About the Riverdale Spring Festival

Today’s Riverdale Spring Festival features a Bouncy Castle, Live Music, Original Art, Clowns, Face Painters, Glitter Tat-toos, Super Mario, Handy Manny, Children’s Activities, Deli-cious Food, Raffles, Shopping Specials and more! This event was the vision of the North Riverdale Merchants Association/NRMA. The merchants joined together to plan a festival for their Avenue, for which they enlisted the help of Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corp./KRVC. The merchants opted to have KRVC to play a lead organizing role in the festival, which was supported by the businesses on North Riverdale Avenue and the broader community. Riverdale Avenue was a challenge to shut down for the festival because it is a bus and emergency route. The festival organizers are grateful for the support of Bronx Community Board 8 members. our elected officials, especially State Senator Klein’s office, and the 50th Police Precinct. Their combined efforts and support allowed our community to have this very special day! The organizers hope to make this an annual event for the community and to hold more festivals along the Avenue, for which they are developing a massive beautification and revitalization plan. The merchants also hope that this festival and other events and initiatives will serve to strengthen the already established and thriving North Riverdale Merchants Association.

Enjoy!

The Riverdale Spring Festival

Promo Media Event

On Friday, May 3rd, a group of organizers, performers and sponsors gathered in front of Addeo’s Pizza, located at 5654 Riverdale Avenue in the Bronx, to promote the first ever Riverdale Spring Festival. The May 3rd promotional event included a festival “sneak preview” with music by jazz musician Phil Palombi, special stilt walking stunts by clown, Adam Auslander and photos, hugs and handshakes with Super Mario. Event organizers and sponsors were also on hand, distributing postcards to promote the event under an eye-catching green tent decorated with yellow balloons, courtesy of sponsor Weichert, Realtors House & Home and promotional banners.

Check out these great photos:

The Promo Media Event, which was attended by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and featured in the Daily News and on News 12, was one component of the massive promotional campaign for the Spring Festival. The campaign also included news releases, local ads, electronic outreach, social media, printed materials and much more! Social Media campaign and promo photos by David Altman.

Photos of our Promo Event featuring Adam Auslander on stilts; Super Mario; festival sponsor and NRMA co President, Gary Wartels, owner of Skyview Wines & Spirits; festival sponsor and NRMA member Laurence Addeo, owner of Addeo’s Pizza and and Larry’s Lucky Lotto and Tracy McCabe Shelton, KRVC Executive Director, being interviewed by News 12.

Riverdale Events

KRVC’s Riverdale Events is a new entity charged with presenting Street Festivals, Movie Nights, Outdoor Concerts, Biz Boosters and other vibrant cultural community and business development events in the Riverdale area of the Bronx. Since the fall of 2010, KRVC has produced seven festivals and three movie nights. Check out these photos of some of KRVC’s events:

By starting Riverdale Events, KRVC will expand these activities with Biz Boosters designed to bring special events and activities into our local businesses to expand their customer base.

www.RiverdaleEvents.org

Festival Schedule

On the Main Stage:

12:15 p.m. - PS 81 5th Grade Chorus

1:00 p.m. - Marni Rice, Singer and Accordionist

2:00 p.m. - Phil Palombi’s Electric Jazz Trio “718”

3:00 p.m. - Moakland - Traditional Irish Music Trio

12 noon - 4 p.m.

•bouncy castle •musical performances

•original art •merchants will be displaying their goods

•clowns, stilt walkers, face painters, glitter tattoos, Handy Manny and Super Mario

will be entertaining the kids •delicious food will be available

Bouncy Castle

Right on Riverdale Avenue!

Today’s Feature Attraction is a Bouncy Castle!! Plus Take Fun Photos with Handy Manny at Cora Hardware and also get a tattoo! Take Fun Photos with Super Mario at Addeo’s Pizza!

He has performed locally at the Riverdale Y Sunday Market, the Elisa Contemporary Art Gallery, The Woodlawn Holiday Festival, The Riverdale Holiday Festival, Riverfest and the An Beal Bocht cafe. He is now very happy to add the first, ever Riverdale Spring Festival to that list!

North of the Bouncy Castle

Entertainment

"Dazzling fingerpicked renditions of contemporary, jazz & pop tunes...Steve's a fine entertainer as well, and his shows are always a special event."- Acoustic Beat Steve Oates is a solo instrumental guitarist who has played in such places as The United Nations, The Plaza Hotel, The Tavern on the Green, The Cunard QE2, The Boat House in Central Park, The Metropolitan Club and the historic NY Waterfront Barge Museum (Restored Lehigh Valley Barge #79).

