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

The Sweat Sessions / Rib-Fest / Shari & Lamb Chop / Jackie Beat: Birthday Clown / Free Programming from HYHK (Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance)  /  Music, Art, & More at Verdi Cannabis /  Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea

The Sweat Sessions: Free Outdoor Fitness Classes / July & August dates, in 14th Street Park (10th Ave. btw. 14/15th Sts.) | Brought to you by MEATPACKING (the Mearpacking District’s BID) and the Wellth Collective, these free, 45-minute fitness classes are held at 5:30pm, 6:30pm, and 7:30pm on Tuesday, July 15 & 29, and August 15, 12, & 29. Yoga, dance cardio, boxing, and pilates are among the workouts offered. To learn more and reserve your space for any of these Sessions, click here.

Rib-Fest: Thursday, July 17, 6:45pm-10pm at the Dickson’s Farmstand Meats Butcher Shop & Restaurant at the Chelsea Local (lower level of Chelsea Market; W. 15th St. & Ninth Ave.) | The summertime BBQ vibe has been slow-cooked into the smoky marrow of Rib-Fest. This team-up between Dickson’s Farmstand Meats and Wild East Brewing will be, they promise, an “all-you-can-eat ribs and craft beer feast…a carnivore’s dream.” The menu features seven courses of ribs, including Vietnamese Lemongrass Country-style ribs (Pork); Pastrami’ed Lamb Ribs (Lamb), and Carolina-Style BBQ Spare Ribs (Pork). That’s paired with seasonal beers from Wild East Brewing, plenty of side dishes, and a wide selection of desserts. This epic experience is $80 per person, plus tax ($80 ticket includes 10% gratuity). For reservations, click here.

Shari & Lamb Chop: A Documentary by Lisa D’Apolito / July 17-24 at the Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street) / Visit QUADCINEMA.COM for tickets, showtimes, and info | This release from Kino Lorber givse puppeteer and pioneer Shari Lewis the widespread adoration that eluded her in life–or at least failed to deliver its due amount of recognition. Best known as the ever-patient friend to sweet spitfire Lamb Chop, Shari Lewis was more than a performer of multiple, memorable characters. She was (along with Jim Henson) a primary architect of the Children’s Television genre. Lisa D’Apolito’s breezy documentary demands respect for is subject by letting early era footage and clips of in-her-prime performance play until the viewer is just another kid completely invested in the one-of-a-kind mindset posessed–andshared–by Shari Lewis.-breezy documentary demands respect for is subject by letting early era archival footage and clips of in-her-prime performance play on until the viewer is just another kid completely invested in the one-of-a-kind mindset created by Shari Lewis.

JACKIE BEAT: BIRTHDAY CLOWN / Sunday, July 20, 7pm at 
The Cutting Room (44 E. 32nd St. btw. Park & Madison Aves.) | Not all drag queens are bubbly confections whose witty nature is calibrated to feed America’s insatiable appetite for TV-friendly catchphrases. There are also drag queens like Jackie Beat, whose profanity-laced pop song parodies have more ways to mention wieners than Inuit languages have words for “snow.” Currently residing in Los Angeles, the one time longtime NYC gal is making her way back to The Big Apple the only way she knows how–by crossing the country with a new show that will be road-tested once it arrives at The Cutting Room (44 E. 32nd St. btw. Park & Madison Aves.) on July 20. By then, Palm Springs and Chicago will be among the cities already amused, thrilled, and mortified by Jackie Beat: Birthday Clown. It’s a celebration of Beat’s 35+ years in show business and the shrouded-in-mystery summertime birthday of a certain special lady. Expect many new and classic Jackie Beat parodies based on catchy if overexposed songs by the likes of  Chappell Roan, Katrina & The Waves, Duran Duran, and The Bangles. To purchase tickets ($25-$42) click here.

****ONGOING EVENTS****

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.). 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 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.) | 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. On July 17, 6:30pm-9:30pm, High-Fi 4 commands the stage. Closing out the July Green Room series will be John Dell, 6:30pm-9:30pm  on July 24 and Real Intentions (sponsored by Jaunty Rythm) on July 31, 6:30pm-9:30pm.’ As for special events: Having premiered on May 16, Wake and Bake Fridays with A-Roastia Coffee is a coffee cart pop-up next scheduled for 9am on Friday, July 25. “The goal is to always have something fun, interesting, and unique happening here at Verdi,” says Assistant GM and Events Coordinator Kenny Cunningham (featured in this Q&A segment). 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.

—Compiled by Scott Stiffler

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