Community Cleanups with NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher | Sunday starting this weekend through May 21 (with only 1 date taken “off”), the District 3 Council Member whose area of coverage represents the West Village, Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen areas invites citizen volunteers to clean house–by cleaning up their streets. Facilitating a tidy and inviting environment is one of the actions the Council Member has been advocating for since before he was running for that office. Years later, this annual tradition continues, now until the chilly winter of 2023. To participate, click here.  For more info, see the below flyer.

The Guides Association of New York City’s Ninth Annual GANYC Apple Awards: Monday, March 6; cocktails at 6:30pm, awards ceremony at 8pm; at Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall (129 W. 67th St. btw. Broadway & Amsterdam) | Founded in 1974, The Guides Association of New York City (GANYC) is an association of independent, professional tour guides. Each member is licensed by the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. Since 2015, their annual Apple Awards have honored individuals and organizations that encourage and promote New York City tourism, culture, and preservation. “Those who know New York best honor the best of New York!” is the rallying cry (Motto? T-shirt slogan?) of the Apple Awards–and for the 2023 edition, Chelsea Community News is indeed honored to be nominated in the category of Outstanding Achievement in NYC Essay/Article/Series Writing. In the running: Lynn Ellsworth and Samuel A. Turvey’s Guest Opinion piece, What Will it Take to Kill a Bad Idea at Penn Station. Click here to read that Opinon piece. Other categories include Outstanding Achievement in Support of NYC (individual awards for Culture, Tourism, and Preservation), Outstanding NYC Website, and Outstanding Achievement in NYC Food. Veteran anchor, journalist, and theater critic Roma Torre hosts this year’s awards ceremony.Good luck to all of the nominees in every category–and thanks, GANYC, for recognizing our work! For more info on the association and their awards, click here to visit the GANYC website. For a direct link to purchase tickets to the Apple Awards, click here.

The Legacy of Former Colored School No. 4: Tuesday, March 7, 6-7pm via Zoom | This event from the Historic Districts Council (HDC) sees the advocacy-minded preservationist organization furthering their mission to “work directly with people who care about our city’s historic neighborhoods and buildings.” Many care, yes—and lucky for us, some exceptional members of that group are compelled by circumstances to become a spokesperson for brick and mortar buildings in need of a champion. The three-story structure at 127 West 17th Street (once known as “Colored School No. 4”) found the first of many ardent supporters in 2018, when author, Black New Yorker, and public independent historian Eric K. Washington happened upon “Colored” School No. 4 while conducting research for a book. He soon realized it was Manhattan’s only known surviving segregated school building for African Americans, from the Civil War through the Post-Reconstruction era. With that fact in hand (and discovering new evidence all the time), Washington initiated efforts to landmark the building—an effort whose supporters now include architects, historians, preservationists, elected officials, and—as reinforced by recent events—the NYC Landmark Commission itself. This March 7 online event invites you to learn more about the notable teachers, students, and visitors associated with this Black heritage site. The person giving the presentation? Eric K. Washington himself. For tickets ($25 general admission, $20 for seniors & friends), click here. To visit the event’s HDC web page, click here. For more info about Washington, click here.

The West 400 Block Association’s St. Patrick’s Event: Sunday, March 12, 11am at Clement Clarke Moore Park (10th Ave. & W. 22nd St.) | This free event previews the actual 3/17 “Day” by booking a bagpiper and providing “lucky” shamrock (aka 4-leaf clover) plants, and more (not to be confused with “Moore”). For more info, see the below flyer.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Summer Internship Program: In-Person, July 10-August 25 / Application Deadline is Wednesday, March 22, 5pm | The Manhattan District Attorney’s High School Internship Program is a rigorous internship that provides students with an insider’s view of the criminal justice system. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in workshops and discussions surrounding criminal justice, police brutality, civic engagement, leadership, and more. All applicants must live or attend school in Manhattan and be current sophomores, juniors, or seniors. For more info, click here, email highschoolinternship@dany.nyc.gov, or call Imani Doumbia, Education Coordinator, at 917-808-6421… and see the below flyer!

Full Board Meeting of Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4): Wednesday, March 1, at 6:30pm via Zoom | CB4’s full membership meets on the first Wednesday of the month, with the bulk of the agenda devoted to reviewing letters generated by its eight committees during the previous month. (Many letters get majority vote approval, some are sent back to committee, and others are approved pending agreed-upon changes; rarely are they voted down.) As for the letters this time around: Of particular interest to our regular readers is a letter generated by the Waterfront, Parks, & Environment Committee after their February 9 meeting. Click Here to view that meeting, now preserved in Internet amber via CB4’s YouTube channel. Go to the 1:06:26 point, where you can view the Dog Run discussion from the beginning). The letter CB4’s full board will vote on is Agenda Item 11. The upshot is this quote, noting that CB4 gives its “approval of the NYC Parks proposal to create a new dog run in Chelsea Park.” For some of our recent coverage of CB4/Penn South Dog Run, click here. Make your opinion on this matter—or any matter, for that matter—known by participating in the Public Session, where you’re given two minutes of uninterrupted time to address the Full Board. To participate, you must first register for the Zoom meeting by clicking here. Then click here to sign up to speak. Those who do not sign up in advance can raise their virtual hands using the raise hand function through Zoom (*9 by phone) once the public session starts. Don’t want to register? View Live Stream via CB4’s excellent YouTube channel (which allows you to watch the proceedings, but not participate.). To attend via phone, dial 646-518-9805.

Andra Gabrielle: Trunk Show / Thursday, March 2, 5pm to 8pm at 1HomeOffice .Space (245 Eighth Ave. btw. W. 22nd & 23rd Sts.) | Chelsea—and the world at large—is invited to celebrate the Grand Opening of a new workshare, conference, and media destination, when its creators open their doors to the public in the interest of championing the work of Andra Gabrielle, a world-class artist whose custom-made clothing has earned critical raves and been worn by household names such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, and Susan Sarandon. Get to know, appreciate—and yes, purchase—Gabrielle’s work, in this no-pressure, community minded, wine-friendly setting. To register, click here. For artist info via the Andra Gabrielle Custom Clothing website, click here

—Listings Compiled by Scott Stiffler

 

Chelsea Community News is an independent, hyperlocal news, arts, events, info, and opinion website made possible with the help of our awesome advertisers and the support of our readers. Our Promise: Never a paywall, no pop-up ads, all content is FREE. With that in mind, if circumstances allow, please consider taking part in our GoFundMe campaign (click here). To make a direct donation, give feedback, send a Letter to the Editor, or contact our founder/editor, send an email to Scott Stiffler, via scott@chelseacommunitynews.com.

To join our subscriber list, click here. It’s a free service provding regular (weekly, at least) Enewsletters containing links to recently published content. Subscribers also will be sent email with “Sponsored Content” in the subject line. That means it’s an exclusive message from one of our advertisers, whose support, like yours, allows us to offer all content free of charge.