It was a beautiful, sunshine-filled day for the 2nd Annual Fall Festival held on Saturday, Oct. 28, in St. James Park in Fordham Manor where around 600 Bronx families enjoyed food, games, and were also able to avail of community resources and obtain information on a variety of topics.

 

The event was hosted by District 14 City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and Morris Heights Health Center, in collaboration with State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia (A.D. 86), Bronx Borough President Vanessa L Gibson, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). It was billed as “a vibrant celebration of the Bronx community and collaboration.”

 

The festival kicked off at noon and took place inside the park, located at 2550 Jerome Avenue. Sanchez represents the neighborhoods of Morris Heights, University Heights, Fordham, and Kingsbridge. Espaillat represents parts of northern Manhattan / Washington Heights and parts of the west Bronx, while Tapia broadly represents the neighborhoods of University Heights, Fordham, Morris Heights and Tremont.

In addition to the northwest Bronx, Rivera represents some or all of the neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Belmont, Tremont, Fordham Manor, Fordham Heights, Van Nest, Little Yemen, Pelham Parkway, and Indian Village. The senator later tweeted on Halloween, Oct. 31 of the festival, “Last Saturday, I celebrated #Halloween in my district at @JZforNY‘s spooky Trunk & Trick at M.S. 80, @CMPiSanchez‘s lovely Fall Festival at St. James Park, & @FordhamRoadNYC Fordham Rd Street Fair, a key economic hub in The Bronx. Have a safe and spooky time today!” 

 

At the St. James Park festival, there was food, pumpkin picking, face painting, games, free giveaways, a mini train ride and more.

According to the councilwoman’s office, over 15 community based organizations (CMOs) tabled at the event, offering “critical resources” to Bronx residents.

 

These included the NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, Ali Forney Center, cure violence program Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (B.R.A.G.), which is part of Good Shepherd Services, BioBus, Christodora Inc, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Gay Men’s Health Crisis Inc., LSNY Bronx Corporation, which, among other services, offers counseling and therapy, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Pa’lante Harlem Inc., St. Barnabas Hospital’s mammogram bus, Theory 9 Inc., and the Urban Justice Center’s Domestic Violence Project.

The Ali Forney Center is the largest LGBT community center helping LGBTQ homeless youth in the United States. BioBus helps K-12 and college students in New York City discover, explore, and pursue science, focusing on those students excluded from the scientific community due to factors such as race, gender, economic status, and physical access.

 

Theory 9 Inc. is a program that introduces knowledge, self worth, love and connecting all aspects of life while bringing education to youth in underserved communities. Read our previous story on the group here.

Christodora Inc. hosts citizen science and community service projects for middle and high school students where they can explore nature in their city. The group has partnered with Bedford Mosholu Community Association in the past on various community clean-up events on Mosholu Parkway, as reported.

 

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation is a non-profit that operates under a “settlement house model” to identify and provide free services, including numerous crisis intervention services under one roof, to residents of Upper Manhattan and the south and west Bronx. Meanwhile, the mission of Pa’lante Harlem Inc. is to reduce poverty and advocate for safe housing by organizing, educating, and empowering residents. 

As reported, the council member has been a strong advocate of housing rights for her constituents, and was recently honored with a Housing Justice Award by @housingcourtanswers. In terms of legislation, her election campaign team previously told Norwood News that she helped pass laws to improve housing quality, protect rent stabilization, and expand access to housing vouchers for low to moderate income families. They said as chair of the city council’s committee on housing and buildings, she held 36 hearings, addressing the housing crisis, and sponsored 532 bills and resolutions, with 127 adopted or passed into law.

 

More recently, Sanchez said on Nov. 2, “We have a housing crisis in New York City that we need to approach from two sides. We need to make sure prices are affordable but we also need to make sure wages are enough to afford what is out there. That is why I am proud to support #ConstructionJusticeNYC.”

 

According to the Laborers 79 union, Construction Justice NY is a bill, introduced in the council in early November, establishing community hiring and a $40 wage package on City-assisted housing developments. “It’s time to bring an end to the crisis of worker exploitation on affordable housing construction projects in NYC neighborhoods!” the union members later wrote on social media.

 

Meanwhile, Rivera, who won his last Democratic primary election and general election in 2022, in part due to the unwavering support of housing rights advocates, as reported, has been hosting free housing legal services to constituents in November, where they can get help with pending eviction cases, rental arrears, and more. Earlier this year, he joined his colleagues in the State senate majority to vote for 10 bills relating to the 2023-2024 New York State Budget.

As part of the latest State budget, housing-related funding highlights for senate district 33 included $135,000 for Housing Court Answers, $290,000 for Mobilization for Justice, $250,000 for Bronx Legal Services, and $15 million in additional funding for legal representation for tenants for a total of $50 million, among other allocations for other services.

