In lieu of an opinion column this week, this civic-minded News-Dog would like to take a moment to recognize some outstanding reasons to live in the Historic Northeast community.

We won’t so much do so in words but through pictures of three outstanding events that took place over the past week.

On Thursday evening, the annual Scare-It Halloween event took place at over 20 safe houses along Gladstone Boulevard in the Scarritt Renaissance nveighborhood.
Estimates put this year’s crowd a little above the 3,000 mark.

Then on Saturday morning, a small army of over 100 volunteers descended on Kessler Park and Cliff Drive along with Parks Department employees and cleared out mountains of trash and debris left throughout the woods near the abandoned city reservoir.

Also happening Saturday morning, the annual Cliff Hanger run along the Cliff Drive Scenic ByWay.

An estimated 600 runners and walkers gathered at the Colonnade in Kessler Park, then hoofed it for the 3.1 or 6.2 miles, all to raise money for Northeast Neighbor 2 Neighbor, a locally-based charity that assists low-income residents with medical expenses.

Almost immediately after the last runner departed, the first cyclists attending the annual Tweed Ride began to gather at the Concourse.

Most were dressed in turn-of-the-century attire with some riding vintage, balloon-tire bicycles, the group leisurely rode the six-mile circuit along Lexington Avenue through Pendleton Heights, down to Cliff Drive past the Carl DiCapo fountain, then back up the Gladstone Boulevard hill to the Colonnade.

So give yourself a big pat on the back Northeast. Congratulations and cheers for an outstanding weekend in the neighborhood.