A few minutes outside the Brant Foundation

Just before noon today, we were passing First Avenue and Sixth Street, near the former Dunkin', when we heard screaming. Not the someone-in-trouble kind — more like boy-band-fans screaming. Or someone watching "Weapons." (OK, the movie wasn't that scary.)

A parade of black SUVs and town cars rolled by, trailed by a random underwear-brand truck. The commotion turned out to be for Calvin Klein's NYFW show at the Brant Foundation between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Later reports confirmed BTS member Jung Kook was inside — hence the decibel level from the sidewalk. Fans also shouted for "The Summer I Turned Pretty" star Chris Briney and, of course, Anna Wintour ... while we stood there for a few minutes...

And thanks to EVG reader Tanaka, here’s the scene from above...

Shake the disease

 

The London-based High Vis are on tour this fall, with a stop at Warsaw in Brooklyn on Oct. 9.

The video here is for 2019's "Walking Wires," a fave HV song.

At the opening day of the Feast of San Gennaro

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Mulberry Street came (more) alive yesterday with the start of the 99th Feast of San Gennaro. 

The annual event honors San Gennaro of Naples, martyred in 305 AD as Bishop of Benevento. 

Actor and entertainer Joe Piscopo is serving as this year's Grand Marshal. The Feast runs daily through Sept. 21. 

Here's a look early yesterday before any crowds arrived...

Being 9/11, there were many groups of FDNY firefighters here after the day's ceremonies.

I spoke with several firefighters and fire marshals, many of whom gathered to remember colleagues lost on 9/11, including Ronald Bucca. 

And it wouldn't be a Feast without Lucy Spata (on the right) of the world-famous Lucy's Sausage... (also Queen of the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights...)

The tradition continues...

About the NYC Anarchist Bookfair, taking place tomorrow in La Plaza Cultural

The annual Anarchist Bookfair takes place tomorrow (Sept. 13) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.at La Plaza Cultural on the southwest corner of Ninth Street and Avenue C.

The day here begins at 11:30 a.m. ... and includes events held at over East Village community gardens. More info at this link. 

Tomorrow evening, there's the Emma Goldman Film Festival in Tompkins Square Park with several features plus a live slide concert by local artist-illustrator Eric Drooker... find more details here. 

In addition, there's a companion show titled "Reading from Left to Left: Radical Bookstores in NYC, from 1930s to 2000s" at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space/C-Squat on Avenue C.

Viewing hours include:

• Saturday - 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

• Sunday - 2-6 p.m. 

• Sept. 20 — 2:30-4 p.m. 

• Sept. 21 - 2:30-4 p.m. 

• Sept. 28 - 2-6 p.m. 

You can access the free show via MoRUS, 155 Avenue C between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

P.S. The MoRUS Film Festival also continues. Details.

Friday's opening shot

An 8 a.m. view from Tompkins Square Park...

Thursday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Outside the 9/11 mass for the FDNY today at St. Brigid on Avenue B ...

Grace Bergere in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Local singer-songwriter Grace Bergere was part of a stellar Show Brain concert in Tompkins Square Park this past Sunday. 

She continues to make a name for herself, opening for acts this past summer such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Beacon Theater, Gogol Bordello on a California tour, and Jim Jarmusch and Jozef Van Wissem at Le Poisson Rouge. 

Bergere was one of Casa Gogol's first two signees (along with Puzzled Panther). Label head Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello) said of the two bands: "To me they are the new New York, which has a lot more in common with that magical old New York we know, and none of that bullshit in the middle." (To that end, she recorded a cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties" with Thurston Moore for Casa Gogol's NYContinuity Vol. 1 release.) 

Below is Bergere with her band on Sunday (from left): Bloody Rich Hutchins, Vern Woodhead, Eugene Hütz (not in the band!), and Robin Pahlman...

Check out Bergere's brand of hard-edged indie folk on her debut record, A Little Blood, here.

The search continues for Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty, who was stolen from an Avenue A shop

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Missing/Stolen Cat signs are up around the neighborhood for Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty.

As we previously reported, the 4-month-old kitten was taken by a man on Saturday afternoon from MJay Convenience at 44 Avenue A, between Third and Fourth Streets. 

Leads? Call (929) 584-1084. There is a $500 reward for her return.

On Sunday, 'Guided Meditation' at El Sol Brillante on 12th Street

Via the EVG inbox... 

What: Guided Meditation in the Garden 

When: Sunday, Sept. 14, 3 p.m. 

