[UPDATED] MoRUS returns with its community garden film festival starting on Sept. 10

Updated 9/9: The NYC Parks GreenThumb, the entity overseeing the community gardens, has nixed the screenings Friday through Sunday at the Peachtree Community Garden over concerns about COVID-19.

The Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MoRUS) on Avenue C is hosting an end-of-summer tradition — its 8th annual film fest, a four-evening event titled "Reel Ecologies: Films for a Sustainable City" that starts on Sept. 10 at Le Petit Versailles.

Here's the festival schedule with details via the EVG inbox:

• Thursday, Sept. 10: "InSects & FlowerSex (The Birds & The Bees)"
Le Petit Versailles, 247 E. 2nd Street, 8 p.m.

A lively, living mixed-media series of shorts featuring films from 1930s to 1970s. In keeping with Le Petit Versailles'legacy of creative disruption, the evening will include avant garde movies such as "Killers of the Insect World" and "Woody Woodpecker & The Termites from Mars" with live sound by LeLe Dai aka Lullady, a radio collage soundtrack by Jeanne Liotta and live soundtrack performances by Pinc Louds and by Richard Sylvarnes.


• Friday, Sept. 11: “The End of the World As We Know It”
Peachtree Community Garden, 236 E. 2nd St., 8 p.m.

Two short documentaries about sustainable farming in NYC — "Guerrilla Gardeners in Queens" and "Feeding the Future, New York City’s Experiment in Urban Agriculture Part 1: Grow" that show that urban agriculture is sustainable and doable — will serve as the introduction to the classic, dystopian food thriller, "Soylent Green" in an effort to provoke conversations around the long-term effects of big agriculture.

• Saturday, Sept. 12: "Food Justice in a Pandemic Society"
Peachtree Community Garden, 236 E. 2nd St., 8 p.m.

The documentary "Soul Fire Farm" examines the eponymous BIPOC-centered community farm in Upstate New York, which was created to end food apartheid. Marisa DeDominicis, who began her urban gardening exploits in the vacant lots next to the 13th Street squats, will introduce the film. Saturday's feature film is "A Place at the Table," a documentary nominated for Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival that explores the economic, social and cultural damage caused by hunger in America.

• Sunday, Sept. 13: "Bee the Change"

Peachtree Community Garden, 236 E. 2nd St., 8 p.m.

The noble honeybee gets its own night with the screening of a film from educational leader "Bullfrog Films: Honeybees" is a short exploring the role of honeybees in a common garden. It will be introduced by a neighborhood beekeeper ... followed by "Dirt," a 52-minute documentary that chronicles the history of East Village community gardens.

You can find ticket info here. Pre-registration is required, and there is very limited seating for the Film Fest.

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...

At the Renegade Mermaid Parade

This past Sunday afternoon, aficionados of the canceled-this-year Mermaid Parade came together as socially distant as possible along Avenue B to pay homage to the annual Coney Island event as well as to support local businesses.

Organizers dubbed this Renegade Mermaid Parade as a cross between the Mermaid Parade and the Easter Parade complete with a fashion show/costume contest.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was on Seventh Street and Avenue B for part of the festivities...

Ravagh Persian Grill closes 1st Avenue location

After spending part of the summer with outdoor dining, Ravagh Persian Grill has permanently closed on First Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Management confirmed the closure via an Instagram message. Their locations in Midtown and on the Upper East Side remain open.

Parmys morphed into Ravagh here back in late 2014.

Report: Parent company of New York Sports Clubs fit for Chapter 11 filing

NYC gyms were permitted to reopen yesterday with reduced capacity and COVID-19 restrictions in place.

There were lines reported at some gyms, such as at the Blink on Avenue A.

One notable exception to the reopenings: New York Sports Clubs. On Tuesday, the owner of the chain said it may need to file for bankruptcy "in the near future."

Per Bloomberg:

Town Sports International is in talks with its lenders to refinance a loan coming due this fall as its cash flow and liquidity continue to tighten, the company said in a regulatory filing Tuesday. The gym owner and operator said it doesn’t have enough cash on hand to repay the debt when it comes due in November.

