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Bronx Week Hype and Psychedelic Commercial

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. kicked off Bronx Week 2012 on Monday with a celebration and press conference at borough hall. As you can tell by the video above, the Beep is all kinds of fired up about this year’s event, hyping the borough’s assets and attractions with some help from Montefiore’s Nicole Hollingsworth (the medical center is one of the events chief sponsors) and jazz artist Valerie Capers, a Bronx Walk of Fame honoree. The Bronx Brewery, Mike Greco from Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue and borough historian Lloyd Ultan also make an appearance. At the same time, Diaz’s team released its Bronx Week television commercial (below), which features shots of the Bronx and the BP framed by swirling, psychedelic graphics that may or may not cause you to travel into the future. Bronx Week officially starts Friday, May 12 and culminates with parade and festival on Mosholu Parkway, Sunday, May 20. For a complete listing of Bronx Week events, click here.

Painting for Pride (And Trash) in Oval Park

By Alex Kratz

[Slideshow by Adi Talwar]

Tristan Walker, a 7-year-old Norwood resident, doesn’t know what he would do if Williamsbridge Oval Park didn’t exist.

“It’s like the only park I go to,” he said.

Tristan, along with more than a dozen other kids and several parents and aunts, were in Oval Park Saturday, April 28, doing their best to keep their park clean and beautiful by painting garbage cans with colorful designs and constructing holders for dog waste bags.

Read more

Bronx Stars Recognized By Mind-Builders

By Destiny DeJesus

Alimi Ballard, has co-starred in Hollywood’s hit television show “Numb3rs” and the hit movie “Fast Five,” but he got his inspiration to act as a teen in the Bronx at Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center. At age 16, with his childhood friend Gilbert Glenn Brown, he toured New York City high schools, elementary schools, libraries and local theaters performing in plays with positive themes.

On April 16, Mind-Builders and the Coalition of Theatres of Color (CTC) saluted Ballard and Gilbert Glenn Brown at the Pregones Theatre in the Bronx as “Outstanding Alumnus of Mind-Builders” for their work in creating positive images for African American youth.

“It was 1989 and crack was king. Mind-Builders was the safest environment that I knew outside of my home,” Ballard said. “Mind-Builder’s changed my life completely.”

Read more

Bronx Notes: Your Guide to Bronx Week 2012

Bronx Week 2012 officially starts a week from today, Friday, May 12. Here’s a guide to all this year’s events.

PRELUDE EVENTS:

Centenarian Celebration
Come learn the secrets of long life from those who have lived to see an entire century. Join Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. as he commemorates the lives of those senior Bronxites who have turned, or will turn, 100 years old this year.

Date: Thursday, May 10
Time: 11 a.m.—3 p.m.
Admission: Free ticket for honoree and one guest, any additional guest is $30.
RSVP: (718) 590-6248

The 14th Annual Bronx Bankers’ Breakfast
Take the opportunity to connect with more than 400 leaders of the banking, business, real estate, and technical assistance industries at the 14th annual Bronx Bankers’ Breakfast. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will take the stage as this year’s special guest speaker along with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who will co-host the the largest networking event of its kind in the Bronx. The event is also hosted by the Business Initiative Corporation of New York, in partnership with The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Paint Williamsbridge Oval Park on Saturday

On Saturday at noon, the Friends of Williamsbridge Oval are holding a painting party in Oval Park and everyone is invited. They will be painting trash barrels with cool designs and constructing holders for dog waste bags. The Friends say “This is your chance to get involved, contribute to the park and meet great neighbors.”

If you have questions call (646) 938-0557, e-mail friendsofthewilliamsbridgeoval@gmail.com or check out Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval on Facebook.

