Thanks to more than fifty merchants, a supportive community, and a certain State Senator, the Junior League of Pelham’s First Annual “There is No Place Like Pelham Weekend” was a tremendous success. Co-Chairs Lisa Koonce, Patricia O’Byrne and Kara McLoughlin proved a town can indeed come together to make a difference.

The weekend kicked-off Friday, May 8, with a lit-up downtown where hundreds of Pelhamites came together to shop, dine and celebrate Pelham. Pelham’s Finest closed off to traffic the section of Fifth Avenue from the Gazebo to the Pelham Arts Center. As 7pm approached, Fifth Avenue came alive as families, friends, kids and merchants came out to support each other and our town. Merchants kept their doors open late, some set up tables along the Avenue; Wise Hardware sold rakes, Spun Sugar Bows sold – you guessed it – bows; the Black Squirrel sold men’s polo shirts; Depot Dave gave everyone a taste of his mouthwatering BBQ; the owner of the soon to be opened Bistro Rollin gave tours and a bar sold many pints of beer. All in all, more than fifty merchants participated and many expressed gratitude to the JLP for organizing this event and spoke about the positive impact on their businesses.

Music set the tone as the Pelham Jazz Ensemble played favorite tunes outside of the Pelham Arts Center while the Pelham Larks lifted spirits at Town Hall. Many families and groups ended the evening with dinner at a local restaurants, while others continued the evening with a screening of the new “super movie”: X-Men Origins: Wolverine at the Pelham Picture House.

Saturday, May 9th, nearly 200 Pelhamites woke up with a sense of purpose – Love Pelham, Clean Pelham! Volunteers armed with trash bags, courtesy of Garb-O-Liner, cleaned up Pelham’s schools, Town of Pelham Public Library, Weihman Park, Julianne’s Playground and the train station, where Senator Jeff Klein showed his support. Kids were out in galoshes splashing through the mud and proudly cleaning their own town. Let’s hope this is a life-long lesson in civic responsibility and tidiness!

Following the clean-up, the free 11 am screening of Goonies drew a crowd of 75 to the Pelham Picture House. Those who participated in the clean up received a ticket.

At a time that is economically stressful and unsure, friends, families and neighbors found a way to come together and support each other and to love Pelham.