Socrates Sculpture Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, August 13, 2004

FESTIVE, FUN, & FREE: THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN NEW YORK CITY’S PARKS

With Summer flaunting her most seductive charms, it’s time to get out and enjoy our parks more than ever. With that in mind, Parks & Recreation’s Special Events division has graciously put together a list of some of this weekend’s most attractive offerings. For more information, visit the Parks & Recreation website at www.nyc.gov/parks, call 311, or if you reside outside of the city, dial 212-NEW-YORK.

Bronx
Saturday, August 14 is National Marina Day. Hammonds Cove Marina, at Harding and Pennyfield Avenues, will celebrate the event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with games, rides, music, and delectable food. The Coast Guard will teach water safety, and chiropractors and masseuses will relieve your accumulated stresses of the week next to the beautiful waterfront.

Brooklyn
On August 14, 21, and 28, Brooklyn’s Wingate Park, at the intersection of Brooklyn Avenue and Rutland Road, will host Youth Day. From 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a poetry slam, Double Dutch contest, organized basketball games, a talent show, and food. The Departments of Education and Youth Services will also be there to provide information relating to youth issues.

Manhattan
An exciting and historical event taking place for the first time in Manhattan, KompaStage2004, a Haitian-American free music festival, will be held in Battery Park on August 15, 2004 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. "KompaStage Music Fest" celebrates Haiti’s 200th anniversary as a sovereign nation. Battery Park is located at Battery Place and State and Whitehall Streets.

Queens
Celebrate the cultural diversity of Queens at Outdoor Cinema 2004 in Socrates Sculpture Park, at Vernon Boulevard, Broadway, and 31^st Road. This annual festival of international film, music, dance, and food presented by Socrates Sculpture Park in collaboration with the American Museum of the Moving Image, holds free screenings every Wednesday until September 1 at 7 p.m. Created six years ago by Socrates Sculpture Park in cooperation with Partnerships for Parks, each evening in the six-part series focuses on a different country or culture. Local performing arts groups showcase the talents of their members, and area restaurants present regional foods.

Staten Island
On August 21 and 22, from noon to 9 p.m., Midland Beach, stretching from Fort Wadsworth to Miller Field, will host the Back to the Beach Celebration. This annual event celebrates the renovation of Midland Beach by offering two days of food, fun, and entertainment to the public. While artists craft creations in the sand, landlubbers can cruise the Midland Beach Promenade for deals on jewelry, T-shirts, and pocketbooks. Kids can bounce in blow-up castles, fly high on carnival rides, and satisfy their hunger with sausage and peppers, calzones, and funnel cake.

Citywide
Parks & Recreation is proud to present the 8^th annual Citywide Beach Volleyball Tournament. Borough preliminaries begin this Saturday in parks and beaches throughout the five boroughs. Saturday’s top teams will compete for the citywide title and $3,000 in cash prizes on Sunday, August 15 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Coney Island Beach. Sponsored by Snapple, this rain-or-shine event is free and open to everyone—like all the Best Stuff in NYC. 

Compiled by Citywide Special Events

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