Help the Plant Life of Clement Clarke Moore Park

Saturday, October 19 & Saturday, November 16

9:30am, 10th Ave. at West 22nd Street

The West 400 Block Association, in partnership with The Clement Clarke Moore-Seal Park Garden Club, invites you to join them on two days dedicated to the beautification and upkeep of West Chelsea’s iconic public park. On Saturday, October 19, plants will be placed in the tree beds surrounding the park, while pruning and cleaning inside the park lavishes attention on anything in need of sprucing up, so to speak. On Saturday, November 16, a selection of various bulbs—including daffodils—arrives from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and goes right into the ground. Both events will benefit from the “strength in numbers” approach, leaving the event organizers to say, “We’d love the help of some volunteers—and with fall having arrived [on Sept. 22], we also ask for ongoing volunteers to help sweep up leaves in and around the park.” To sign up for volunteering, send an email to the Garden Club, via aoster@earthlink.net.

Stoop Sale

Saturday, October 19 / 11am-4pm

On the 300 blocks (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) of West 21st, 22nd, & 23rd Streets 

Your home is bursting with superflous stuff–one blender too many, clothes the kids have outgrown–and you want to pass it along to others, while making a nice profit. For most people, that means placing said items all over the yard or garage, for passersby to purchase. But wait–you live in Chelsea, where such perks are scarce, indeed. To the rescue comes the Stoop Sale, which sees residents turning their building’s exterior stairs area into an enticing retail display. A quintessentially urban phenomenom, the Stoop Sale returns in its West Chelsea incarnation for one day only–Saturday, October 19, 11am to 4pm, on the 300 blocks of West 21st, 22nd, and 23rd Streets. For more info, see the below flyer. Questions? Send an email to ChelseaWest300BA@gmail.com

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Treats in the Streets: Saturday, October 19, 11am to 6pm, Across the Meatpacking District | Stores and restaurants across the neighborhood will be offering special goodies and surprises from 11am-5pm—so stroll through the district to fill your bags. Along the way, you’re encouraged to engage in games and activities around the neighborhood, including pumpkin ring toss, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, and corn hole.

From 11am-6pm, immersive Halloween vignettes by designer Theresa Rivera turn Little West 12th Street into a spirited, spooky, shutterbug-friendly zone. Rivera’s work also adorns—and aligns—Washington Street, in the form of chic, custom-designed scarecrows.

Scheduled activities also abound, including live performances from Jammcard musicians, 11am-6pm on Gansevoort Plaza. On West 13th Street, 11am-5pm, it’s pumpkin painting for kids of all ages; Also 11am-5pm, artist Lauren Weinstein guides you through the design and decoration of your own Halloween Mask; and, from The Culture Tree (which promotes cultural literacy about South Asia), a Storytime reading of The Five Blind Men and Elephant takes place 12pm-12:15pm.

Also on West 13th Street, courtesy of The Cultue Tree: From 12pm-2pm, kids can decorate their own elephants, drawing upon the power of imagination (or the nearly 100 life-sized elephants appearing throughout the neighborhood through October 20); And from 12:45pm-1pm, Storytime returns with a reading of Lai-Lai the Baby Elephant.

And at 2pm, don’t you dare miss the Meatpacking District’s 6th Annual Dog Costume Contest, at Gansevoort Street & Ninth Ave. The competition is friendly but fierce, providing endlessly adorable eye candy as mutts strut their stuff down the runway in search of glory (or a belly rub or a treat). For more info, click here to visit the applicable page of the Meatpacking BID (Business Improvement District).

Hocus Pocus Harvest Block Party (Chelsea Green Park’s Annual Halloween Event): Sunday, October 20, 10am-2pm on West 20th Street btw. 6th & 7th Aves. and in Chelsea Green Park (140 W. 20th St. btw. 6th & 7th Aves.) | Chelsea Green Park, having just turned 5 this past summer, takes another turn at what’s become its most well-attended annual event—and with all the costumes, candy, crafts, and special surprises, it’s easy to see why. Last year, over 1,200 people attended. This year, Friends of Chelsea Green (the Park’s year-round boosters) have set the Halloween Hijinks bar high, with plenty of kid-focused activity inside the Park, an enormous amount of candy present, and variety of vendors and reps from nearby block associations at tables along the Park perimeter and up and down the block. “Trick or Treating, Halloween Storytime, Music, Magic, Dancing in the Street & Much More,” promise the organizers—who ask you, if possible, to donate “a bag of individually wrapped candy or Halloween favors.” To stay informed about what’s going on at Chelsea Green Park, join the Friends of Chelsea Green email list. Contact them via chelseagreenpark@gmail.com.

ONGOING EVENTS

Through October 30, Free Programming in Bella Abzug Park (W. 34th to 35th Sts., 10th to 11th Aves.) | Said a recent statement by the Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance, the area’s BID (Business improvement District) is “excited to extend the season for free outdoor yoga and kids concerts this year through October 30th. Join us in the park for free yoga on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays with Veronica from Bien Good Well. On Tuesdays at the playground, stop by for a fun sing a long with Mike Messer Music. Our popular outdoor dance parties will also continue into October with one more event with DJ The Real on October 24th.” To register for yoga, click here. For other calendar info, click here.

Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea: Saturdays, 9am-2pm | Seasonal, local food by vendors you can rely on for the basics and trust when it comes to embracing new cuisine and ingredients is the great strength of this weekly Market that pops up Saturdays, 9am-2pm, on West 23rd Street Off of Ninth Ave. And they’ve been there, early spring to early winter, year in and year out for a full decade (an occasion celebrated at the October 12 Market). A tip worth taking: Click here to sign up for their newsletter, and every week you’ll get a preview of what’s so special about the next Market.  Also a source of food for thought in advance of each Saturday’s Market: A visit to its online presecce (click here to do so). A new addition for 2024: Textile Recycling! Bring your linens, old clothes, shoes, torn, stained, or new to recycle (look for the green bin). Also Note: Food Benefit Programs are welcome. Go to the Manager’s Tent to use your SNAP EBT card and get tokens to spend with the vendors. Matching Health Bucks are available ($2 for every $2 withdrawn, up to $10). FMNP vouchers can be used June-November. For a full explanation of benefits, visit this link. NYC residents who have questions about the FMNP program can dial 311.