Steve Oates

Enjoy Steve’s music when you venture north of the Bouncy Cas-tle to Cora Hardware, Vacuum World, Verizon, State Farm Insurance , Magnum Comics and Medina Fitness!

Main Stage Entertainment Marni Rice is a Chanteuse-Accordionist & Theatre Artist from New York City. She'll be performing solo today, playing vintage French Chansons and original compositions in French & English from her two EP's - “Songs for a Small Chamber” and “Marni Rice & Le Garage Cabaret.” She has performed nationally and internationally as a solo artist at Theatre Festivals worldwide featuring her original text

and music performance works. As a Chanteuse-Accordionist in New York, Marnie has appeared at The Lincoln Center Chamber Music series, Symphony Space, Joe’s Pub, The Bowery Ballroom, The Bottom Line, The Bowery Electric, in private events, restaurants, cafes and community gardens. Her diverse musical projects include; 'Marni Rice & Le Garage Cabaret' featuring original songs in French & English, and 'Marni Rice & The Chanson Chamber Salon' featuring European popular and cabaret songs. Since 2006 she has served as back round vocalist and accordionist for 'Mad Juana' in the US and Europe. For more information please visit: www.dejouxmusique.com

Main Stage Entertainment (cont.)

Phil Palombi's "718" jazz trio Grammy award winning bassist Phil Palombi is "one of the most sought after young bass players", according to Steely Dan tenor saxophonist and renowned jazz musician Walt Weiskopf. Since moving to New York City in 1997, bassist Phil Palombi is slowly but surely moving through the ranks of the New York Jazz elite. His resume now includes recordings and/or performances with Michael Brecker, Billy

Hart, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Etta Jones, Maynard Ferguson, Chris Pot-ter, Rich Perry, Curtis Stigers, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabackin, Chucho Valdes, Mark Turner, and The Village Vanguard Orchestra to name a few. In addition to performing, Phil also has a passion for teaching that includes presentations at the International Society of Bassists convention in 2005, 2007, and 2009, numerous master classes at colleges around the world (most notably Eastman School of Music), and four articles written for Double Bassist Magazine. www.philpalombi.com

Keyboards will be played by Matthew Fries who has been making waves in the jazz world as both a soloist and accompanist. The winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, his debut album, “Song for To-day” (TCB Music) was named a 2001 critics pick by Jazziz Magazine, and his continuing work with his col-laborative trio, TRI-FI, “takes on the Jazz Trio challenge and delivers a ‘knock out’ punch” (Jazz Review). As a sideman his work has been described as “the best jazz accompaniment I’ve seen in a cabaret years” (The New York Times), and “the crispest rhythm section imaginable” (The London Times). www.matthewfries.com

Eric Halvorson has collaborated with such jazz artists as Dave Liebman, Dave Stryker, Joe Locke, Bruce Barth, James Moody, R n' B legend Ben E. King, and blues icon Pinetop Perkins to name a few. He has toured interna-tionally with vocalist Ute Lemper. Festival appearances include the Montreal Jazz Festival, Norwich Music Festi-val (UK), Silda Jazz (Norway), Radio Classica (Chile), Cork Jazz Festival (Ireland), Festival de Jazz (Colombia), Bayreuther Jazz Festival (Germany), Kaunas Jazz Festival

(Lithuania) and the Iowa City Jazz Festival. He has performed at New York City's top venues including Lincoln Center, Town Hall and jazz venues Irid-ium, Blue Note, Smoke and Birdland to name a few. www.EricHalvorson.com

Main Stage Entertainment (cont.) Moakland is a traditional Irish group comprised of people from both sides of the Atlantic. Three expressive musicians make up Moakland... Shane O Sullivan, Donie Ryan and Matt Mancuso. Shane O Sullivan has a variable background in percussion and guitar. The same variety applies to his playing styles, having performed and recorded with artists like John Doyle (Joan Baez, Tim O'Brien), Dirk Powell (Cold Mountain), Cillian Vallely (Lunasa)... to name a few.

Matt Mancuso, having graced the Lord of the Dance stage, continues to be a most valued player for artists like Cathie Ryan and Grada.

Donie Ryan, being one of New York's most intricate banjo players, is well known for his talents in the New York songwriter's circle, having played with artists like Michael Brunnock and Mr. North. Together they created Moakland and continue to present a smooth flavor of Irish music.

Main Stage Entertainment (cont.)

The PS 81 Fifth Grade Chorus will be performing:

California Dreaming So Long Farewell

The Performers Include:

Riagain Wiley Helen Vassallo Maya Bliffeld Lara Palombi Iris Burgering Rose Worrall Hunter Ward

Justin Hill Julie Vargas Emily Chen

Madison Warrell

Main Stage Entertainment (cont.)

