Favorite Things: Grandma’s Place

As a big kid at heart, nothing warms my heart more than the thought of a boutique toy store in Harlem. That place is Grandma’s Place. Located on West 120th Street, right around the corner from Settepani’s on Lenox Avenue, a small world of childhood wonder exists. Grandma, also known as Dawn Harris-Martine, is a… [Read more…]

Proud Poppas at the Harlem Arts Alliance

By: Tahnia Belle Continuing the spirit of Father’s Day, The Proud Poppas Photo Project, showcased by the Harlem Arts Alliance opened on June 24th and will be an ongoing public exhibit through September 9th, 2011. The photo essay project features images of proud fathers and their children accompanied by their reflections and thoughts on fatherhood.… [Read more…]

New Yoga Studio Lands In Harlem

By: Tahnia Belle Just in time for the summer, adding to the growing yoga landscape in Harlem is Land Yoga, an Ashtanga style studio which softly opened last week. Lara Land, studio owner and yoga teacher has developed a diverse schedule of classes. The current adult offerings include Mysore Ashtanga and Led Ashtanga. For families,… [Read more…]

New Disney Playground and 103rd Street Community Garden Restoration

By: Tahnia Belle On May 19th, as part of the ongoing restoration of the 103rd Street Community Garden, about 200 community volunteers, New York Restoration Project (NYRP) staff, Disney VoluntEARS and KaBOOM! organizers came together to build a playground and children’s garden. One of the notable aspects of this collaboration project is that not only… [Read more…]

Reebok Junior Tennis Academy Tryouts

City Parks Foundation’s Reebok Junior Tennis Academy celebrates its 25th Anniversary of providing a free, annual scholarship training program for talented New York City junior tennis players.  The program provides free expert coaching, practice time and tournament scholarship, while the Academy helps defray the cost of tournament tennis training so that more urban youngsters have… [Read more…]

Volunteer at PAL during National Volunteer Week

In celebration of National Volunteer Week, April 10-16, 2011, now is the perfect time to help make a difference in the lives of Manhattan youngsters by signing up to volunteer at the Police Athletic League (PAL).  PAL is looking for volunteers to support its mission of serving New York City’s young people by donating their time… [Read more…]

Prince donates to Harlem youth organizations

Seven-time Grammy award winner Prince has bestowed a $1 million line of credit to the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) and made a special gift to the Uptown Dance Academy in Harlem. The press conference was held at Madison Square Garden at the conclusion of the first leg of Prince’s phenomenally successful “Welcome 2 America” tour,… [Read more…]

Harlem School of the Arts Open House & Block Party

The Harlem School of the Arts Open House & Block Party The Harlem School of the Arts Saint Nicholas Avenue between 141st and 145th Streets Saturday, September 11, 2010 12 noon to 5 pm www.harlemschoolofthearts.org or 212.926.4100 For over 45 years, the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) has continued to provide New York City children… [Read more…]

Harlem Week Tri-State Junior Tennis Classic

Shannon Tavarez Donor Drive at Harlem School of the Arts

Shannon Tavarez, Broadway’s Young Nala in “The Lion King”, has been living with AML Leukemia since being diagnosed in April. Shannon has been fighting her cancer with daily chemo treatments and is desperately in need of a life-saving bone marrow donor drive. The challenge of finding a donor for the bubbly pre-teen is the fact… [Read more…]

Free summer performances for kids

Fourth annual Harlem International Street Fair

Family Day in Jackie Robinson Park

Black Cowboys riding into Harlem

When I was little girl, it was always a special treat to see the Black Cowboys.  They would either bring ponies into the neighborhood to let the neighborhood kids ride and take a picture, or they would proudly lead a procession in the annual Juneteenth parade. Here is a chance to relive those happy days… [Read more…]

PAL Play Streets begin on Tuesday

The Police Athletic League (PAL) launches its 2010 Summer Play Streets Program in Manhattan on Tuesday, July 6th. PAL’s Summer Play Streets Program closes off streets and utilizes other public areas, such as playgrounds and parks, throughout New York City to provide children with safe, supervised places to enjoy outdoor summer activities. Play Streets are… [Read more…]

Target: Arts + Culture

Target is sponsoring free or reduced-price admission to arts and cultural events at museums and performing arts institutions in and around Harlem. Target Arts & Wonder Free Family Event will be from July 16-18. For details about the participating museums: Target : Company : Arts + Culture.

Harlem’s Happening

PEDRO MARTINEZ PROJECT (Saturday) Since arriving in the United States at the end of the 1990s, the Cuban percussionist Pedro Martinez has been all over the place, putting rumba and guaguancó into the weave of all kinds of groups. But when his drums, singing and writing are the focus – as is the case in… [Read more…]

Madagascar in Marcus Garvey Park

Young people’s slumber party and movie screening under the stars Located on Madison Ave side of Park btwn. 122nd & 124th St. Madagascar Saturday, June 26th, 8:30 pm Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath, 2005, 86 min. At New York’s Central Park Zoo, a lion, a zebra, a giraffe, and a hippo are best friends and… [Read more…]

Uptown Family Fun Festival

37th Annual Skyscraper Cycling Classic

Amateurs and Olympians alike will descend upon Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park on Father’s Day, June 20 to compete in the 37th annual Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic presented by Rockstar Games. Olympic Champion Walter Perez of Argentina and four-time World Champion Franco Marvulli will return to the city that inspired the Madison, their track racing specialty.… [Read more…]

