"No money is involved – everything is free." That is the Town of New Castle's description of the Take It or Leave It Shed, the volunteer-run swap that sets up at the Chappaqua train station on Saturday mornings. The shed runs Saturdays from April through October, weather permitting. This year October has five Saturdays, and the last one falls on Halloween.
That date matters for more than the shed. Between now and October 31, the commuter lot off South Greeley Avenue hosts events from five different organizers: the Chappaqua Farmers Market, the TIOLI volunteers, the Town's Sustainability Advisory Board, Recreation & Parks, and the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce, which takes over the streets a block away. Nothing on the Town of New Castle community calendar suggests they planned it together. Taken together, though, the listings make the station lot the busiest public space in town for the next three weeks.
The Saturday Base Layer
Everything else builds on the market. The Chappaqua Farmers Market is in its 16th year in 2026. Its Saturday markets at the train station started in May, with more than 40 vendors plus local musicians and children's activities. The Town calendar lists the three remaining October Saturdays, the 17th, 24th and 31st, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The vendor roster on the market's homepage is dated 10.10.26, which was last Saturday. A few names on it, Fresh Meadow Farm and White Moustache Yogurt among them, are marked "back next week." The roster covers more than produce:
- Produce and fruit: Mead Orchards, Caradonna Farm, Fresh Meadow Farm, Obercreek Farm, Orchard Hill Organics, Stars of the Meadow, Titusville Farm, Tivoli Mushrooms
- Bread and baked goods: Bien Cuit, DoughCo Bagels, Noble Pies, Wave Hill Breads, Red Barn Bakery, Knot of this World Pretzels, Lagomberry Bakery, Norwegian Baked
- Protein and dairy: Pura Vida Fishery, Letterbox Farm, Maplebrook Farm Creamery, R&M Farm, White Moustache Yogurt, and Chaseholm Farm and Highland Hollow Beef through LeRoux Trading Co.
- Something to eat on the spot: Dough Nation Pizza Truck, Grumpy Dumpling, Empabake Empanadas, SOUPERNATURAL, Bonnes Saveurs, Wild Radish
- Coffee and drinks: Cano Coffee, Fairy Juice Bar, Rosina's Winery, The Spirits Lab
The market's community tables make it more than a shopping stop. The homepage lists a Pop Up Pantry, a SNAP matching program, Green Tree textile drop-off and food-scrap composting through Cultivate, the market's new hub for food, health and sustainability. The Altogether is listed to play at 10 a.m.
The Shed Runs on a Tighter Clock
The Take It or Leave It Shed sits at the first left after you enter the station parking area from South Greeley Avenue. Its hours are much shorter than the market's.
| Window | Hours | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Drop-off | 8:30 to 11 a.m. | New Castle residents only |
| Shopping | 9 to 11:30 a.m. | Anyone |
| Pack-up | Shortly after 11 a.m. | Volunteers |
| Market | 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Anyone |
The Town gives a practical reason for the residents-only drop-off rule. The shed has limited room, and anything not taken by noon has to be stored inside it. Shoppers may be asked to keep their visits short so everyone gets a turn. Children must be supervised, and the page asks that no dogs come along.
In practice, the two halves of the lot run on different schedules. Anyone who wants both the shed and the market has until roughly 11 a.m. for the first and two more hours for the second. Arriving at noon gets you the market only.
October 17 Adds a Car Show to the Same Morning
On Saturday, October 17, the Town's Sustainability Advisory Board adds an EV Car Show at the station from 8:30 a.m. to noon. It runs at the same time as both the market and the shed. The Town's flyer lists a Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Equinox EV, Rivian R2, Tesla Model 3 and Model X, Toyota bZ4X, Polestar 2 and Ford Mustang Mach-E, along with children's activities and owners on hand to talk about their cars.
That makes the 17th the fullest morning of the month at the station. Three separate events share one lot inside a three-and-a-half-hour window, and the market keeps going for another hour after the car show packs up.
That Sunday evening, October 18, the Town Recreation Field at 198 South Greeley Avenue hosts "Be the Light: Community Bonfire" at 7 p.m. The calendar describes it as an event to shine a light on suicide prevention, mental wellness and hope. The field is a short walk down South Greeley from the station, so the weekend's second event stays on the same stretch of road.
October 25: Recreation & Parks Takes the Sunday
The Ragamuffin Parade moves the station's weekend crowd from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. The Town Recreation & Parks listing sets it for Sunday, October 25. Lineup is at 12:30 p.m., the parade starts at 1 p.m., and activities run until 4 p.m., with November 1 as the rain date. The Town promotes a DJ, inflatables and crafts, and encourages costumes.
The Town's 2026 listing doesn't give a route. When Patch covered the parade in 2013, the route used Washington Avenue and South Greeley Avenue, and the carnival was on the train-station green. Treat that as history, not this year's plan.
The Saturday before, October 24, also runs late. After the morning market, the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center at 480 North Bedford Road hosts BoStyx, a tribute to Boston and Styx, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are listed at $50 to $65.
October 30 and 31: The Pattern Breaks Up
Halloween weekend shows how much depends on who is organizing.
On Friday, October 30, the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce hosts Downtown Chappaqua Trick or Treat. The action moves from the lot up into the downtown storefronts. According to the Town's event page, merchants hand out candy in two windows, noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Costumes are encouraged and no registration is needed. That page names one participant, Desires by Mikolay, which is running a first-come, first-served giveaway for moms. The page doesn't list the other participating merchants.
The next morning is Halloween, and it is also an ordinary market Saturday. The Town calendar lists the farmers market from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the TIOLI shed from 8:30 a.m. to noon on October 31. Because the shed's posted season ends in October, the 31st is its last scheduled Saturday of 2026.
The market keeps going. The Town calendar shows Chappaqua Farmers Market dates at the train station on December 5, 12 and 19, each from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market's own calendar page did not show dates when it was checked, so the December listings come from the Town. Those listings don't name an indoor venue. After Halloween, Saturdays at the station become a market-only morning. The swap, the car show and the parade are done for the year.
A New Name a Block Away
One more change is coming to the same corridor. Mona's Sandwich Co. is planned for 27 South Greeley Avenue, a short walk from the station. As reported by the Courier News in a September story first published by lohud, chef Duge Perlleshi is behind the eat-in and take-out shop, and it was expected to open within a few weeks. Lohud's fall openings gallery described its sandwiches as creative and listed it as a fall opening. Neither report gave a specific opening day.
The Month at a Glance
- Thursday, October 15, 7 p.m.: Jazz Series concert at Chappaqua Library
- Saturday, October 17, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Farmers market, TIOLI shed and EV Car Show at the station
- Sunday, October 18, 7 p.m.: Be the Light: Community Bonfire, Town Recreation Field
- Saturday, October 24: Market and shed in the morning, BoStyx at Chappaqua PAC at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, October 25, 12:30 to 4 p.m.: Ragamuffin Parade at the station, rain date November 1
- Friday, October 30, noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.: Downtown Chappaqua Trick or Treat
- Saturday, October 31: Market and the TIOLI shed's last scheduled Saturday of the season
The station lot and the blocks around it are where much of Chappaqua's public calendar plays out. If you'd like to talk through what's changing along South Greeley Avenue this fall, Andrea Weiss is happy to compare notes. Work With Andrea.
