Juneteenth - Things To Do NYC

Juneteenth Things to do in NYC, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island

June 17, 2024 / Things To Do NYC / Holidays, Parades & Ethnic Culture / Gotham Buzz.

Over the past ten years or so, interest and awareness of Juneteenth has grown fast. Juneteenth commemorates American slaves obtaining their freedom on June 19, 1865 in Texas, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, wherein President Abraham Lincoln officially freed the slaves effective January 1, 1863. Unlike today, word didn't travel so fast, and in the Confederate states, the white slave owners did their best to keep the slaves from learning of Lincoln's Executive Order. Juneteenth is a word blend denoting June [nine]teenth. President Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, taking effect immediately and in time for folks to first celebrate the holiday two days later, on June 19th, 2021.

In the photo at right is John Watusi, who was a Founder and the Executive Director of the Afrikan Poetry Theatre in years gone by [now deceased]. John was a poet and a civil rights activist who recognized, along with others, the important role that history and culture play in people's lives. So, while Juneteenth is a celebration of an African American liberation day, it is also a celebration of African American culture.

This year NYC Mayor Adams cited a number of NYC cultural and historical sites and tours related to Juneteenth and the African American experience in NYC. In an OpEd he penned and we published Monday, you'll find links to some of the sites and tours he references of interest. Click here to read recent OpEds and Editorials on Gotham Buzz NYC.

Juneteenth Historic Sites in NYC - Brooklyn, Manhattan & Online

Here are a couple of African American Historical Sites in NYC, some of which are referenced in the Mayor's OpEd. Brooklyn Juneteenth Historic Sites - Juneteenth Grove at Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn. It's there 24/7. Manhattan Juneteenth Historic Sites - African Burial Ground - located at Elk and Duane Streets just a block north of City Hall in downtown Manhattan. Online Juneteenth Historic Sites - African American Landmarks and Historic District Interactive Map & Seneca Village Online - created by the Landmarks Preservation Committee.

• CLICK here to view the rest of our report about things to do on Juneteenth NYC - Juneteenth Events.

Oktoberfest Parties & Celebrations in NYC including in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx & Staten Island

Oktoberfest Begins Mid September in NYC and run thru October

UPDATED October 7, 2023 from 9.19.23 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

The official / unofficial kick off to the month and a half of Oktoberfest events in NYC begins in Manhattan with the Steuben Parade. This report identifies a number of Oktoberfest events around NYC beginning mid September and running through the end of October.

The photo at right shows one of the floats in the Steuben Parade celebrating the consumption of bier, which in tandem with consumption of bratwurst, is an integral part of Oktoberest. One thing the photo doesn't show is the music, that also goes hand in hand with Oktoberfest.

A Brief History of Oktoberfest in NYC

Coming with time. We've posted a number of Oktoberfests in this report, but a few more are coming. Also watch the front page, as this year [only] they are likely to be posted there first.

• CLICK here to view the rest of our report on Oktoberfest in NYC, including the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.

911 Commemoration Events & Remembrances in NYC & Boros

911 Commemorations this Weekend and Monday

Updated September 12, 2023 _ September 10, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

This weekend, there are a number of events around the five boroughs commemorating the losses of 911. The following are a few of those events.

The collection of photos at right shows an cultural performance at Lincoln Center honoring the victims of 911. The performance returns Monday at 8.05 am.

911 Remembrances / Commemorations NYC

Ongoing _ Daffodil Project in NYC Parks. For details see - https://www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/sept-11-memorials

• CLICK here to view our report on 911 Memorial and Commemoration events in all 5 boroughs of NYC.

Things to do This Weekend in NYC & Boros

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year Weekend with Holiday Markets, Holiday Events & NYE Parties - are Some of the Top Things to do this Weekend & Next Weekend in NYC

December 26, 2024 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

NYC Weather. Sunrise 7.18 am. Sunset 4.35 pm. For the first time since June, the days are starting to get longer. We're up 2 minutes of sunlight versus last week.

It looks to be a rainy weekend, on both Saturday [1/3 inch] and Sunday [over 3/4 inch]. There are bound to be plenty of times, during both days, when there's little rain falling; so be brave, and don't let a little water stop you from enjoying your precious time with family and friends.

