In short
The Pumpkin Walk returns to Founders Park October 26 through 28, free, with pumpkin lighting at 7 p.m. and reserved pumpkins due carved by October 25. The 2023 city election is by mail on November 21 with four candidates for three council seats, no primary, and a November 10 registration deadline. Secondary water shut off October 1, so sprinkler systems need winterizing. The Community Center gym is closed through October 21 for floor refinishing.
Dates and deadlines
- Oct 1 Secondary water shut off for the season. Winterize your sprinkler system now.
- Oct 5 Public Safety Jamboree, Syracuse Fire Department, 6-8 p.m., free.
- Oct 6 Halloween Paint Night, Syracuse Community Center, 6-8 p.m., ages 10 and up, $30.
- Week of Oct 9 Fire Prevention Week, this year’s campaign is “Cooking Safety Starts with YOU.”
- Oct 10 Senior bus trip to Tracy Aviary, $5, bus leaves at 9:30 a.m.
- Oct 10 RSVP by noon for the October 18 seniors lunch and bingo, 801-614-9660 option 1.
- Oct 10 and 24 City Council meetings, City Hall, 6 p.m., in person, by Zoom, or on YouTube.
- Oct 11 Kids acrylic paint class begins, Wednesdays 3:45-5:15 p.m. through November 1, $45.
- Oct 13 Night of the 13th, Equestrian Park, 6-10 p.m., tickets through eventbrite.com.
- Oct 14 Annular solar eclipse, Antelope Island Visitor Center, 9 a.m.
- Oct 18 Seniors lunch and bingo, noon, $2.
- Oct 20 Reserved Pumpkin Walk pumpkins can be picked up starting today.
- Oct 21 Last day of the Community Center gym and equipment room closure. It reopens October 23.
- Oct 25 Carved pumpkins must be dropped off at Founders Park.
- Oct 25 Meet the Candidates, City Hall, 6 p.m.
- Oct 26-28 Syracuse City Pumpkin Walk, Founders Park, 6-10 p.m., lighting at 7 p.m.
- Oct 27 Late Night at the Museum, Syracuse Museum, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
- Oct 29 Jr. Jazz basketball second session registration ends.
- Oct 30 Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Syracuse High School, 7:30 p.m., $2 suggested donation, costumes welcome.
- Nov 2-4 Junior Theater “Seussical Jr.”, SAA Antelope Campus, 7 p.m., matinee November 4.
- Nov 10 Voter registration deadline for the General Election.
- Nov 21 General Election. Ballots are mailed 21 days ahead, and in-person polls run 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Syracuse library branch.
- Nov 30 Green waste collection season ends.
Everything else
City Council At its September 12 meeting the council set the maximum allowable funding for Fire Station 32 construction at $13,000,000 and authorized lease revenue bonds for it.
- The council adopted edits to the city personnel policies manual, approved social media terms and conditions covering community expectations and moderation, appointed two members to the Arts Council, and adopted a proclamation naming September American Founders and Constitution Month.
- Interlocal agreements for the 2500 West Community Reinvestment Area were approved with Davis County, Davis School District, Mosquito Abatement District Davis, North Davis Sewer District, and Weber Basin Water Conservancy. The city says diverted funds go to infrastructure, improvements, and economic development without affecting individual homeowner property taxes.
- Code amendments covered animal control and kennel rules (aligned with Davis County), mobile business licensing, a new state law barring required building design elements on residential buildings under three units, and PRD side-yard setbacks, now a minimum 16 feet between primary structures and 8 feet from the property line.
- Firefighter Shay McGuire was presented with the designation of Utah Supervisory Fire Officer.
- Subscribe to the city’s Notify Me list for meetings and agendas at syracuseut.gov/list.aspx.
Election Four candidates are running for three council seats: Drake Mailes, Paul Watson, Julie Robertson, and Brett D. Cragun. Because there are not twice as many candidates as seats, there is no primary and all four advance. Details at www.SyracuseUT.com/elections.
- Voters must have lived in Syracuse at least 30 days. Questions go to City Recorder Cassie Brown, 801-614-9633, [email protected].
Water and utilities A cross connection between culinary and secondary lines can let polluted water or chemicals into the water supply. Culinary water must not be hooked to sprinkler systems, and a cross connection can carry a $1,000 per incident fine under City Code 4.15.450. Contact Public Works with questions.
- Green waste curbside collection is voluntary at $7.43 per month, added to your utility bill by calling 801-825-1477 option 2. The season runs April 1 to November 30 and is collected on your regular garbage day.