Today’s Main Stage Performances were produced by Linda Manning who is an award-winning playwright and performer. Most re-cently, Linda's new play, Bite The Apple, was produced as part of the August 2012 New York International Fringe Festival. In the spring of 2011 she received a BRIO Award from The Bronx Council on the Arts for her screenplay

Learning to Drive. Her play GUY recently had a workshop reading at The Drawing Board and was a semi-finalist at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference. Her play DO SOMETHING WITH YOURSELF! The Life of Charlotte Brontë was pub-lished by Smith and Kraus and has been performed throughout the country. She co-founded The Invisible Theatre in New York City, and has performed in numerous productions regionally and in New York. She received a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Colorado, and a M.A. in Theatre from Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island. www.LindaSManning.com. Linda has been a resident of Riverdale for fourteen years and has been actively involved in the community through volunteer work at her children's schools and other community events. Linda co-founded the Riverdale Festival of the Arts, and is now working with KRVC to produce community events in the Bronx. In the spring of 2010 Linda began producing and hosting a regular jazz series in Riverdale. www.LindasJazzNights.com.

Original Art

Today’s Festival also features original art exhibits from Elisa Contemporary Art & the Riverdale Art Association

Elisa Contemporary Art presents Cut, Rolled and Burnt, at our Riverdale Gallery. The new exhibit running through August 11 explores four contemporary artists who are taking paper to extremes. Featuring the work of Hawaii Carbon Smoke artist, Wayne Zebzda; Comic-book

construction artist, Don Morris; California Paper Collage artist , Michael Buscemi; as well as Connecticut Rolled Paper Constructionist, Amy Genser.

Elisa Contemporary Art exhibits can also be viewed at the following Tri-State locations:

Designer Showhouse of Westchester at 2 Cooper Road, Scarsdale thru June 9th Makai, at Vintology, 10 Palmer Avenue, Scarsdale NY through June 30 Re-Imagining Past Possession, Works of Recycled Materials at transFORM Gallery, 20 Jones Street, New Rochelle through June 1

Featured Festival artists include: The Iceberg series from Bronx Photographer, John Conn; Lego painting by Mississippi artist Allan Innman, Abstracted landscapes by Canadian artist, Marie Danielle Leblanc and Carbon Smoke drawings by Hawaii artist Wayne Zebzda.

Elisa Contemporary Art is located at 5622 Mosholu Avenue, Riverdale NY. Gallery hours: Fri/Sat. 10-6pm and by appt. www.ElisaContemporaryArt.com

The Riverdale Art Association was created in 1999 by a group of artists for the purpose of exhibiting, selling their work and sharing information about art in all its forms. We have had exhibitions in Apple Bank, Sterling Glen at Forest Hills, The Riverdale Neighborhood House, The Elizabeth Seton Library of the College of

Mount Saint Vincent, Manhattan College, the Riverdale & Midtown Atrias, The Riverdale YM/YWHA, the Bronx Borough President’s Office, Cabrini Nursing Home, Billy’s Gallery, the Ginger Grill Restaurant, the Yonkers Public Library, and the Riverdale Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture.

Children’s Activities Adam Auslander, Street Performer, Actor and Filmmaker, trained with the Ringling Bros Clown College and toured with their Red Unit on Gunther Gebel-Williams’ farewell tour. Since then his career high-lights include performing at Carne-gie Hall, Lincoln Center, annually

with the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, the world renowned Halifax Buskers Festival, and the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit. His TV and film credits include Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien,The Rosie O'Donnell

Show, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order Criminal Intent and The Hoax. In the theater, he has been directed by David Shiner in Pomp Duck and Circumstance and Mark Ruffalo in Naked and Hate Free. His award winning film 'The Thin Blue Sign' can be seen on YouTube. adamaus@aol.com

Dawn Jones is an actress who entertains at parties, street fairs and special events for kids, adults, etc. Dawn is a clown, face painter, stilt walker, balloon animal maker, etc. Dawn is a graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey

Circus Clown College and Northwestern University's theatre program. She is a veteran performer and has been entertain-ing at parties since 2000.

Send in the Clowns!

Children’s Activities (cont.)

Kidville is coming to Riverdale! Opening June 1st, our facility offers a wide array of creative classes, from music & dance, gym, art, enrichment and more for ba-

bies, toddlers, and kids up to six years old. Whether hopping across the Tumbl Trak in our state-of-the-art children's gym or rocking out to our music class, Rockin' Railroad, there's never a shortage of learning through play at Kidville!

Kidville also offers a host of amazing birthday party themes, summer programs, boutique and much MORE!

