The summer’s annual series of fun, food and street strolling came to a close with Third Avenue’s fourth and final Summer Stroll concluding the Bay Ridge tradition on Friday, August 12.
This time around, Third Avenue from 80th to 90th Streets got its shot in the Stroll spotlight and was closed off to traffic for an evening of community merriment.
According to Merchants of Third Avenue Executive Secretary Chuck Otey, the al fresco dining, book signings and family friendly fun now attracts crowds in the thousands.
“We now average between 1,500 to 2,000 each Friday night,” Otey said, “and as you can see, the greatest single grouping of participants are parents with their young children who welcome the chance to get out of their homes as the weekend starts and stroll down Bay Ridge’s colorful and entertaining thoroughfare.”
The Stroll has been recognized as one of the best outgrowths of the city’s Weekend Walks program, an initiative run by the Department of Transportation that promotes a sense of community and invites the entire neighborhood to get involved.
The five-year-old program has become known as an event where Brooklynites can reunite with old friends, eat great food and enjoy live entertainment, all while supporting local businesses.
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