The company missed a payment on its revolver last month, violating terms of the debt. Lenders could send the company a notice of default and demand immediate repayment of all obligations, but none has done so yet, Town Sports said in the filing.

So the NYSC outposts in the area, such as the one at 28-30 Avenue A between Second Street and Third Street that looks like a bad prototype for an Iron Man helmet, will remain shuttered for the foreseeable future.

Updated 9:30 a.m.

HOLD ON. EVG reader MP reports that the Astor Place location — "Elite by NYSC" — is open...

Printed Matter's lobby shop is open again on St. Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue

Printed Matter recently reopened in the lobby space at the Swiss Institute on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place.

For now, three customers are allowed at a time inside the shop specializing in art books, zines, prints and posters.

The hours are currently 2-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday...



Printer Matter, founded in 1976, opened the EV outpost in June 2018. The Swiss Institute will reopen to the public with a new exhibit on Sept. 9.

Census working overtime

All photos by Stacie Joy

Local elected officials gathered today on Seventh Street and Avenue B at the start of a march to help bring awareness to the importance of filling out the 2020 Census.



GOLES - Good Old Lower East Side hosted the event that included Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick, City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera and District leader John Blasco ...



Per the press materials:

New York City is facing record low Census response rates, especially in low-income areas and communities of color. For every 1 percent of the population missed in the 2020 Census, New York City could lose nearly $7.3 million in federal funding for public education.

With the next Census 10 years away, that means more than $70 million dollars that our city’s public schools could be deprived of over the next decade, with more than $4 million dollars lost to NY-12 alone. A 1 percent undercount also means NYC could lose $3.7 million per year for critical jobs programs. That’s nearly $40 million lost over the next decade for services like career counseling, mentoring, and apprenticeship.

The march, which included a drum line, ended in Astor Place.



Officials urged residents to fill out the Census forms online.

'Red Alert' at the Bowery Ballroom

The Bowery Ballroom was one of the more than 1,000 music venues across the country to bathe their facilities in red light last night to encourage Congress to pass the Restart Act.

Per Billboard:

Spearheaded by the #WeMakeEvents coalition, the #RedAlertRESTART campaign seeks to bring awareness to the dire situation live music faces if Capitol Hill does not supply support for venues that have been shuttered since mid-March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy was at the Bowery Ballroom on Delancey ... and shared this video clip...



Find more info at the National Independent Venue Association here.

Ki Smith Gallery coming to the Gusto House on 4th Street

When we lasted checked in at the Gusto House at 197 E. Fourth St., Colin Huggins and Shaina Martinez were live streaming operas from here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The space was then available again... and the other night, EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by to see East Village resident Ki Smith working inside... prepping the interior to be the new home of Ki Smith Gallery, which most recently showcased emerging artists from West 125th Street...



Smith has worked for 10 years as an independent curator. His résumé includes launching the Bushwick-based gallery and performance space Apostrophe in 2012.

We'll have more on the new location of the gallery in an upcoming post...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Making beautiful music: The pandemic-era arias coming from 4th Street

Wild Son-Good Night Sonny team bringing plant-based burgers to St. Mark's with Pop's Eat-Rite

Signage is up now at 123 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue for Pop's Eat-Rite, a plant-based burger joint...



Here's more about the operation via the team behind Good Night Sonny, the Wild Son and the Wayland:

Pop’s Eat-Rite is a plant-based fast service burger joint, opening on St. Mark's Place in September 2020. We will serve a classic smashburger, made using Impossible Meat. Our meatless menu is our updated take on a classic burger stand, with fries, veggie sides, vegan donuts, soft-serve, smoothies and frozen lemonade and will be entirely free of animal products.

Pop’s was born from the idea that the landscape of the restaurant industry has changed suddenly and like never before. In these times we want to offer our neighborhood a convenient, responsible product at a fair price...

Earlier in 2019, the team — Robert Ceraso and Jason Mendenhall — had plans for a steakhouse at No. 123 (most recently Mr. White). However, CB3's SLA committee nixed a full-liquor request for that spot in March 2019.