Friday, October 30, 2026
Roughly 120 people turned out to Sea Cliff’s Central Park for the Sea Cliff Civic Association’s annual Cider Social. According to President Ann DiPietro, it was the largest turnout the event has seen in years.
The Oct. 25 social was a multigenerational gathering on what DiPietro described as “a beautiful, beautiful afternoon.”
“That’s the little ones, the grown-ups, we had people that were grandparents,” she said. “A very wide age demographic attended.”
Civic association board member and Village Clerk Sarah Beaudin chaired the event, handling publicity and gathering refreshments. DiPietro estimated that the civic association began holding the annual social nearly 25 years ago.
At the beginning, the event including crafts and face painting. But as it evolved, DiPietro said, organizers found it was best to focus on cider, refreshments and Halloween-themed music.
“We realized that what people really wanted was an opportunity to show off their costumes and to chat with neighbors and to make connections,” she explained, “and there was no need for the crafts and so forth.”
Many attendees showed up in costume, dressed as witches, superheroes and characters from “Frozen” and “Bluey.” DiPietro described seeing people come together as “a fulfilling experience,” adding that the civic association’s goal is to get neighbors out of their homes and into public spaces.
“I just love all those sort of spontaneous connections that people make,” she said.
The civic association’s Halloween parade, chaired by board member and Village Justice Christine Abbenda Hughes, begins at Pirie Park at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