At Brotherhood/Sister Sol, a Harlem youth program

Source: City Limits Welcome to Annual Planting No. 4 at the garden of Brotherhood/SisterSol, a West Harlem nonprofit that guides kids through the gauntlet of urban adolescence. A wraparound resource that provides teen education via afterschool, summer and weekend programs, Brotherhood/Sister Sol (BroSis for short) aims “to operate like a well-constructed family,” one child at… [Read more…]

Charter schools vs. public schools

There have been countless debates about whether charter schools can improve public education. On Tuesday night, WNYC hosted a forum with parents, students, and teachers from charter schools and two regular public schools to talk about how their schools are different, and how they’re serving their students. WNYC’s Beth Fertig and Arun Venugopal hosted the… [Read more…]

Inwood Astronomy Programs

Saturday, May 22, 2010 8:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. This event repeats every week on Saturday between 3/20/2010 and 12/25/2010. Every Saturday (weather permitting), Northern Manhattan Parks and the Inwood Astronomy Project will offer free star and planet gazing in Inwood Hill Park. These free, family-friendly events aim to spread the joys of the evening sky, and… [Read more…]

Canada Honored, Abraham Pleased

Harlem was represented very well at this past Monday’s gala event for the Steve Harvey Foundation at Cipriani Wall Street. Harlem Children’s Zone’s Geoffrey Canada was among the honorees (alongside State Farm’s Pamela El and two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington). The purpose of the event was to raise funds for the organization, which provides… [Read more…]

Mary J. Blige pledges to save Harlem School of the Arts

A beloved Harlem arts school will re-open this weekend with a new board, a $1 million lifeline and a promise from R&B star Mary J. Blige to help keep the funds rolling in. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com

3rd Annual Street Games at Jefferson Park

Saturday, April 17, 2010 Thomas Jefferson Park 114th Street & First Avenue, Manhattan 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. FREE EVENT On Saturday, April 17, 2010, the City of New York Parks & Recreation and the Walt Disney Company will host the 3rd annual Street Games at Thomas Jefferson Park in Harlem. Street Games brings back… [Read more…]

Harlem School of the Arts runs out of funds; Forced to shut doors

In 1985, Jane Henry led Shukrani Brown, Hussain Walker and Malik Lewis in a violin class at the Harlem School of the Arts. By TRYMAINE LEE/New York Times: April 2, 2010 For nearly 50 years, the Harlem School of the Arts has given generations of mostly black and Latino children entree into worlds often otherwise… [Read more…]

Through the camera’s eye

As you may well know, this site is a fan of “feel good” stories, especially those that pertain to Harlem. The following story appeared in the New York Times last week and warmed our hearts. We are looking forward to an exhibit of the girl’s work on display at the Studio Museum in Harlem. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/arts/artsspecial/18STUDIO.html

Save a little

If you have kids you might be interested to know that the local IHOP lets kids eat free Monday through Thursday nights and offers teachers, nurses, school safety guards, and seniors 15% off until 6 PM. Talk about a recession buster! IHOP 2294 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard @ 135th Street New York, NY 10030-2804… [Read more…]

Hope Kidz Easter Egg Hunt

Free Screening: Boy Scouts of Harlem

On February 8th the Boy Scouts of America turns 100.  By pretty much any measure Scouting has been a big deal–112 million Americans have been members.  Alumni are as diverse as America itself– Steven Spielberg, Mike Bloomberg, Percy Sutton, David Lynch, Bob Gates, Donald Rumsfeld, Marion Barry, Michael Moore, Barney Frank and Gerald Ford are (were) all… [Read more…]

Kids eat free MLK Week at Harlem Bar-B-Q

What’s Happening uptown for the holidays?

A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS Sunday at 4 p.m., a reading of this Clement Clarke Moore poem by the actress Tamara Tunie, followed by a procession to Moore’s grave site in nearby Trinity Church Cemetery. Church of the Intercession, Broadway at West 155th Street, Washington Heights , (212) 283-6200, trinitywallstreet.com. CELEBRATIONS IN CENTRAL PARK On Saturday… [Read more…]

Harlem Hip Hop Stroke

“F” is for the Face “A” is for the Arm “S” is for the Speech “T” is for the Time Time to do what? “Call 911!” Time to do what? “Call 911!” Thanks to the vision of an HHC stroke expert, lively hip hop music has brought life-saving information to over 1500 young children in… [Read more…]

Celebrate Jesus’ Birth

Come and join us for Live Music, Christmas Caroling, Dancing, Games and Creating Gifts for our Harlem Neighbors in Need!  It will be a great time for us to have fun and at the same time think of others in our community. Hot cocoa, warm cider & baked treats will be provided! **Suggested Donation: A brand new toy for… [Read more…]

Saint Nicholas Park lights new permanent Christmas Tree

The chilly December air was filled with holiday spirit as local youngsters provided the soundtrack for holiday festivities. Special guest, jolly old St. Nick (known to some as Santa Clause) made a surprise visit to the park named in his honor. Pets and people alike milled around and socialized with neighbors under the glow of… [Read more…]

Harlem Children’s Zone on 60 Minutes this Sunday

“60 Minutes” is scheduled to air a new, 13-minute segment on HCZ this coming Sunday, December 6th, between 7-8 p.m. Eastern time on CBS. The piece will focus on the ground-breaking work of the Harlem Charter School as well as the life of HCZ President and CEO Geoffrey Canada, who went with anchor Anderson Cooper back… [Read more…]

East Harlem Little League

Disney The Princess and the Frog

Limited Release November 25. In theaters everywhere December 11, 2009.

HBCU Fair at Riverbank State Park