Bronx Notes: Israel Independence Day Festival

The public is invited to the biggest NYC festival celebrating Israel Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Thursday, April 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 3700 Henry Hudson Pkwy. E. (Netherland Avenue). Enjoy food, music, rides, and much more. In case of rain, the festival will be held indoors. For more information, call (718) 590-6116.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

The public is invited to the biggest NYC festival celebrating Isreal Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Thursday, April 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 3700 Henry Hudson Pkwy. E. (Netherland Avenue). Enjoy food, music, rides, and much more. In case of rain, the festival will be held indoors. For more information, call (718) 590-6116.

Model Tyson Beckford Joins Bronx Walk of Fame

By Alex Kratz

Bronx-born Tyson Beckford, 41, one of the world’s most famous male models, will be inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame this spring. He rounds out a quartet of Bronxites that will be etched into borough history on May 20 during the grand finale of Bronx Week. The other honorees are jazz musician Valerie Capers, cinematographer Sol Negrin and hip-hop legend Fat Joe.

In a candid interview, shown in the video above, Beckford talks about how his brother was “gunned down” in the streets of New York (not sure about where this happened) and how fortunate he was to get into modeling and off those same streets. (He also talks about celebrity, how he talks to girls and the fact that he has between 300-500 pairs of sneakers that he’s never worn — and an entire room in his house dedicated to housing those unworn sneakers. He also says he doesn’t have Blue Steel pose, disappointing “Zoolander” fans everywhere.)

A favorite of gossip magazines and tabloids, Beckford, who co-hosts Britain’s “Next Top Model” reality show, recently made news for saying he “created” a career for his girlfriend, Victoria Secret model Shanina Shaik.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release the Bronx Borough President and Bronx Tourism Council sent out about Beckford earlier today: Read more

Bronx Notes: Community Board 7 Education/Libraries Meeting Tonight

Bronx Community Board 7 is holding its Education, Libraries and Cultural Affairs Committee meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. All are welcome to attend and participate. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Bronx Notes: Julia Alvarez at the Bronx’s ‘Big Read’

The public is invited to the Bronx Council on the Arts’ free kickoff event for “The Big Read in the Bronx 2012″ on Wednesday, April 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. at 2700 E. Tremont Ave., near Westchester Square. Excerpts from Julia Alvarez’s novel, “In the Time of Butterflies,” will be read and copies of the book will be given to all. Other “Big Read” related events, including readings, cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops and more will follow. For more information, call Maria Romano at (718) 931-9500 ext. 21 or maria@bronxarts.org or visit bronxarts.org.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Video: Bronx Artist Barbara Korman Talks About Her New Work

By Alex Kratz

Last week, we published a piece about Barbara Korman, a prolific, award-winning Bronx artist who lives in Bedford Park. She only recently began showing her artwork in the Bronx again after being absent from the Bronx art scene for more than a decade. (Many people will tell you there was no Bronx art scene until recently as several organizations, big and small, have started to collaborate on large-scale exhibits.) In this video, Korman talks about the process involved in creating her new nature-inspired installation pieces, which created using the branches of downed tree limbs. “Looking at Woods,” a collection of the “bundles” she created is now showing at Arts Westchester, 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY, until May 20. For more information, call (914) 428-4220 or visit artsw.org/sculpture.

Bronx Breakdown: Who’s the Most Popular Bronx Rapper of All-Time?

By Alex Kratz

I need to take this opportunity to acknowledge the newest member of the Bronx Walk of Fame, Fat Joe.

I led with the “Twinz” video from 1998 because (A) It features the late, great Bronx rapper Big Punisher (RIP), (B) It’s a 90s hip hop classic that possibly improved on another hip hop classic, “Deep Cover (187),” by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre (Snoop’s debut, in fact), and (C) Fat Joe’s line while the beat drops: “Creep with me / As a cruise in my Beamer / While all the kids in the ghetto call me Don Cartagena.” That always got me pumped. Classic. I can just picture an early 20s (then-Assemblyman) Ruben Diaz, Jr., who considers Fat Joe a friend, bumping this while rolling up to Albany for another productive session of the New York State Legislature.

