Woodlawn Conservancy Trolley Tour Takes Place Wednesday, May 12

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. kicked off Bronx Week 2021 last week, and during the opening ceremony, he announced that The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy will receive the Tourism Award from The Bronx Tourism Council on Saturday, May 15th at Orchard Beach. “Woodlawn Cemetery is one of our most important cultural institutions and is a rich source of information on people who helped shape our city and country,” said Diaz Jr. “In The Bronx, we all know how special Woodlawn Cemetery is, and The Bronx Tourism award recognizes the work and commitment they have contributed to our borough.”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A new flea market will open on Fordham Plaza this summer. MASC Hospitality Group, the creator of Bronx Night Market and the upcoming Uptown Night Market, is working on a new market which will be dedicated to merchandise, arts & crafts, apparel, accessories, self-care products and more. Fordham Flea market will be located at Fordham Plaza on the last Sunday of the month from May to October, from midday to 7 p.m. Its organizers say the concept is just another way to support the borough’s local entrepreneurs and micro businesses by producing “world-class, affordable, and fun experiences.” Marco

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York Public Library is expanding its services effective Monday, May 10, at some branches to allow limited browsing and desktop computer use under Phase 2 of its reopening. In the Bronx, the branches that have reopened under Phase 2 include Allerton, Baychester, Belmont, Edenwald, Francis Martin, Highbridge, Jerome Park, Kingsbridge, Parkchester, Van Cortlandt, West Farms and Woodstock. The library system also plans to open all available branch libraries (except those undergoing renovation or being used by the City) with expanded service by mid-July, with the full complement of services such as general space use, programs, and classes

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Under dark, gray skies, with an intermittent drizzle falling, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced the resumption of Bronx Week 2021 on Wednesday, May 6, another welcome sign of things slowly returning to normal, after last year’s celebrations were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Usually, Bronx Week is an annual 10-day series of events whereby The Bronx celebrates the best of the borough. “The fact of the matter is, what we’ve been going through, the last 13/14 months, there was an uncertainty,” Diaz Jr. said. “We weren’t able to do Bronx Week last year. [Now] we’re doing all

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New micro-grants are available for the City’s most under-resourced communities to provide free arts and culture performances in neighborhood parks, plazas and community gardens this summer and fall. City Parks Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to make parks vibrant centers of community through sports, arts, community-building and environmental education programs. It organizes the citywide “SummerStage” program each year in conjunction with Capital One. Last summer, the program was made virtual. Together with a newly formed “Culture in Parks and Plazas Coalition,” City Parks Foundation announced on Thursday, May 6, the creation of the “Green Arts Live NYC

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Join the Urban Park Rangers and be inspired by Mother Nature to build a nature-themed craft during a ‘Mother’s Day Hike and Craft” event. Date & Time Sunday, May 9, 2021, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Location Pelham Bay Park Nature Center in Pelham Bay Park Bruckner Boulevard and Wilkinson Avenue, The Bronx Directions to this location Cost Free Event Organizer Urban Park Rangers, Contact Number (718) 319-7258 NYC Parks & Recreation is offering outdoor programs with limited attendance so that you can have a safe and enjoyable time in parks. Based on New York State guidance for sports and recreation

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A Norwood resident may have woken up $14,000 richer today. The New York Lottery announced on Saturday, May 8, that there were multiple, top-prize winning tickets sold for the May 7 TAKE 5 drawing. The tickets were sold in the Norwood section of the The Bronx, in Levittown, in Manhattan, in Richmond Hill and in Watertown, at the following locations. 3161 Norwood Deli Corp located at 3161 Bainbridge Avenue in The Bronx, which sold one prize-winning ticket worth $14,254.50 Desai Newsstand located at 100 W57th Street in Manhattan, which sold one prize-winning ticket worth $13,872.00 Family Grocery & Deli located

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. As officials from the Bronx office of the New York City Board of Elections were busy tallying votes at their Grand Concourse headquarters to determine the outcome of the District 11 and District 15 City Council special elections a few weeks ago, the president of the Bronx NAACP, said voter education is key to the future of a free and fair society. It may also be key to a more dynamic primary election season. Biarni Burke, president of the Bronx chapter

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner, Basil Seggos, announced on Sunday, May 2, that “New York State Compost Awareness Week” is taking place from May 2-8. Compost Awareness Week raises awareness statewide of the environmental benefits of composting, and the declaration was formalized in a recent proclamation signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Recycling food scraps, grass, leaves, yard clippings, and other organic materials through composting reduces New York’s dependence on landfills and combustors and helps to lower climate-altering emissions while producing valuable, nutrient-rich compost that improves soil health and water quality. Seggos said New