By Janel Bladow
Autumn is in the air…
colorful leaves are falling from trees while visions of ghosts and goblins, ideas of who to be on Halloween are making a mush of our heads.
Market news…
Stop by New Amsterdam Market for just-picked apples from New Paltz or learn tasty ways to grill root veggies like rutabaga, turnips and sweet potatoes.
On Sunday, October 24, join a special gathering of more than a dozen Hudson Valley region artisans, producers and food advocates, and shop for an incredible array of vegetables, meats and dairy products. Also pick up local lavender, heirloom vegetable seeds, wine, wool yarns and many other products made, grown or produced in this abundantly fertile valley just north of the city. There’ll also be a raffle with vendor-donated prizes. New Amsterdam Market continues every Sunday through the fall at South Street and Peck Slip, the site of the historic Fulton Fish Market, 11a.m. to 4p.m. For more info visit www.newamsterdammarket.com.
This past weekend, Seaport Report met with Taylor Cocalis, co-founder of Good Food Jobs along with Dorothy Neagle. People dropped a nickel to “change” their lives with the duo’s unique five-cent career coach technique. They answered questions about food careers, offered advice to jobseekers and employers and described opportunities in the food world.
Cocalis, who once ran the education department of a Manhattan cheese shop, told us their two-week old web site (www.goodfoodjobs.com) is getting off to a great start.
“I just gave advice to a woman who wants to start a non-profit café to educate youth on the importance of food. Good idea, huh?” said Cocalis.
They’ll talk about legal issues of food related businesses on their next visit to the market, November 14.
Seaport sampling…
More food happenings this upcoming weekend. The Parent Teachers Association of the Spruce Street School (P.S. 397) will host its first annual “Taste of The Seaport” on Sunday, October 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Vendors throughout S3 will gather on Front Street between Fulton and Peck Slip for an autumnal outdoor festival of food and community. More than 20 merchants, from Aqua to Jeremy’s, Bridgewaters to Il Brigante, will delight visitors with culinary tasting, musical entertainment and free children’s activities. Spruce students will also run their own fun-for-all booth. And, be sure to stop by the Downtown Express booth for our special giveaways. All proceeds go to art, music and physical education programs at the school, which should be in their new classrooms in Frank Gehry’s Beekman Tower next September. Tickets are $25 for five tastings purchased before the event. Go to www.tasteoftheseaportnyc.com for more information.
Garden glory…
Over the last couple weeks we’ve monitored the rebirth of FishBridge Park on Dover Street between Pearl and Water Streets. Since closing in November 2007 to make way for the building at 276 Water Street by owners Lynda Davey and Alan Schiffres, the little neighborhood park has remained mostly dormant, muddy and downright lifeless. So it was thrilling to watch as the 17 new plot boxes were built along the fence and the wall of the new building and filled with fresh, rich soil. Blue slate pavers were laid for a natural-looking walkway and about a dozen holly bushes arrived to be planted around the garden.
There’s one more construction project to go: getting its own water supply and running it up to the dog run. That work starts next month, during which the park will remain closed.
Next month though, interested neighbors will be assigned garden boxes and planting fall bulbs can begin. The park officially reopens this spring.
Mutt monsters…
And, October wouldn’t be the scariest month of the year around S3 without two annual Halloween extravaganzas! Love canines, costumes and crazy parties? Then don’t miss the “Howl-o-ween Paw-ty” at the Salty Paw, 38 Peck Slip, October 31, 5-7 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for pups with the most “boo-tiful” outfits!
Get your tricks and treats…
Then, every Halloween night for 22 years, neighborhood ghosts, witches, hunchbacks, R2D2s, firefighters and princesses of all sizes, shapes and ages have gathered at FishBridge Park for a trick or treat parade through the neighborhood. Approximately 100 children dazzled and danced through the ‘hood last year.
Volunteers are needed for several tasks to get the party started again this year. People are needed to help post flyers as well as sign up residents and shops to hand out treats. (To be a resident treat-giver, you must be home by dusk and outside your door as the tricksters make their rounds.)
Folks are needed the weekend before Halloween to clean up the park and then on Halloween day to spookily decorate it. They could use a few souls afterward to help remove the décor. Live bodies are also needed on Halloween night as route directors and kid-wrangles to make sure no one goes astray or oooh, scary…becomes zombie food.
Send an email to SR (seaportreport@downtownexpress.com) with “Halloween” in the subject line and we’ll forward it.
“We’d like to thank all our neighbors and local businesses who have been part of this event for the last two decades,” said neighbor Tami Kurtz-Jaskiewicz, one of the organizers. “Each year, the parade has grown and everyone has given so generously to make this a fun night for our kids – little and big ones alike!”
Meet at the spook-tacularly decorated FishBridge Park on Halloween night, Sunday, October 31, 6 p.m. to begin the treat trek around the ‘hood.
