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

The Full Board of Manhattan Community Board 4 / Events at Verdi Cannabis / 29th to 46th Street Esplanade & Landscape Engagement Meeting / Curbside Composting / Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea to Return in 2025

The Full Board of Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4): Monday, January 6, 6:30pm-9pm Online via Zoom & YouTube and In-Person at Hotel Trades Council (305 W. 44th St. btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) | The full membership of MCB4 usually convenes on the first Wednesday of the month—but they’re starting 2025 with a maverick move—to Monday. Otherwise, from the looks of it, January 6’s gathering will take care of business, as usual. Click here to view the January 6 Agenda (posting soon, not up yet as of this column’s Dec. 30 publication date) and draft versions of letters generated by individual committees and voted on by the Board’s full membership (approved as is, pending changes per Full Board discussion or, rarely, returned to committee for more work). A Public Hearing and a Public Session allows you to address the Board on, respectively, a specific topic the Board is set to address that night or any topic/topics of your choosing. Pro Tip: You’re normally allotted a two-minute slot to speak—but on nights where a packed agenda looms large, MCB5 may allow only one minute per speaker (so consider coming with a long and short version, if reading from prepared remarks).  At the Janary 6 meeting, the Public Hearing’s topic is the Manhattan Cruise Terminal Master Plan. To learn about the Plan, click here.

To attend via Zoom (and register to speak),click here. There will also be a sign-up sheet at the meeting for those attending in person. To view it live via CB4’s YouTube channel, click here. (Note: MCB4 meetings can be viewed after the fact, as archived recordings on the YouTube channel.) To attend via phone, call 646-518-9805 (when prompted, the Webinar ID s 986 0945 5541). For info about all things MCB4, their website can be found by  clicking here.

Events at Verdi Cannabis (158 W. 23rd St. btw. 6th & 7th Aves.)| Soon to celebrate its first full year since setting up shop on West 23rd Street, legal cannabis distributor Verdi Cannabis continues to take an active interest in the community it’s become part of. Kenny Cunningham, co-curator of Verdi’s ongoing music and arts programming, notes the in-store Donation Drives of December will continue into January. Explained Cunningham, “In partnership with Eaton Botanicals, we are running a Menstrual Products Drive–collecting tampons, pads, liners, etc. 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, and 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, and coats–especially men’s items.” Donations are accepted during Verdi’s hours of operation (Mon-Fri, 9am-10pm; Sat/Sun. 11am-10pm).

Verdi’s Thursday night 6pm-9pm Green Room Music Series starts 2025 on January 9 with The Herbologists (sponsored by Kiva). January 16, Adoraborealis appears courtesy of sponsors Ayrloom, Florette ,and Electraleaf. Rove sponsors Michael Bram and special guests on January 23, with the month concluding on January 30 with Darkness Shrugs, sponsored by Eureka. Also in-store this month: On Friday, January 10, 3pm-8pm, it’s a pop-up tattoo event with Eureka and DJ Young Star. On Sunday, January 12, get to Verdi before it opens for business and you can benefit from the mind/body experience provided by High Yoga (10am-11am). Monday, January 20, Eaton Botanicals launches their “Serenity Now” gummies just in time to soothe nerves frayed and frazzled by Inauguration Day goings-on.  A Seinfeld trivia night, also on January 20, is a well-timed source of pop culture comfort food. As for the featured artists whose work can be found on Verdi’s walls: Photographer Scott Harris presents a series of images from Phish concerts, available for purchase at $55 each. 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.

29th to 46th Street Esplanade & Landscape Engagement Meeting: Monday, January 13, 6:30pm-8:30pm at the Intrepid Museum (Pier 86 at West 46th Street) | Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) and Hudson River Park Trust invite you to learn more about design ideas for one of the final unfinished sections of Hudson River Park. See the below flyer for details.

Curbside Composting Info Sessions: Online, January 9 & 23 | Compost is now being collected in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island every week on your recycling day. Separating leaf and yard waste, food scraps, and food-soiled paper from trash is mandatory. Place your compost items in a labeled bin, 55 gallons or less, with a secure lid. Visit  nyc.gov/CompostingBinDecal to get a free label. To register for free upcoming Info Sessions, click on these two dates: Thursday, January 9 at 6:00 PM and Thursday, January 23 at 4:00 PM. To learn more, click here.

Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea to Return in 2025 | Currently closed for the winter now, the venerable Market that sets up shop Saturdays on West 23rd Street near Ninth Avenue (and recently celebrated its first full decade at that location) wants you to know they’ll be back soon enough–hence the below flyer. Starving for Market news in the meantime?  Click here to sign up for their newsletter, and click here to visit the Market online.

—Listings compiled by Scott Stiffler

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