The Bronx Library Center brought in a pair of native stars and handful of borough mainstays to talk about many of the positive developments and aspects of the Boogie Down.

The event, called “Salute to the Bronx,” held on Sept. 26 in the library’s basement auditorium, was led by two Bronx natives — MSNBC host Chris Hayes alongside Darlene Rodriguez from NBC-4 New York.

They sat at a panel with various guests who shared different aspects of the Bronx. The guest speakers touched on subjects such as present issues and upcoming resolutions, the abundant amount of historical landmarks and cultural offerings.

One of the guests, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., sounded a defiant and ambitious tone, saying “We’re (the Bronx) tired of being number one in poverty, we’re tired of being number one in unemployment.”

Diaz touched on some of the Bronx’s coming attractions, including the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory. The city’s Economic Development Corporation is deciding between two development proposals for the Armory — Mercado Mirabo, a mixed-use creative market that would also include recreational and community uses and Kingsbridge National Ice Center, which is being billed as the world’s largest ice sports center.

He used the platform to plug the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, which he and some other Bronx officials are supporting.

Diaz said he believes the ice center will develop local ice sports stars and become a popular destination that will rival Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden, the borough’s biggest attractions.

Diaz said people “look down upon the borough and that should no longer be the case.”

Rodriguez introduced the next guest, Borough Historian Lloyd Ultan, as “the go to guy for walking tours.” He aced some trivia questions about Bronx history and gave some information on different historical landmarks that people might not know about the borough. For instance, did you know the Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course was the first public golf course in America?

Two representatives from DreamYard, Co-executive Director Jason Duchin and poetry teacher Renee Watson talked about how their program supplements arts education in the Bronx. DreamYard reps go to schools once a week for an hour and a half to teach students different kinds of arts, such as dance, drama, music or creative writing. DreamYard has worked with 40 public schools and has opened one of its own.

The last two speakers were Sergio Bessa and David Greco.

Bessa works with The Bronx Museum of the Arts. He talked about a new exhibition called “Bronx Lab.” The exhibition maps out the graffiti revolution from when it first started in the 1970s in the South Bronx to today’s street art.

Greco, from Mike’s Deli, talked about how Arthur Avenue, where his shop is located, is New York City’s true Little Italy. He mentioned the long history of Italian bakeries and restaurants on Arthur Avenue and their authenticity.  He says Little Italy on “Mulberry is a tourist trap; Arthur Ave. is a tourist attraction.”

Mike’s Deli catered the event once the guest speakers were done. The audience, which was filled with Bronxites both young and old, enjoyed the food while listening to a live Latin Jazz group performance.
Now that’s saluting the Bronx.