Care to dance?

Here are a few photos from yesterday's rather soggy Dance Parade and DanceFest... where a little rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the participants... organizers said that some 10,000 dancers from 150-plus organizations took part in the 12th annual event ...


[Top 2 photos by Steven]

This year's theme, "The Cabaret of Life," celebrated the repeal last fall of NYC's Cabaret Law that dated to 1926.

EVG contributor Derek Berg shared these photos from along St. Mark's Place and in Tompkins Square Park for the DanceFest...

Week in Grieview

[Photo in Tompkins Square Park by Derek Berg]

Stories posted on EVG this past week included...

RIP Glenn Branca (Monday) ... Beverly Bronson (Thursday) ... and Mikey Evans (Friday)

Target sets July 21 opening date on 14th Street and Avenue A (Thursday)

Report: Steve Croman's post-jail plans include welcome-home party in the Greek Islands (Monday)

LPC OKs 3-story addition to 827-831 Broadway (Wednesday)

CSA sign-up time at the 14th Street Y (Thursday)

A home for sale in this pastel-colored townhouse on 7th Street (Tuesday)

The latest on the city's rat-curbing initiatives (Monday)

Boutique health studio shaping up on 6th Street (Friday)

Hunan Slurp Shop now in soft-open mode (Thursday)

Tree down on 9th Street (Tuesday)

Dan and John's new dining room expected to open this week (Wednesday)

Wendigo Productions closing its retail-consignment shop on Avenue A (Tuesday)

BarBacon signage arrives on 4th Avenue (Monday)

Yuan Noodle may be yielding to a Mexican restaurant on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

New owner: 'My goal is to keep Eisenberg’s the way that it has been' (Tuesday)

Double Chicken Please vying for former Shoolbred's space on 2nd Avenue (Monday)

So long East Village Cheese (Thursday)

Santatorum has not been open lately on Avenue C (Monday)

... and this Twiggy in a telephone box arrived this past week on Second Street at First Avenue — wheatpaste courtesy of @d7606art ...



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Noted

Spotted at Queen Vic on Second Avenue at Fourth Street... for those of you making plans for the coming week.

LES History Month exhibit offers a snapshot of 'Photographing Downtown 1977-1987'

As part of Lower East Side History Month, the Living Gallery Outpost at 246 E. Fourth St. between Avenue B and Avenue C is hosting a series of events and a pop-up exhibition that delves into the downtown scene of 1977-1987.

Here are details via the EVG inbox...

"ENTHRALL & SQUALOR: Photographing Downtown 1977-1987" brings together the photographic work of four New York originals who captured the essence of a time indelibly etched in the City’s consciousness.

• Alexis Adler will show photos of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat and the East Village apartment they squatted together in 1979 after he dropped out of high school while transitioning from graffiti artist to icon.

• Arlene Gottfried (1951-2017) "...chronicled life the way she saw it, thriving on the energy ofthe streets, roaming and recording everything she felt through a deeply empathetic and loving lens." — Paul Moakley, TIME magazine.

• Meryl Meisler will exhibit classic images of CBGB and Infinity Disco from her books "A Tale of Two Cities: Disco Era Bushwick" and "Purgatory & Paradise: SASSY ‘70s Suburbia & The City."

• Ken Schles will deconstruct and install 168 prints from his downtown books, "Invisible City" and "Night Walk," creating an immersive chronicle of his life downtown ...

The opening reception is tonight from 6-8.

And here are more details on a few event associated with the exhibit, including...

• Special event: Night Walk Tour
Join us Monday from 7 to 9 for a special Night Walk. Alexis Adler, Meryl Meisler and Ken Schles will take you on tour of downtown sites documented in their books. The tour will culminate with refreshments at The Storefront Project, 70 Orchard St. where Meisler’s Lower East Side photos of the 1970s and 1980s are on exhibit. Tickets are available through Eventbright for $10.

• Wednesday, May 23: Artist talks and book signings. Hear the artists in their own words. Karen Gottfried will tell Arlene's story. 7-9 p.m. Gallery opens at 6 p.m.