Recreation Adult fitness at the Community Center: HIGH FITNESS Thursdays 9 a.m. ($5 drop-in, $30 punch pass), STEP IT UP! Mondays and Fridays 9 a.m. and PUMP IT UP! Tuesdays 9 a.m. (both $3 drop-in, $20 punch pass). First class is free.
- Senior yoga is Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 a.m. and pickleball Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to noon, both free with a Community Center membership, otherwise $1.00 for ages 50 and up or $0.50 for 60 and up.
- Senior center game day, Think Tuesday, is free at 10 a.m. on October 3 and 17, and the senior book club meets October 17 at 2 p.m. at the Syracuse Library. Call the Community Center at 801-614-9660 for details.
City services The city is seeking a volunteer Youth Court Program Director, 5 to 10 hours a week including Thursday night proceedings, with training provided and some compensation possible. Apply at www.SyracuseUT.gov.
- Passport applications are processed at City Hall 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment only, 801-825-1477. Forms, photos, and payment by check or money order must be complete before 4 p.m. More at syracuseut.gov/158/passports.
- Report road, street light, sign, park, water, garbage, and code concerns through the REPORT A CONCERN icon on the city website.
Fire safety The Fire Marshal notes that carbon monoxide and smoke detector problems spike this time of year from dead batteries, expired detectors, and furnaces starting up. Test smoke alarms at least every six months and run a home fire drill twice a year.
- Cooking fires are the top cause of home fires and injuries, and unattended cooking is the leading cause. Stay in the kitchen, keep children and pets 3 feet from the stove, use a timer, and keep a lid nearby to smother small fires.
Mayor’s message The mayor writes that Syracuse should lean into Halloween rather than compete with cities that have spent decades investing in other holidays, and says the city has already seen a boost in October sales tax income. The Haunted House Decorating Contest returns and expands, and the Candy House Halloween Competition will have separate adult and kid categories. Signed Mayor Dave Maughan.
Schools Davis School District: first term ends October 18, no school October 19 and 20 for fall break, and October 23 is a professional day. Syracuse Arts Academy has no school October 18 and is on fall break October 19 and 20, with a Fall Market fundraiser October 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Campus amphitheater.
- Concerts: Syracuse High fall choral showcase October 4 at 7 p.m. and orchestra October 25 at 6 p.m.; Syracuse Jr High fall choir October 5 at 6 p.m. and band October 10 at 6 p.m., with a fall play October 26 to 28 and 30; Legacy Jr High band October 5 at 5 p.m. and choir October 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Library All events at the Syracuse branch, 1875 S 2000 W, are free: Beyond Books Haunted Spaces October 2, After Words Book Club October 5, a NASA Solar System Ambassador talk on the eclipse October 9, chess night October 10 and 24, Book Bunch October 12, LEGO at the Library October 19, and Beyond Books scratch art October 23.
Community and history The Pumpkin Walk grew out of a 1980s neighborhood pumpkin carving tradition at a family’s home and preschool, ran more than 15 years, ended in 1996, and was revived as a city event in 2000. It now draws 7,000 to 10,000 visitors a year, and Black Island Farms has donated 1,000 pumpkins annually for the past 15 years. Residents, families, and groups can reserve pumpkins to carve by calling 801-614-9660, option 1.
- A history feature covers the WWII prisoner of war camp at the Clearfield Naval Supply Depot, which held 500 German POWs transferred from Florence, Arizona to fill wartime labor shortages. Utah had 12 camps, prisoners earned 80 cents a day under Geneva Convention rules, and two who escaped on June 27, 1945 were caught two days later in Greeley, Colorado.
- An employee spotlight recognizes a firefighter and advanced EMT with more than 23 years of service to the city, who also helped teach Utah Fire and Rescue certification classes for Syracuse and neighboring city firefighters.
- A feature on local women hunters notes Utah’s Trial Hunting Program, open to residents and non-residents, which lets anyone over 12 try hunting for a few years while accompanied by a licensed hunter over 21 before taking a Hunter Education course. More at wildlife.utah.gov.
- A business feature profiles a fitness clothing and jewelry brand started by two young Syracuse residents, which has won local entrepreneurship awards and is now carried by a fitness retailer’s Farmington, Orem, and American Fork stores.
- The magazine’s annual readers’ favorites poll opens for voting November 1 at ConnectionPub.com/vote, with winners announced in the March 2024 issue.
Unofficial digest of a city PDF. The official version is linked below.
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