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

Pick of the Week / Free Programming from HYHK (Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance)  / City and State’s Rebuilding New York Summit / Music, Art, & More at Verdi Cannabis / Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea / Sunday PRIDE Services at Chelsea Community Church / On the Stoop Opera

PICK OF THE WEEK

Chelsea Gardens Flea Market  /  Sunday, June 22, 11am to 5pm

Enter on 255 W. 23rd St. or 250 W. 24th St. (both entrances btw. 7th & 8th Aves.)

Rescheduled From Original (rainy) Date of June 15: The private garden that those who live at Chelsea Gardens get to enjoy all the time is rarely open to the public–but all are welcome on June 22, when residents put sales tags on art, jewelry, clothes, books, antiques,  and “everything you didn’t know you needed–and more!”  That’s a great tag line–and a grand promise that many would find hard to live up to. But like the late, great London Terrace Street Fair as well as the recent annual Stoop Sale on nearby West 21st/22nd Streets, most of the stuff you’ll find at this Flea Market comes from the crowded shelves, drawers, and closets of longtime NYC residents with limited storage space and above-average taste. Their loss is your gain! Note: The rain date is Sunday, June 29, 11am to 5pm. See the below flyer for more info.

City and State’s Rebuilding New York Summit: Tuesday, June 17, 9am to 3:30pm at the Museum of Jewish Heritage (36 Battery Place) | Building, modernizing and upgrading New York’s systems and infrastructure is the unifying topic of the many panels that comprise this full-day conference.  Industry executives, public sector leaders, and academics will discuss funding for repairs, use of MWBEs, policy recommendations, and where the city and state has seen its biggest successes and shortcomings. The keynote speaker, set to address attendees at 10:05am, is Rick Cotton, Executive Director, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Among the panels: 11:30am’s Reimagining New York’s Transportation Future.

“Rebuilding New York’s transportation systems is more than just a necessity but it’s also an opportunity,” note event organizers,who say the panel  “will examine how the city and state can reimagine transit for the 21st century, with a focus on better connectivity, safety, accessibility, sustainability, resilience, and ease. From highways to subways, buses, regional rail, and micromobility options, experts from government, design, advocacy, and technology will discuss strategies for modernizing infrastructure, closing service gaps, and ensuring all New Yorkers can move safely and efficiently.” The panelists are Sam Turvey, Chairperson; ReThinkNYC; Seth Wainer, Program Director of Innovation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Minosca Alcantara, Executive Director, New York State Bridge Authority; Pierre Vilain, Managing Director, KPMG; Christine Mizioch, Sr. VP, AI Engineers;; and Dan Baer, SVP Transportation and Infrastructure Leader., WSP; and Scott Cullinane, National Account Director – Transportation and Critical Infrastructure, Skydio. Moderating this meaty affair will be Matt Daus, Partner and Chair of the Transportation Practice Group Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP. For registration ($71.21- $103.21) and other essential info about the Rebuilding New York Summit, click here.. 

Free Programming from HYHK (Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance)  | HYHK is back with another season of free and fun programming for all ages in Bella Abzug Park (524 W. 34th St.). See the below flyer for Spring Fling offerings. This annual multi-date festival has live music, art activities, food vendors, and artisan-made goods.

Colored Colors is, along with HYHK, a presenter of the Spring Fling series. Created to function as a “space where the arts, culture, and community strive together,” the business was started six years ago by Jose Tutiven as a way to champion the work of artists in Long Island/Suffolk County. With Spring Fling, says Tutiven, “We’ve built bridges between Long Island and Hudson Yards, with musicians from the City coming out here, and vice versa.” June 21, one of this year’s final two Spring Fling dates, notes Tutiven, occurs alongside World Music Day–a happy coincidence that will be reflected in the roster of musical talent. Also featured, as curated by Colored Colors: Over 50 arts, culture, and food vendors. “We have Colombian food [vendors], some Asian cuisine, and some Latin flavor,” says Tutiven, adding, “And our visual artists offer everything from acrylics to knitwear to metal sculptures to pet portraits.” Although everything is for sale, Tutiven says there’s “no pressure. Come to our event and explore.”

The final Spring Fling installments happen on June 21 & 22. Check out the full calendar of May-October HYHK-presented activities on their website. For information on cancellations due to weather, head to HYHK’s Instagram (@hudsonyardshellskitchen).

