PATCH

By Nick Garber

HARLEM, NY — Halloween is almost here, and no neighborhood in New York knows how to throw down like Harlem.

From costume contests to pumpkin carving to haunted houses to, of course, treats, here's Harlem Patch's roundup of the most notable Halloween events happening this weekend in the neighborhood.

Sunday, Oct. 31 (Halloween)

Trick-Or-Treat on East Harlem Open Streets

• When: 2 p.m.-6 p.m.

• Where: TWO LOCATIONS: Pleasant Avenue and East 118th Street; and East 101st Street and Lexington Avenue

• Description: Back by popular demand, this event from Uptown Grand Central will feature candy, pumpkins, music and photo backdrops for pumpkin pics with kids. Free pre-registration is welcomed but not required for the event, which was supported by Councilmember Diana Ayala and East River Plaza.

PIX 11 NEWS

By Michelle Ross

HARLEM, Manhattan — Throughout the last year and a half, the pandemic has created new issues while also causing a spike in existing ones — particularly with litter.

An excess of garbage has been seen throughout the streets of New York City and helping to fix this problem is the City Cleanup Corps.

One team is deployed on 125th Street in East Harlem and the members are picking up trash to keep the neighborhood looking vibrant, Nathan Moran, assistant director of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, said.

“They’re active in the community, cleaning sidewalks, doing supplementary sanitation,” Moran said. “We’re really happy and proud of the presence that we’ve brought to the neighborhood.”

The East Harlem route was just added and is part of a larger citywide effort to beautify public spaces across the five boroughs. They also help in removing graffiti and creating murals.

They’re playing an active role in the city’s recovery— not only for residents of the neighborhood, but also for tourists, too. The Metro-North Harlem line is an area they focus on and they want passengers coming off the train to be greeted by a clean environment.

Carey King, director of Uptown Grand Central, said there’s a consistent presence of people passing through and the clean up crew is making a difference.

“The business owners notice it, the families notice it, the commuters notice it and so it just makes the neighborhood feel more taken care of,” King said.

It’s also gratifying for those doing the cleaning like Margiet Lebron.

“It makes me feel better because it makes me know that I’m making it better for my kids,” Lebron said. “I got two kids and I want my daughters to walk somewhere where there’s not garbage.”

According to NYCEDC, 150,000 pounds of trash has been cleaned up across the city so far.

Just a month ago in East Harlem, 400 bags of trash were being filled a week. Now, it’s down to 200 bags a week, according to Gary Linares, the program director at Positive Workforce.

“We have an army of cleaning people on the street every day,” Linares said. “Cleaning up now that the pandemic is lifting, we’re hiring more people and we’re hiring more shifts so they could keep the city clean.”

The city is looking to hire 10,000 people to help continue this work. The pay is $15 to $20 an hour and there are still spots available, so if you’re interested, click here for more information on how to apply.

THE CURIOUS UPTOWNER

Open House New York Weekend
Saturday, October 16 & Sunday, October 17; FREE
Various locations

This weekend dedicated to exploring New York's unique spaces has a number of free in-person tours in Upper Manhattan, including a visit to the Dyckman Farmhouse in Inwood, built in 1784 and still in its original spot on Broadway, as well as a walk along the half-mile-long Grandscale Mural Project in East Harlem. (Note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination with ID and masks are required.)

PATCH

By Nick Garber

EAST HARLEM, NY — Two decades after they lost their lives at the World Trade Center, two Harlem firefighters are being memorialized through a new mural that will soon surround the firehouse that they called home.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Fred Scheffold and Joseph Marchbanks, Jr. were battalion chiefs at Engine 35, Ladder 14, Battalion 12, on Third Avenue near East 124th Street. Scheffold was just completing a 24-hour shift at the World Trade Center, with Marchbanks arriving to replace him, when the south tower collapsed on top of them.

The two men were among the few first responders from uptown Manhattan to perish that day. In the ensuing years, their colleagues have remembered Marchbanks and Scheffold through stories, photos, and annual visits to the men's families.

Now, through a coincidence of timing, the two chiefs are being immortalized on the 20th anniversary of the attacks through a mural being painted onto the green construction fence that surrounds the old Pathmark supermarket site on Third Avenue, right next to the firehouse.

"This will put a face outside to the names. Stir up conversation," said a longtime Engine 35 firefighter who once worked alongside Scheffold and Marchbanks.

The mural came together this spring, as artists were at work on the nearby Grandscale Mural Project. The firefighter — who asked not to be identified by name — approached organizers with the idea of beautifying the fence by the firehouse, where giant letters spelled out "FDNY PARKING ONLY."

