Shop and stroll on 9th Street this weekend

Today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday!), the merchants of Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are celebrating the holiday weekend with a "shop and stroll" event on the block.

Per the EVG inbox: "Look for the balloons in front of the participating stores, and stop in to see what specials they are offering."

Sebastian Piras took the above photo last month of the Ninth Street merchants, who gathered on a local stoop for "A Great Day on 9th Street," a quasi recreation of the famous Art Kane photo "A Great Day in Harlem."

'A Great Day on 9th Street' this Sunday

Via the EVG inbox...

On Sunday (April 28), the merchants of East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are gathering on a local stoop for "A Great Day on 9th Street," a quasi recreation of the famous Art Kane photo "A Great Day In Harlem."

Afterwards, stroll down both sides of the street and check out the various specials the stores are offering.

Come celebrate our community of small businesses.

#shopthe921

Spring into a new season tonight with the 10th annual Zoroastrian fire jumping event

[Photo from 2017 by Ryan John Lee]

Tonight marks the 10th Annual Zoroastrian Fire Jumping Event ... taking place from 6:30 to 8:30 in the Firemen's Memorial Garden, 358 E. Eighth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D. Updated 1:30 p.m.: The event will now take once place again at La Plaza Cultural on Ninth Street and Avenue C.

Here's a recap via the EVG inbox...

Jumping over fire is a symbolic gesture to start a fresh new year. This tradition is celebrated for ringing in the Persian New Year and has been celebrated since at least 1700 BCE of the early Zoroastrian era. There will be music, dancing and snacks; wear your best fire-proof pants.

The Rude Mechanical Orchestra will also be playing.

The event is in a different location this year with the new-fence installation underway at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden on Avenue C and Ninth Street.

I reached out to Simin Farkhondeh, a community activist and professor at the School of Visual Arts, who has choreographed and produced the event since its inception here. I started by asking her if the new location might pose any addition challenges. She also provided more background as well as her fire-jumping experiences growing up in her native Iran...

For me, this event is very spontaneous each year. It comes together because the community loves it. The very first time I did it was 2010 and people came to the garden, helped make the fires and we jumped and had a wonderfully freeing time doing it.

This year will be like every year and the change of space should not impact the experience. We strive to make it a powerful and fun and safe event.

It will be the 10th time I've worked on having this spiritually elevating, spring welcoming event. The way I experienced it in my youth, in Iran, was as a spontaneous event that the community felt necessary to do to welcome and get ready for spring. It was done without permits from any government entity or such. We would go out into the street and community members would gather tumbleweed and build fire's together. Then we would jump over them.

On my street, we had about 15 fires, from the entry of our street, down to the end of it. All the neighbors would come out. It was an energizing, freeing experience and community building, and that spirit is what I've tried to preserve each year.

It is clear that this exhilarating event speaks to people not only who come from the Zoroastrian tradition but also brings together folks from across the spectrum of cultures. What binds us is the connection to the earth and the elements.

As in past years, many people and groups are helping ... The folks from the Fireman's Garden, who have been at our event and cherish it, have generously offered their garden to us. A lot of expats from the various Middle-Eastern communities, including Armenians, Iranians and Afghans, are going to be there as well as the folks from MoRUS and Time's UP, who in the past two years have helped a great deal to make this happen.

As in the past years, the event is organized to be a lot of fun, but also safe for all members of the community, especially children and families. As in every year, I plan to have the customary dried fruit and nuts available for people to enjoy. Since about five years now, there also has been a band present at some point of the evening, so we can dance and be merry after jumping the fires and cleansing our souls from the winter blues and from last year's troubles.

Wednesday, March 20, is the vernal equinox, which marks the beginning of spring and Nowruz or New Year for people of Iran, Afghanistan and other places. We will be making ourselves ready for that.

Help for Juan Carlo, the flower vendor at Bueno East Mart on Avenue A

This flyer was posted in a residential building on Third Street near Avenue A.


[Click to go big]

According to the flyer, Juan Carlo, who works overnight selling flowers at the Bueno East Mart on the southeast corner of Third Street and Avenue A, was "brutally beaten up by two assailants" early Saturday morning.

