Dear Neighbor,
I hope you are enjoying the summer months. We are very lucky to live so near a beautiful park and river and enjoy the cool breeze. I have always felt very fortunate to live in such a vibrant community such as the West 104th Street block. Perhaps you may feel the same and would like to give back a little to the community. If you do not have the time to serve on our board, I have some ideas in which you can help your community that will not tax your time:
- Volunteer!
- Raffle Table Volunteers: We need volunteers to man the raffle table and sell tickets and block association items. We begin on September 12 through the block party date of October 14. Your commitment only consists of 1-2 hours and you will be paired with a board member. It is a great chance to meet your neighbors and the board members! We always have quite a bit of fun selling the tickets. Don’t miss out! If you would like to help, please contact Barbara Boynton at dragonram40@caa.columbia.edu
- Block Party Volunteers – Saturday, October 14.
We need volunteers for the block party to help with the various areas such as the book table, the baking table, the raffle table, the What-A-Bargain table, and the block association table. Can you spare a few hours or less on that day? If so, please contact me at mtkoval@aol.com and let me know what area you would like to work and the times.
Watch for our upcoming flyers on the 28th Annual West 104th Street Block Association Block Party on specifics and items to donate!
Neighborhood Events:
- Saturday, September 13, 2017, 6pm: The Bloomingdale History Group Walking Tour. Join historian Jim Mackin for a historic tour of the Upper West Side and the Bloomingdale Neighborhood. Meet at the Hostelling International at 891 Amsterdam Street at 103rd. RSVP at 212-966-9774.
- Sunday, September 17, 2017, 11am-4pm: Free Electronics and Textile Recycling Event at 110th and Amsterdam.
Electronics accepted: Computers and peripherals (monitors, printers, faxes/scanners, keyboards, mice, wires, etc.); TVs; stereo and A/V equipment, VCRs, DVD players; cell and wall phones.
Textiles Accepted: Clean textiles, including clothing and shoes, handbags, blankets, sheets, curtains, towels, etc.
For more information, contact the Lower East Side Ecology website at https://www.lesecologycenter.org/
- Saturday, September 23, 2017, 10am to 5pm: Straus Art in the Park. Join artists and musicians in Straus Park (Broadway at 106th Street.) FREE. (Rain date: October 14)
- Museum of Natural History – August 21, 2017
In case you hadn’t heard, the moon is set to pass in front of the sun on the afternoon of August 21, and New Yorkers will get a decent (though not perfect) view of the event. The solar eclipse will start around 1:23 p.m.and last until 4.
The Museum of Natural History will be holding a talk beforehand in the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space and will have a NASA feed of the event (as well as outdoor areas where you can watch). The event is free for members or with museum admission.
Mailbox “Phishing”
Unfortunately, mailbox “phishing” is still being conducted on UWS mailboxes. The “phishing” involves taking a glue-laden sheet with a string attached, dropping it to the mailbox, and pulling out the mail. Envelopes are opened and if a check is inside, the perpetrators “wash” the check and change the amount and recipient. The police recommend dropping all envelopes with checks at the post office and using an ink pen, Uniball 207. This ink cannot be “washed” off.
Best regards,
Mary Koval, President West 104th Street Block Association