Stand on the Bedford Village Green and look around. The 1787 Court House, the white clapboard along Old Post Road and the church-turned-exhibit hall at 608 all went up after the same summer day. On July 11, 1779, 400 horsemen under Lt. Col. Samuel Birch burned Bedford Village except for one house. According to the Bedford Historical Society's history of the town, everything standing around the original Green today was built in the years after the Revolution.
That history is worth keeping in mind this weekend. Westchester County's signature event for the nation's 250th, REV FEST 250, runs Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25, at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River. Every visitor will get there through Bedford. The festival takes place one town over. The parking, the shuttles and the oldest local evidence of the war are all on Bedford ground.
The Front Door Is on Railroad Avenue
The county is clear about one thing on its event page: there is no parking at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Visitors park at one of three off-site lots and ride a free shuttle that runs continuously. All three lots are in Bedford Hills or Katonah:
- Bedford Hills Train Station, Lot 4, Railroad Ave., Bedford Hills
- John Jay Homestead, 400 Jay St., Katonah. This is the ADA-accessible shuttle stop, and the county says this lot may close for stretches once it fills.
- Katonah Train Station, Lot 3, 50 Woods Bridge Rd., Katonah
The county's REV FEST FAQ asks visitors with accessibility needs to park at John Jay Homestead. Because that lot can close when it reaches capacity, anyone who needs the accessible shuttle should arrive early.
The timing works like this. Off-site parking and shuttles open at 9 a.m., and the reservation gates open at 9:30. From 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. there are stage performances, the British and Continental Army camps, exhibitors and food trucks. The Battle of White Plains reenactment runs from 3 to 4 p.m. The last shuttle back to the Bedford Hills and Katonah Metro-North stations leaves at 4:50 p.m. The last shuttle to the other off-site lot, John Jay Homestead, leaves at 5 p.m.
Admission and every activity are free. The county says more than 500 volunteer living historians from across the United States and Canada will portray Continental soldiers, British regulars, Loyalists, militia and civilians. The reenactment itself will be staged where Reservation Road meets Michigan Road.
The event has moved since last year. Westchester County announced the 2025 edition for Croton Point Park on the Hudson, September 27–28. This year's festival is in the northeast corner of the county, so its arrival routes run through Bedford's two train hamlets.
Saturday Afternoon at the Bedford Hills Station
The Town of Bedford Recreation & Parks calendar lists Trunk or Treat at the Bedford Hills Train Station on Saturday, October 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. That is the same station that holds REV FEST's Lot 4, on the same day. The town event starts just as the reenactment begins in Cross River, and it is still running when the final train-station shuttle leaves at 4:50.
Neither the town nor the county has said how the two events will share the station. Families who want both events can plan around the timing. One option is to arrive at REV FEST early, see the camps and the stage acts, and take a shuttle back before the battle starts so the kids are at the station by Trunk or Treat. The other option is to stay for the reenactment and accept that Trunk or Treat will be in its last hour by the time the bus pulls in. Parking at John Jay Homestead or the Katonah station leaves the Bedford Hills lot to people who are only coming for Trunk or Treat. Remember that John Jay Homestead may close for stretches when full.
Sunday is simpler. Bike the Park runs from 9 to 10 a.m. at Bedford Village Memorial Park, according to the town calendar. It wraps up at 10 a.m., the hour the festival opens. Sunday's stage program also includes a Hamilton sing-along from 1 to 1:45 p.m.
What 1779 Left on Old Post Road
The reenactment portrays a battle fought in White Plains. Bedford's own Revolutionary history is told in a smaller building that is open to visitors.
During the war, Bedford Village sat between the British and American lines, on ground considered neutral, until the July 1779 raid. According to the Historical Society's Court House walking tour, Bedford hosted court sessions and meetings of the county supervisors during the Revolution. After the burning, the courts moved to Upper Salem and returned to Bedford in 1784. A 1786 act of the legislature led to the Court House, which opened on January 28, 1788.
That building still stands at 615 Old Post Road as the Bedford Museum at the 1787 Court House. The first floor is the restored 18th-century courtroom, where cases were heard from 1788 until 1868. The Historical Society notes that county judges such as William Jay, son of John Jay, heard cases argued there by young lawyers like Aaron Burr. Upstairs, a local history museum includes what the Society describes as the oldest jail cell in Westchester County, about 105 square feet. The Town of Bedford owns the building, and the Historical Society maintains it. It sits within the Bedford Village Historic District, which is listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday's hours overlap with the festival, so Friday is the easier day for the Court House. The Society's own calendar lists the REV250 reenactment with its 612 Old Post Road address, but the event itself is at the reservation. The Court House is the place to visit before the weekend.
The Weekend in Order
Friday works well as the opening night. Saturday is built around the battle and the shuttle times. Sunday morning starts on the Green.
| Day | Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Noon–3 p.m. | Bedford Museum at the 1787 Court House | 615 Old Post Road |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Evening | Michael Wolff at the Bedford Playhouse | 633 Old Post Road |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 9 a.m. | Shuttles and off-site parking open | Bedford Hills Lot 4, John Jay Homestead, Katonah Lot 3 |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 10 a.m.–2:45 p.m. | Camps, stage, exhibitors, food trucks | Ward Pound Ridge Reservation |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 3–4 p.m. | Battle of White Plains reenactment | Reservation Rd. at Michigan Rd. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 3–5 p.m. | Trunk or Treat | Bedford Hills Train Station |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | 4:50 p.m. | Last shuttle to the train stations | Ward Pound Ridge Reservation |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | 9–10 a.m. | Bike the Park | Bedford Village Memorial Park |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | 1–1:45 p.m. | Hamilton sing-along | REV FEST main stage |
The Bedford Playhouse lists pianist Michael Wolff for October 23 in its jazz series. The Playhouse Café serves small bites along with craft cocktails, wine and beer. That covers dinner and a show without leaving the Green, a block or so from the Court House you visited that afternoon.
When the Encampments Pack Up
The festival lasts one weekend, but it sits at the start of a fall calendar with several fixed closing dates.
- John Jay Homestead Farm Market. With the Homestead house closed for historic restoration, the market operates in Katonah Village Lot 2 at 190 Katonah Ave. It runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through November 21.
- Bedford Playhouse, November. Hard Headed Comedy on November 5, Base Camp Parenting on November 10 and A Star is (Re)Born on November 15.
- Westmoreland Sanctuary Conservation Days. November 14 and November 29, 10 a.m. to noon, at the sanctuary on Chestnut Ridge Road.
- Mianus River Gorge volunteer day. On November 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers meet at the Gorge parking area across from 167 Mianus River Road to repair steps and trail edging before the trails' winter rest. The Gorge's event page says the trails close November 30, and it asks volunteers to bring their own lunch and gloves and to RSVP to [email protected].
- Bedford Playhouse, December. Jay Prince & Friends on December 2 and Liz Callaway's Stephen Schwartz program on December 12.
- Fezziwigs. The Bedford Historical Society holds it on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 6 p.m. at 612 Old Post Road.
The Court House museum's public season runs April through December. That leaves the Fridays and Saturdays between now and the end of the year to visit the courtroom built after the courts returned to Bedford following the 1779 burning.
Old houses carry history in their framing, foundations and later additions. In Bedford Village, that history often starts in the years just after 1779. If you own one of these homes and want to know how it would present in today's market, Jessica Cunningham brings a licensed home inspector's eye to older Northern Westchester homes. Get your free home valuation.
