Sparkling the Heart of Fordham Tree Lighting Tonight

The Fordham Business Improvement District jumpstarts the holiday season on Fordham Road with its eighth annual Sparkling the Heart of Fordham Holiday Lights Event tonight, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Muller Park and Plaza (intersection of East Fordham Road and Creston Avenue). Rhina Valentin will be hosting and, yes, she will be accompanied by Santa Claus.

Win Free Passes to the Bronx International Film Festival

The Norwood News is a sponsor of this year’s Bronx International Film Festival, which starts today and runs through Saturday. Each day of the festival, we will be posting a trivia question. If you answer correctly, you win free passes to the festival. Just email your answer to contest@bronxfilmfestival.com and put “Norwood News answer” in the subject line.

Bronx Notes: Tree Lighting at St. Ann’s Church Tonight

Saint Ann’s Church, 3519 Bainbridge Ave., will be holding its 7th annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in the church garden. There will be Christmas carols and hot chocolate for everyone.

Bronx Photos: Jerome-Gun Hill Tree Lighting Celebration

Several hundred people came out to enjoy the first Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID) Tree Lighting Celebration last Friday night at Green Streets Park on Mosholu Parkway North and Jerome Avenue. Above are a selection of shot taken by local photographer Adi Talwar.

Bronx Notes: Toy Drive for Children’s Hospital

LaSorsa Chevrolet Dealer and Montefiore Medical Center are sponsoring a toy drive to benefit patients at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. From now until Dec. 16, you can drop off unwrapped toys to the following locations (call the stores for hours).

Latino Muslims Search for Identity, Community in the Bronx

Al-Samat, a native of the Dominican Republic, converted to Islam in 2010 after a long period of faith exploration as she became increasingly dissatisfied with the Catholic Church. Now, she says she has found a welcoming home here at Masjid Annasr, one of several West African mosques in Morris Heights, a majority-Hispanic area increasingly dotted with Ghanaian groceries offering Halal cuts of goat meat.

Bronx Notes: ESL and Citizenship Courses

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, offers two free courses: English as a Second Language classes which run from Nov. 26 to June 8, 2013, Monday through Thursday, and Saturday mornings, as well as Tuesday and Thursday evenings; and Pathway to Citizenship workshops which begin January 2013. For more information and a detailed schedule, contact Christina Ventura at cventura@khcc-nyc.org or (718) 884-0700.

Bronx Notes: Peace Walk

The King of Glory Tabernacle and The Groundswell Group are holding a “Call for Peace” walk on Wednesday, Nov. 28, departing from Olive Branch Hall, 2019 Grand Ave., at 6 p.m. The walk will proceed down Burnside Avenue to the Grand Concourse, then up Tremont Avenue, down Harrison Avenue, back to Burnside Avenue, and return to Olive Branch Hall. For more information, call (917) 660-4216, (718) 294-7280, or (718) 585-1190.

Editorial: Lessons From a Marathon

I overcame a barrage of obstacles — physical, mental, even geographical — on my quest to run the New York City Marathon this year. But it was an epic storm seven days before the pay off that finally did me in. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was it the right decision? Absolutely.