TOWARD NORMAL
for return of beloved ‘Summer Strolls’
COURIER LIFE, JULY 23-29, 2021 5
than before.
Louis Coluccio, the owner
of ALC Italian Grocery, said
the expansion is part of an
effort to promote merchant
association membership on
all ends of the thoroughfare
as part of the group’s revisioning
— a transition he
and three other small business
owners are heading.
“The transition team
was really passionate about
expanding the blueprint to
include everybody,” Coluccio
said. “The goal right now
really is to get everybody involved.”
Businesses have been especially
creative with their
activities and entertainment
this year, Coluccio said, noting
that, in addition to the
gelato cart outside his shop,
fan favorites included live
music, DJs, and wine tastings.
The offerings attracted
a number of prominent
Brooklynites including US
Sen. Chuck Schumer, Coluccio
said. “He came over and
was singing with the band,”
Coluccio recounted of the
Brooklyn-born politico.
On July 16, local band
Head and South played
an acoustic set up outside
Greenhouse Cafe, drawing
crowds young and old.
“There is all sorts of entertainment
on the avenue,
whether it’s DJs, solo singers,”
Daquara said. “There
is a lot going on and there is
a lot to do.”
Despite the dicey weather
both nights, Daquara said
the Summer Stroll’s return,
so far, has been a huge success.
“I thought it was great,
I mean considering it was
the fi rst time that the street
has been open for us on this
end of the avenue,” he told
Brooklyn Paper. “It is a great
program to begin with. It’s a
Friday night during the summer,
it keeps people around
in Bay Ridge until Saturday
if they decide to go away that
weekend.”
Daquara added that he
and Keegan — both Bay
Ridgeites — participate in
the neighborhood’s street
fairs to help attract customers
not only to their
business, but also to those
around them.
“I think we like to be involved
with anything that
goes on in Bay Ridge and
support it,” he said.
Not far from the eatery,
Dimensions in Dance showcased
more than a dozen performances
outside of their
76th Street studio during
the second Summer Stroll
— and longtime owner Pat
McGuire said it was the fi rst
time Dimensions dance students
got to perform without
masks on in over a year.
“I didn’t make it mandatory
because we were outside,
and it was wonderful,”
she said. “We saw all the
big smiles, it was nice to see
their faces after so long.”
The dance studio participates
in at least one of
the Third Avenue Summer
Strolls each year, McGuire
said, adding that the group
always tries to emulate a
block party, putting out food
for guests and hosting a live
DJ in addition to the students’
performances.
“Everybody enjoyed
themselves, we had a nice
crowd here,” she said.
Fifth Avenue’s kick-off
at the end of June similarly
crowded the thoroughfare.
The neighborhood’s fi rst festival
of the year fi lled from
72nd to 80th street with music,
activities and people on
June 25, according to the avenue’s
BID.
“What we saw in the fi rst
one, people really did take
to the streets, they used
that space,” said Amanda
Zenteno, the executive director
of the Bay Ridge Fifth Avenue
BID. “We had put out a
lot of games and activities,
and we saw tons of kids and
families out here.”
The BID’s event was focused
on fun for the whole
family, Zenteno told Brooklyn
Paper, and included
rock painting hosted by Bay
Ridge Rocks, music from
the avenue’s bar and restaurants,
and even a kiddy pool
for families’ furry companions
outside My Natural Pet.
“In addition to having the
open street environment, we
are also adding some interactive
elements especially
for families,” Zenteno said.
The upcoming “Fun on
5th” scheduled for July 30
will have many of the same
offerings, Zenteno said, as
well as new things to try out
as the group continues to try
and outdo itself.
“Each one of these we
are continuing to build and
bring in a different kind of
activity or a different thing
to make each one a little different
from the fi rst or the
last,” she said. “We are hoping
we will continue to build
and we can fi nd something
different from month to
month.”
Each Fifth Avenue event
will also be built out of community
input, the BID leader
said, stressing that neighbors
can share what they
want to see at the next one,
and local organizations can
feel free to sign on to offer
their own activities. And,
with their Open Streets
events set to run through
the fall, the Fifth Avenue
BID plans to have different
themes for each event, including
a Halloween theme
for the closing street fair.
“We are really listening
to community input and
working with organizations
who like to do these things
or want to provide things for
the families in our community,”
Zenteno said.
The next Third Avenue
Summer Stroll is scheduled
for Friday, Aug. 6 from 80th
Street to Marine Avenue,
with the fourth and fi nal installment
slated for Friday,
Aug. 13 from 68th to 80th
streets.
Bay Ridge residents took to the streets (above) for the return of Summer
Strolls, with residents bringing their four-legged friends (left) to watch a
local musical-minded Brooklynites (right). Photos by Paul Frangipane
It’s a step towards
getting back to our
lives, and it was a
great night,”