewing Co. and more! Live music and games will entertain all day.
Sat., Nov 15 | The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester | 8p
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Living Legend Award winner, Smokey Robinson, graces The Cap stage as part of his Legacy Tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of A Quiet Storm.
Through Sun., Nov 16 | Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson | Check link for times & tickets
The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in Croton is open for one final weekend with availability through Sun., Nov 16. Catch their recently installed Thanksgiving display across from The Gourd & Goblet Tavern.
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📆 What’s Happening?
Kid-friendly Fun!
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🎄 Cross County Center’s Winter Fest
Fri., Nov 14 | Cross County Center, Yonkers | 6.30-8p
Catch the annual tree lighting tonight at Cross County Center in Yonkers with a visit from Mr. & Mrs. Claus, ice skating, a holiday food truck market, an electric train ride and roaming holiday characters.
Fri., Nov 14 | Westchester County Center, White Plains | 7p | Tickets from $20.95
The home schedule of the 2025-26 season kicks off for the New York Knicks’ G League affiliate Westchester Knicks tonight at the Westchester County Center as they take on Toronto Raptors affiliate, Raptors 905.
Sat., Nov 15 & Sun., Nov 16 | Westchester Children’s Museum, Rye | 9.30a-5.30p
Head to Westchester Children’s Museum’s Fall Fest Big Weekend featuring STEAM activities like digital jack o’lantern creation, DIY corn mazes, seed sorting & applesauce & cinnamon dough sculptures, plus theater games Saturday morning from 8.30-9.20a.
Sat., Nov 15 - Sat., Nov 29 | Yorktown Stage, Yorktown Heights | Times & tickets vary
Come catch a fairy tale classic when Shrek The Musical comes to Yorktown Stage for a seven-show run opening this Saturday night. Performances are for ages 3 and up.
🍁 Mount Kisco Farmer’s Market Fall Festival
Sun., Nov 16 | South Moger Ave., Mount Kisco | 11a-3p
Last call for Mount Kisco farmer’s market. Celebrate the final day of another season with their Fall Festival, listening to live music as you pick up seasonal produce & baked goods.
Grown Ups & Date Nights
Fri., Nov 14 | The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College | 7.30p | Tickets from $45.50
Three-time Grammy-winning saxophonist, Branford Marsalis, takes the stage at The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College with Justin Faulkner, Joey Calderazzo and Eric Revis as the Branford Marsalis Quartet.
📽 The Alamo Lighthouse
Fri., Nov 14 | Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers | 8p | Tickets $23
Alamo Drafthouse hosts one of its famous movie parties tonight with an interactive screening of Robert Eggers’ 2019 critically acclaimed film The Lighthouse, starring Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson.
Fri., Nov 14 | Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, Peekskill | 8p | Tickets from $48.50
Broadway’s Tony Kishman (Beatlemania) takes the stage at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, bringing Sir Paul McCartney’s legendary work to Peekskill.
Sat., Nov 15 | Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, Peekskill | 7.30p
Sharp-witted, veteran comedian Kathleen Madigan (seen on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee) brings her nationally-touring Day Drinking show to the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater stage.
Sat., Nov 15 | Bethany Arts Community, Ossining | 8-9.30p | Tickets $20
Heart & Beat Music presents a Nashville-style songwriters’ circle at Bethany Arts Community tonight at 8p, featuring Alex Radus, Colin McGrath, Lauren Minear, Brendan O’Malley and Siobhan O’Malley. Don’t miss this once-per-season show.
Sat., Nov 15 & Sun., Nov 16 | Tarrytown Music Hall | Check link for tickets & details
Tarrytown Music Hall hosts two weekend performances of Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, presented by The Taconic Opera and supported by a full orchestra under the direction of Jun Nakabayashi. Showtimes are Sat., Nov 15 at 2p & Sun., Nov 16 at 1p.
