Sounds on C tomorrow afternoon at La Plaza

Free music tomorrow afternoon at the La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez community garden on the southwest corner of Avenue C and East Ninth Street … bands start at 2:30. Find out more about them here.

Christmas Day Party at La Plaza Cultural

[EVG La Plaza photo from the fall]

From the EVG inbox… if you are around tomorrow…

Longtime East Ninth Street resident Jimmy is having a Christmas Day Party at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden, noon till nite for everyone who's still in town ...La Plaza Cultural Garden is on East Ninth Street and Avenue C. There will be food and a bonfire. Bring your musical instruments.

The Facebook invite page is here.

Last day for FUNKtional Art Fair at La Plaza Cultural

Today is the last day for FUNKtional Art Fair at La Plaza Cultural...

Repeat from the EVG inbox...

Looking for a relaxed and joyful holiday shopping experience? Visit the East Village's very first FUNKtional Art Fair, a holiday fair of functional art for the funky at heart.

When:Sunday 12pm-9pm, December 22
Where: La Plaza Cultural Community Garden at the southwest corner of 9th St. & Avenue C.
What: A fair that features an amazing selection of seasonal gifts; Christmas wreaths & trees, holiday decorations, clothing, costumes, jewelry, housewares, leather goods, paper goods, custom millinery & children's items.

A portion of the money raised will go to La Plaza Cultural Community Garden

Find more info about the vendors here.

You'll also be able to find work from artists such as Peter Missing and others…



[Photos by Bobby Williams from last weekend at FUNKtional Art Fair…]

FUNKtional Art Fair kicks off today

From the EVG inbox...

Looking for a relaxed and joyful holiday shopping experience? Visit the East Village's very first FUNKtional Art Fair, a holiday fair of functional art for the funky at heart.

When: Saturdays & Sundays, 12pm-9pm
December 14, 15, 21, & 22
Where: La Plaza Cultural Community Garden at the southwest corner of 9th St. & Avenue C.
What: A fair that features an amazing selection of seasonal gifts; Christmas wreaths & trees, holiday decorations, clothing, costumes, jewelry, housewares, leather goods, paper goods, custom millinery & children's items.

A portion of the money raised will go to La Plaza Cultural Community Garden

Find more info about the vendors here.

Halloween at La Plaza Cultural

East Ninth Street and Avenue C... Rest in Pieces... Photo by Bobby Williams

A 'Day of the Dirt' recap from La Plaza Cultural

This past weekend, La Plaza Cultural Community Garden and the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space came together to help restore the Sandy-wrecked gardens at La Plaza Cultural on Avenue C and East Ninth Street. (Read the background here.)

The folks from La Plaza provided some photos and a recap from Saturday's volunteer gathering.

Several dozen people showed up to move the 50 tons of soil around La Plaza and do a whole lot more. We cleared out the perimeter planting areas and covered them with clean soil, resoiled and reseeded the lawn area, filled in the newly reconstructed community plots, filled in individual plot holders' raised beds, cleared out 15 bags full of weeds and old plants, planted several new trees (with more to come), rebuilt the picnic table benches, and managed to eat 10 pizzas! And we used all of the soil..all 50 tons.

We had members, volunteers and friends from the neighborhood turn out to participate, and with a little cooperation from Mother Nature who provided a gorgeous day, I think that we all had a good time too.

We're very appreciative of everyone who came out and worked so hard! People started arriving at 7:30 am and we finally wrapped up at about 5 pm

[Updated] Get dirty this weekend at La Plaza Cultural

From the EVG inbox...

La Plaza Cultural Community Garden & the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space Join Forces to Give Land a Fresh Start After Superstorm Sandy

Saturday, Oct. 12, Noon
Sunday, Oct. 13, Noon

What: “Day of the Dirt” Garden Restoration

Where: La Plaza Cultural Community Garden (Corner of 9th St and Avenue C

Why: La Plaza Cultural Community Garden will be receiving 50 yards of soil (1,350 square feet!) and compost to distribute around the garden to help recover from Sandy.

How: We will be moving the soil manually by wheelbarrow and spreading it with people power. If you want to volunteer, just show up! Gloves, rakes, other tools will be provided on site.

Who: We need volunteers of all ages to help by:

● hauling soil in shifts

● helping spread it with rakes and shovels

● planting grass seed in the freshly laid lawn area

● helping to transplant plants that we want to save

● removing items in the way of where we're laying the soil

● gathering stray bricks

We’re giving La Plaza a fresh start after Sandy, and we really need those who can make it to come out and help us restore this special place.

Updated 11:45 a.m.

The soil has arrived, as this photo via Shawn Chittle shows...

Tonight: LUNGS Harvest Fest Opening Night Party

From the EVG inbox...

