Generally Speaking: Week of September 27

Bay Ridge Weekend Extravaganza

If you live in or near Bay Ridge–this weekend, get ready for one of the largest youth events here – the 46th annual Children’s Ragamuffin Parade on Saturday, September 29 — and one of the oldest and longest street fairs in the city, the Third Avenue Festival, on Sunday, September 30. Both events take place along Third Avenue.

The colorful kiddy parade kicks off at 1 p.m. and travels along Third Avenue, from 76th to 92nd Street, and the Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Bay Ridge Avenue (69th Street) to 94th Street. The Third Avenue Festival originally started back in 1974, as an Oktoberfest.

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Bill Guarinello

The covenant is a document the new Garrison Commander Colonel Eluyn GinesGene BrodyLinda Duncan, Eileen LaRuffaCharles Otey and Michael Long. A nice touch was having the preschoolers from the base’s child development center lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

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Nearly 500 people including Mayor Michael BloombergChristine QuinnBill de BlasioThomas DiNapoli and a host of other elected and appointed officials packed the Brooklyn Museum to welcome Carlo ScissuraVicky Schneps-Yunis and Josh Schneps, co-publishers of this paper, which is also a chamber member.

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The Bay Ridge Historical Society, currently headed by retired NYPD Lieutenant Jack LaTorrePeter Scarpa.

The society is the custodian of over 200 glass plate slides originally taken by Thomas with a large wood and brass box camera, during the early 1880s and at the turn of the century. Thomas was a prominent Bay Ridge landowner and business tycoon.

He also published and edited an early weekly newspaper called The Bay Ridge Chronicle. In addition, he photographed Bay Ridge roads, pathways, farms, homes, mansions and many places of interest.

After the showing, we had a chance to speak with longtime society member and attorney Jerome HoffmanThe Bay Ridge Chronicles. Since we were also on the Bay Ridge (American) Bicentennial Committee of the Bay Ridge Planning Board that published the book, none of us realized at the time there had been an earlier publication interestingly called The Bay Ridge Chronicle.

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City Councilmember Vinnie Gentile dropped by the September monthly meeting of the Bay Ridge AARP to swear in the recently elected officers for the 2012-2013 term. He also distributed tickets to the annual Senior Day Picnics he sponsors with cooperative funding from fellow Councilmember Domenic RecchiaMarty MarkowitzPeter Abbate and Alec Brook-Krasny.

The popular get-togethers, which are held on the grounds of the Fort Hamilton Army Post’s community club with a commanding view of the Verrazano Bridge, are coordinated through the NIA Community Service Network of Dyker Heights.

Guest speakers included Democratic State Senate candidate Andrew Gounardes and Republican/Conservative Party candidate Tom McCarthy. The Bay Ridge AARP Chapter is launching its 28^th year of service to adults aged 50 and older.

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The Bay Ridge Community Council had little choice but to cancel its September 25 planned general meeting and political debate. A statement released to the press and via Facebook by council President Renee Dorsa read, As we’ve realized that our regularly scheduled general meeting falls on the evening of a sacred, religious holy day, we are immediately canceling both the council’s meeting and the political debate, and are in the process of rescheduling the event so that all may participate. We sincerely apologize for the scheduling oversight and any offense it may have caused. We are always grateful for the involvement and participation of all our affiliated organizations and will continue to support each and every one of you. We will keep you updated.

The next meeting of the council is on October 23 at 7:30 p.m. At press time, a decision about a date for a new political debate hadn’t been determined.

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To reach Ted General via the Internet, his e-mail address is:

General@Journalist.com