"He sustained a broken nose and lacerations to his face and arm. Several hours later — because he didn't want to leave his station unattended — he made his way to Beth Israel."

Neighbors have started a fund to help with his medical bills. There's a donation jar now at Mary O's, the Irish bar-restaurant at 32 Avenue A between Third Street and Second Street.

Updated 5 p.m.

Patch reports that Carlo was trying to stop the two men from stealing flowers. The suspects reportedly punched Carlo and slammed him to the ground.

H/T Carl Bentsen

Get well soon, Mikey

[Photo via Instagram]

If you've been on Second Street between Avenue A and Avenue B, then you've likely seen Mikey Evans. He was born and raised on the block, and has lived his whole life at 190-192 E. Second St.

He hasn't been feeling well of late, and Julio Pena and Beatrice Tosti di Valminuta, the husband-wife owners of Il Posto Accanto at No. 190, are collecting get-well wishes for their longtime friend.

Here's what they had to say via Instagram yesterday:

Mikey has been a little under the weather. A lot of you, near and far, noticing his absence have been asking for news. We do not have much in terms of updates, but if you want to drop off a get-well card at Il Posto, we will make sure he gets it. Love and well wishes are always a good idea.

Beatrice later told me that Mikey is "the all-around greeter of Second Street — the sunshine of the block with his smile." When Julio and Beatrice opened Il Bagato in 1995, people thought that Mikey was the owner. "And we liked that."

Block Party on, 9th Street

Time again (tomorrow!) for the annual block party on Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

Annual 9th Street A-1 Block Association Block Party

Saturday, Sept. 1​6​, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (no rain date)

Live Music (from noon - 4 p.m.)

MUSIC LINE UP:
Ginga Pura
EV-3
Sea Kelp (Originals)
Ron and his Personal Demons
BroadBand

Resident artists, crafts people, and photographers will be showing and selling their work, and residents will be selling a la "stoop sale" — antiques, bric-a-brac, clothing, accessories, music, jewelry, etc.

Block businesses include:

• Beetle Bug (florist), Enchantments, Flower Power (herbs), Love Gang (clothing), Mr. Throwback (vintage clothing and accessories), Ollie's Place (cat adoption), Pink Olive (gifts), Polytima (jewelry), Puppy Love Kitty Kat (pet supplies), Reason Outpost (clothing)

• Restaurants/Cafes: Cagen, Good Beer, Superiority Burger, Tacos Morales, Thursday Kitchen, Whitman's, Zucker Bakery

• Hair Salons/Barbers: Crops for Girls, Lovemore & Do, Maria Mok Salon, Neighborhood Barber, Tsumiki Salon

At the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer carnival today

Earlier we mentioned that it was Day 2 of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer carnival … EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by for a look …

















The church is on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B … the carnival entrance is behind the building on East Third Street …

Today is Day 2 of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer carnival

You enter through the church's back lot on East Fourth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Just follow the sound of the music.)

Whatever you feel about organized religion, you will find inexpensive food and drinks…



… two bouncy castles …





… and games where you can take out your rent-hike frustrations on some landlords …



All in all some quality community spirit time. Today from 1-9.

East Village resident up for $10,000 prize to fund soccer program for under-privileged kids

East Village Michael Nies shared this with us... Nies helps run a charity to raise money via the Luis Rojas Foundation for after-school soccer programs in the city... and the New York Red Bulls selected Nies to represent the New York area in a national voting competition for a grand prize of $10,000 to the charity.

"That's a little less then our budget for an entire year, so it's a big deal for us," Nies told us. "We currently run programs in three schools — in Harlem, Brooklyn and Staten Island. This could help us get a fourth school."

Here's more about it via a news release.

Michael Nies, Vice President of the Luis Rojas Foundation, was selected as the New York Red Bulls Community MVP for 2013 for his work with the local charity. Through Mr. Nies' stewardship, the Foundation raises money to run after-school soccer & fitness programs for children in the poorest of NYC schools.