Fat Joe’s pending induction led me to a couple of questions. Is Fat Joe the most popular Bronx rapper of all-time? If it’s not Fat Joe, then who is it?

Read more

Bronx Notes: Free Screening of Documentary about Cuban Musicians

With its 5th annual collaboration with the Havana Film Festival of New York, the Bronx Museum is presenting a screening of “Caminando Aragon, “about Cuban musicians from the group Orquesta Aragón, known as the “Kings of Cha Cha Cha.” (See video above) Every first Friday of the month, the Bronx Museum hosts free film and video screenings, art and music performances and much more.  Tonight, from 6 to 10 p.m., the Bronx Museum, located at 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, will be sandwiching the documentary between live performances and a Q&A with the film’s director.   Admission is free and all are welcome.

Below is tonight’s schedule:

6:00p.m. — DJ Asho spins Cuban Musica on the 1’s & 2’s
6:45 p.m. — Welcome Remarks
6:50p.m. — Screening of “Caminando Aragon” (52 min)
7:50 p.m. — Q&A with film director Tane Martinez
8:00 p.m. — Performance by Gerardo Contino y sus Habaneros
9:15 p.m. — Closing Remarks

Through the Woods, An Artist Returns to the Bronx

By Alex Kratz

When high winds ripped through the borough’s parks and wooded areas three years ago, most people saw devastation and thousands of downed tree limbs in the aftermath. Barbara Korman saw her next art project.

For the past three years, Korman, a native Bronxite who has lived in Bedford Park for the past 30 years, has gathered downed tree limbs, carted them back to the studio in her apartment near Mosholu Parkway and meticulously shaped and painted them into three dimensional installation pieces.

When put together on display, “it creates a sense of motion,” said Kathleen Reckling, the director of Arts Westchester, where Korman’s limb work is on display. “The way it’s formed, it seems like wind is blowing through them.”

Those pieces are showing this spring in a series of shows in Westchester and, for the first time in two decades, Korman exhibited her work back in the Bronx where the art scene appears to be taking off for, well, the first time ever.

Korman, who is coy about her age (an article in the New York Times from 1992 said she was 53 at the time), is one of the borough’s most accomplished artists. Her work has appeared in more than 100 exhibits at dozens of museums and galleries, including the Neuberger Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Grounds for Sculpture, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and Katonah Museum of Art, among others.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Free Tango Lessons at Lehman College

In collaboration with No Longer Empty’s exhibition, This Side of Paradise (see “Exhibits”), the Lehman College Art Gallery, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., invites the public to its free Tango Lesson, Thursday, April 19 at 12:30 p.m. Bring shoes that allow you to pivot: high heels for women, leather soled shoes for men are recommended. For more information, call (718) 960-8731 or visit www.lehman.edu/gallery.

For a listing of arts, recreational and entertainment happenings in the Bronx, visit or Out & About page, which was just updated today.

Riverdale C-Rock Jumpers Beat Heat and Heights

C-Rock from Eric Branco on Vimeo.

While we’re hard at working grinding out the next print edition of the Norwood News, take a look at this fantastic footage, set to an Arcade Fire song, of a Bronx/Riverdale right-of-passage: kids jumping off cliffs of various heights into Spuyten Duyvil Creek. It’s part of a documentary being developed by Jordan Roth and it just screams SUMMER! The Riverdale Press’ Adam Wisnieski wrote about the documentary and the tradition earlier this month. His story begins: “It’s called C-Rock. For generations, it has represented summer, freedom and a rivalry over who takes the steepest risks and who are the biggest wimps among local teens.” Enjoy.

Bronx Notes: Baby Laptime at Mosholu Library

Thanks to the tireless lobbying of Community Board 7 member Bree Brown-Rosa, the Mosholu Library in Norwood, 285 E. 205th St., will be hosting a Baby Laptime  program on Tuesday morning, April 17,  from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Here’s the blurb about it on the library’s website:

Join us for Baby Laptime, a program for infants up to 18 months and their parents/caregivers. Babies enjoy nursery rhymes, simple stories, songs, fingerplays, and movements. Pre-registration is required and is limited to 15 families.

