Friends,
It’s Monday, August 1, 2022. Here's what's happening this week. 

Tonight, 8/1, from 6 – 9 pm, the Human Rights Campaign is sponsoring a virtual phone bank in support of the federal Respect for Marriage Act. That's the bill passed by the House recently which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and codify the federal protections conferred by the Loving, Windsor, and Obergefell Supreme Court decisions. Now, passage of the Respect of Marriage Act is up to the US Senate. Volunteers will be calling voters in targeted states and patching them through to their Senators’ official voicemail to encourage them to support the bill. Click here to find out more an sign up. (Thanks to my colleague Erik Bottcher for the heads up!)
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Tomorrow, Tuesday 8/2 is National Night Out (it used to have the words “Against Crime” at the end), an annual event that brings communities and law enforcement together in a positive atmosphere. Our local NYPD precincts will be participating, building personal relationships and understanding between officers and citizens and making our neighborhoods safer and improving quality of life. 

• Midtown North Precinct, 5 – 8 pm, Hell’s Kitchen Park (Tenth Ave between W. 47th & 48th St.)
• 20th Precinct, 6 – 8 pm Verdi Square (Broadway between W. 72nd and 73rd St.)
• Central Park Precinct and Transit District 1, 4 – 8 pm, Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park (by Merchant’s Gate and the Maine Monument) 
• 24th Precinct, 6 – 9 pm, Happy Warrior Playground (W 98th and Amsterdam)

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Wednesday 8/3, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, House of Justice, 106 W. 145th St: “Cannabis Education Series” hosted by Borough President Mark Levine and the National Action Network and Community Boards 9, 10 and 11. Click the link to learn more and register.
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This Thursday (8/4) will be another “Pickup Thursday” for my Fresh Food for Seniors program (in partnership with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine). That’s when you can stop by the Goddard Riverside Older Adult Center between 1 – 3 pm, pay $10, and order a bag of fresh local produce (a $15+ value) for pickup on 8/18. Sort of like a one-week CSA!
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the season:

• August 18 (Sign up for Sept 1)
• September 1 (Sign up on Aug. 18)
• September 15 (Sign up on Sept. 1)
• September 29 (Sign up on Sept. 15)
• October 13 (Sign up on Sept. 29)
• October 27 (Sign up on Oct. 13)
• November 10 (Sign up on Oct. 27)

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Friday, 8/5, 3 – 5 pm, at the Museum of the City of New York: A matinee screening of “Little Satchmo”
presented by New Heritage Theatre Group, in partnership with the Museum of the City of New York, Jazzmobile, and Harlem Heritage Now. The story of famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong by his daughter Sharon is open to senior centers. Free, but reservations are required; click this link. Enter the MCNY enter through the 104th St. entrance b/w 5th & Madison Ave.
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This Saturday 8/6, 7:15 pm, Damrosch Park: AmericanaFestNYC: The War and Treaty and a special tribute to Ray Charles, part of Lincoln Center's “Summer for the City” program. It's free, but there's limited space—reserve a seat w/ code AMERICANA22 by noon today (8/1). 
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The next three Saturdays in August (8/6, 13 and 20) from 7 am – 1 pm: NYC Summer Streets is back. Everyone is invited to play, run, walk, and bike on Park Avenue and feeder streets, from Brooklyn Bridge to East Harlem. Public art installations, performances and activities will be along the route. Check out the activities, art and performances happening during Summer Streets 2022. On August 6, Citi Bike will be offering free day passes. Use the code SUMMER22 in the Citi Bike app to receive unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours. Click the links for more information.

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There's still some Shakespeare around town...  This year’s second production of Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park is As You Like It, opening 8/10 and running through 9/11. Ticketing options:

• In-person distribution in Central Park;
• In-person lottery at The Public Theater;
• In-person distribution in the boroughs;
• A digital lottery with TodayTix; and
• In-person standby line in Central Park.

This weekend (8/6 – 7) at 6 pm, The West Side Community Garden hosts the Greenhouse Ensemble in their 6th “Ten Minute Play Soiree” featuring 17 actors, six directors, and seven short plays—each by a different author. That means 7 chances to laugh, to cry, or to be inspired, all in one evening of theater!
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The Riverside Clay Tennis Association's 2022 Sunset Concert Series continues every Saturday at 7 pm; here's the lineup:

• 8/6, 7 pm: Mimi & The Podd Brothers
• 8/13, 7 pm: Jacob Varmus Quintet
• 8/20, 7 pm: Cynthia Sayer
• 8/27, 7 pm: Leon & The Peoples

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Sundays from 2 – 4 pm, at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center at the Harlem Meer in Central Park, 110th St. near 5th Ave.: The Harlem Meer Music Festival. Remaining performances: 8/7, Johnny Rodriguez and the Dream Team (New York Salsa); 8/14, Clean Money Music; 8/21, Despers USA Steel Orchestra.

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Tuesday – Wednesday, 8/2–3, virtual: Real Torah / Real Life: Abortion, Beyond Law. “In a time when the dignity and agency of people navigating hard realities of pregnancy is being denied, there is much work to be done. Alongside taking action, it is also a moment to reach for the narratives and theologies that strengthen us in this work. Embracing our Jewish tradition, we can find a much-needed religious voice of care and compassion towards experiences of abortion.” Presented in partnership with SVIVAH, HerTorah, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, and the JTS Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice. Click the link to learn more. 

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Saturday, 8/6: One day, five boroughs—The New York Public Library’s biggest-ever summer program, “Dance Party NYC,” is a citywide festival of music and movement, taking place at more than 80 venues across the city (including Governors Island, see below), at many library locations and a K-pop dance party at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at the Main NYPL. Click the link to learn more. 

