The Joy of Community Returned under the Sunshine at the Bronx Week Parade 2022

By SÍLE MOLONEY, DAVID GREENE & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The music was pumping from around 11 a.m. and could be heard a few blocks away, seemingly nudging and calling residents to come out, join in, applaud their neighbors and soak up the atmosphere for the Bronx Week 2022 Finale parade, which had a fitting, in-person return, under glorious sunshine, on Mosholu Parkway in Bedford Park, on Sunday, May 15. A tradition for more than 40 years, Bronx Week is an annual celebration of the culture, beauty, and institutions of the borough. A lively and excited gathering of schools, bands, cultural institutions, musicians, elected officials, dancers, first responders, youth

By SÍLE MOLONEY & JULIAN NAZAR

The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Bronx Week 2022 kicked off informally on Monday, May 2, at the Northeast Bronx YMCA as its sponsors, supporters and organizers gathered to give the media a taste of what was to come, following a two-year hiatus from large-scale physical gatherings, celebrating the annual festival. Hosted by the Bronx Tourism Council, the Office of the Bronx Borough President, and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, the 10-day festival was packed with several events relevant to every sector of the community, including senior

By JULIAN NAZAR

“It’s me, killer Chuck – the best MC, back in The Bronx – it’s the place to be! Tonight is the night – movin’ and groovin’! It’s also the night we say, ‘Thank you Ruben!’” U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s rap intro was one of many remarkable sights and sounds that spectators were treated to at a recent show in Jerome Park’s Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. On Saturday, April 30, almost all 2,276 seats at the Lehman Center were filled for “Hip-Hop Fever,” a hip-hop show dedicated to former Bronx Borough President Ruben

By JULIAN NAZAR

In the wake of the Twin Parks fire tragedy in Fordham Heights on Sunday, Jan. 9, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, Felicia Galitsky remembered that years earlier she had passed a permanent roadside memorial erected in memory of other victims of a prior Bronx tragedy. The memory and image stuck with her and inspired her to arrange a similar, permanent tribute to the victims of the Twin Parks residential fire. The chief of staff for Laundry Capital Co. LLC, parent company of Clean Rite Centers, told Norwood News, “What if, instead of a

By DAVID GREENE

With the lifting of COVID restrictions and the return of milder temperatures, Friends of Devoe Park hosted a “Spring Sprouting Festivities” Easter celebration at Devoe Park on Saturday, April 30. Inside the park, located at University Avenue and Father Zeiser Place in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx, youngsters enjoyed a host of events including face painting, an egg hunt of with eggs filled with bubble-gum, as well as several rounds of musical chairs. Winners of the many rounds of musical chairs were awarded a “magic wand,” that opened to become a bubble-maker. Watching, as the dozens

By JULIAN NAZAR

Tyeress Manley, a 10th grader at In-Tech Academy MS/HS 368 in Marble Hill, recalled hearing about Paint Club from a couple of friends. They had visited one of his classes and had told him that the club was a great way to relieve stress, and at the same time, have fun. He decided to go to the first meeting. The club ended up exceeding Tyeress’s expectations. He told Norwood News, “My expectations were to finish painting one project within five weeks,” the student said. “We ended up doing that in less time.” Paint Club is a gateway, introductory

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing gym franchises according to its owners, is inviting high schoolers aged 14 to 19* to work out for free at any of its more than 2,200 Planet Fitness locations throughout the United States and Canada from May 16 through August 31, as part of the High School Summer Pass initiative, with the aim of improving teen mental and physical health. A new study commissioned by Planet Fitness found that while almost half (48 Percent) of American teens admit they struggled with mental health for the first time ever during the pandemic,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Thinkubator, a Bronx-based innovation and workforce development nonprofit, announced the public launch of its “Women’s Empowerment Program” on Monday, May 9. Launched in Fall 2021 at The Thinkubator’s Poughkeepsie satellite office, the nonprofit provides spaces, forums, and opportunities for women to gather, support each other, work on their potential business ideas, and figure out ways to best support their youth as they navigate life. According to the event organizers, the official launch event will highlight women and youth who are making a difference in their community, raffles will be held with local vendors, and The Thinkubator’s youth interns

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES & SÍLE MOLONEY

The intersection of Mosholu Parkway and East Bainbridge Avenue was transformed into showgrounds for an open air circus, last month, in celebration of Earth Day, as the parkway was cleared of cars as part of a citywide Department of Transportation (DOT) Car Free Day, marking, once again, the annual event which promotes more sustainable living. This year, on Saturday, April 23, between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the Flatbed Follies Bindlestiff Family Cirkus descended upon Bedford Park with a host of spectacular street performances, delighting the community. About 200 people showed up for the event. Some walked, some biked,