You must register beforehand, by phone, (718) 882-8239, or in person, 285 E. 205th St. (near Perry Ave.).

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Bronx Notes: Planting at Williamsbridge Oval Park Saturday Morning

Saturday morning, April 14, at 11 a.m., the Friends of Williamsbridge Oval Park and Mosholu Preservation Corporation will be facilitating a planting and doing other beautification of Oval Park. They’re looking for volunteers to help out and everyone is welcome to participate. If you’re interested, meet at the North Entrance of the park (the side closer to Gun Hill Road). Other events at the Oval are being scheduled for the next couple of weekends. We’ll have more details next week.

For more info call the gardener, Janice: (646) 271- 4310.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Bronx BP Urges Fathers to ‘Take Action’

Two weeks ago, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. held a forum called “Bronx Fathers Taking Action.” Below is video from the event, courtesy of the BP’s press office.

The forum featured a discussion between a distinguished group of panelists that included Psychologist, Author and Talk Show Host Dr. Jeff Gardere; Eagle Academy President David Banks; FACE/NYC Department of Education Executive Director Jesse Mojica; Bronx Legal Services Attorney Nelson Mar; Social Work Director Roger Ball; and NYC HRA Office of Child Support/Enforcement Representative Jeneen Johnson. The discussion is being shown on Bronxnet cable channel and you can watch it online here.

Bronx Links, Tuesday

By Alex Kratz

Here are the Bronx stories (some important, some just funny) that we’re following this Tuesday. Weather: partly cloudy, high in the low-60s, showers possible this afternoon.

Take a look at this clip (above) from “Mama’s Boys of the Bronx,” the new reality show on TLC starring Bronx boys (we use this term loosely because these dudes are all 35-plus) who live at home. The show debuted last night. There is no truth to the rumor that Ronnie, the Bronx native and “Jersey Shore” cast member, has inked a deal to appear on the show 12 years from now.

An apartment fire in Bedford Park — at 165 E. 205th St. — took the life of an elderly woman who has been identified as Joanna Governali, according to dnainfo.com.

The Bronx arts scene is buzzing. (Bunch of artists Bronx artists quoted in the piece. One that was not quoted, but is featured in the lead photograph is Barbara Korman, a Bedford Parrk resident who will be featured in next week’s Norwood News. Her artwork surrounds Linda Cunningham at the BronxArtsSpace.)

The Bronx Psychiatric Center is again facing significant layoffs, due to deep cuts in Gov. Cuomo’s budget.

Bronx Councilman James Vacca, the head of the transportation committee, is pushing for new regulations that would allow people to re-use their muni-meter tickets elsewhere if there is time still remaining on them. The borough is scheduled to be completely muni-meterized by the end of the year. Also in this Daily News article: The city makes $600 million a year on parking tickets!

Police are looking for gun-wielding robber who is targeting Bronx beauty salons.

The Bronx’s Woodlawn Cemetary is the final resting place for a dozen Titanic passengers, Ida and Isidor Strauss, the owner of Macy’s, who gave up their lifeboat seats so others could survive. Friends of Woodlawn is holding a special Titanic-related tour on April 29.

Meet 102-year-old Bronx parking attendant Joe Binder, who has worked at Mario’s Restaurant for the past 25 years.

Port Morris is home to a couple of new “upscale” restaurants, including a new Asian-fusion joint where the old Alexander’s Cafe used to be.