The temperature highs will rise from about 30 on Thursday, to 34 on Friday, 44 on Saturday, and into the low 50's on Sunday. The temperature lows will rise from the mid teens on Thursday, to the high 20's on Friday, into the low 40's on Saturday and Sunday. The winds will range from 5 - 7 mph on Thursday and Friday, kicking up to 5 - 10 mph Saturday and then again up to 15 mph on Sunday. It's going to be a humid weekend ranging from 70% on Thursday up to 90% on Sunday. These temperature statistics are unusually high for this time of year versus historical norms.

The photo at right, taken in Sunnyside Queens a year ago this week, shows an example of the holiday home decorations one can find in the five boroughs of NYC.

This weekend use the links below to find holiday events, holiday markets and look for things to do over the New Years Eve weekend. We'll be updating the NYE pages over the weekend.

• CLICK here to view the rest of our report about things to do Christmas / New Year week in NYC - Events NYC the last week of December.

2. of 2.

BROOKLYN HOLIDAYS & PARADES

RELATED REPORTS & ARCHIVES

Thanksgiving - America's Communal Holiday

The Pilgrims Legacy: Love, Sharing & Community Empowerment

November 20, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / Thanksgiving Holidays in NYC / Gotham Buzz NYC.

A couple of years ago, I happened upon a childhood book of fables and fairytales that I had saved since I was a first grader. I was young enough to still like fairytales and old enough to be learning and loving to read.

The book, A Gateway to Storyland, by Platt & Munk Co, was given to me around the holidays, and the book still gives me a warm, loved feeling when I periodically open it to browse through the fairytales and fables containing little nuggets of age old wisdom about how to conduct onesself [see photo at right / the book is still in print]. I read it numerous times immediately upon receiving it, as the illustrations fed my imagination, and lessons embedded in the words resonated with timeless sagacity.

Unselfish Parental Love Manifested by Empowering Progeny

Love comes in many forms, but the purest form is unselfish love. The love of truly giving something with no thought of anything in return. That love is oftentimes given intergenerationally - from grandparents to parents to children.

Perhaps the greatest gifts are those that cost us nothing but our time. Like the gift of teaching someone something that they will be able to put to good use throughout their lives. Parents do this all the time, when they help their children develop skills, and impart some knowledge and learning ... just as my parents did many years ago, by giving me a well illustrated fairytale book to encourage my interest in reading, while sharing the time tested insights of the ages, handed down through storytelling.

I. A Brief Thanksgiving History

The Pilgrims Shared Communal Resources to Actualize a Dream

At Thanksgiving time we commemorate one of America's first settlements, founded by the risk-taking, resource-pooling, hardworking, spiritual community of Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims were early English settlers who arrived on American shores in the early 17th century [1600's]. They came here because they wanted a measure of freedom and self-determination that they were forbidden in Europe or what was called the 'old country'. The Pilgrims wanted to practice their faith, unencumbered, in a way that differed from the established Church of England. They pooled their money to obtain a ship, the Mayflower, to cross the Atlantic in mid September of 1620, landing on America's shores at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts on November 9, 1620. Think of it. It took about a month and a half to travel a distance we can now traverse in about five hours.

The Pilgrims Receive Help from the Native People of a Strange Land

Per Wikipedia, the Piligrims survived a hard winter in 1621 with the help of the Wampanoag, an American Indian tribe. The Pilgrims were the immigrants, and the first Americans, the Indian natives, welcomed them. The Wampanaog taught the Pilgrims how to catch eels, and how to grow and harvest corn. Thus the Pilgrims ended 1621 with a good harvest which they celebrated and shared with their new friends, expressing their gratitude to a higher power, aka God, for the success of their endeavors.

Thus it was that the first Thanksgiving celebration happened in America ... or did it?

• CLICK here for the rest of the story about Thanksgiving Day sentiments in NYC.

San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy Manhattan NYC

Manhattan's Signature Italian Festival Celebrates Little Italy in NYC

September 13, 2023 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.

Fall is just around the corner, which means the San Gennaro Festival is about to begin in Little Italy in Manhattan. See the front page or the parades & festivals page or click into the story for details of the San Gennaro Festival of 2023.