Mr. Nies will now be entered into a national competition with the winners from the other eighteen MLS clubs for a grand prize of a $10,000 charitable donation from MLSWORKS, the philanthropic arm of MLS. From July 1st through July 12th, online voting here will determine the winner.

"We're a small charity, and to be recognized shows our work is paying off. Our foundation is desperately trying to help kids living in extremely difficult situations, and the chance to win $10,000 from MLWORKS is an incredible opportunity and could enable us to expand to other local schools," Nies said.

If you're interested in helping Nies and the kids that he works with, then you can vote here. [This is NOT about soliciting donations. This is simply to vote on the City to receive the prize money.]

[Updated] At the 'Save Our Community Center MARCH AND RALLY'

‏[Photo by @tenementcity]

We'll have more photos on the "Save Our Community Center MARCH AND RALLY" later this evening ... the rally started around 6 at Cooper Union...


[Photo by @tenementcity]

Updated 8:30

Here are a few more photos from the starting point of the march on East Ninth Street our the former PS 64... which included members of Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Tiny Band and others.


[Bobby Williams]


[BW]


[Dave on 7th]


[Do7]

... all under the watchful eye of the NYPD...


[BW]


[BW]

...later at Cooper Union...


[BW]

Updated

Serena Solomon filed a story on the march and rally at DNAinfo. Read that here.

From the article:

March organizer Susan Howard said the eviction, followed by years of watching the building deteriorate, has been a “devastating blow."

"I don't think the owner knows how much damage he has done and how deep the hurt is," said Howard, who is also part of the group Save Our Community Center CHARAS-64 (SOCCC-64).

"It was a cross-pollination of so many people — activists and artists," Howard said of when the building operated as a community center. "You had [singing practice] in the plaza. You had AA meetings in the gallery, computer classes, English classes."

The Villager also has an article today on the march/rally. Find that here.

Per that article:

"There is no room, and no desire, and no way we will live with a dorm in our backyard," declared Councilmember Rosie Mendez, shouting to the crowd from a bullhorn. "Cooper Union needs to rescind whatever deal I believe it doesn't have so Singer can give us back our building," Mendez added.

Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh was equally strident.

"As a community, we have to at some point draw the line and say this is a battle we are not going to lose, and this is a fight we're not going to quit," Kavanagh said.

Holiday fair season

Two wholly unique places to pick up some holiday-related items today... the annual holiday fair at d.b.a. on First Avenue...

... and the Christmas Bazaar at the Ukrainian Museum on East Sixth Street...

Dr. Dave Ores providing free food, medical care again today on East Second St.

for LES residents: free sandwiches & coffee at 1pm, FREE MEDICAL CARE from 1-6pm. @drdaveores's office: 189 e 2nd at ave b. (cc @evgrieve)

— lia bulaong (@lia) November 2, 2012

He provided this yesterday too.

Also, Dr. Ores could use some help today making sandwiches if anyone is interested...

At the East Ninth Street Block Party

Always a pleasant neighborhood gathering here between Avenue A and First Avenue... photos by Bobby Williams...

Tomorrow: Block Party on East Ninth Street

From the EV Grieve inbox... no packages of tube socks here...

Annual 9th Street A-1 Block Association Block Party

(9th Street between 1st Avenue and Avenue A)
Saturday, September 15, 11 am – 5 pm (no rain date)

Live Music (from noon - 4 pm) featuring

* Bluesco Band
* Navivan
* Nick Palumbo & the Flipped Fedoras

Resident artists, crafts people and photographers will be showing and selling their work, and residents will be selling a la "stoop sale" — antiques, bric-a-brac, clothing, accessories, music, jewelry, etc.

