Here’s What’s Happening (in order of appearance):

 Online Recording of December 15’s Chelsea Community Church Candlelight Carol Service / Holiday Caroling on the Streets of Chelsea / Menorah Lighting / Holiday Events at Verdi Cannabis / Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea / Holiday Caroling (and a Jordan Feiner farewell party!) / NYS Assemblymember Tony Simone’s Holiday Open House & Toy Drive / The 10th Precinct Community Council / The 10th Precinct Build the Block Sector B Meeting /

View the recorded version of Chelsea Community Church’s Sunday, Decembe 15 50th Annual Candlelight Carol Service: Available now for view, via the Chelsea Community Church Website| One of West Chelsea’s most eagerly antiipated holiday events has already happened–but it lives on in recorded form, ready to warm your heart any old time. Sure, you could wait for “Christmas in July” to see the service, but why? The lay-led, nondenominational Chelsea Community Church (CCC) has a way of curating their annual Candlelight Carol Service in a way that fosters the Christmas Spirit among one and all.  The drive to lead a moral, ethical, decent life (with more than a little laughter and fun thrown into the mix) is at the heart of their weekly services and it’s certainly sunken into the Candlelight Carol event over the years, year after year. We at Chelsea Community News know that sounds like hyperbole–but rest assured, that glowing review was written by a hardcore agnostic. In any event, we’ll let a rundown of the content speak for itself. There’s special music by the CCC Choir, and a reading of A Visit From St. Nicholas, via special guest Karen Mason. Access the December 15, 2024 service by clicking here.

Holiday Caroling on the Streets of Chelsea: Sunday, December 22 at 6pm | See the below flyer for all you need to know about this fetive, friendly, tuneful event from the 300 West 21st, 22nd & 23rd Streets Block Association.

Menorah Lighting: Wednesay, December 25, 3pm at Clement Clarke Moore Park (10th Ave. & W. 22nd St.) | See the below flyer for details.

Holiday Events at Verdi Cannabis (158 W. 23rd St. btw. 6th & 7th Aves.)| Having opened in January, legal cannabis distributor Verdi Cannabis is making good on its vow to be a good neighbor and take an active interest in the community it’s become part of. Case (actually, “Cases”) in point, the following from Kenny Cunningham, co-curator of Verdi’s ongoing music and arts programming. This month, Cunningham notes, Verni s running three Donation Drives: “First, in partnership with Eaton Botanicals, we are running a Menstrual Products Drive–collecting tampons, pads, liners, etc. This will run through the end of December. Also, in partnership with Pax, we are running a Food Drive, with all collections to go to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. Of particular need are flour, rice, dried beans, grape juice, cooking oil, peanut butter, non-perishables, & shelf-stable milk. For our third Drive, a clothing drive, all collections go to Holy Apostles. Of particular need are hats, hoodies, scarves, socks, jeans, gloves, & coats–especially men’s items.” Donations for all three drives are accepted during Verdi’s hours of operation (Mon-Fri, 9am-10pm; Sat/Sun. 11am-10pm). As for this month’s in-house events: Friday, December 20, the Pines Live Resin Launch Event notes the debut of live resin disposables. Saturday, December 28, 2pm-5pm, The Green Room (Verdi’s live music and art installation series) presents the Minglewood Trio (sponsore by Rec Roots). Sunday, December 29, 2pm-5pm, NSA performs (sponsored by Fernway). Monday, December 30, 3pm-6pm, Silver Goat is in performance thanks to their sponsor, Pines. On Monday, Tuesday, December 31, OG’s Noise is on from 2pm to 4pm with a Grateful Dead set followed by a Phish t from 6pm to 9pm. As for the featured artists whose work can be found on Verdi’s walls: Stacy Cohen’s photography work is on view until December 20, at which point the photos of Scott Harris will be featured–and now through January 1, 2025,  the work of artist Michael “Mitty” Matlick can also be seen. To keep up with what else is up with Verdi, click here to visit their website. To visit the EVENTS page of their website, click here.

Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea: Saturdays, 9am-2pm through December 2024 | 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.

EVENTS FROM EARIER IN THE WEEK (listings updated on 12/17/2024)

Holiday Caroling (and a Jordan Feiner farewell party!) / Monday, December 16, 5pm at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (346 West 20th Street btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) | NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher’s annual celebration of the holiday season does double duty this year, also serving as an opportunity to show some love for soon-to-depart longtime staffer Jordan Feiner. Notes Bottcher, “During these turbulent times, we sure could use some togetherness – and some music!” So, he says, “Warm up your vocal cords, put on your tackiest holiday hat and mittens, and join us for some holiday caroling… We also will be bidding farewell to Jordan Feiner, my Community Board 4 liaison, and thanking him for his hard work for our community, as he embarks on his next adventure!” (That “adventure” is a new gig with the NYS Governer’s Office, as a Manhattan Representative.)

NYS Assemblymember Tony Simone’s Holiday Open House & Toy Drive: 5pm-7pm on Tuesday. December 17 at 214 West 29th Street, Suite 1401 | See the below flyer for details.

The 10th Precinct Community Council: Wednesday, December 18, 7pm at the 10th Precinct (230 W. 20th St. btw. 7th & 8th Aves.) |  The final 2024 installment of this last-Wednesday-of-the-month gathering happens one week early, so as not to conflict with Christmas. Hosted and moderated by Larry O’Neill, this citizen-run Council is a rare opportunity for the public to engage directly with top 10th Precinct leadership on matters of crime trends, troubled local locations, and quality of life matters. Representatives from the offices of local elected officials are often in the room, occasionally providing perspective from the legislative point of view, or noting recent actions (like conducting a walking tour with the NYPD and various NYC departments along a somewhat-improved, still-troubled patch of Eighth Avenue where locals repeatedly told of open-air drug salses and drug use). Likewise, a rep from the Manhattan District Attorny’s Office is often among the attendees, to weigh in on evergreen topics of concern including criminal recidivism. Do questions remain? Follow the Community Council on Facebook by clicking here. 

10th Precinct Build the Block Sector B Third Quarter Meeting: Thursday, December 19, 5pm at Penn South (339 W. 24th St.) | NCOs, or Neighborhood Coordination Officers, host quarterly Build the Block meetings addressing crime and quality of life matters for the 10th Precinct’s three Sectors: A, B, & C. Expect introductory comments often discussing crime stats, trends, and prevention, with the majority of the meeting devoted to a Q&A session between the NCOs and attendees. Sector B’s area of coverage is the north side of W. 21st St. to south side of W. 29th St., from 7th Ave. to the Hudson. It’s been a rough fourth. quarter for the 10th Precinct’s Build the Block programming, with the loss of 5 of its 6 NCOs (the consequences of which we wrote about here). But all three Sectors are once again fully staffed, so keep a lookout for the first quarter meetings of 2025 (Sectors A and C have completed their 2024 cycles by now). NOTE: It’s a good idea to check in a day or two before, and then the day of a scheduled meeting, as plans do sometimes change on short notice. The 10th Precinct’s Twitter (aka “X”) account (@NYPD10Pct) can also be a source of information–and you may also call the NCO office within the 10th Precinct. Their number is 212-741-8207.

Scott Stiffler

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