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This weekend, 8/5 - 7, Gov­er­nors Island Arts will bring togeth­er more than 15 cul­tur­al part­ners for a week­end-long cre­ative cel­e­bra­tion, House Fest, in the his­toric Nolan Park and Colonels Row areas on the Island, fea­tur­ing free dance and music per­for­mances, out­door instal­la­tions, inter­ac­tive work­shops, open stu­dios, and pan­el dis­cus­sions. The three-day cel­e­bra­tion will also fea­ture the incred­i­ble line­up of works already on dis­play from the two dozen Orga­ni­za­tions in Res­i­dence in the his­toric hous­es in Nolan Park and Colonels Row—click here to meet them all.

Cen­tral to the weekend’s fes­tiv­i­ties is Dance Par­ty NYC on Saturday, 8/6, 3 pm, at Nolan Park. Performances from Brooklyn United Marching Band and Brass Queens, tunes from DJ Aguapanela Mami and DJ Yung Mayne, food trucks, and a beer garden. RSVP for the dance party here. 

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Saturday, 8/6, 1 – 3:30 pm, Ft. Tryon Park (Enter at Ft. Washington Ave/Margaret Corbin Circle): Stanley Michels Memorial Jazz Concert sponsored by Ft. Tryon Park Trust. Join the Fort Tryon Tryon Park Trust, NYC Parks, and the Michels family to honor the late Council Member Stan Michels at the 14th Annual Stan Michels Memorial Jazz Concert. Enjoy live jazz by local impresario Marjorie Eliot, her son Rudel Drears, and their ensemble. In the event of rain, the concert will be held indoors at Our Saviour’s Atonement/Cornerstone Church: 178 Bennett Ave. (Stan was a beloved colleague who represented Northern Manhattan for 24 years, 1978 – 2001. He was a steadfast advocate for parks, allocating over $50 million for park improvements in Washington Heights, Inwood, and Harlem, and virtually every playground in his district!) 

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Saturday, 8/13, 12 Noon – 9 pm,  Pier 76 (at 34th St.): Hudson River Park’s Blues BBQ Festival, the longest-running free blues festival in the New York area, dedicated to bringing in the most celebrated blues artists from across the country. This year the event will be hosted by guitarist Binky Griptite, with performers including Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Don Bryant, Bette Smith, Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers and Jackie Venson. Five restaurants will participate: Blue Smoke, Jase’s BBQ, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Kimchi Smoke, and Big Papa Smokem—along with beverages from  Allagash, Bronx Brewery, Sunday Beer Lager, Archer Roose Rose and Sparkling White Wine and Two Robbers Hard Seltzer. 

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Saturday, 8/13, 11:30 am – 7 pm, E. 120th Street & Harlem Art Park (Between Lexington & 3rd Ave.): The Afribembé Festival, an all-day Pan-African celebration of the African Diaspora's creativity, musicality, intellectuality, and artistry, sponsored by the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. The festival's Bembé Stage will feature live DJ sets and artists representing various regions.

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Sunday, 8/14, 1 – 4 pm, Amsterdam and 109th St. Open Street: Homemade History Exchange, a project of the Columbus Amsterdam BID and the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group. View a treasure chest of historical photos, articles, and maps related to the Bloomingdale neighborhood. Be an active participant—bring along any historical photos or other items that you have that might be of interest to others. 

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Saturday–Sunday, 8/20 – 21, 2 – 6 pm, Morris Jumel Mansion: 30th Annual Jazz at the Mansion Concert with Marjorie Eliot and Parlor Entertainment with support from the Jazz Foundation of America. The lineup:

• Rudel Drears – Piano, Vocals, Founder & Musical Director
• Marjorie Eliot – Piano, Founder & Artistic Director
• Sedric Choukroun – Saxophone
• Nicholas Mauro – Trumpet
• Jeffrey Michels – Guitar
• Yuma Takagi – Bass
• Will Glass – Drums, Percussion

Their location is across the street from 555 Edgecombe Avenue (also known as the “Triple Nickel”), a historic apartment building home to Count Basie, Paul Robeson,  and Cassandra Wilson. This outdoor event is free and open to the public. This event has a limited capacity, and it is recommended that you arrive early to obtain a seat. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be canceled. (Visit the brand new Morris Jumel website with in-depth stories about the Mansion and its collections.)  
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The listings above are a small sample of just what WE know about. Find out more from these sources:

• The West Side Rag has a consistently great weekly events listing here. 

• Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City programming continues; check this link for calendar. Every Wednesday from 8 – 10pm on Jaffe Drive, Comedy Underground presents new standup comedians. Film at Lincoln Center screens several movies outdoors each week. 

• The Riverside Parks Conservancy and NYC Parks offer dozens of free “Summer on the Hudson” events all summer long. View their calendar here and follow them on Twitter @summeronhudson for up to the minute event information (including cancellations).

• Hudson River Park events can be found here; sign up at the top of their webpage to receive their weekly newsletter with dozens of free events listed. 

• Battery Park Conservancy also sponsors lots of events; view their calendar here.

• The Columbus Avenue BID has a variety of events.

                                                       Stay Safe, 

P.S. If you were forwarded this newsletter by a friend, sign up for your own subscription here!

P.P.S. If you have a problem or concern going forward, please contact me at gbrewer@council.nyc.gov, or call (917) 685-8657, or contact my Council district office at (212) 873-0282 and District6@council.nyc.gov.