Raffles for gifts, discounts or coupons from block businesses, who will also be offering their wares

Block businesses include:
* Boutiques and Antiques: Bridal Veil Falls, Cloak & Dagger, Devorado, Dorian Grey Gallery, Dusty Buttons, Enchantments, Flower Power, Grey Era Vintage, Ollie's Place, Pink Olive, Polytima, Pork Pie Hatterie, Puppy Love Kitty Kat, Reason Outpost, The Upper Rust
* Restaurants: Cigkoftem, Dirt Candy, Empanades, Exchange Alley, Good Beer, Kajitsu, Whitman's, Zucker Bakery
* Hair Salons/Barbers: Lovemore & Do, Maria Mok Salon, Neighborhood Barber

Q-and-A with Andrew Kotliar, festival director for Kinofest NYC

[A Soviet-era monument as seen in "The Other Chelsea"]

Kinofest NYC is a film festival that celebrates independent cinema from Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries. As the Kinofest website puts it, the festival "is organized by a grassroots group of East Villagers who have a passion for film, storytelling and the creative arts."

The third-annual festival starts tomorrow night and runs through Sunday, and will include four feature films, three of which are premiering in New York City, and 21 short films. This year's Kinofest NYC takes place at The Ukrainian Museum on East Sixth Street and Anthology Film Archives and Second Avenue at East Second Street. (Go here for schedule and ticket information.)

Festival director Andrew Kotlier answered a few questions for us via email on the eve of this year's Kinofest.

Did you foresee this becoming an annual event? How would you rate the success of the previous Kinofests?

Yes, the idea from the begining was to try to make it become an annual event, and to keep it based in the East Village, tapping into both the local arts scene and the Ukrainian community. The previous two Kinofests were quite successful, as we have been able to pull together high-quality diverse programs, involve various community sponsors and individual volunteers, and bring in a selection of qualified guest speakers. We've been seeing lots of interest and positive feedback from our audience, along with good dialogue along the way.

Do you consider this more a celebration of Ukrainian culture or independent cinema in general?

Kinofest is a celebration of independent cinema in general. Our program director [Damian Kolodiya], a Brooklyn-born East Village resident, has many contacts with filmmakers from Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union. We've been very fortunate to be able to tap into that network, and through our festival to provide a new generation of "post-Soviet" filmmakers a voice here in New York City.

[Shakhtar Donetsk fans as seen in "The Other Chelsea"]

Tell us a little about the opening film, "The Other Chelsea," which plays Friday night at 7:30.

"The Other Chelsea" is a revealing film that explores the links between sports, business, and politics in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. It is home to Shakhtar Donetsk, the winning Ukrainian football (soccer) team, home to Ukraine's weathliest billionaire and football supporter, Rinat Akhmetov, and home base for Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovych. The filmmaker Jakob Preuss illustrates the social and political decline that Ukraine's new elite have entrenched in their country, and in a humorous way tells the story of the discordant worlds of increasing wealth and poverty by following two ardent Shakhtar Donetsk fans – a coal miner and well-to-do politician.

Their worlds meet in the Donetsk football stadium where, despite their differences, they are united by their strong ties to the nostalgia of their Soviet past. Preuss, who lives in Berlin, will be in New York to present his film. He's flying to the United States to take part in Kinofest, and is in the States for a two-week roadshow of his film.

What do you hope that people take away from Kinofest?

We hope people will hear and learn about perspectives and narratives from a tough part of the world that has seen a lot of transition these past two decades. We are flying in four filmmakers from Kyiv, one of whom won top prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, so we also hope people will meet and mingle with our guests, and see what the new discussions and exchanges of ideas may lead to.

[Updated] The march for Trayvon Martin is happening now

The march tonight for Trayvon Martin began at Union Square... it's now in the East Village... we're following along with @patrickdehahn on Twitter... Witnesses say there are at least 15 empty NYPD vans following the march...

...down St. Mark's Place...

... and Tompkins Square Park...

As of 7:50 p.m. or so, the march is at Ninth Street and Avenue B...

Here's a quick snippet of video from Avenue C and East Ninth Street from a reader...



[Above photos by @patrickdehahn]

A few residents from Jacob Riis are handing out Skittles and ice tea... via @RDevro of the Guardian...

Earlier tonight via @RDevro ...

Good times

Time's Up held its Easter Sunday Ride through the East Village today... participants met at 2 in Tompkins Square Park... Bobby Williams was on hand for the start...