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June 30, 2025
Dear Members of the North Salem Improvement Society,
After a great deal of thoughtful consideration, the trustees and officers of Improvement Society have decided that the time has come for the NSIS to reconsider being a stand alone organization and to hand over our few remaining community ‘improvements’ to other organizations.
So many of the environmental programs that we embrace and promote are duplicated by other organizations like the town’s Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) and Climate Smart Committee and even the North Salem Open Land Foundation. To that end we asked the CAC to carry on all the good programs that we started like electronic recycling and roadside clean-up and they agreed.
As for our beloved Christmas Eve event, we have asked the North Salem Historical Society (NSHS) if they would consider us merging with them as a special committee of NSHS for the continuation of this event and they have agreed. It is worth noting that the NSHS was originally established by the Improvement Society, and in many ways this transition brings things full circle. The Historical Society, with help from a group of our trustees through a transition period, will carry forward this wonderful tradition.
With these two commitments we anticipate everything will continue as usual, just with different organizations leading the way (and some of the same familiar faces!). This decision was not made lightly, but reflects a growing trend among community organizations to combine efforts and better serve our town through shared resources and unified missions.
We want to assure you that key NSIS traditions will continue – the annual Christmas Eve town-wide Celebration will live on, coordinated by a dedicated subcommittee of former NSIS members. Additionally, the Conservation Advisory Council will assume responsibility for our annual roadside cleanup—an event that has become a hallmark of community spirit.
At our meeting of June 30, 2025 the trustees voted to disband the society. See a copy of our resoultion attached. This was a difficult decision, especially following the recent and deeply felt loss of two of our most devoted directors. Their passing, along with changes in community dynamics and volunteer capacity, prompted us to reflect on the most sustainable and meaningful way forward.
We are deeply grateful for your support and participation over the years. The NSIS legacy will continue through the Historical Society, who will become the entrusted owners of 94 years of our Minutes, Agendas and Records. Some of us have been pouring over those records to prepare a “history” of this organization in preparation of a “celebration” and “remembrance” of our years of community work. We are pleased to let you know that the Historical Society will be saluting the Improvement Society at their annual meeting on Friday, October 24. Once the details on time and location are set, we will send you notifications.
We encourage you to stay involved as this new chapter begins.
With appreciation and warm regards,
Amy Post Scurlock (co-president), Cynthia Curtis (co-president and treasurer), Chrissanth Gross (recording secretary), Paul McCabe, Susan Baum Moyer, Gail Pantezzi, Lulu Pelosi, Dania Rusanov and Edris Scherer
The Trustees of the North Salem Improvement Society
Be sure to visit our Reduce Reuse Recycle page to find out WHAT TO DO WITH .....!
2025 GOAL - ALL ROADSIDES CLEARED OF LITTER BY EARTH DAY!
We did it...!
With the help of
the Town Conservation Advisory Council and the Climate Smart Committee
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NEVER OVER.
IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE TO "CLEAN THE ROADSIDES" WE ALWAYS HAVE A SUPPLY OF BAGS FOR YOU TO USE
THANK YOU
We now have a bin for Batteries and another one for holiday String Lights at the Town E-Waste bin.
Stop by the Town Clerk's office for the key.
See our ReDuce, ReUse, ReCycle page for what's acceptable and what's not.
SCROLL DOWN FOR A HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY TREE -- 1920s !
WHEEERRREEE'S the Bench?
Years ago we purchased two identical benches for the North Salem Holiday Tree site for community and Santa use. A few years ago one fell into disrepair, the castiron side broke, and the highway department carted it away. They actually tried to fix it for us but to no avail. We had parts and pieces to another bench, not quite the same but close enough, and master carpenter Peter Scurlock and his son Aaron spent hours powder-coating the cast iron, cutting new slats, and finishing a beautiful new bench just in time for Xmas Eve 2021.
While putting up the trees in 2022 we noticed the bench was gone! Unbelieveable. It weighed about 300 lbs. No one ever returned it. A sad day for North Salem; a sad day for all.
Christmas Eve 2025
Something special this year - instead of the usual fresh cut trees, we borrowed live, balled, five-foot Alberta Spruces from Hardscrabble Farms. They were carefully delivered to our site by Hardscrabble Supply and returned to Hardscrabble Farms once we finished with our holiday event.
We are proud to - ReUse and RePurpose - and save live plants!
