[Photo by Vinny & O]
The stage is now set for the 27th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival tomorrow (Aug. 25) in Tompkins Square Park.
Getting to this place was filled with drama galore this morning.
We first saw the truck bringing in the stage at 7:44 a.m. The truck came in via the entrance at Ninth Street and Avenue B...
The driver was having a tough time navigating the left turn at the Sandra Turner Garden and Avenue A playground...
We kept on our journey from Avenue B through to Avenue A and out of the Park... EVG correspondent Steven then picked up the stuck-truck narrative.
With the construction fence up for the Avenue B playground renovation, the truck couldn't make the turn into the stage area...
The truck was able to back up a bit...
... and kept going toward Temperance Fountain...
... breaking off a few branches along the way...
In the end, 90 minutes elapsed between the time the truck couldn't make the turn into the stage area and, inching backwards, exiting the Park at Avenue A and Ninth Street...
The truck then drove around and re-entered on Avenue B and Ninth Street. From there, it only took about four or five minutes to get to the final destination. (This time, they turned left at the flag pole and drove around the ping-pong table.) They parked the stage for good at 9:59 a.m.
Residents who witnessed this maneuvering described it as "painful" and "agonizing" ... and there were claims that Tompkins Square Park staff wasn't helpful during this process.
Not sure how the stage was brought in during the previous 26 Charlie Parker Jazz Festivals — from the currently closed entrance on Seventh Street and Avenue B?
Anyway! The show is tomorrow from 3-7 p.m. Hopefully removing the stage will go a little more smoothly.
MAYBE the truck driver who knew how to do this retired after 26 years, and the "new" driver doesn't know the lay of the land yet.
ReplyDeleteTompkins Square Park staff not helpful??
ReplyDeleteGee, that's a shock.