At the first-ever Book Character Day in Susan Quinn’s first grade class at St. Brendan’s School, the scene was like a big Walt Disney storybook come to life. Twenty-seven children dressed in different costumes to reflect their favorite storybook character.

Father John A. Vigilanti, president of the Academy of Mount St. Ursula, expressed deep satisfaction after his school teamed up with students from Fordham Prep, and St. Michael’s studentsto re-enact the Tony award-winning musical "Grease."

A listing of arts, entertainment and recreational activities for all of our readers in the Bronx and beyond.

On a recent Friday evening, a handful of Spanish-speaking men played baseball and drank beer at Harris Field, a public park sandwiched between the Bronx High School of Science and Lehman College. They had no clue that parts of the park contained extremely high levels of lead contamination.

On a Tuesday afternoon in a University Heights classroom, the adolescent members of PS/MS 15’s chess team sit quietly practicing their craft.

The classroom, which doubles as the dean’s office, is decorated with photos of chess masters, a small army of trophies and, of course, chessboards on every table. The space serves as the incubator and training ground for some of the nation’s best junior high school chess players.

Lehman College dedicated a brand new, state-of-the art media center on April 23, the culmination of 11 years of planning and $16 million in funding.

Bronx River lovers traveled down the northern borough’s rapidly improving central waterway last Saturday afternoon for the 11th Annual Bronx River Flotilla.

Anthony Mele, 51, a Rockland-based businessman and Army vet who solidly identifies himself as an organizer with the burgeoning and conservative tea party movement, is challenging Congressman Eliot Engel.

In recent weeks, a slew of Bronx politicians have come out forcefully against a new Arizona strict immigration law, saying the legislation is "anti-immigrant" and unconstitutional. Many are calling on the federal government to enact broad immigration reform to prevent such laws from popping up in other states.