Ed. note: Did we miss something? Send us a link in the comments section or by e-mailing norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Op-Ed: Livable Neighborhoods, Without the Gentrification Label

By Gregory Lobo Jost

It’s been almost seven years since the New York Times wrote about the south Bronx transforming into a hip and gentrifying “SoBro,” citing an influx of white residents, artists, croissants and mesclun salad greens. Just last month, the Times ran a similar article, by the same author, once again boldly declaring gentrification in the south Bronx – now on the lower Concourse.

Yes, according to the 2010 Census, there is some small statistical evidence of an increase in the number of white residents (up by about 500) in the lower Concourse area, though the sample white residents cited in the article work as a grant writer, guidance counselor and a schoolteacher.

The premise of both articles, though, is that these neighborhoods are now “livable” enough that white people would consider living there, even though many of the improvements and features of the neighborhood are made possible by longtime black and Latino residents, including those with higher incomes.  Keep in mind, however, that almost all of the population gains in the Bronx, including the south Bronx, are driven by huge gains in the Latino population, as new Latinos in the last decade outpaced new whites by a ratio of 35 to 1. This overall increase in the Bronx’s population would not have happened without new affordable housing projects popping up on remaining vacant land in the south Bronx.

What is most disturbing about these types of articles is the willingness to jump straight to the gentrification conclusion, with only the slimmest evidence of some factor that could possibly (but not necessarily) accompany actual gentrification. In doing so, the Times appears interested in propping up real estate values (or at least discovering the next hot neighborhood) without regard for the consequences their declarations could have.

Read more

Bronx Notes: ‘Home is Where the Bronx Is’ on Trolley Night

Longwood Arts Project will have its opening reception of “Home is Where the Bronx Is” tonight, Wednesday, April 4 from 5 p.m. to 9. in the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College, located at 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th Street). The opening will coincide with the April Bronx Culture Trolley, which rolls out on the first Wednesday of every month.  “Home is Where the Bronx Is”  will display the work by the 2010-2011 “Bronx Recognizes Its Own” (BRIO) award-winning artists. The exhibition will be on view from April 5 to June 6. Tonight, the Bronx Culture Trolley will depart from Hostos at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Passengers can view many cultural attractions and have the option of enjoying dinner and entertainment. Admission for both the gallery and trolley are free and all are welcome. For more information, call (718) 518-6728 or visit bronxarts.org.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Envisioning a New Bronx Side of the Harlem River

What do you want to see happen along the largely under-utilized Bronx side of the Harlem River?

Here’s your chance to voice your opinion.

Last week, the Harlem River Working Group and Bronx Council for Environmental Quality kicked off a series of three “community visioning meetings” at Hostos Community College, with two more coming up, starting tonight. The idea is to brainstorm new ideas and re-affirm old ideas for usage of the borough’s west coast and come up with a visioning document that will help shape future development. Anyone interested is invited to attend.

The next visioning meeting are: tonight, March 29, at 6p.m. at the Bronx Community College faculty lounge, located at 2155 University Avenue and next Thursday, April 5, at 6 p.m. at the Lehman College Music Building faculty lounge, located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West. Free food, translation and activities for children will be provided. To RSVP or for more information, call Chauncy at (646) 719-0034 or email harlemriver@bceq.org.

Bronx Notes: Bronx Real Estate Summit

The fourth Bronx Real Estate Summit is a twice-a-year presentation that will be held on Wednesday, March 28, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts located at 1040 Grand Concourse. The event begins at 8:15 a.m. with a networking breakfast and at 9 a.m. a panel discussion will take place regarding strategies for opportunities in Bronx development.  The Bronx Real Estate Summit will also highlight the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SoBRO), a not-for-profit organization based in the South Bronx.  The suggested contribution is $25. All ticket proceeds from the event will be donated to SoBRO. To register, go to www.bronxsummit.org.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

 

Bronx Stars of Tomorrow: Chess Master Justus Williams

In his first year as a teenager, Bronx native Justus Williams has already become the youngest African-American chess player to be awarded the title of Chess Master in the country, and he is the first to tell you about the hours of studying and dedication that he is continuing to put towards his game. Williams sat down with the Norwood News at IS 318, the Brooklyn middle school he attends, which boasts a nationally ranked chess team, to talk about his past tournament in Brazil, his favorite chess piece, and his secrets to match preparation.