A Very Brief History of Little Italy Manhattan

Little Italy is just north of Canal street, across from Chinatown, which lies to its south. SoHo lies to its west, across Lafayette Street. While the Bowery is just east of it along Mott and Bowery Streets, and Nolita [North of Little Italy] lies to the north of it, across Broome Street. This is something of a downsized area from the original Little Italy of a century ago.

Little Italy was an important destination for Italians arriving in New York City in the late 1800's and early 20th century. It was generally a poor, working class neighborhood at that time, filled with laborers, and shopkeepers who traded food, wine and clothing. And the community was fairly self-sufficient with its own doctors, lawyers and bankers accoding to a Wikipedia account of an NYT story in 1896.

Little Italy's size and population peaked in the early 20th century, at about 10,000, as Italians left for greener pastures in other parts of the city, including East Harlem, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Nonetheless, Little Italy remains somewhat intact, as a very popular tourist destination, the peak of which is celebrated in tandem with the San Gennaro Festival.

• CLICK here to read the rest of our report about the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy Manhattan NYC.

Memorial Day With Chief Joseph

A Conversation in First Calvary Cemetery in Queens

May 30, 2022 / Woodside & Maspeth Neighborhoods / Queens Culture / Queens Fiction / Queens Buzz.

On Memorial Day, I decided to make a trip to the First Calvary Cemetery to visit the graves of those who gave their lives defending this nation because the founding charters promise all [wo]men the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They fought for a noble cause I thought as I made my way, on a beautiful day, to the Calvary cemetery in Queens.

The First Calvary cemetery opened in the late 1840’s [circa 1847 – 1848] and was located only a short ferry ride away from Manhattan, up Newtown Creek. A couple more cemeteries were opened as the 19th century wore on, as most of Queens was still rural farmlands and woodlands. Many of the burials of the first century of operation were of Catholic Irish, Italian and Polish immigrants - many of which were children who died because of poor living conditions and medical care. Many soldiers had been buried here as well, many of whom were from the Civil War era.

As I was viewing a collection of the tombstones, reflecting on the lives sacrificed in the war over slavery, as well as the more recent wars that pulled nearly the entire planet into battle, a figure in the distance caught my attention. They appeared to be making their way in my direction, in this lonely empty section of the cemetery. I pulled out of my musings, and began to focus on this emerging presence as they made their way up the hill.

As they came closer, I could see that it was an old man, of medium height, with long black and grey hair and a weathered, leathery, tan skin. He was wearing an old brown work shirt and khaki trousers and beaten leather shoes. No, they were mocassins.

I'm not sure why I thought of this, but his countenance resembled that of a legendary American Indian: Chief Joseph. Chief Joseph was a tribal leader of the Nez Perce tribe in the Wallowa Valley in northeast Oregon. Chief Joseph was born in 1840, only years before this cemetery was founded. He had actually visited New York City in 1897, to march alongside Buffalo Bill in a Wild West Parade.

The man slowly raised his right arm, palm open and fingers standing straight up like the Boy Scout salute, and in a deep full voice he said,

“How.”

I stood a bit at attention, as I returned the greeting.

“Hi. How are you today?”

He spoke again, this time in a language I did not understand.

“Mumba goycha tay.”

I looked at him and shook my head back and forth indicating that I did not understand what he’d just said.

Click here to read the rest of our Memorial Day fiction in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

Have a Good Memorial Day Weekend / Q*

May 24, 2019 / Things To Do NYC / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.

In the photo at right, a New York City veteran pays his respects to those who went before him. These brave men made the supreme sacrifice to preserve democracies - governments by the people, for the people, operating under rule of law in lieu of being subject to the capricious whims of reckless rulers.

That struggle for truth and justice continues to this day. But the battles are being fought on our own soil between - those who appear hellbent on destroying our Constitutional democratic institutions using mass deception and outright lies - versus those who are fighting to preserve them.

Thomas Jefferson said that "Eternal vigiliance is the price of democracy" and that "Those who believe a people can be ignorant and free - believe in something that never was and never will be."

The Founding Fathers of our nation designed our system of government so that it includes checks and balances within our governance system. These checks and balances are designed to thwart rule by commands, and to empower the governed by institutionalizing a system of law based on due process, which guarantees all people their inalienable human rights, including liberty and justice for all.

But any system on the planet can be hacked, if the hackers are given enough time. And rights, like property, can be lost or stolen - if the rights or property holder doesn't pay attention and take appropriate action when required.

