Here’s What’s Happening

This Week In & Around Chelsea

ag In Bella Abzug Park / CANCELLED: Chelsea Garden Club Walking Tour / Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea / 10th Precinct Sector C Build the Block Meeting / Neighbors of 300 West 21-22-23 Streets Block Association Meeting / PRIDE Month Events: Chelsea Community Church PRIDE-Themed 1pm June Sunday Services

The Hudson Yards/Hell’s Kitchen Alliance Presents, Through October, Free Programming in Bella Abzug Park ( (W. 34th to 35th Sts., 10th to 11th Aves.) | From fitness classes to movie screenings to dance to music, eight or more free events take place each week in Bella Abzug Park. They’re brought to you by the Hudson Yards/Hell’s Kitchen Alliance. That’s a fitting connection, given that the Alliance is dedicated to championing the two distinct neighborhoods of its namesake–whereas the venue, Bella Abzug Park, has a footprnt which affords it a foothold in both worlds. Complimentary pairings also pop up all over the Parks’s calendar of events, we hear. Case in point, the well-chosen instructors who motivate those who’ve taken a likingto  Bien Good Well’s free yoga classes (Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm and Saturdays at 10:30am). To register, click here. Every other Thursday in July, September, and October, Vinyl  Nights fills Bella Abzug Park with dance-demanding classics of the 70s, 80s, and beyond, as spun by veteran NYC DJs working with, yes, real vinyl records. For more info, click here. Looking ahead, the public space programmers from Street Lab will be popping up in Bella Abzug Park for six weeks in July and August, bringing interactive activities for kids of all ages. Last in this list of upcoming events is June 21’s 4pm-6pm Broadway at Bella Abzug, a musical celebration of the nearby theater and musical mecca. See the below flyer for details.

Mindful of both high heat and rain in Saturday’s forecast,

The Chelsea Garden Club Walking Tour

Scheduled for June 22 has been CANCELLED.

“Hopefully we can reschedule it for September,” said the event organizers, in a June 18 email to Chelsea Garden Club’s membership.

(See below, an excerpt from the original event listing.)

Join members of the all-volunteer Chelsea Garden Club for their annual walkabout that shows what happens when a Club member pours their time, effort (and money) into one of the tree pits placed at pedestrian islands that sit between street crossings. “We’ll discuss the challenges facing our plantings and admire the tremendous work our gardeners have done,” say event organizers. Expect this year’s Tour to have its share of discussion about “the challenges,” as the Garden Club’s colorful tree pit gardens have recently been the target of thefts and vandalism—all the more reason to pay respect to their efforts and wish them plenty of “flower power.” For more info on Chelsea Garden Club, check out their Facebook presence by clicking here. Also, see the below photo for a sample of their handiwork.

Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea: Satudays, 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. 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.

—HAPPENING NEXT WEEK—

10th Precinct Sector C Build the Block Second Quarter Meeting: Monday, June 24, 5pm at Manhattan Plaza (400 W. 43rd St.) | NCOs, or Neighborhood Coordination Officers, host this quarterly meeting addressing crime and quality of life matters for the 10th Precinct’s Sector C (W. 29th St. to W. 43rd St., 9th Ave. to the Hudson).  Your Sector C NCOs are PO Marian Bencea (Marian.Bencea@nypd.org ) and PO Daniel Sendrowski (Daniel.Sendrowski@nypd.org). Click here to find your Build the Block meeting. The 10 Precinct has three Sectors, with Sectors A and B having already had their 2024 second quarter meetings. All three Sectors will have third quarter meetings pending as of July 1, 2024—so consult the “Find” link provided earlier in this listing, to keep tabs on third quarter dates for each Sector. 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, will often “tweet” about an upcoming Build the Block meeting or provide info about a change in the previously announced date. To access the 10th Precinct’s nyc.gov page, click here.

Neighbors of 300 West 21-22-23 Streets Block Association Meeting: Wednesday, June 26, 6:30pm at Fulton Community Center (119 Ninth Ave. btw. W. 17th & 18th Sts.) | Residents and businesses of the 300 block  of west 21, 22, & 23 Streets are invited to attend. Get vermin mitigation/elimination tips from Rat Academy reps; Hear about Neighborhood Navigators–a pilot program for unhoused people in Chelsea; and learn about the work of Manhattan Community Board 4 from its District Manager, Jesse Bodine. See the below flyer for further details. Questions? Send an email to ChelseaWest300BA@gmail.com.

—JUNE PRIDE MONTH EVENTS—

Chelsea Community Church PRIDE-Themed 1pm June Sunday Services at St. Peter’s Chelsea (346 W. 20th St. btw. 8th & 9th Aves.) | For a half-century, the non-denominational Christian Chelsea Community Church (CCC) has, they note, welcomed “people of all faiths and those who are uncertain about their faith” by providing a safe and inclusive space. That space—physical and spiritual—devotes its weekly 1pm Sunday services in June to the theme of “Pride,” in its many colors-of-the-rainbow variations.

On June 23, Revd John Magisano (Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches) will be the speaker at The Blessing of Drag Artists, a service celebrating the contributions and resilience of drag artists within the LGBTQ+ community.

“Drag artists have been pivotal in the fight for equality, from the Stonewall riots to the AIDS crisis, and today, they remain a vibrant and integral part of the LGBTQ+ community,” noted CCC in its preview material, adding, “This special service is an opportunity to show appreciation and solidarity with a community that has long supported others.”

Showing their love will be a community choir, vocalists Nina Blue and Cameron Mitchell Bell, special speaker Ruby Rims, and a special blessing by Revd Joe (DollFace) Nicholson focusing on themes of love, acceptance, and unity.

The series concludes on June 30 with the nondenominational Revd Diane Trinkaus and vocalist Jeanne MacDonald. Then, from 2:30pm-6:30pm, all are invited to stop by, as the church is adorned with “images from the AIDS Memorial Quilt and other important parts of LGBTQ+ history.”

All services take place at 1pm, at St. Peter’s Chelsea (346 W. 20th St. btw. 8th & 9th Aves.). To visit the Chelsea Community Church website, click here. To send an email, click here. To leave a voicemail, call 212-886-5463.

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