A community effort to clean up Tompkins Square Park today

A group of local volunteers — estimated to be as many as 50 people at one time — met in Tompkins Square Park this morning to pick up trash and weed and rake parts of the gardens.

Given the city's budget cuts, Johnny Young, the head gardener in Tompkins Square Park, has often been assigned to work in other areas... "leaving Tompkins vulnerable to trash and weeds," as he put it in the invite. 

Young and longtime EV resident Penny Rand organized today's event. They were joined by Sam Biederman, an assistant Parks commissioner, and Alan Good, who donated the ping-pong tables in the Park several years ago.
 

EVG contributor Steven, who was among the volunteers, shared these photos...

Deborah Hulse, better known as Debi the Gardener, came out of retirement to help... And Sheena won the battle against the large weed... ... and a shout-out to Tompkins Square Bagels for donating bagels...

This is a test (really)

Please pay no mind to this post. I'll probably delete it later.

As I reported last month, there's a new Blogger tool for uploading photos and it's awful.

I need to continue playing around with the new templates, and it's best to do so with live posts. Quite strange — talking to myself — why this Halloween-time photo at Beauty Bar on 14th Street is so small and centered on the post ... and there's so much space between the headline and photo.

Anyway, let's play the Cramps! (The embed via YouTube also needs some tweaking.)

A grand finale at Modern Love Club this weekend

As we mentioned yesterday, the Modern Love Club will close at the end of the month here at 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. But! Not before one last show. 

Today and tomorrow from 2-8 you can immerse yourself in "Frantic Romantic!" ... "a photographic study of the romantic subconscious" by koko_bode.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by the gallery-matchmaking service last night to see what was happening in the space... she talked with proprietor Amy Van Doran (top photo!) and below with photographer Koko Bode...

The art installation team was hard at work... (from left) Brendan Burke, Madame Vivien, Van Doran, Bode and Glenn Vasaturo  ...

And last one out...

[Updated] 3 nights in, the new East Village Community Fridge gets KO'd

EVG reader Jackie Silvestri stopped by early this morning to drop off donations for the new East Village Community Fridge outside S'MAC on the northwest corner of First Avenue and 12th Street. 

As the above photo shows, someone — with help? — decided to knock the fridge over. We're told that three officers from the 9th Precinct put it back upright.

This was just the third night for the fridge out in the wild... 

And as we reported on Thursday, this is a project between S'MAC owners Sarita and Caesar Ekya along with East Village Neighbors, a local volunteer group, and Change Food, a social marketing nonprofit. Residents can drop off unopened food for anyone in need to take.

The Community Fridge will be available outside S'MAC 24/7... though if vandalism remains an issue, there may need to be amended hours to when S'MAC is open.

Updated 10/11

Caesar reports that the fridge is now out of commission after it was tipped over... they'll work on getting a replacement. So no more donations for now.

Fear factor

There's a new mural on the Bowery at East Houston... Pure Genius quoting a recent tweet by President Trump that undermined messages by public health officials and outraged relatives who lost loved ones to COVID-19...

'Ceiling' fans

 

 The new METZ record is out today ... and the video is for the track "No Ceiling."

The Modern Love Club giving up its 1st Avenue space; last show on tap this weekend

The Modern Love Club will close at the end of the month here at 156 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street. Proprietor Amy Van Doran recently made the announcement on Instagram.

Van Doren and Emily Lesser operate a longtime matchmaking service and also use this space as a gallery. 

More on the closing in a moment. Tomorrow and Sunday will mark their very last show here — "Frantic Romantic!" ... "a photographic study of the romantic subconscious" by koko_bode.

Viewing is from 2 to 8 p.m. Per the invite: "We will be letting in masked sanitized viewers up to two at a time every 15-20 minutes. Please come healthy and safe!"

As for the closing, here's part of the announcement via Van Doran:

Don't panic. It is okay for things to change. November 1st the Modern Love Gallery will be giving up it's beautiful home. We are going deeper into our matchmaking efforts energetically because love is what we have to offer, and the matchmaking side of Modern Love is busier than ever. 

It has been a pleasure being your local store that sold nothing. Come the spring, if democracy is intact, AND we can host gatherings inside, we will be in the market for a new love clubhouse. 

Stay tuned for our last couple of programs coming up over the next month. I love you, I thank you, it has been such a wild and wonderful time sharing this magical little box in the strangest corner of the world with you.

The space opened in the fall of October 2016. 

Photo from the first show in 2016. 

Reminders: Tomorrow is a community clean-up day in Tompkins Square Park

 

As a reminder... reposting from Sept. 24...

 

Johnathan Young, the head gardener in Tompkins Square Park, along with longtime EV resident Penny Rand, are organizing a cleanup day on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Here are more details via an email from Young:

As many of you know, the city and the Parks Dept. have had massive budget cuts. Recently I have been assigned to work many other locations, leaving Tompkins vulnerable to trash and weeds.

So with that being said, we are hoping to gather as many folks as we can for Saturday, Oct. 10. We will meet at the main office in Tompkins at 11 a.m., have some coffee and donuts, and then concentrate on areas of the park together. Bring a mask and gloves. Feel free to bring any gardening supplies you prefer — otherwise we will have tools and such.

 And this is the main office...

About the Avenue B flea tomorrow

Local residents and business owners alike are coming together tomorrow (Saturday) for a neighborhood stoop sale... happening from noon to 6 p.m. along Avenue B, which you know is (supposed to be) closed to through traffic, from 10th Street to 14th Street.

As the above flyer shows, you can expect to find some handmade jewelry, books, records, vintage clothing, etc. 

Here's most info via the Facebook Event page...

Avenue B Flea is a neighborhood stoop sale to support the neighborhood, independent vendors and local artists.

Featured Vendors:

VINTAGE
Citizen Suzie
East Village Vintage Collective

HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY
Kelly Virginia Vinson

ART
Delphine le Goff's East Village Calendars, prints, postcards and originals
Mad Cool NYC (Framed Pieces)

CLOTHING DESIGNERS
BURNeternal
The Baroness
Frankie Z's Selected Tees
I ❤️ ANARCHIST JURISDICTION NYC

VINYL
The Savage! Beat Records

SPECIALTY MASKS
Pinky’sWear

MAKEUP
Eye Hunger by Luna
multi chrome, color shifting eyeshadow

LIVE MUSIC
3 — Gass Wild (Acoustic)
4 — The Carvels NYC (Unplugged)
5 — SoulCake (Unplugged)

Many other East Village locals will be selling interesting items too. Find everything from $1 bargain bins to unique craft gifts.

This is an all day, outdoor event. Sellers will be social distancing 😷 Masks are required to stop and shop. And please visit the businesses along Avenue B for food and drink during your day!

Thursday's parting shot

 

On Cooper Square today via Derek Berg..

Regal love

On a day when Regal Cinemas were temporarily closing again across the country due to the lack of new films to screen, someone left a love letter signed from the East Village and flowers at the still-shuttered location at Union Square.

EVG reader Jason shared this photo...

The note ends with, "When you reopen, let's 'Regal and chill.'" And! "Miss you boo."

Regal Cinemas — the second-largest chain in the United States with 536 theaters — will shut all its doors today. According to Variety, the last straw for Cineworld, the parent company of Regal, came when the new (and already delayed) James Bond film's release was pushed from November to April 2021.

Meanwhile, Gov. Cuomo has refused to let theaters reopen in New York. Something which this Regal location on 13th Street and Broadway has noted... per the marquee: "Theaters open safely in 48 states, why not New York?"

Bottom photo by Lola Sáenz

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood... as well as observations on current events...