You were just in Brazil for the World Youth Chess Championship, welcome back! How did it go down there?
It was very good out there, very hot. I got 26th out of probably 200 people. I was there for two weeks and I played one game a day and the games usually last somewhere between three and four hours with a 90-minute time limit per move. I played against a top rated player from Russia who was 14 and it was a draw (a tie). When I went to Brazil, all my opponents were from different countries. I prepared for each one so I wouldn’t be blindsided by their moves and so I wouldn’t get into opening trouble. When I go to continental tournaments I bring my own chess set because I feel more comfortable with it. The pieces are wooden and are not too big, not too small; I just like the way it feels.

How did you prepare for a game?
I look at my opponents’ past games, see what they’re good at and see what openings they had trouble with. I would build a database for them, and try to get the best position, so I felt that I had a good edge.

How did you begin playing chess?
It started at P.S. 70 (in the Bronx) with the Bronx Bomber chess team. I didn’t really know how to play, but my mom was just pushing me to do it. I moved to IS 318 (in Brooklyn) in 2009, because it would be a good chess team, and I felt that I should be challenged. I’m glad now that there are more people into chess than just me. Now, playing [with my classmates] is a challenge. I will probably win, but it’s challenging. I used to not study a lot, but now I’ve gotten more serious about chess and I’m trying to study an hour a day, like reading books and looking at top games. I used to just play in tournaments and think that it was helping me but it really wasn’t.

Read more

Bronx Notes: The Planting of the Green at Williamsbridge Oval Park

Tomorrow morning, Mosholu Preservation Corporation (the nonprofit that publishes the Norwood News) is holding a planting and clean-up event at Williamsbridge Oval. Those who want to participate in beautifying Oval Park should meet up at 11 a.m. at the park’s north entrance, between Putnam Place and Reservoir Place.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Bronx Week 2012 To Kick Off May 10

This spring, Bronx Week will start on May 10 and run through May 20, culminating, as always, with a weekend of festivities that will include the Bronx Ball, a parade  and street festival (usually on Mosholu Parkway) and inductions into the Bronx Walk of Fame. For updates on events and information on participating, go to ilovethebronx.com.

 

In Response to Bias Incidents, Fordham Students Demand Change

By David Greene

Fordham University students and alumni took to the streets last week to demand change in how the Bronx Jesuit school approaches multiculturalism and how it handles acts of racism and bias.

More than 150 students walked out of the Rose Hill campus on Thursday evening, March 9, after a series of hateful messages were reported at Rose Hill and the school’s Lincoln Center Campus.

Taking a page from the Occupy Wall Street movement, students used the “public microphone,” where the crowd repeats what a speaker is saying, to demand that the school’s administration re-examine its current policies on investigating and reporting bias incidents. Read more

Bronx Irish Heritage Month Celebration at Rambling House

Last Thursday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. hosted an Irish Heritage Month Celebration at the Rambling House in Woodlawn, the borough’s Irish enclave. Thanks to the BP’s office for putting together this video. As spokesman John DeSio would say: production value! Good work.

Bronx Notes: Saturday Flea Market in Bedford Park

The Bedford-Mosholu Community Association will host a flea market fundraiser tomorrow, Saturday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, located at Bedford Park Boulevard and Decatur Avenue.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

 

After Renovations, Poe Cottage Opens Its Doors

By Destiny DeJesus

Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, the small Fordham-area home in the Bronx where the famous writer spent the final years of his life, recently reopened after more than a year of renovation.

The 200-year-old cottage now sitting inside Poe Park, on Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse, was repaired due to the “wear and tear” of its interior and exterior, said Angel Hernandez, Bronx Historical Society’s education coordinator. The low-ceilinged house with petite-sized rooms received a fresh coat of paint as well as repairs to the stairs, cracks and holes in walls and even the rotting beams in the tiny kitchen.