• Thursday, May 24: Share your downtown stories (and closing party), 6-9 p.m.

Let's try that plant and bake sale at the 6 & B Garden again

The rain washed out the annual plan and bake sale at the 6th Street and Avenue B Community Garden‎ last Sunday ... so garden members are trying again today from noon to 5 p.m.

Via the EVG inbox...

This is a fundraiser and proceeds from any sale goes to fund the 6&B Events Program that brings you FREE Events — Music, workshops, poetry, screenings and much more throughout the summer months! Help support us — buy a plant, a yummy home-made baked good, a T-shirt and more!

The community garden is on the southwest corner of Avenue B and Sixth Street.

Dance up a storm today in Tompkins Square Park

[DanceFest photo from 2017 by Stacie Joy]

The Dance Parade heads into Tompkins Square Park today, where the annual DanceFest is happening — even in the rain — from 3 to 7.

During that time, you'll find...

Five stages and site specific work throughout the park offer something for everybody including performances by culturally diverse participants from the parade and an opportunity to learn dance from the city's best dance teachers!

Here are highlights from last year ... primarily featuring the Pirate Ship ...



Find more details here.

About the 6BC Botanical Garden orientation day

[Image via Facebook]

In case you had an interest in becoming a member of the 6BC Botanical Garden ... their (possibly) last orientation and workday is now Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (It was originally scheduled today; moved due to the rain.) A garden member shared this...



Find more details here. The garden is on Sixth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

Last night's parting shot

A kiss before the L on First Avenue and 14th Street ... photo by Dan Efram

'Eye' opener

Here's Philadelphia's Empath with "The Eye," a track from their recently released cassette "Liberating Guilt and Fear."

Empath opened for Iceage Wedesday night at Bowery Ballroom and will be at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 9 as part of the Northside Festival.

Mikey Likes It back in scooping action this evening

After a three-plus-week closure, Mikey Likes It is back in action ... 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street...

Return of the Mack... Daddy

A post shared by Mikey Likes It Ice Cream (@mikeylikesiticecream) on May 19, 2018 at 10:38am PDT

Updated 5/19

They are open this Saturday afternoon... and there's a crowd... photo by Lola Sáenz...



Updated 5/21

Find more on the situation here.

Dance • Dance • Dance

Dance • Dance • Dance

Drums are drumming

Speakers speaking

Rhythms to the crowd

Costumes costuming

Prism colors

Moving right around

Bodies gyrating

Arms a-waving

Feet a rhythmic blur

This the most fun

That is happening

People will concur

Once a year

Just not enough

Then again not everyday

We need to

Catch our breath

To dance in other ways

When we are lonely

Perhaps sad and blue

Dancing is the thing to do

Find a corner

Put on some sounds

Then dance around and around

Now feeling better

Because we know a way

Of being happy everyday

Who says

We need to wait to dance

Till the next dance day

Dance • Dance • Dance.

•

peter radley

The 42nd annual Saint George Ukrainian Festival is this weekend

The festival officially begins this evening at 6:30 on Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

You can find the full schedule of events here.

High times tomorrow with John Holmstrom's 'Stoned Aged' at Metropolis

East Village resident John Holmstrom, the co-founder, editor and illustrator of Punk Magazine, will be at vintage-clothing outpost Metropolis tomorrow signing copies of his new publication (zine!), Stoned Age.

Stoned Age "intends to bring back the fun of 20th century marijuana culture, when it was the choice of hipsters, beatniks, jazz musicians, hippies, and other misfits," per tomorrow's invite.

Holmstrom, who illustrated the covers of the Ramones albums "Rocket to Russia" and "Road to Ruin," will be in the store from 1-3 p.m., though there are activities happening all day at Metropolis, including DJ Drew Redmond "spinning old-school punk."