After debating a few subjects, with the anniversary approaching, the firefighter and the artist, Robin Alcantara (known as Blazay), settled on Scheffold and Marchbanks. As inspiration, the firehouse lent a couple of photographs of the two men, as well as an image of the giant banner reading "We Will Never Forget" that is hung on the firehouse every September.

Though funding for the murals had run out, organizers Uptown Grand Central secured another donation from the property owner to make it happen.

"Those stories never go away"

Of the roughly 50 firefighters who make up Engine 35, only around five remain who were working on 9/11. But even the new hires are eager to learn about Scheffold, a marathon runner, avid reader and father of three daughters — and Marchbanks — a father of two who insisted on being called a "firefighter" despite his status as a chief.

At the annual memorials honoring both men, the crowds have only grown, said Steve Damato, a former captain at Engine 35 who has helped lead each year's services.

"You'd think that it would peter out," he told Patch. "And it hasn't. The numbers last year were as big as the numbers ever were."

To Damato, the anniversary is a chance to remember two men he knew, but wishes he had known better. Marchbanks stands out in Damato's mind for his generosity, his joyousness, and his mischievous — and frequent — laugh.

Scheffold, meanwhile, was adventurous and "in for anything." An elder in the firehouse, Scheffold was sturdy under pressure, and Damato was just starting to get to know him better in September 2001.

"I was getting closer to him," Damato said. "And then he got killed."

The "never forget" credo is interpreted broadly at Engine 35, the anonymous firefighter said, referring not only to the first responders who died but also to the civilians who lost their lives, and even the violence of the wars that sprung from 9/11.

The 20th anniversary, he said, is a chance to stop those memories from fading.

"The further it gets away, you think, 'Will people start to forget? Will people take it as just another day?'" he said. "If people just take a little time out of their day and think about all the lives that were lost, that's what we want."

The new mural will be completed in the coming days next to Engine 35/Ladder 14/Battalion 12 at 2282 Third Ave.

PATCH

By Nick Garber

EAST HARLEM, NY — On a Tuesday in August 1958, an impossibly stacked lineup of some of the world's foremost jazz musicians gathered on a brownstone-lined block in Harlem to pose for a photograph.

Charles Mingus stood on the stoop. Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams and Dizzy Gillespie posed on the sidewalk. Count Basie sat on the curb, joined by some local kids.

The man behind the camera was Art Kane, a 33-year-old freelance photographer on assignment from Esquire magazine, where it was published a few months later.

All told, 57 musicians made it into the shot, which became legendary in the ensuing decades for the talent contained within it. Known as "Harlem 1958," it even became the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary, "A Great Day in Harlem," whose title has become synonymous with the photo.

Now, on the 63rd anniversary of "Harlem 1958," the quiet block of East 126th Street where it was taken will be co-named in honor of the image and the photographer.

After a ceremony at 2:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, the block between Fifth and Madison Avenues will become known as "Art Kane Harlem 1958 Place," in honor of what organizers call "one of the most celebrated images in American history."

Speakers will include Jonathan Kane, the son of Art, who died in 1995.

"I'm incredibly honored," Jonathan told Patch. The co-naming, he said, is a tribute to the 57 musicians "as much as it is for the Kane family."

Living subjects to speak

Of the 57 musicians in the photo, only two are still alive: Rollins, who is now 90, and fellow saxophonist Benny Golson, who is 92. Though both are unable to attend, they sent remarks that will be read at the ceremony.

It was organized by the East Harlem nonprofit Uptown Grand Central as part of a long-term goal of creating a cultural walking tour through northeast Harlem.

The photo is inseparable from East Harlem, organizers note: many of the musicians met up at the New York Central Railroad (now Metro-North) train tracks before venturing out into the neighborhood.

Other speakers will include Dean Schomburg, a board member at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and Wayne Winborne, Executive Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University/Newark.

"Uptown is proud to honor the deep-rooted history of jazz here in Harlem, along with the visionary man who conceived and took this iconic photo more than 60 years ago," Uptown Grand Central chair Diane Collier said in a statement. "Along with the Harlem/East Harlem residents, we are pleased to memorialize this wonderful event with a street sign on the block where it all happened."

Thursday's ceremony will also feature a performance by jazz flutist Patience Higgins, along with the Sugar Hill Quartet. To learn more and attend, read about the ceremony on Eventbrite.

SOLD MAGAZINE

By Sarah Sansom

Looking for new art to see? 50 new murals have been painted along East 125th Street in Harlem, painted by 100 artists over the last two months. The murals stretch between 5th and 3rd Avenues, and wrap around a couple of the blocks.

So who is behind this massive project? Two kick-ass women! The project is coordinated by Uptown Grand Central (Uptown) led by Carey King and independent Project Manager Ayana Ayo.