Elsewhere on the calendar: Among the events offered–all of them free and open to the public–are a series of yoga classes from Bien Good Well (Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm,  Saturdays at 10:30am). In the Music & Dance category: On select Thursdays and Saturdays through October, Vinyl Nights and DJ The Real offer one of the city’s best dance parties, powered by music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Wednesdays in June, July, and August, enjoy free salsa and bachata classes, a live band, and dancing in partnership with Somos Latin Dance and Paradis in the Park. And for the kids, head to the playground at Bella Abzug Park on Tuesday mornings through October, for acoustic concerts with Mike Messer Music. For a full HYHK events schedule and to register for free classes, click here.

Events at Verdi Cannabis (158 W. 23rd St. btw. 6th & 7th Aves.) | Several months out from its first full year since setting up shop on West 23rd Street, legal cannabis distributor Verdi Cannabis offers free arts programming via gallery-style displays of artwork on their walls, and a live Thursday night music series called The Green Room, whose performances typically take place in the 6:30pm to 9pm time period. Adam Strum Solo Project and KRC round out the June bookings with performances on, respectively, June 19 and 26. Currently on view along the walls–and available for purchase–is the work of Kent Thompson, a commercial photographer who lives in Chelsea. “All images,” notes Thompson, “are shot with Canon 5d–and no flash.” Visit the artist online by clicking here.

Elsewhere on the events calendar are two happenings that Verdi Assistant GM and Events Coordinator Kenny Cunningham (recently featured in this Q&A segment) says are “cool things that we’re doing  that will become more regular things.” Having premiered on May 16, the biweekly Wake and Bake Fridays with A-Roastia Coffee is a coffee cart pop-up scheduled for  June 27. “The goal is to always have something fun, interesting, and unique happening here at Verdi,”  says Cunningham. 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 | It takes place every Saturday, 9am to 2pm, West 23rd St. off 9th Ave.  For more info, click here. Down to Earth Markets brings together two kinds of vendors: local farmers and area food and crafts makers using locally sourced ingredients. Their mission is to ensure a future for small scale agriculture and food production in the New York area by creating vibrant marketplaces where community thrives and shoppers connect directly to the local food system.

Sunday June PRIDE Services at Chelsea Community Church | Brought together by their “common desire to question, to seek, and to grow,” the 1979-founded Chelsea Community Church (CCC) has long been a non-denominational destination for the diverse, the tolerant, and the forward-thinking. Sanctuary in a Sanctuary, their recently roster of Pride-themed services, has been curated to, says CCC, “embrace the spirit of LGBTQ+ pride through music, message, and community.” The services, free and open to the public, happen Sundays in June, 1pm, at St. Peter’s Church (346 W. 20th St. btw. 8th & 9th Aves.)

Sunday, June 1 saw “Love is in the Air” as its theme. The June 8 service was a Piano Bar Celebration. June 15 saw a Father’s Day service. The remaining dates are:

Sunday, June 22 – The Blessing of the Drag Artists | The second annual drag blessing will be a joyful, affirming event that celebrates drag as sacred expression. The featured speaker will be the iconic Murray Hill (Somebody Somewhere, Life & Beth, Elsbeth), who will speak on the theme, “If you don’t see yourself represented—go out and represent yourself.” Music will be provided by the Chelsea Community Church Choir, joined by special guests Cameron Mitchell Bell (Drag: The Musical) and drag icon Ruby Rims. The service concludes with a blessing from Rev. Joe “DollFace” Nicholson, who has been known to don drag himself from time to time.

Sunday, June 29 – Pride Sunday Open House | Following the NYC Pride March, CCC opens its doors for those who seek rest, reflection, or reconnection. The 1:00 PM service will be led by Brooklyn’s Rev. John Magisano, a longtime LGBTQ+ advocate and member of the CCC community. At 4pm, a post-march open house offers a quiet, welcoming space for contemplation, friendship, and sanctuary in the heart of the city. All are welcome. For more info, visit www.chelseacommunitychurch.org.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK:

On the Stoop Opera: A Free Concert Based on Works by William Shakespeare / Thursday, June 26, 6pm on West 21st Street. (btw. 9th & 10th Aves.) | This popular pop-up from the imaginative folks on the 400 block of West 21st Street features the Opera Next Door company’s Shakespeare Jukebox program–a collection of opera that invokes The Bard, with selections by composers including Gounod, Bellini, and Bernstein.

—Compiled by Scott Stiffler

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—Listings Compiled by Scott Stiffler

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