 

Some kids were seen on the day of the festival in fancy dress in the lead up to Halloween. Some found the larger pumpkins too heavy to carry home and so they opted to go for the smaller ones instead. The most fun was probably had at the bouncy houses where many of the kids were seen kicking off their shoes and making new friends. One little girl, adorned with a crown, made sure not to lose it despite being dressed in an elaborate costume and engaging in lots of play throughout the day.

Also seen at the event was Sirio Guerino of Guerinos Against Graffitti*, complete with a whopping [fake] axe and proudly displaying an Italian flag in recognition of Columbus Day, celebrated earlier in the month on Oct. 9, and also celebrated as Indigenous People’s Day.

 

Guerino recently wrote, in part, in a widely copied email in advance of an October Bronx Community Board 7 meeting, “As a proud Italian American, I request more time at the October meeting to explain why Columbus Day, a legal federal holiday, should still be celebrated today.”

 

Guerino went on to say that he was doing so because he alleged the New York City Council voted to “spend millions of tax dollars” to remove, from locations around the City, certain historical statues of famous Americans, who Guerino described as heroes, and who he said were deemed offensive by some people of color. Norwood News wrote on this topic as part of a previous story on Columbus Day. It can be read here.

Guerino also advocated for more to be done by the City Council to help prevent deaths such as those of 3-year-old Sharlize Carter Clarke, and one-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici. Toddler Shalize, who had been in foster care, died in The Bronx apparently from an amphetamine overdose in December 2022 according to media reports at the time. Amphetamines are drug stimulants that can be found in crystal meth, ecstasy, but also in Adderall, which is used to treat ADHD.

 

Meanwhile, as reported, Baby Nicholas died apparently from a fentanyl overdose following a medical emergency at Divino Niño Daycare Center located on Morris Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights on Friday, Sept. 15.

Large quantities of fentanyl. were later found by law enforcement under a trapdoor in the center, where a suspected drug smuggling operation is under investigation. Several people have already been arrested following the seizure, as reported, and the center, which had passed three health inspections prior to the incident, has since closed.

 

Three other infants survived the daycare emergency despite also being poisoned thanks to the quick actions of EMS responders, one child’s mother, and hospital staff. [The defendants are deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.]

 

Guerino, who has previously been honored by local residents on a number of occasions for his contributions to the local community, recently participated in a clean-up event with Guerinos against Graffitti* along Webster Avenue in Bedford Park in conjunction with a local church group, the Office of Assemblyman George Alvarez (S.D. 78), and members of ASEZ STAR World Mission Society Church of God Youth Student Volunteer Group, on Sunday, Nov. 12, as part of the 52nd Precinct’s “One Block at a Time” coalition.

Alvarez, who represents some or all of the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford Park, Fordham Manor, and Belmont, recently hosted an event for seniors in Kingsbridge Heights, as reported.

 

Meanwhile, in an interview with News 12 on the day of the clean-up, Guerino said in part of the event, “We’re here today to help out our Assemblyman George Alvarez, whose office is across the street there.” He went on to explain that due in part to construction, there were a lot of items that were simply dumped on the street. He also alleged “small-time operators” in the area don’t want to pay for removal charges.

Guerino said food remains were also left over from food trucks in the area and the fact that there are no businesses along one section of one side of Webster Avenue, where the Metro North track runs, means nobody is concerned with keeping that section / side of the street clean. “We got to live here and we got to maintain our own property,” he said.

 

ASEZ STAR are teaming up once again with Alvarez to kick off a gratitude campaign on Sunday, Nov. 19. The goal of the activity is to highlight the importance of gratitude in everyone’s daily life, in particular gratitude for parents and teachers. ASEZ STAR, which stands for “Save the Earth from A to Z, Students Take Action Right Now” is an international volunteer group of middle and high school students from the World Mission Society Church of God. Volunteers aim to contribute towards saving the earth and mankind from pressing environmental risks by promoting appreciation for the community and earth we live in.

 

Meanwhile, summing up the Fall Festival event, Sanchez later wrote, “Thank you to everyone who came out and attended our Second Annual Fall Festival! This year was even bigger and better, with increased partnership and neighbors attending. A big shoutout to all the amazing organizations and the park for their support in making this event possible.”

 

Click here to read our story on the Jerome Gun Hill BID Fall Festival, here for our story on the Mosholu Fall Festival, and here for our recent story on the Fordham Road Fair.

For more Halloween coverage, click here, here, here, and here, and check out our Facebook page on Oct. 31 for some more photos of local Norwood residents dressed in costume on the day itself.

 

For more information on upcoming arts and culture events, including more street festivals, click here and for more on health, civic, political and transportation related events and updates, check out our Neighborhood Notes listing here.

 

NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) provides training and regularly updated information on how to obtain and administer naloxone (Narcan). Click here for more information.

 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the updated list of those hosting as well as those tabling at the event.