Thus, we live in a time when American democratic institutions appear to be not just under siege - but in actual jeopardy - and the ultimate outcome of this continuous struggle remains unclear. So while remembering those who went before us, who fought to bravely to preserve the blessings we all enjoy, honor them by paying attention to what's going on in our own government. To do this you need to be sure you're getting the truth - all the facts - about the pols and the issues, which these days can only be done by using multiple information sources controlled by different people.

Right now mega-billionaire Rupert Murdoch controls Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the NY Post, Barron's, Market Watch, National Geographic and this year he became the largest shareholder in Disney / ABC. It's useful to think of these media outlets, which represent about half of America's news, as being controlled by one man. And do your duty to your country, and your fellow Americans, by seeking out non-Murdoch information sources to fill in the omissions, correct the distortions and offset the amplified lies told by others that are broadcast and printed by the Murdoch-controlled information sources. It's been documented innumerable times, that Murdoch's information sources distort or corrupt the news.

Murdoch's dominant or monopolistic control of the national media in Australia and Britain appears to have turned these two nations into banana republics. For example Australia has gone through five Prime Ministers in about five years [including one former Murdoch employee who appears to have given Murdoch's company a nearly $900 million tax gift paid for by the Australian public]. And it seems that because of Murdoch's relentless push for Brexit [Murdoch is said to prefer operating in Britain as a separate nation because he can tell British Prime Ministers what to do], Britain is on its way to thrashing through three Prime Ministers in three years. One of the leading candidates for British Prime Minister, Michael Gove, is also a former Murdoch employee.

Others see the Russian or Chinese nations as the greatest threat to America, perhaps because Rupert Murdoch's grabbing for monopolistic control of our media, is stateless and more insidious. It's possible that Rupert Murdoch's self serving use of his media outlets represents an even more dangerous, hostile stateless intelligence service to our nation, than Murdoch's former fellow Australian countryman, Julian Assage, Founder of WikiLeaks, could ever even imagine.

I've documented Murdoch's history of propaganda profiteering, which he appears to have been doing in Australia, Britain and America for decades, in a multi-part series posted on this website about Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of the Propaganda Press - including Fox Fake News.

The Road Ahead 2019

A Few Axioms To Keep In Mind Throughout The New Year

December 31, 2018 / Brooklyn Neighborhoods / Staten Island Neighborhoods / Holidays / Brooklyn BLVD NYC & Staten Buzz NYC.

For all of us, tomorrow starts the beginning of the new year.

I usedto make new years resolutions that generally lasted a few days or few weeks. Over time I've given that up and have focused on a few guiding principles that I work toward throughout the year, every year.

1. The first guidepost is to keep things as simple as possible by letting things go, so you can change and evolve who you are. Over time it's important to learn to let go of the past which includes letting many of the people, projects and things - once so meaningful and relevant - to fade away with time. This process involves discarding much of what one collects, in order to open up space in your life to make room for new possibilities.

2. The second guidepost is to take care of the vessel that carries one's being - meaning take care of your body because it's the only one you'll ever get, and it has to last an entire lifetime. This means consuming the foods that will enable the body to function properly and ward off disease, while recognizing that satisfying the mind is important too, as it's a part of the body. There are three elements to this guideline.

a _ Try to maximize consumption of natural foods while managing / minimalizing consumption of the delicious processed foods that come in packages. Read package container nutrition labels which indicate the amount of fat, sugar, sodium andcholesterol consumed per serving. You can manage the balance of natural and processed foods depending on what's going on in life, meaning leaning toward natural foods to take care of the body, and leaning toward tasty processed foods to treat your mind.

b _ Reduce consumption of toxins by first paying attention to the quantities consumed of them, and then by substituting the toxins with healthier choices. For example dilute a soft drink with seltzer water [cuts sugar], or swap in a lemonade for a beer [cuts alcohol], or swap in pretzels for potato chips [cuts salt and fat]. Over the years these little substitutions can add up to some fair measure of weight loss or stability, and can aid in maintaining generally good health. But it's also important not to deprive oneself, too much, of some of the simple pleasures in life that keep one going - experience tells us not to be too draconian, or you can expect a subconscious rebellion, and then your program doesn't work.

c _ The third element of this guidepost is to try to walk and bike whenever possible. It's a good way to kill two birds with one stone, as it enables getting somewhere, while also getting some exercise. And be sure to carve out enough time each night, for a proper rest.

