by David Cruz 

Community Organized with a Vision of Excellence, also known as the C.O.V.E., will give thanks to the community for its support with a street festival paying tribute to 25 years as a neighborhood institution.

Revelers will gather at Gates Place, between West Gun Hill Road and Mosholu Parkway, for Harmony Day, a time filled with free food, raffles, music and fun as part of the celebration. The Office of the Borough President is expected to declare Saturday, August 9th as The C.O.V.E. Day, presenting a proclamation, according to organizers.

The C.O.V.E. is an offshoot of the Knox-Gates Neighborhood Association, a nonprofit that began with help from the Mosholu Preservation Corporation. The after school program is now celebrating 25 years in the community and offers programming such as martial arts, health and beauty, and literacy classes.

It’s latest venture was movie-making, with teenagers creating short films that have been screened at local film festivals. One of its most recent finished products was “Only If,” a neo-noir film that tells the fabled story of a young man whose good intentions lead him to trouble. The film debuted in April to great fanfare.

The event is August 9th, from noon to 6 p.m. The A&E History Channel, McDonalds, and Dunkin Donuts are key sponsors. Well-known photojournalist Mitchell Parsons is expected to take shots of the event.