Where: El Sol Brillante (522 E. 12th St., between Avenue A and Avenue B) 

Who: Open and free to all! 

Please join us in El Sol Brillante community garden for a 30-minute guided meditation, led by a certified meditation teacher from East Village's beloved Three Jewels Enlightenment Studio. 

Seated among plantlife, we'll focus on our breath and love and kindness for all beings, using comfortable stillness and visualization techniques. It's a free event and open to all (including first-time meditators!). 

We will begin promptly at 3 p.m., so please arrive a few minutes early to find your seat. We'll have benches and chairs, but you might like to bring a blanket to sit on in case it fills up. We hope to see you there and enjoy this beautiful moment of peace together.

Chris French Cleaners is closing after 65 years; 1-level building slated for demolition

Chris French Cleaners closes for good on Sept. 19 after 65 years in business. (Thanks to EVG reader Carolynn Karp for sharing these photos!) 

Door signage thanks patrons for the "trust and friendship" over the years, noting "it has truly been an honor and a privilege."

Back in the spring of 2022, we noted that this prime NE corner of Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street was being pitched as a development site ... shortly after family patriarch, Chris Mitrofanis, passed away.

According to public records, the family also owns the one-level structure. 

There are several listings for the plot, ranging in price from $9.99 million to $13.99 million. In a LoopNet listing for the site last updated on Sept. 3, the property is now marked "in contract." 

Whatever is next won't include the existing building — there's already a demolition permit, dated this past Friday, on file with the DOB. 

Given the abundance of office space nearby, we're assuming this space will yield luxury condos similar to the cantilevering condoplex that rose in 2018-2019, one block north at Fourth Avenue and 10th Street.

About the 13th annual MoRUS Film Festival, 'The Gates of Tompkins'

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (@morusnyc)

You can find more info on the films and locations here.

Cookie alert: Gooey On the Inside to open on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven

Gooey On the Inside Cookies is opening an East Village outpost at 149 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street on Oct. 1. 

This will be the brand's second shop. Kafi Dublin — who began baking and selling cookies as a kid — opened Gooey's first storefront on Chrystie Street in 2017 after leaving her job as a clinical analyst with the city. Since then, her gooey-centered cookies have been shipped nationwide. 

To mark the First Avenue debut, the shop will be giving away cookies on Oct. 1 from 2-6 p.m. 

The space at No. 149 was previously home to a deli and smoke shop.

A last look at East River Park from the 6th Street Overpass

Photos by Stacie Joy 

This past weekend provided one last opportunity to cross the Sixth Street pedestrian bridge into East River Park. As of yesterday, the overpass — the final East Village access point — has been closed off. 

The closure cuts off the running track, the outdoor gym, and the stretch of esplanade that many neighbors relied on for daily routines. The trees shading the Sixth Street entrance will soon come down as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project. 

When the work is finished — expected by the end of 2026 — this part of the park will reopen in a new form. Until then, the bridge remains closed, the gates are locked, and another section of the old park has disappeared. 

Here's one last look...

Have your say on CB3’s 2027 budget priorities tomorrow night

What parks need reconstruction? What programs deserve funding? 

Community Board 3 wants to hear from you. Tomorrow (Wednesday) evening, CB3 will hold a public hearing on budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2027. 

Every year, CB3 submits a list of capital and expense priorities to the city. This is an opportunity for residents, groups, and organizations to shape that list — and influence how public funds are allocated in the neighborhood.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the board’s office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. Space is tight — only the first 15 people will be seated in person. However, the hybrid format means anyone can join via Zoom. (Link here.) Registration is required. 

Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty stolen from Avenue A shop

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Updated: The search continues

On Saturday afternoon, someone stole Rhaenyra the Dragon Kitty, the 4-month-old "manager" of MJay Convenience at 44 Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Security footage shows the cat being taken around 4:24 p.m. on Sept. 6 while the store was open.

Rhaenyra has lived at the shop since she was just weeks old, often greeting customers from the counter. 

Faisal (below), who owns the store, said he and his co-workers are devastated.

Faisal said he had taken Rhaenyra and his other kitten to his vet on Long Island to make sure they were healthy and up to date on shots. He got the pair from a neighbor; one is his daughter's cat at home, the other became the store's official mascot. 

"I just want my cat back," he said yesterday. "Please, bring the cat back. I don't want to see his face in here ever again," he added, referring to the alleged thief. 

Faisal shared surveillance video with us...