3. The third guidepost is to try to move your life in the direction of your interests. This will likely take a great many years, as well as needing to make a good number of economic and other lifestyle trade offs. But if successful, you can then spend most of your time doing the things that totally engage you. It's said that "when someone is doing something they truly love, they'll never have to work another day in their life."

4. The fourth guidepost is to keep on learning, because "luck is when preparation meets opportunity". So the more you learn, and the more experience you get, the better prepared you'll be ... come what may.

May your new year be filled with promise and possibilities. Best wishes for a happy and successful 2019.

A Navy Yard Brooklyn Halloween Party

The 733 Collective Steps Out into Limelight at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

October 29, 2018 / Brooklyn Navy Yard & Brooklyn Neighborhoods / Brooklyn Halloween Parties / Fact N' Fiction / Brooklyn BLVD.

It was a dark and stormy night. And all around the campfire. There were Briggins tall and Briggins small. Luigi said the Captain, Tell us a tale. So Luigi began ...

It was a dark and stormy night ... as I made my way west on Flushing Avenue along the southern perimeter of the Williamsburg neighborhood on my way to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The dark wet streets were largely empty of pedestrian traffic, except for a few Hasidic Jews, one of whom gave me directions. I encountered construction along Flushing Avenue, just west of the BQE, but all in all it was smooth journey.

I arrived at the 77 Building and passed through the building security, taking the elevator to the 15th floor. The building had recently been completed, and the 15th floor had not yet been rented out. So the organizers of the party, many architects by profession, obtained an option to use the space for Halloween Weekend night.

The space was massive. It was literally thousands of square feet, with very high ceilings [likely 18 feet] and floor-to-ceiling windows on all walls. The location was also pretty remarkable as it is just across Flushing Avenue from the Brooklyn Coffee Company, less than a half mile north of Fort Greene Park, and less than a mile from Downtown Brooklyn / Cadman Plaza Park. And, of course, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is located along the East River, but not yet a regular NYC Ferry stop [they've done special pick ups like during the Clinton / Sanders debate of April 2016].

Coming off the elevator I had no idea what to expect. As I entered the party there were two reception desks - one staffed by folks working with the organizers of the event, the 733 Collective. And the other staffed by a Laughing Rabbit representing the Twisted Toy Factory. Given the party name - I decided to go with the rabbit.

As I approached the rabbit's desk Grace Jones emerged, taking a spot alongside the twisted toy figure. She was accompanied by an Asian Athena, who had a hand in bringing the crafty long eared mammal to life. They gave me my press credentials without saying a word. Rabbits may laugh, but they don't talk a lot.

I headed into the building, passing one of the toy stores along the way. There were several large platforms of figures mounted on the large boards, which I'll come back to a bit later in this report. I was on a mission - to find Hannibal ... not Lektor, but one of the founders of the 733 Collective with whom I had arranged my visit.

Like so many highly paid workers these days, he wasn't working, but rather talking things up with his pals. I asked him if he could spare a few moments of his break time to chat. He didn't seem to mind.

I'll have the rest of this hopefully tomorrow = Tuesday, 10/30/18.

Brooklyn Holidays & Parades NYC - Related Info

Click this link for promotions, discounts and coupons in Brooklyn.

New York City Related Links

Click for Brooklyn Restaurants / Farmers Markets / Furniture Stores / Hotels / Professional Services

Archives - TBD

$element(bwcore,article_picker,1469-1470,Y,N,page_title_home,N)$

$element(bwcore,article_picker,1475-1474,Y,N,page_title_home,N)$

$element(bwcore,article_picker,1513,Y,N,page_title_home,N)$

$element(bwcore,article_picker,1510,Y,N,page_title_home,N)$

Site Search Tips. 1) For best results, when typing in more than one word, use quotation marks - eg "Astoria Park". 2) Also try either singular or plural words when searching for a specific item such as "gym" or "gyms".

SEARCH

Click this link to search for something in our Brooklyn Business Directory.

Click the log in link below to create an ID and post an opinion.

Or send this story to a friend by filling in the appropriate box below.

Back To Top