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

MCB4’s Full Board Meeting / The Sweat Sessions / Shari & Lamb Chop / Free Programming from HYHK (Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen Alliance) / Music, Art, and More at Verdi Cannabis / Down to Earth Farmers Market Chelsea

MCB4 Full Board Meeting: Wednesday, July 23 6:30pm Online via Zoom & YouTube and In-Person at Hotel Trades Council (305 W. 44th St. btw. 8th/9th Aves.)| For those who live in West Chelsea from 14th Street all the way up to West 57th, Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) is your all-volunteer advocacy and vetting entity. Its work is done at monthly meetings of committees and task forces. The letters they generate are voted on when MCB4’s full membership meets. The July 23 Full Board meeting serves as their July/August gathering; regular monthly meetings resume as of Wednesday, September 3.

To preview the Agenda of July 23’s meeting, click here.  Atop the Agenda: A Public Hearing on the topic of MCB4 Affordable Housing Plan. The Public Hearing and the Public Session provide members of the public with two minutes to speak directly to the full board.  There will also be a sign-up sheet at the meeting for those attending in person. To attend the meeting via Zoom and sign up for the Public or Private session, click here. To view it live via CB4’s YouTube channel, click here. (Note: MCB4 meetings can be viewed after the fact, as archived recordings on YouTube). To attend via phone, call 646-828-7666 (when prompted, the Webinar ID is 161 368 0437). For info about all things MCB4, their website can be found by clicking here.

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 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.

Shari & Lamb Chop: A Documentary by Lisa D’Apolito / Through July 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.

****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. 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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