“In total, the restoration cost $480,000,” said Franklin D. Vagnone, executive director of the Historical House Trust, which provided funding for the project along with the Bronx Historical Society and the federal government. Apple Restoration contracted out the work on the house.

The cottage was originally located on the other side of Kingsbridge Road, closer to what is now Fordham Road, and was moved to its current location in 1913. Poe lived in the Bronx at the cottage during the last years of his life, from 1846 to1849. He moved to the Bronx with his wife in hopes of saving her from dying of tuberculosis. (She died in 1847.) Read more

On Leap Day, Celebrating “LEAP Day” in the Bronx

For 34 years, the nonprofit group Learning through an Expanded Arts Program (LeAp) has provided music, dance, theater and visual arts programs at New York City public schools, including many in the Bronx. Last Wednesday, on leap day (Feb. 29), Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed it to be “LEAP DAY” in honor of the group’s contributions. In 2008, we wrote about how they worked with students at MS 399 to create their own superheroes.

Bronx Notes: Family Resource Day at Library Center, Saturday

The Bronx Library Center, at 310 East Kingsbridge Road, will hold a free family resource day on Saturday, March 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Pre-Function Lobby. Representatives will be there to talk about educational and child care resources as well as summer programs and to give out information to families. Workshops and activities will be available throughout the day along with face painting and give-aways for children. For more information and directions call (888) 469-5999 or visit www.nycchildcareconsortium.org.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Bronx Stars of Tomorrow: Q&A With Beauty Queen Claudine Williams

By Emily Piccone

Claudine Williams fell just short of her goal of becoming Miss New York 2012. But before the January pageant, the certified math teacher and Norwood resident sat down with the Norwood News to talk about her upbringing in Jamaica, her views on the education system in this country, and the stigma attached to beauty pageant contestants.

You are originally from Jamaica. How was the move to the Bronx?
I’m from Clarendon, Jamaica. It was amazing to grow up there. It’s nothing like here. We weren’t sitting in front of the TV, and we were so active in school. When I came here I wanted to go back, but I became a citizen over the summer, and now I live in Norwood.

Coming from Jamaica to the Bronx, how do the schools compare?
It’s different. In Jamaica we are way more advanced. They teach you college work in high school and it’s not easy to get a 100. When I came here they wanted me to repeat a grade, and when they gave me my schedule, the math was something that I had done in primary school. I complained about it, but I had to complete the Regents.

I graduated in May of last year. I went to Farleigh Dickenson for undergrad and graduate school in a five-year program. I did my bachelor’s in math and my master’s in education. Now I’m a certified teacher, and I just got a job. [She started working at a Bronx charter school in January.]

So what made you want to enter a beauty contest?
I just want to let girls know, you can do whatever you want to accomplish. There’s a stigma with pageants and slim girls. I want girls in the Bronx to know that it doesn’t matter — if you set your goals, whatever your heart desires you can accomplish. Read more

Bronx Notes: Hostos Looks Back at the ‘Battle Days of the Bronx’

Hostos Community College is presenting a panel presentation on the “Battle Days of the Bronx” tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, March 1 at 2 p.m. at the Savoy Multipurpose Room. Savoy is located at 149th Street and Walton Avenue, one block West of the Grand Concourse at 149th Street. Take 2,4,5 trains to 149th Street Grand Concourse. The presentation is free and open to the public. RSVP to ctl@hostos.cuny.edu.

The presentation is part of the Hostos Legacy Series, which aims to bring historical context to school’s founding and how the school has contributed to the Bronx community. Tomorrow’s event will include three presentations on (1) “Bronx Fires and Mayor Lindsay, 1966-1977″ by Hostos Prof. William Caspari; (2) “‘Fort Apache’: The South Bronx Battles Hollywood” by Prof. Matthew Flaherty; and (3) “Public Policy and the Shaping of the Bronx, 1934-1968″ by NYC DOE Teacher (Urban Institute for Mathematics) Matthew Foglino.