Please come to the opening night celebration of the Second Annual LUNGS (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens) Harvest Arts Festival tonight at LaPlaza Cultural at East Ninth Street and Avenue C. Come and bring your friends, drink and dance and have fun with us.

The schedule for Friday is:

5-6:30 For kids, with Circus Amok

6:30 Tompkins Square drummers

7 Welcome remarks featuring Rosie Mendez, Scott Stringer and Brian
Cavanagh

MUSIC
7:30 to 8:15 Eric and Friends

8:15 Pierre Monney

9:00 Mike Cobb & the Crevulators

Find more details about LUNGS here.

A petition to add more willow trees to La Plaza Cultural on Avenue C

In recent years, several of the majestic willow trees were lost in La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez on Avenue C and East Ninth Street. The winds and soaking rain of Hurricane Irene in August 2011 helped to uproot the garden's prized tree.

As Colin Moynihan wrote about the significance of the tree to the neighborhood in The New York Times:

The gardeners who run La Plaza ... staved off several attempts at the garden’s development in the 1980s and ’90s. During those battles, the tall willow was embraced as a symbol of resistance and its likeness appeared on fliers and posters urging neighbors to oppose planned takeovers.

Workers removed one a willow tree in October 2008. Following Superstorm Sandy, workers had to take down part of one of the garden's two remaining willows.

In response, East Village resident Lindsey Kister has launched the following:

This is a petition to replace the weeping willow trees destroyed by hurricanes Irene and Sandy in the East Village community garden, La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez. Community parks and gardens are important cornerstones of the East Village community. The willow trees stood tall for thirty years in La Plaza Cultural and were symbols of resistance and survival. The trees were loved by the community and complimented the unique character of the village ... It is time to replant these trees and reenergize the spirit of the garden.

As Lindsey said, "Once we get 100 signatures, change.org delivers the petition to the various departments listed on the petition. There's no guarantee that the city will respond, but I figured it was worth a shot. Those trees were amazing."

Indeed. Find the petition here.

Previously.

Looking at La Plaza Cultural

Well, we've posted photos of the willow tree that came down last weekend during the storm here on Ninth Street and Avenue C in La Plaza Cultural ... on Friday, workers removed the tree.

Here's a look at the the gardens now from Ninth Street ...

Two of the four willow trees have been lost here in recent years. Workers removed one back in October 2008, as you may recall.

Workers take out the downed willow tree in La Plaza Cultural

Ugh. Workers are removing the Irene-damaged willow tree from La Cultural Plaza on Avenue C at Ninth Street this afternoon...

Photos by EV Grieve reader Jill Woodward.

Read more about the history of the tree here.

Memorial for the downed willow tree at La Plaza Cultural

Ninth Street and Avenue C. Photo by Steven Matthews. Why this tree is significant here.

Feeling the loss at La Plaza Cultural

Meanwhile, many residents are mourning the loss of the majestic willow tree that has graced La Cultural Plaza since the 1970s ... The winds and soaking rain of Hurricane Irene helped to uproot the tree on Avenue C at Ninth Street...

[Dave on 7th]

EV Grieve reader Jill Woodward shared these photos...

At the Times yesterday, Colin Moynihan wrote about the significance of the tree to the neighborhood.

The gardeners who run La Plaza, as it is called in the neighborhood, staved off several attempts at the garden’s development in the 1980s and ’90s. During those battles, the tall willow was embraced as a symbol of resistance and its likeness appeared on fliers and posters urging neighbors to oppose planned takeovers.

You can read more about the tree's symbolism here.

Melanie has another shot of the downed tree here at East Village Corner.

I've exchanged emails with Ross Martin, who's in charge of general maintenance and capital projects for La Plaza. I've been trying to get an assessment of the damage, and some possible next steps. Unfortunately, in the last few days, he hasn't been able to get anyone to take a look at the tree, and he has tried everyone from the the Parks Department to Rosie Mendez's office to professional tree services, to name a few.


[Fall 2010]

Willow tree down in La Plaza Cultural

Ninth Street and Avenue C...

Another East Village monster sighting

Another monster sighting ... this time outside La Plaza Cultural Armando Perez on Avenue C at Ninth Street... Captured by EV Grieve correspondent Bobby Williams...

With a food supply inside the community garden?

A spring solstice celebration today at La Plaza Cultural

Today -- all day -- at La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street and Avenue C...in honor of the spring solstice. Read more about what's happening here.

Biden, Palin and popcorn in the garden tonight

Tonight in La Plaza Cultural at Avenue C and Ninth Street...



I'll need something stronger than popcorn to get through this tonight.

Tree muggers at the La Plaza Cultural

This past Saturday morning, city workers swooped in and cut down a beautiful willow tree on the corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street in La Plaza Cultural. I happened by minutes after the workers left. I spoke with someone who lives nearby. A branch had fallen earlier that morning in the high winds. So the whole tree was cut down "just in case." This resident didn't think that was necessary.