If you didn’t get your fill of Funnel Cakes or Kettle Corn at last weekend’s street fairs, there are still plenty of opportunities to load up on essential street fair grub this weekend. If street fairs are not your thing, the Steuben Day Parade (pictured above) is one of our favorite parades. Why not end your Saturday at a German pub and hoist a few beers to toast the man (Steuben, that is) who trained Washington’s troops at Valley Forge and helped the colonists win the war. If that’s too much history for you, there is an apple festival, an Irish fair and even some outdoor theater to enjoy. Take your pick.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18
Fulton Street Festival
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fulton St between Gold and Water Sts.
Tribeca Community Day Fall Festival
10 am-6 pm
Church St between Canal and Franklin Sts.
International Center of Photography
Avedon Fashion: 1944–2000
Mark the end of Fashion Week with a retrospective of the man who defined modern fashion photography. This is your last weekend to take a look back on the fashion photos of Richard Avedon, a man whose images influenced our perception of fashion for decades.
Feast of San Gennaro
Although this is an annual celebration of faith, the Feast of San Gennaro is known the world over for its festive atmosphere, an 11-day event featuring religious processions and colorful parades, free musical entertainment every day, a wide variety of ethnic food delicacies, charming restaurants and cafes and even a world-famous cannoli-eating competition! The central focus of the celebration takes place every September 19th, the official Saint Day when a celebratory Mass is held in Most
Precious Blood Church, followed immediately by a religious procession in which the Statue of San Gennaro is carried from its permanent home in the church through the streets that comprise Little Italy. Visit www.sangennaro.org for more information.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19
28th Annual Great Irish Fair of New York (Saturday and Sunday)
KeySpan Park in Coney Island
Celebrate New York’s great Irish-American heritage and culture at this family friendly fair. Enjoy the best of Irish music, dancing, food and crafts. What Irish food? Boxties, Bangers, Sweet Potato Fries with Vinegar and, of course, beer. Adults $12, Families $30, children under 12 Free. Outside of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, this is NYs largest gathering of Irish and Irish Americans.
Summer on the Hudson: Kayaking on the Hudson
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
The weather is getting cooler and you may need a wet suit, but there are still a few weekends left to join the Downtown Boathouse for complimentary kayaking and explore the Hudson River first hand! No need to make a reservation; just walk right up and wait on (a bit of a) line. Paddle time is 20 minutes per slot (you can paddle more than once depending on crowds). Don’t worry if you’ve never kayaked before: the nautical experts provide the equipment and the know-how—all they ask is that you know how to swim, wear a life jacket, and have fun!
Come to Riverside Park South at 72nd Street & the Hudson River. Call 212-408-0219 for more information.
27th Annual Queens County Fair 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Sometimes New York really feels like a small town, especially in the fall fair season. This traditional county fair will feature Blue Ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts and crafts, and more. Enjoy the Amazing Maize Maze, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, pig racing, make-your-own-scarecrow, hayrides, petting zoo, carnival rides and midway. Visit the Bavarian Garden, Irish and German bands, craft and food vendors. Fun for the entire family!
The fair is held at the Queens County Farm Museum (73-50 Little Neck Parkway).
Adults $7.00, children $4.00 (age 12 and under.) Call (718) 347-3276 for more information.
Shakespeare on the Hudson: Two Noble Kinsmen
3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Friends of Hudson River Park present Elena Araoz’s and Nate Art Productions adaptation of Shakespeare’s Two Noble Kinsmen. This is the story of two young men, Paloman and Arcite, close friends who are nonetheless rivals for the same woman, Emilia, who of course never notices them. It is a classic farce of missed connections leading to romantic confusion, while at the same time drawing on deeper themes of friendship and loyalty. Two Noble Kinsmen, Shakespeare’s final masterpiece, is the perfect tragic-comedy, populated with timeless characters in which everyone will recognize a bit of themselves.
This free open-air production takes places at the Hudson River Park’s Clinton Cove (55th Street and the West Side Highway). Call 212-757-0981 for more information.
Curious Frog Theatre: Plutus
4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Curious Frog will tour a 90-minute, six-actor contemporary version of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy Plutus in Queensbridge Park, Queens. With its Shakespeare in the Parks series, Curious Frog seeks to overcome cultural isolation and disconnect in today’s world by bringing timeless drama to audiences unable to attend more traditional venues in the city. Adding an ancient Greek comedy to the mix evolves this mission. Visit www.curiousfrog.org for more information.
