Moms from across the borough were recognized during a Mother’s Day celebration and karaoke event held in Norwood on Sunday, May 10, sponsored by the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID). Heather “Speakeasy” Guerino of the Speakeasy Feather Club served as host.

 

The three-hour event held at Craft Empanadas, located at 261 East Gun Hill Road, featured music by Deejay Spart, who played popular songs and later led participants in a karaoke session.

 

Local singer Venice Turraine performed “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, and despite the small venue, many took the opportunity to show off their best dance moves.

All guests were presented with a goody bag, and the food and drinks prepared and served by Craft Empanadas was sponsored by the Jerome Gun Hill BID. All mothers were also presented with a bouquet of roses, and a raffle was also held for a chance to win a tray of various beauty products.

 

“Kajun,” a resident of nearby Bedford Park, said of the event, “They gave out flowers, they served drinks, we had people singing in here earlier today. They were in there dancing to the music, and we really enjoyed ourselves.”

Sruthi Vijayakumar, small business support manager with Mosholu Preservation Corporation, which works closely with the Jerome Gun Hill BID to support local businesses in the area, said of the event, “We’re just doing a Mother’s Day event [..] to promote the BID and show love to our small businesses and mothers.”

 

Vijayakumar continued, “There was a great turn out of around 50 people throughout the three to four hours we were having this. We shared a little about our organization, and how we are a community liaison for the City and [provide] resources for the small businesses.”

 

Guerino, who said she would like to see [more?] funding from local elected officials to paint [more] murals on local storefronts, said, “My goal for The Bronx is to make sure that our young people, our youth, can walk around and see beautiful artwork.” Some of the storefronts along Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood have already had murals painted on their shutters in conjunction with MPC.

 

Meanwhile, Guerino and her husband, Sirio, are behind the local anti-graffiti group, Guerinos Against Graffitti*. Sirio has been honored in the past for his clean-up work in the local area.

 

Offering a social media challenge, Heather told Norwood News, “Today, I sent a direct message out to entertainers that are from The Bronx asking them to do a little bit more [to help uplift residents in the neighborhood]. Like, they’ll come and they’ll give out turkeys but we need them to just advocate more for our youth that are in the community.”

Norwood News shares fliers on our social media channels from time to time on the various programs offered and free events held in the Oval, including music concerts and more. The Bronx Council on the Arts and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs just held a Palladium style “Golden Era of Dance” event in the Oval on Saturday, May 30. More to follow.

 

Meanwhile, in the context of the upcoming first anniversary of the tragic and fatal stabbing of 14-year-old Ángel Miguel Mendoza Hernández by a group of youths in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Aug. 5, 2025, Heather went on to say of the then-upcoming Mother’s Day holiday, “It’s actually going to be the first anniversary that this mother is not going to be able to spend Mother’s Day with Ángel.”

Meanwhile, summing up the Mother’s Day event, she said, “The BID wanted to just let the mothers in the community know that we’re there to support them, whatever they need and Craft Empanadas opened their doors.”

 

For more news on the Williamsbridge Oval, read our latest Inquiring Photographer feature. Meanwhile, NYC Parks is asking residents to share their ideas about how to improve the Williamsbridge Oval, as well as ideas on the reconstruction of the park. A virtual meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 3, at 6 p.m.

Register at nyc.gov/parks/input. Registration is required by June 3 at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Katerine Borrome at Katerine.Borrome@parks.nyc.gov or on (718) 430 1801. You can also visit nyc.gov/parks under the Capital Project Tracker section.

Follow Norwood News @NorwoodNews on Twitter, @norwoodnews.bronx on Facebook, and thenorwoodnews on Instagram, where we regularly post fliers of arts, culture and other events within our coverage area of Bronx Community District 7, and to a lesser degree, across the wider Bronx. 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.