Crowds come out for Third Avenue Festival

The 39th annual Third Avenue Festival once again enlivened the streets of Bay Ridge this past Sunday, signaling the start of this year’s fall festivities.

The festival—which spanned from 69th to 94th Streets and ran from noon until 6 p.m. –featured over 120 merchants and 100 vendors as well as performances from the cast of Narrows Community Theater’s upcoming show, Crazy for You; Teen Idol; students at Beyond Dance; and the bands Social Zoo, Prodigal Child and On a Good Run.

This paper offered free face painting for kids, as well as bags containing free copies of The Home Reporter and a raffle ticket for a chance to win free tickets to the Alpine Cinema.

Fundraisers such as the Tunnel for Towers Foundation— an organization committed to “doing good” in honor of deceased 9/11 officer Stephen Siller—made appearances at the festival, as did a pet adoption van, sponsored by Pet Lovers United Together as One (P.L.U.T.O.) and Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis.

“It was a great event,” stated Chip Cafiero, coordinator of the festival. “The crowd loved the entertainment and I’ve only received positive feedback from everyone who attended. It’s a real community event that brings everyone together.”

People of all ages roamed the streets with their families, friends and colleagues, enjoying each other’s company in addition to the food and shopping.

“It’s the greatest thing for merchants and store owners,” said Mary Kowalski, an annual attendee at the festival. “It makes you open your eyes to how great Bay Ridge is. We live in such a beautiful area and we need more events like this to bring the community together.”

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