NBC 4

By Chris Glorioso

New York City Restaurant Week, a time-honored tradition of the city's food scene, makes its grand return this month in style, offering five weeks of dining and new tiered pricing options for hungry guests.

The semiannual event returned Monday with in-person dining for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, hitting the city's restaurant industry especially hard. This year's first iteration of NYC Restaurant Week was takeout only, but still boasted one of the largest events in its history.

"Our first-ever takeout and delivery program became our largest dining initiative to date, with more than 800 participants from all five boroughs," the city's website says.

Lower virus cases and a significant boost to the city's vaccine distribution have helped drop essentially all public health restrictions and allowed for the event to promote indoor dining once again. For those that still prefer a takeaway option, participating restaurants will again offer to-go meals.

NYC Restaurant Week runs from July 19 through Aug. 22 at more than 500 eateries across all five boroughs, from fine dining to casual eateries.

This time around, participating restaurants will provide an entrée and at least one side for lunch and/or dinner for the price of $21 or $39. Diners can try the new Signature Dining Experiences priced at $125 for three or more courses.

The full list of participating restaurants can be found here.

It’s October and there are a flurry of new and exciting outdoor art installations to take in this month, along with annual city-wide art and architectural festivals. In the mix, you’ll find light installations at Rockefeller Center and South Street Seaport, a large provocative equestrian statue right in Times Square, a Halloween pumpkin impalement, new street art, a festival that will take place along the whole length of 14th Street, and many more. We’re very excited about the creative works in New York City this month and hope you are too …

9. Uptown GrandScale Mural Project in Harlem

Over the course of September, more than 50 artists painted 1,500 feet of construction barriers along three blocks of 125th Street around a construction site. This makes it one of the largest street art installations of its kind in Manhattan’s history, according to Uptown Grand Central, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the 125th Street/Metro-North corridor, who is behind the initiative. Artists who were selected to participate included TooFly, Marthalicia, and Shiro, with priority given to artists from the local community.

It is expected for these works to be up for the long term, as no construction has begun inside the lots surrounded by the fencing. Carey King, Director of Uptown Grand Central, said: “Wee have learned the power of public art to both uplift the neighborhood and inspire hopes for the future. We are so grateful for the strong community of artists that exists throughout Uptown, and for their dedication to making public space a place that brings us all together.”

It might not feel like it yet, but fall has officially begun—which means that there are several new temporary public art installations enlivening the urban landscape with abstract pieces, selfie-worthy moments, and more.

Here, we’ve collected more than a dozen worth scouting in the next few months; as more cool projects come to light, we’ll update the map—and as always, if you know of anything that we may have missed, let us know in the comments …

8. “Uptown GrandScale Mural”

Organized by nonprofit Uptown Grand Central, 50 local artists came together to paint 1,500 feet of construction panels along East 125th Street, the area near Harlem’s Metro-North station. Artists who participated—including Shiro, Marthalicia, and TooFly—were given between 32 and 96 feet of fencing area to paint. “We have learned the power of public art to both uplift the neighborhood and inspire hopes for the future,” Carey King, director of Uptown Grand Central, said in a statement about the collaborative project, which took place during three weekends in September.

Park Avenue at 125th street in Harlem isn’t posh, it’s a challenge. Clients of the neighborhood’s many substance abuse clinics loiter under the overpass between the two sides of the avenue. Garbage is scattered around construction fencing and vacant lots, and the pavement smells of urine in spots. Travelers moving between the 125th Street Metro North commuter rail station and the 4-5-6 Lexington Avenue subway stop don’t often stick around. But on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the community stepped out of the shadows to shine.

On September 7, around 30 artists gathered as part of a project to paint more than 1,500 feet of plywood green construction panels along 125th and 124th Streets. The Uptown GrandScale Mural Project aims to use public art to address blight in the neighborhood and provide opportunities for uptown artists to showcase their work.

“We’re hoping that when people start to see the energy going into this community, it’ll start to attract the investment and policy that it needs to really shine.”

“We’re doing the best we can to showcase that there is a strong culture and strong values here,” said Carey King, neighborhood resident and executive director of Uptown Grand Central, which coordinated the project. “When people currently come to this area of Harlem, we hear that it’s derelict. People ask, ‘Why are all these people poor and on drugs?’ With the mural project we’re trying to say, ‘Yes that’s what you may see when you come here, but there is a very important history and a deep and rich culture here.’”

Much of the construction fencing in the neighborhood has been there for as long as many residents can remember, and will likely remain for a while yet. The Durst Organization bought the sites on the west and east sides of Park Avenue at 125th in 2016 and 2017 respectively, but they have yet to file any building permits, likely due to the city’s plans to extend the Second Avenue subway to East Harlem by 2029.

The NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s environmental statement lists lots in the middle of the two sites as “potential property acquisitions” needed to complete the second phase of the subway extension. While part of the long-promised subway extension opened to much fanfare in 2017, it only extended to the Upper East Side. The city is asking the federal government for $2 billion of the $6 billion it has estimated is required to finish the extension to 125th street. Sections of the line were built in the 1970s, but by the mid-1970s the work was halted due to a municipal fiscal crisis. And to the Harlemites and commuters who look at boarded-up blocks daily with no construction in sight, the corners of Park Avenue look like blight, rather than the future.

Living near abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and substandard housing is associated with violence, higher rates of chronic illness, stunted brain and physical development in children, mass retreat into unhealthy eating and exercise habits, and a breakdown of social networks and capital, according to a 2017 Urban Institute study.

Public art, on the other hand, has the ability to positively affect public health, both mental and physical. It has the ability to decrease stress and help develop a shared identity and a sense of ownership. In low-income neighborhoods, the presence of cultural resources like public arts projects is associated with a 14 percent decrease in cases of child abuse and neglect, a 5 percent decrease in obesity, and an 18 percent decrease in crime.

In 2015, Uptown Grand Central, the six-year-old nonprofit that has become a champion for the 125th Street-Metro North corridor, adopted the space underneath the Metro North tracks as a community plaza, cleaning it up and running weekly farmer’s markets, pop-up shops, live music, free zumba classes, and other community-driven events. That makeshift plaza has recently been closed for construction, but, undeterred, Uptown Grand Central has shifted its operations across the street to the southwestern corner of Park Avenue and 125th Street, where the panels of public murals begin. The first section of murals was completed in August by artist Gera Lozano, and the project continues on Sept 14 and 22, culminating in the third annual ‘Party on Park’ street festival that will shut down Park Avenue from 116th to 125th Streets.

“We’re hoping that when people start to see the energy going into this community, it’ll start to attract the investment and policy that it needs to really shine,” said King.

Creating art in public spaces in New York City is a complicated endeavor. Last year, New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs announced the City Canvas program, a two-year pilot that allows two cultural nonprofits to commission and install artwork on construction structures like fences and sidewalk sheds. But the city offered no funding for the City Canvas project—only the assurance that those who wanted to beautify their neighborhoods by transforming ugly construction structures will not receive a fine.

Uptown Grand Central’s project isn’t part of this program. While the artists are technically performing an illegal act by painting on construction fencing, Uptown Grand Central approached the Durst Organization, which said it would pay any fines that the Department of Buildings issued, and the project has the support of the Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer, King said.

“We’re taught that art is something that lives in museums, and there aren’t living people doing it,” said Ayana Hosten, project coordinator for the Uptown GrandScale project. “So walking down the street, especially as a young person, and seeing someone who might even look like you painting, taking something out of their everyday life and transforming it—who knows what the impact of that is? That could trickle into what you feel about your own ownership of a public space, what the city owes to you, and what you contribute to the city, as well.”

The daughter of local business owner Dale Cole was one of many children taking chalk to the sidewalk and zipping happily around the artists while a DJ spun tunes, pedestrians stopped to chat with artists, and ladies sold coquitos (flavored ices).

“Just look at the vibrance here,” said Cole, owner of Daps Eats, a Jamaican restaurant. “It is improving the neighborhood. You don’t want to walk on the other side of the street. Everyone is passing here. It does bring energy to East Harlem. I love it.”

The artists involved are either from Harlem or have a connection to the neighborhood, Hosten says, and they’re conscious of making sure their art is at once a form of their own self-expression and a representation of the neighborhood.

“We’re not gonna solve all the issues on 125th Street, but art plays a role,” said Hosten. “It establishes a sense of pride and it also makes you happy when you’re walking down the street. Instead of a big green wall there’s a bright yellow sun and rays. I also think providing opportunities for artists uptown, especially artists of color, is incredibly important.”

Lola Lovenotes of the Bronx painted an Afro-Latina woman on a panel at the corner of 124th Street. “The neighborhood is mostly black, so I want to connect with the hood if I’m going to paint it,” she said. “I want to incorporate African artwork and Taino symbolism. I love occult symbols and the mystical world, so I’m including some African symbols that promote strength and protection. It’s an underprivileged neighborhood so it’s good to have uplifting images.”


On 125th, the art duo Lost Breed Culture painted a Louis Armstrong mural. “We really appreciate the connection between art and music,” said Fausto Manuel Ramos of Lost Breed. “Painting Armstrong is a nice way to pay homage to the music that was so important here in Harlem.”

“Painting amongst the public is a good day to begin with because you get to interact,” said Murjani Holmes, who painted a colorful art deco-style woman. “You hear the people say, ‘Thank you so much, you’re doing so well.’ I’m loving it, too. It’s not raining, it’s a beautiful day.”