Onstage

The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road hosts Percussionist Wilson “Chembo” Corniel and Grupo Chaworo, concert on July 3 at 2:30 p.m.; and Music and Dance by Flamenco Latino, July 10 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

Events

Women in Progress, Inc. hosts its 6th annual block party on Walton Avenue between 183rd and 182nd streets on July 17 from noon to 6 p.m. Included will be music, raffles, food and drinks. For more information, call (646) 623-8044.

The Bronx River Art Center offers summer visual arts classes for ages 7 to 18 from July 6 through Aug. 5, ending with a celebratory student exhibition and reception in the BRAC gallery at 1087 E. Tremont Ave. Students may select from drawing and painting, cartooning, ceramics, and portfolio prep. For more information, call (718) 589-5819.
                                                                                           
The public is invited to a free Fourth of July Boardwalk Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza at Orchard Beach, July 1 from 6 to 10 p.m., hosted by State Senator Jeff Klein and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. Activities include music, a magic show, face painting, and balloon art. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m. For more information, call (718) 822-2049.
 
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse, presents First Fridays! Bronx Nights Cinema, a free outdoor film screening on the Civil Rights Movement, July 9 from 6 to 10 p.m., at Lou Gehrig Plaza, 161st Street and the Grand Concourse. For more information, call (718) 681-6000.

Wave Hill, located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, offers two free family art projects: Playful Petals, to make a mixed-media sculptural flower, July 3 and 4; and Shades of Summer, to create custom-made sunglasses to view the gardens, July 10 and 11; both in the Ecology Building, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also on July 10 is Plant Demonstration, to observe carnivorous plants that capture and digest insects (on the grounds at 2 p.m.). Grounds admission is free until noon on Tuesdays and Saturdays. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.

The Bronx River Alliance offers Arts in the Park, featuring performances and activities for children, July 8, 15, and 22; and Bronx River Ramble, to walk along the river and learn about its history and ecology (for this free 2-hour tour, meet at 10 a.m. outside the Freeman Street #2 subway station at Southern Boulevard; wear comfortable walking shoes); and Bronx River Upper River Run, to canoe through the Bronx River Forest, the Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo, both on July 10. Call (718) 430-4665 or visit www.bronxriver.org for details, fees, and times.

The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park invites the public to the following events: Summer EcoCrafts, to create picture frames, puppets, masks and more natural and recycled crafts using everyday items, Tuesdays, July 6 through Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Classic Playground, Van Cortlandt Park South and Gouveneur Avenue; and Healthy Community Hikes, to explore Van Cortlandt Park (free giveaways for partipants; bring water, a snack, and wear comfortable walking shoes). For more information and hiking location, call (718) 601-1553.

The public is invited to ride the July 7 free Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, which transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month (except January and September) to Bronx hot spots, all featuring a variety of entertainment options and ends at the Bruckner Bar & Grill for music, food and drink. Trolley night starts with a 5 p.m. reception at the Longwood Art Gallery at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.). From there, the trolley departs at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. New attractions are added monthly; admission to most venues is free. Riders can get on and off at any scheduled stop and spend as much time as they wish at any or all of the featured venues. For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

The Museum of Bronx History, located at 3266 Bainbridge Ave. (at 208th Street), presents Parkchester: City Within a City, through Oct. 3. For more information, call (718) 881-8900.

The New York Botanical Garden hosts the following events: Endangered Plants Here and Around the World, a traveling exhibition on display in the Ross Gallery through July 25 (featured artists will teach botanical art and illustration courses during this period); Dig, Plant, Grow! in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, featuring numerous family activities; Resplendent Roses, on display for five months through the fall; and The Edible Garden, a festival about growing and preparing good food, through Oct. 17, featuring numerous activities for the entire family. Greenmarket, which offers fresh local produce, will take place Wednesdays through Nov. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the base of Library Allée. For more information, details, and class and program schedules, call (718) 817-8700/8747.

The Bronx River Art Center, together with the NYC Department of Transportation, present an abstract wooden art sculpture, Aurora, 14 feet tall, 11 feet wide and 11 feet deep, to be on view for 11 months until June at the center of West Farms Square Plaza located at the base of the West Farms Square/East Tremont Avenue subway station on the corner of East Tremont Avenue and Boston Road, one block away from BRAC which is located at 1087 E. Tremont Ave. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/urbanart.

Library Events

The Bronx Library Center, at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, presents the following programs for preschoolers and school-aged children: films, July 7 and 14 at 2 p.m.; Arts & Crafts at 3 p.m.: July 8 – Statue of Liberty Book; and July 15 – NYC Bookmark Making; The Mouse That Barked & Other Delightful Tales of Good Deeds and Second Chances, July 9 at 2 p.m.; and The Summer Sillies: Stories, Songs and Poems for Summer, July 10 at 2 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

The Mosholu Library, at 285 E. 205th St., hosts Toddler Story Time, July 1 at 10:30 a.m., for ages 18 to 36 months; films, for preschoolers, July 8 at 10:30 a.m.; and Knitting Circle, July 8 and 15 at 3 p.m. for adults. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Pinocchio, July 13 at 2 p.m. for preschoolers and school-aged children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.
                                         
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