For more details on the presentations, see below: Read more

Rehabbed Poe Cottage is Once Again Open to Public

The fully refurbished Edgar Allan Poe Cottage on the grounds of Poe Park on Kingsbridge Road  is once again open to the public: Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, from 1 to 5 p.m. For background on the restoration work, click here. For more information on visiting Poe Cottage, click here.

Bronx Business: Fordham’s One-Stop Santeria Shopping Destination

By Marcos Sierra

Stepping into Original Products Botanica on the corner of East 189th Street and Webster Avenue, visitors are welcomed with the aroma of fresh herbs, smiling employees and Spanish-Caribbean music playing from overhead speakers. It’s an expansive 15,000-square-foot store housing a vast collection of items — from altar tools and supplies, to ritual and saint candles, tarot cards and everything else in between.

Original Products Botanica’s services to its customers go back a generation, to the early 1930s and Spanish Harlem, when waves of Caribbean citizens began to immigrate to the United States.

“At that time, there weren’t any companies that understood the demand for these types of products, and it created a niche for us,” said second generation co-owner, Jason Mizrahi. “It all began with my uncle and dad.”

Albert Amateau opened his store, M&A Amateau, on East 115th Street, between Park and Madison avenues, in an area that would be later established as La Marketa, an important social and economic venue for Hispanic New York at that time.

Armed with an unassuming smile and a Judeo-Spanish language known as “Oriental” Ladino, a 14th- and 15th-century Spanish dialect spoken in Turkey and Rhodes, Amateau was able to seamlessly blend into his surroundings and tap into a severely underserved market. With the help of his cousin, Jack Mizrahi, the company mushroomed into one of the largest religious and occult practice product wholesalers in the area. After a quarter century of profitability, Jack decided to branch out into another underserved marketplace — the Bronx. Read more

Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative — Apply Now Before Tomorrow’s Deadline!

Just two more days to apply to the spring semester of the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, the free high school journalism after-school program run by the Norwood News. We’ll be accepting applications until this Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Founded in 2008, the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative is open to any high school student who lives or goes to school in the Bronx. Spring classes will start at the end of February and are held every Wednesday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hostos Community College, on the Grand Concourse.

The course runs for 12 weeks, and teaches the ins and outs of reporting, writing, and photojournalism. Students work on their own articles (often story ideas they pitch themselves), which we then publish in Bronx Youth Heard, a special supplement we distribute in the Norwood News–meaning they will get a real news clip with a byline. Their work will be seen by thousands of readers and have an impact on the Bronx community.

We are looking for students of all academic abilities, but they should be highly motivated, love to write, be naturally inquisitive, and care about what’s going on in their communities. Click here to find out more about the program or to download an application form. If you have any questions, please call Jeanmarie or Alex at (718) 324-4998.

To check out some of the stories published by our fall semester students, click here.

You can also “like” the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative on Facebook! See what our current and former students are up to. Click here to become a fan.

Bronx Nabe Note: Human Rights Activist Speaks at Lehman College

Every weekday, we highlight a Bronx program, service, opportunity, public meeting/hearing or community event. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page.

Father Alejandro Solalinde Guerra, a Catholic priest from Oaxaca, Mexico, a leading advocate for the rights of migrants travelling through Mexico to the U.S., will speak in Lehman College Music Building’s East Dining Room on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, e-mail alyshia.galvez@lehman.cuny.edu.

Slideshow: The Bronx Celebrates Dominican Heritage Month

Last Thursday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. hosted a celebration in honor of Dominican Heritage Month. Our photographer, Adi Talwar, was there to shoot all the action, including performances, speeches, awards and, of course, Dominican food!

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