In May 1904, Everett Lake Crawford bought the Satterlee farm in what was then the unincorporated part of the Town of Rye. With Edna Phelps Gregory, he turned it into Shanarock Farm and built a mansion there. More than a century later, that purchase is why Rye Brook gets two holiday tree lightings on the first weekend of December 2026, hosted by two different governments in two different parks.
On Friday, December 4, the Village of Rye Brook holds Winterfest at Pine Ridge Park. The next afternoon, Saturday, December 5, the Town of Rye holds Holiday Lights at Crawford Park. Two lightings is what you get when a village sits inside an older town that still owns a 35-acre park within its borders.
| Friday, December 4 | Saturday, December 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Event | Winterfest | Holiday Lights at Crawford Park |
| Host | Village of Rye Brook | Town of Rye |
| Location | Pine Ridge Park, 17 Mohegan Lane | Crawford Park, between North Ridge Street and Lincoln Avenue |
| Hours | 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. | 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., tree lighting at 5:00 p.m. |
| Listed highlights | Christmas tree and menorah lighting, ice carving, train rides, vendors, a guest from the North Pole | Selfies with Santa, food and snacks, crafts, live holiday music |
| Cost | Open to all residents | Free |
A Village That Still Lives Inside a Town
According to the Village's own history, it was the last unincorporated area of the Town of Rye and became a village on July 7, 1982. Port Chester had incorporated as a village back in 1868, and the City of Rye left the Town in 1942. Before 1982, the land that became Rye Brook relied on the Town for its services and administration. The Village's history page notes that Rye Brook residents still use Town facilities, Crawford Park among them.
The Town's role goes well beyond the park. The Town of Rye tax office bills and collects Town, County, village, school and assessment levies for both Port Chester and Rye Brook. Rye Brook's own FAQ sends residents to the Town for property tax and assessment questions, death certificates and marriage licenses.
So Rye Brook has two governments. The Village runs its own parks and events, and the Town runs the facilities it owned before the Village existed. In December, each one puts up a tree.
How Shanarock Farm Became the Town's Park
Crawford Park didn't end up with the Town of Rye by accident. Its ownership was written into Everett Crawford's will, and the handover played out over decades.
- 1904. Everett Lake Crawford buys the Satterlee farm in May. He and Edna Phelps Gregory create Shanarock Farm and build its mansion.
- 1960. Crawford dies in May. His will leaves the rest of the property to the Town for a public park and lets his wife live in the mansion for the rest of her life.
- 1971. The Town dates its ownership of Crawford Park to this year.
- 1973. After Edna Crawford's death, the Town takes ownership of the mansion and full care of both the mansion and the grounds.
- 1982. Rye Brook incorporates as a village, and the park stays with the Town.
- 1997. The Friends of Crawford Park forms as a volunteer nonprofit to preserve and improve the park.
When Rye Brook became a village in 1982, the Town had owned the park for about a decade. Today, according to the Town's Crawford Park page, the park covers more than 35 acres between North Ridge Street and Lincoln Avenue. The Town rents out both the park and the renovated mansion, which it describes as a historic, multi-use community center. A Town-owned park of that size, sitting inside Rye Brook, is what makes a second lighting possible.
Friday Stays in the Village's Own Park
Winterfest is the Village's event, so it happens in a Village park. The Village's parks page lists Pine Ridge Park's facilities as two Little League fields, four tennis courts, two and a half basketball courts and a playground. It's a neighborhood park off Mohegan Lane.
On December 4, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., the Village plans a Christmas tree and menorah lighting there. Its listing promises ice sculptures carved on site, train rides, vendors, "many other activities planned in the park" and "a special guest from the North Pole." The listing is addressed to "All Residents." It's a Friday-night event for the Village, held close to the homes it serves.
Saturday Draws From the Whole Town
Holiday Lights runs on a different model. The Town's 2026 announcement sets it for December 5 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., with the tree lit at 5:00, and says the event is free. The Town credits the setup to "our local volunteers and sponsors," who it says "turn Crawford Park into a dreamy Holiday Village every year," and calls the afternoon "our most anticipated community event of the year." The Town posted the announcement on October 10, 2026, and its page asks visitors to check back for updates on activities, vendors and the schedule.
Past lineups show how far Saturday's reach extends. The Town serves both Port Chester and Rye Brook, and its past programs pulled from both:
- 2024 performers included Ingrahm Taylor, the Blind Brook Middle School Band, Arts Rye Town and the Chordsmen, according to the 2024 Crawford Park program.
- 2024 sponsors were Central Tree, John Zicca, Friends of Crawford, Carver Center, the Chordsmen and Chef Cara Tannenbaum. Food vendors that year included Walter's, Captain Lawrence, Los Tres Tacos, Taconic Distillery and Knot of this World Pretzels.
- 2025 performers included Blind Brook Middle School musicians, the Port Chester High School Choir, the Port Chester Council for the Arts, the Zameck Singers, Kate Jaffee and Anthony Geathers, according to the Town's 2025 page. Carver Center was listed as sponsor.
- 2025 food vendors included Walter's, Captain Lawrence, Los Tres Tacos, Refinery, Abeetz and Taconic Distillery. The Town also thanked Central Tree, John Zicca, Friends of Crawford, Carver Center and Chef Cara Tannenbaum.
Those lists come from 2024 and 2025, and this year's lineup will be on the Town's page as it's posted. Still, the pattern is clear. Rye Brook school musicians have shared the bill with a Port Chester high school choir and a Port Chester arts council, and Friends of Crawford, the volunteer group connected to the park since 1997, has appeared among the names the Town thanks. Saturday is put together by the Town, so it draws on the Town's full footprint, the same footprint its tax office serves.
Fitting Both Into One Weekend
The two schedules don't overlap. Here's how they line up:
- Friday evening, December 4. Winterfest at Pine Ridge Park, 17 Mohegan Lane, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., with the tree and menorah lighting, ice carving and train rides.
- Saturday afternoon, December 5. Holiday Lights at Crawford Park, which opens at 3:30 p.m., lights its tree at 5:00 and wraps up at 6:30.
Friday's event runs at night and stays local to the Village. Saturday's starts in the afternoon and is built by volunteers and sponsors from across the Town. Between them, Rye Brook gets two separate tree lightings, a menorah lighting and two visits from Santa in about 24 hours.
Crawford Park Keeps Going After the Tree Comes Down
The Town's programming at Crawford Park continues past December. In August, the Town announced a 2027 winter concert series at the park with the Westchester Philharmonic, with performances on Sunday, January 31, Sunday, March 14 and Sunday, May 2. Details are on the Town's concert series page.
Those concerts are the clearest sign of what Crawford's will set up. The Town of Rye still runs Crawford Park, more than four decades after Rye Brook became a village, and its calendar runs alongside the Village's through the winter and into spring.
Whether you're heading to Pine Ridge Park on Friday or Crawford Park on Saturday, The TurnKey Team loves knowing the local history behind a neighborhood. If you're curious what your Rye Brook home might be worth, from Mohegan Lane to North Ridge Street, we'd be glad to put together a free home valuation that reflects the specific block you live on.