Saturday, August 22, 2015

The Real NYC #18 - Movie night at Joyce Kilmer Park

China Pons and Grupo Irek
One of the great things about living in NYC (or just visiting) is being able to take advantage of the plethora of free cultural events that take place all of the time.  One recent Friday evening The Amazing Ms. D and I joined friends for a screening of the documentary Cuban Roots/Bronx Stories by Pam Sporn. The event was organized by the African Film Festival of NY, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Bronx Museum of Art,


This event was held at Joyce Kilmer Park, which sits across from the the Bronx Court House and is up the hill from Yankee Stadium. The park is named after poet Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) who is probably best known for the poem Trees.  Kilmer died on the front in France during WW I. The most visible aspect of the park is the Heinrich Heine Fountain. Dedicated in 1899, the fountain sits over 161st Street and is the first thing that many people see when the arrive at the park.

 
File:Heine Bronx 6.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heine_Bronx_6.jpg

Before the film we were entertained by the music of Chino Pons and Grupo Irek. They played a great mix of salsa and latin jazz, and they got the crowd up and dancing.

Chino Pons & Grupo Irek


Enjoying the music

Chino Pons stepping with the Amazin Ms. D



Chino Pons dancing with a young lady in the audience
But the really cool thing about these events is that they bring out people from the neighborhood to enjoy an evening of good weather and good friendship. One really cool thing is the diversity of people who come out to enjoy the park. From Africa, Bangladesh (I think), China, the Caribbean and New York City, the evening was enjoyed by all.

Film maker Pam Sporn

Enjoying a repast in the park

Many types of families enjoy the park

Enjoying the music

Families bring dinner with them

The Icee man

All ages come out

An evening with friends
All ages enjoy the music

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