Alliance of Guardian Angels Fair
10 am – 6 pm
Seventh Ave between 47th and 57th Sts.
52nd Annual German-American Steuben Parade; Noon
Fifth Ave from 67th St to 86th St.
This is one of New York’s favorite parades, full of gaiety, color and music. This is a great parade to watch on a beautiful Saturday afternoon from the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Visit www.germanparadenyc.org for more information.
Village Center for Care Fair
11 am – 6 pm
Bleecker St between Seventh Ave South and Eighth Ave 11am–6pm.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 20
Apple Festival
12:00 p.m.
Celebrate the harvest and “Everything Apple” at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum’s Annual Apple Festival! Enjoy fresh pressed apple cider while dining on apple fritters! Move to the sounds of the Jug Addicts. Dine, dance, and discover the apple at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum in the M. Fidler Wyckoff House Park (Clarendon Road at Ralph Avenue). Call (718) 629-5400 for more information or visit www.wyckoffassociation.org.
Stories Under the Elm Trees
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
The storm that ripped through Central Park on the night of August 18, 2009, leaving a trail of hundreds of destroyed trees in its wake, is called sharply to mind while looking at the now sparse northern Park landscapes. One of the hardest hit areas was the Great Hill and The Children’s Glade – two important wildlife habitats that also serve as family programming venues for the A Clearance in the Forest series. The storm was particularly devastating to the precious American Elm tree population that struggles to survive there. Once prolific along North America’s northeast coast, American Elm trees are now endangered by Dutch Elm Disease, an invasive beetle-spread fungus that have greatly reduced them in number. In fact, those living in Central Park now comprise the longest running stand of American Elms left anywhere in the nation. This latest blow to the American Elm trees’ health might have been fatal, but thanks to your support, the Central Park Conservancy’s exceptional tree care crew is able to work tirelessly to ensure the well being of our flora in the storm’s aftermath.
Stories Under the Elm Trees, co-presented by the Central Park Conservancy and the Museum for African Art, brings the A Clearing in the Forest series back to the Great Hill after the storm in celebration of what was, and in anticipation of the restoration of this healthy, vibrant ecosystem. Nigerian storyteller and performance artist Onome Djere takes you on a poetic journey into West Africa. Listen to folktales from Urhoboland in the Nigerian delta, stories of the famous spider Anansi, and her adaptation of Song of the Wild Beasts (Le Chant des Fauves) written by Tinariwen, a band from the Mali region.
Come and join the Central Park Conservancy and the Museum for African Art on an imaginative journey into West Africa without leaving the shade of our beloved trees!
A Clearing in the Forest is the Central Park Conservancy’s series of FREE multicultural performances and family art workshops. Led by a range of established and emerging performing artists from some of New York City’s leading cultural institutions, and featuring live music and dance, puppets, storytelling, and crafts, these programs are fun for all ages.
Programs take place in The Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade and on the Great Hill. Enter Central Park at West 106th Street. Advance registration is not required. For more information, please call 212-860-1370 or visit www.centralparknyc.org/clearing.
7th Annual Youth Chess Tournament
10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Don’t miss your opportunity to play in the 7th annual youth tournament for rated and recreational chess players of all abilities in kindergarten through 9th grade. Highlights include a lecture and simul game with Grandmaster Robert Hess, a rising senior at Stuyvesant High School. All are encouraged to come watch, and pre-registered players can participate in the tournament.
Advance online registration is required to play. To learn more about what a simul is, who is conducting them, and how to register, please visit www.centralparknyc.org/chess.
Chess Tournament takes place at the Chess & Checkers House. Located Mid-Park at 64th Street. Call (212) 794-4064 for more information.
Curious Frog Theatre: Romeo & Juliet
4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Curious Frog will tour a 90-minute, six-actor contemporary version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in Astoria Park, Queens. With its Shakespeare in the Parks series, Curious Frog seeks to overcome cultural isolation and disconnect in today’s world by bringing timeless drama to audiences unable to attend more traditional venues in the city. For more information visit www.curiousfrog.org.
Eighth Avenue Fall Festival
10 am to 5 pm
Eighth Avenue between 42nd and 57th St.
40th Annual African American Day Parade; 1pm
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd (Seventh Ave) from 111th St to 142nd St
The Grand Marshalls for this parade, the largest Black Parade in America are such notable African-American leaders as Governor David Paterson, David Dinkins, Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Adelaide Sanford, ?Congressman Charles Rangel, Comptroller (and Mayoral candidate) William Thompson and Lillian Roberts. Visit africanamericandayparade.org for more information.