Many thanks to Hardscrabble Farms and Hardscrabble Supply!
We were thrilled with the number of new residents and members who joined us on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at the beautiful home of one of our directors, Chrissanth Greene-Gross. It was a time to introduce ourselves to new folks who have moved into town, to reconnect with friends and neighbors, to hear a little about us and what we strive to do for our lovely town.
Left to right: Eric Tucker, Mrs. Tucker, unk, unk, Albert Lobdell, Mrs. Benjamin Van Scoy, Mrs. Tuttle, Mrs. Gilbert Lobdell, H. Hobart Keeler, Mrs. John Christopher, John Christopher
A History of the North Salem Community Christmas Tree
In the early 1920s two local residents (Thomas Hyland and Donald Torcellini) approached H. Hobart Keeler and asked permission to erect a Christmas tree on Mr. Keeler's property across the road from Mr. Hyland's home. They constructed a large tree out of fir branches in a chicken wire frame that could be removed after the holidays. The effort inspired Mr. Keeler to put in a permanent tree and he had the largest fir that could be moved transported from a nursery in Yorktown.
In 1926 H. H. Keeler deeded his quarter acre adjoining the old Clark Scott House to the Town of North Salem with the provision that the property could only be used for a Community Christmas Tree. Electric lights were used on the earliest trees and various members of the community would wrap presents to distribute to the local children. After Mr. Keeler's death in 1929 the maintenance of the tree was assumed by various community leaders and in the 1930s became the annual undertaking of the North Salem Improvement Society.
The original tree was over 70 years old when it succumbed to nature. Its successor was planted in the late 1940s and was utilized when the first tree had become too large to decorate. This second tree fell over in 1990 after a storm. A blue spruce once stood on the eastern end of the lot and was used for a few Christmases. In 1991 another tree was planted and dedicated in the memory of Harold Milligan who loved playing Santa Claus. On the night that Harold died, that tree was struck by lightning!
A succession of trees have since been planted and we hope that the latest will withstand the trials and tribulations that nature has wrought on our beautiful trees. A memorial plaque to H. Hobart Keeler, in recognition of the many services he provided to his community, is to be seen in the stone wall bordering the road. A plaque in memory of Harold Milligan is near the park benches and another plaque bears the name of Rohna McKenna, past president of the Society, who loved playing Mrs. Claus.
When Covid hit in 2020 the NSIS invited local community organizations to decorate six-foot trees that they provided. The historical society added the carollers!
Photo compliments of the North Salem Historical Society
If you missed our annual meeting you can access The Story of Plastic on any one of these
Subscription DiscoveryGo streaming; Amazon; Apple TV and Xfinity video-on-demand.
ANNUAL MEETING 2021
Thanks to all who joined us on Saturday, April 26, at the library for our annual meeting and 2021 Earth Day celebration. Andrea Good and Pam Pooley along with other members of the town's conservation advisory council gave a demonstration on how to properly remove invasive species and in their place plant native plants. A river beach and several perennials were planted behind the library with more to come. Joining us was Andrew Middlebrook from the Open Land Foundation with information on their Pollinator Pathway program. Photo by Tom Walogorsky of the North Salem News.
ROADSIDE LITTER CLEAN-UP
Kudos to all who hit the roads and collected roadside litter. We almost ran out of orange bags! But, we still have a few areas to do. Please let us know if you have time and need orange bags. We will drop off or make easy pick-up.
E-WASTE
We filled five bins with recyclable electronics. We are also collecting more information on what to do with microwave ovens, lamps, and other electronics that cannot go into the bins from the company the town selected. See our page Reduce Reuse Recycle for information on what to do with unwanted items you cannot recycle under the town's contract.
WHAT DO I DO WITH ??
To find out more about what to do with your unwanted items and waste materials, please go to our Reduce Reuse Recycle page. Learn what you can recycle weekly through the town's contract. See what is accepted at the town's E-Waste Recycle Bin. Find new places to donate gently used items you no longer want. Finally, what about all the items the town does not recycle? There are some tips on more recycling places. But first, sometimes it may be best to simply
Choose not to purchase products wrapped in plastic
Wash and reuse the plastic you already have
Carry reusable shopping bags with you at all times.
North Salem Improvement Society, P O Box 209, North Salem, New York 10560
northsalemimprovementsociety@gmail.com
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