We are located in the heart of Riverdale at 555 W. 235th Street. For more information, go to www.kidville.com/riverdale or call us at 347-892-2268.

Create your own visor! Protect your kids from the summer heat in style. Children can design their very own visors using colored markers and lots of fun stickers at the Kidville Exhibit at today’s festival!

Hair Spray Painting at the Touch of Sun Exhibit! Kids of all ages LOVE this!!

Kidaroo is an indoor play and enrichment center inspired by the children of Riverdale. At Kidaroo, children ages 0-10, will hop into an enriched environment, which benefits their intellectual,

physical, emotional and social development. We strive to provide our community with age appropriate classes and play opportunities. 3603 Fieldston Road, Bronx, NY 10463. www.kidaroonyc.com Scribble Art Workshop provides after-school art classes, life drawing sessions, mu-seum trips, toddler classes and family workshops. We believe that all people can enjoy and experience the arts. The arts a la scribble includes beautiful materials and teachers that create and maintain the space to find and nurture your innate creativity. Programs take place at in River-dale at Kidaroo. For more information, visit www.scribbleartworkshop.com. The Kidaroo exhibit will also feature Preschool of Rock!

Children’s Activities (cont.)

Play fun, interactive Math Games! The Math games will include: Kakuro (Sudoku's cousin) * Tangrams * Math War Multiplication * Guess How Many * Equate: The Equation Thinking Game. Kids and Adults -Get ready to learn and have a great time!

Plant spring flowers to take home with the Riverdale Nursery School! Riverdale Nursery School and Family Center (RNSFC) offers an inclusive, diverse and developmentally appropriate educational environment

for young children ages 12 months to 6 years. www.RNSFC.org You can never have enough face painting at a festival! Face Painting at Chase Bank and also on the Avenue with Susan! Susan McBrien (Soozy the Clown) is a professional actress and entertainer. She has appeared in numerous films and television shows, as well as Off-Broadway.

She recently completed shooting her first horror film ("Old 37"), where her character met a grisly demise in a face-on car crash -- with gruesome special-effects makeup! She also works as a "Simulated Patient" with medical students to help improve their patient skills. A devoted aunt, Susan LOVES working with children and is very happy to be back at the Riverdale Spring Festival.

Pottery Painting with Create-a-Craft of Woodlawn! Kids can choose from several different pieces of pottery and paints to create their very own masterpiece!

More Exhibits & Merchant Specials!

Grape Crush Wine Making, Wine Tasting and More at your favorite neighborhood liquor store!

Selling homemade salsas, Marinades & pico de gallo. Yum!!

Pick up a brochure and a small toy and candy for the kids.

Jewelry cleaning and shopping specials! Massages and Popcorn with one of your favorite Realtors!

Riverdale Smiles—Exhibit will feature info about products and services and Tattoos and Coloring Books for Kids.

Balloons and face painting!! Don’t miss this exhibit, which will also feature information about NRMA member Halstead Property.

Vacuum World will feature a raffle drawing for a FREE Hoover Vacuum Cleaner ($70 Value!!) and hourly shopping specials. 10% Discounts on purchases of $10 or more plus take a photo with Handy Manny and get a fun tattoo!

Cupcake Decorating! Exercise Demonstrations.

Plus check out all the other great restaurants, shops, salons and more up and down the Avenue!

Brown’s Jewelers

About the Lead Festival Organizer

Tracy McCabe Shelton, Executive Director,

Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation/KRVC, played the lead role in producing today’s festival. Serving her community has always been

Tracy’s passion. In April 2010, Tracy took over as KRVC’s Executive Director with extensive experience in the public interest and strong community ties and involvement. In her three year tenure at KRVC, the fiscal sponsor of Riverdale Events, she has developed an ambitious and extensive program of activities, initiatives and events for the organization and our community. Prior to becoming Executive Director of KRVC, for nearly two dec-ades, Tracy worked for the New York Public Interest Research Group/NYPIRG as a Consumer Attorney. Tracy moved to Riverdale in 2002 with her family. Tracy served as co-President of the Parents Association of PS 24 for four years (2005-2009) and is currently serving as the Auction co-Chair for the Bronx High School of Science for the second year in a row. Tracy was also recently nominated to once again serve as co-President of the PS 24 Parents Association for the 2013-2014 school year.

Please Support Our Sponsors!

Lots of businesses on the block and many off-the-block businesses sponsored or supported today’s festival. Please check out their ads on the

pages that follow and their stores and exhibits at the festival today.

Eat, Shop, Bank, Play LOCAL! Enjoy all our local businesses have to offer today,

this spring and summer and all year long.

A Strong Business Community = A Strong Community