‘Forget All Your Troubles, Forget All Your Cares…’

Battery Park City Block Party 2.0 Draws More Than 1,000

After a hiatus of eight years, the Battery Park City Block Party came back with renewed vigor on Saturday, September 21, when more than 1,000 friends and neighbors gathered on Esplanade Plaza throughout the day for music, food, arts, crafts, and family activities.
Rosalie Joseph, a longtime resident who co-founded the Block Party in 2002 with the late community leader Anthony Notaro as a means of celebrating the neighborhood’s rebirth after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, dedicated the event to Mr. Notaro.

“It was a wonderful day in our neighborhood,” she said afterward. “The return of the Battery Park City Block Party reminded us that we truly live in the ‘best small town in the Big Apple.’ With the participation of our local schools, businesses, vendors, artisans, restaurants, community organizations and performers, our Block Party theme came alive once again. On behalf of the Block Party Steering Committee, I want to thank the Battery Park City Authority for the sponsorship and support and especially the partnership with co-chair Craig Hudon [the Authority’s vice president of Parks Programming] and his amazing team. I believe that based on the good feeling and undeniable spirit of community we all felt on Saturday, the Battery Park City Block Party is back.”

More than 50 vendors — local organizations, schools, clubs, restaurants, businesses, artisans, and others — set up tables with their projects and activities. The event, attended by City Council member Christopher Marte, State Senator Brian Kavanagh, and State Assembly member Charles Fall, featured numerous musical acts, with young singers, dancers, and instrumentalists drawn from local schools. Contests such as the bubble-blowing competition (right) kept the crowd entertained. Battery Park City Authority president Raju Mann said, “the Battery Park City Block Party is back. I was pleased to meet so many of our neighbors on a gorgeous Saturday on the waterfront, and energized by the prevailing and enduring sense of community that was unmistakable. We’ll see you all again next year — and, I hope, at many events in-between.”

Christina Craig, who helped organized this year’s event, said, “I am thrilled that the efforts of our small-but-strong steering committee manifested Rosalie’s wish to revive our cherished Block Party. The support from BPCA and the steady presence of community residents reflects the pride and appreciation we have for a thriving neighborhood. I loved seeing neighbors I recall from my first Block Party, 19 years ago, as well as our newest neighbors. It takes a village.”

Mr. Hudon added, “true to its roots, this was real community-driven event, and we were pleased to offer the staffing and operational assistance to help make it a success. Rosalie’s vision and tireless commitment were an inspiration, as was that of the entire the Block Party Committee — volunteers all — in reinstating a great Battery Park City tradition!”

The event concluded with a tradition that has taken on a deep resonance for longstanding residents. Ms. Joseph, left, said, “my favorite memory from 2002 was when, at the end of the first year’s event, we stood on the stage singing our closing traditional sing along of ‘Downtown’ and ‘New York, New York.’ I looked out at all my neighbors, looking happy once again, celebrating after experiencing a long and very challenging year. And that’s exactly how it felt on Saturday, when hundreds of us sang those words together again, all these years later.”