Eight Years On, a Lower Manhattan Rite of Autumn Returns
Planning for the reboot of the Battery Park City Block Party, which originally was produced every September from 2002 through 2016, has kicked into high gear. Rosalie Joseph, a longtime local resident, is chairing the committee of volunteers who are joining forces to launch the Block Party 2.0. Ms. Joseph, who oversaw the original version of the event in partnership with the late community leader Anthony Notaro, says, “everything is coming together, and this year’s event is shaping up to be the best ever.”
Scheduled for Saturday, September 21, from 11am to 4pm, on Esplanade Plaza (alongside North Cove Marina), this year’s Block Party will feature live performances by local talent, games, a baking contest, food provided by local restaurants, rides and amusements, a kid’s area, crafts, prizes, and a Battery Park City Trivia Contest.
Local businesses, as well as residents talented in arts and crafts, are invited to reserve a vendor table at no charge. Tables will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. “We already have a large cohort of Lower Manhattan stores and shops coming,” Ms. Joseph says, “but there is still room for a few more. And we’re happy to provide these without a fee, as a way of encouraging small businesses and building a sense of community.” (Anyone wishing to reserve a table is asked to email bpcblockparty24@gmail.com.)
This year’s Block Party, which is being produced in partnership with the Battery Park City Authority, will be dedicated to the memory of Mr. Notaro, who died in 2020 after decades of service on Community Board 1 and in numerous other capacities. Ms. Joseph and Mr. Notaro co-founded the event in the fall of 2002, as local residents were rebuilding their lives after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. “My favorite memory,” she says, “is when, at the end of the first year’s event, we stood on the stage singing our traditional closing numbers, ‘Downtown’ and ‘New York, New York.’” She anticipates a reprise of those anthems this year.