😂 Westchester’s Bringing the Laughs All Weekend
The Comedy Ward… feat. Ann Van Epps, Vic Cedeño & Alex Payne | Fri., Nov 14 | 18th Ward Brewing, New Rochelle | 8.30p | No cover
Westchester Comedy Club… feat. Billy Prinsell, Greg Kritikos, Joanna Ross, Joe Pontillo & Ben Rosenfeld | Sat., Nov 15 | Tre Angelina, White Plains | 8p | $25 cover, $20 food / drink minimum
TriState Stand Up… comedy open mic night | Sun., Nov 16 | Wolf & Warrior Brewing Company, White Plains | 6p | $10 bar tab minimum
The Beat
Westchester’s Live Music Scene
Thanks to our partner, QueenBPoker!
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🦃 Stay Out of the Kitchen
Can’t face the hours of cooking & cleaning this Thanksgiving? These top Westchester restaurants have you covered:
Goosefeather | Tarrytown
Goosefeather has a 3-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu with 4 shared side dishes, starting at $60 per person. Main course options include: Slow Roasted Herb Butter Turkey Breast, Cider Braised Pork Shank, Baked Halibut & Fried Cauliflower.
The Kittle House Inn | Chappaqua
Recently renovated Kittle House Inn has a 4-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu with 4 shared side dishes for $135 per person. Main course options include: Heritage Turkey, McFarland Farms Trout, Braised Short Ribs & Gnocchi Alla Romagna.
The Inn at Pound Ridge | Pound Ridge
The Inn at Pound Ridge is offering a 3-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu for $228 per person. Catch their special fall pies: Caramelized Apple, Chocolate Pecan, Spiced Pumpkin & Vegan Pumpkin.
Red Horse by David Burke | White Plains
David Burke’s Red Horse in White Plains hosts a 3-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu for $95 per person. The holiday menu boasts eight options to choose from for your main course, including: Classic Turkey, Butternut Squash Jumbo Lump Crab Risotto, Mustard Braised Beef Short Rib and a Surf & Turf option.
Moderne Barn | Armonk
Armonk’s Moderne Barn is offering a 3-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu with 4 shared side dishes for $135 per person. Main course options include: Traditional Roasted Turkey, Seafood Spaghetti, Orange Maple Glazed Duck Breast & Filet Mignon.
🍔 Eats-chester
If you’ve been with us for a few weeks, you might remember AJ’s Burgers from our favorite burger list. Missed it? Check it out here. It earned its place even though we’d only ever had it to-go. So, despite a recent torrential downpour, we bundled up the kids and finally sat down inside AJ’s.
The whole experience felt like sitting at your childhood dining table — the kind where someone who loves you puts down plate after plate of comfort. And from starters to dessert, they didn’t miss a beat. I’ve wanted to try their award-winning shrimp bisque for ages… the judges clearly knew what they were doing. The Caprese was fresh and bright, the burger was exactly what you’d hope for from a grill that’s always working, we shared ravioli in vodka sauce, and there were garlicky, truffle-kissed potato wedges I genuinely wished for a second stomach to finish. Every sauce you could tell was made from scratch with layers of ingredients and love put into it. And AJ — whatever magic you’re putting on that Club Burger, I need a lifetime supply. We took our desert to go because it was getting late and at that stage, had fed our little family into a coma… but it didn’t quite make it all the way home!
Our days are usually a blur of kids’ activities, running our own businesses, and a one-year-old who considers gravity optional. Grabbing takeout is often the path of least resistance. But sitting in that old-school diner space with its warm and cosy vibes, watching AJ chat with customers, and eating food straight from the kitchen reminded us how good everything feels when we’re out in the world together, devices down, sharing something real. We highly recommend you do that at AJ’s… and tell him Loving Westchester said hi, maybe he’ll treat you to some ice cream!
Thanks for reading Loving Westchester!
We’re really enjoying putting this together twice a week and hope you enjoy reading it. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again… we love to hear from you! You can reach us at [email protected].
Check us out on Instagram for additional highlights outside of our normal Tuesday & Friday e-mails and, as always, please send this along to a friend who’s always asking, “What’s going on this weekend?”
Until next time,