Metropolis is at 43 Third Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Q-and-A with John Holmstrom, founding editor of Punk Magazine

John Holmstrom on the CBGB movie and the East Village of 2013

RIP Mikey Evans

Mikey Evans, who spent his whole life as a resident of 190-192 E. Second St., died on Wednesday night.

I don't have a lot of background information at the moment. Evans had been in declining health in recent months.

Julio Pena and Beatrice Tosti di Valminuta, the husband-wife owners of Il Posto Accanto at 190 Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B since 1995, shared the news in a series of Instagram posts yesterday:

With heavy hearts we are wishing our good friend & brother Michael Evans a loving farewell. The Lifeguard of 2nd Street will now be our Guardian Angel ... Those of us that had the pleasure of watching Mikey from sunup to sundown will forever remember his beautiful energy as he entertained and elevated our small community.

Those of us at Il Posto Accanto and Il Bagatto don't know a 2nd Street without Mikey because Mikey was here first.

He was one of a kind, and lived and died on his own terms. We would like to celebrate his life with everybody.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Get well soon, Mikey

Happening tomorrow (Saturday): The Dance Parade and DanceFest

You may have seen the police barricades in place along St. Mark's Place and parts of Tompkins Square Park... all ahead of the 12th annual Dance Parade and DanceFest.

The Parade kicks off at 1 p.m. at 21st and Broadway, and heads down to Eighth Street/St. Mark's Place ... and eventually into Tompkins Square Park for the DanceFest...



Organizers say that 10,000 (or so) dancers from 150-plus organizations will be taking part in the parade. This year's theme: "The Cabaret of Life," which celebrates the repeal of NYC's 1926 Cabaret Law last fall.

Here's the official website with more info.

And in case you were wondering if the whole thing will be called off because of the rainy forecast... No!

Rain or Shine we are dancing on Saturday, May 19th!

— Dance Parade NYC (@DanceParadeNYC) May 17, 2018

Boutique health studio shaping up on 6th Street

Fit Ritual is a new boutique health studio opening tomorrow evening at 543 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy got a look inside the other day as workers were continuing to build-out the space...



Their Instagram account notes that Fit Ritual will offer fitness trainings, diet and nutrition, and massages. (The Fit Ritual website isn't active just yet.)

The studio's grand opening is tomorrow evening from 5-7 p.m.



The owners have been East Village residents since 1988, and previously operated Team Wellness & Massage Center in North Bergen, N.J.

This storefront was last home Love Shines, the boutique that closed in March 2017 after 20 years. Love Shines still operates as an online-only business.

New for lease sign at the old 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

Just noting that a new for lease sign arrived this week at 37 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... this prime, 2,000-square-foot space has been vacant since the 7-Eleven closed here in late November 2013.

The listing at Winick notes that the rent is available upon request, and that the possession is "immediate."

Winick originally had the listing, before another broker took over at the start of 2017. Anyway, maybe this will be the year for a new tenant here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
A few more details about renting the former 7-Eleven space on St. Mark's Place

After nearly 4 years empty, 37 St. Mark's Place may be getting new retail tenants

Thursday's parting shot

Psychic reactions on Ninth Street by Dan Efram.

So long East Village Cheese

Workers removed the East Village Cheese sign today here on Seventh Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... Derek Berg shared these photos...





A clothing boutique will be taking over the space, per a source on the block.

The cheesemonger closed in early December after two-plus years at this address. More background on the Cheese drama here.

Noted

In case you saw some cyclists riding rather erratically on 10th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A this past week... there was a reason...

stay in your lane 🚴‍♂️🌖🌓🌔🐍

A post shared by Peter Sutherland (@petersutherland) on May 14, 2018 at 4:09pm PDT

Anyway! The DOT said that they were aware of the wonky bike path outline ... and, as NBC 4 reports, the DOT fixed painted over the errant line yesterday.

Updated 1 p.m.

EVG reader Daniel sends some photos of 10th Street now... he notes the wavy line has been removed, but not re-repainted ...







Daniel also shares how to make a 311 request to take care of street-line issues, including disappearing bike lanes. You may submit a form with the city here.