Student artists show their talent during contest

Inspiring young artists from public, parochial and private schools took the opportunity to display their talent and creativity at the 74th annual Fall Art (Halloween) window painting contest on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Each group of students was accompanied by a teacher.

It gave the students a chance to put their best brush strokes on storefront glass instead of the more traditional cotton paint canvases. As we strolled by several blocks and avenues, we photographed windows sporting ghosts, witches, haunted houses, bats, pumpkins, monsters, black cats and tombstones. Roving judges from the BRCC tagged in three categories: gold, silver and bronze.

Fall Art coordinator Maria Makrinos said, “Another year has almost passed making this year’s 74th annual Bay Ridge Community Council’s Fall Art event a huge success. All the merchants were extremely satisfied with the artwork on their windows so much so that they want to frame the photos taken.”

Participating schools included P.S. 102, P.S. 104, P.S. 127, P.S. 170, P.S. 176, P.S. 185, P.S. 186, P.S. 201, P.S. 204, P.S.227, P.S. 229, I.S. 259, P.S. 264, Adelphi Academy, Bay Ridge Catholic Academy, St. Patrick Catholic Academy, Bay Ridge Prep, DGK Parochial School, Fontbonne Academy, Fort Hamilton High School and High School of Telecommunications. 

Among the major sponsors were the law  firms Georgaklis and Mallas, PLLC and Pavlounis and Sfougatakis, LLP; the Salam Club of New York, the Rotary Club of Verrazano and the Empire State Development Co.

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Prolific author and  Yale University history professor Alan Mikhail was the guest speaker, via Zoom, at the October meeting of the Bay Ridge Historical Society.  He traced the history of two early immigrants Anthony and Grietje (arriving in 1630) to New Amsterdam. They later became inhabitants of Bath Beach, and were  the first non-natives to settle a farm there. Professor Mikhail has written five other books and his  latest edition is titled “Newcomers.”

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If the major naval youth program, the Bluejackets Guard USA Corps of Naval Cadets – which was founded on Nov. 1, 1936 in Bay Ridge – was still active, it would have been its 90th anniversary. The group started out by holding its weekly meeting-drills at P.S. 185 on 86th Street. It grew to become a borough-wide organization.

Among some of the major events they took part in were performances at two New York World’s Fairs, Montreal World’s Fair, dozens of parades in the tri-state area, a performance at Gracie Mansion to greet American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, and aboard the USS Intrepid when she cruised into Manhattan to become a prominent museum. The Guard was founded by former Bay Ridge resident Capt. Frank W. Rice.