www.BXTimes.com BRONX WEEKLY July 19, 2020 4
Salsa singer and songwriter Ismael Miranda at the concert series in 2017 Photo by Miriam Quinones
BY JENNA BAGCAL
While outdoor concerts may
not be returning for a while,
Bronx residents will be treated
to a month long virtual concert
series s.
Borough President Ruben
Diaz Jr. in collaboration with
the Bronx Tourism Council and
BronxNet announced the debut
of “The Best of The Bronx Concert
Series,” which begins on
Sunday, July 11 and runs every
Sunday until the end of August.
The series will feature performances
from past iterations of
The Bronx Summer Concert Series
Salsa Fest.
Prior to COVID-19, the annual
concert series was slated
to take place from July through
August at “The Bronx Riviera,”
but was canceled due to social
distancing regulations.
“The Bronx has such rich
musical history,” said Diaz.
“As the birthplace of so many
genres, from doo-wop to hip-hop
to salsa, the ‘The Bronx Summer
Concert Series’ has always had
a special place in my heart. Orchard
Beach’s Salsa Fest beautifully
captures the unique fl avor
that makes The Bronx ‘El Condado
de la Salsa,’ and while we
would have loved to have hosted
our 5th Annual Bronx Summer
Concert Series, the safety of our
residents takes priority as we
continue to work together to not
only fl atten the curve, but eliminate
COVID-19.”
In the past, the live concert
series has featured legendary
artists including The Mambo
Legends Orchestra and Los Hermanos
Moreno as well as local
talent and Bronx dance teams.
This year’s line up for the
telecast includes the following:
July 12: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2018 Kickoff –
N’Klabe and Coro
July 19: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2019 – Raulin
Rosendo, Raul Acosta, and Oro
Solido
July 26: Bronx Summer Concert
Series 2019 – Tipica 73 and
Hector Tricoche
August 2: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2017 – Ismael
Miranda and TKA
August 9: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2018 – Ricardo
Jerome & The Fusion Band, The
Everything Covered Band, and
Fuerza Positiva
August 16: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2019 – The
Mambo Legends Orchestra
August 23: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2019 – Tony Vega
& Bronx Charanga
August 30: Bronx Summer
Concert Series 2016 – Los Hermanos
Moreno and Willy Valentin
y Su Orquesta
“We look forward to celebrating
Bronx Salsa Fest together
in the future, but in the spirit of
keeping our brand alive, we are
also offering some virtual activities
in addition to the previous
concerts being aired,” said Olga
Luz Tirado, executive director
of The Bronx Tourism Council.
“Though, for now, we are keeping
a safe distance, I am confi -
dent that we will dance together
again!”
Those interested can watch
the virtual “Best of the Bronx
Summer Concert Series” on
BronxNet TV (channel 67 on
Optimum and channel 33 on Verizon
Fios.) The series will also
stream every Sunday from July
12 to Aug. 30 on BronxNet.TV.
“BronxNet broadcasts programs
that celebrate The Bronx
as a cultural capital and nexus
of the arts, said BronxNet Executive
Director Michael Max
Knobbe. “Through our longstanding
partnership with the
Bronx Borough President and
The Bronx Tourism Council
we are proud to broadcast the
Bronx Summer Concert Series
on BronxNet TV.”
The Hub faces a
tough future
A business in The Hub Courtesy of Live XYZ
BY JASON COHEN
A new report from HR&A
Advisors revealed that The
Hub at the south Bronx’s 149th
Street and Third Avenue corridor
will face major problems
as it looks to recover from the
COVID-19 pandemic.
HR&A completed the work
in partnership with Live XYZ,
allowing HR&A to create a
map of places and how they
change over time.
The study, which was released
July 6, examined the
strengths and weaknesses facing
The Hub, Jackson Heights
in Queens and Madison Avenue
in Midtown. HR&A looked
at preexisting vacancy rates,
the percentage of essential
businesses that never had to
close; chain stores that would
likely be better able to absorb
an economic hit and businesses’
abilities to take advantage
of more relaxed outdoor
seating rules.
The Hub, situated in a lowincome
community of color in
the south Bronx, is the least resilient
retail spot in New York
City to the challenges presented
by the COVID-19 pandemic,
according to the study.
It had the highest percentage
of essential businesses, such
as grocery stores and pharmacies,
in the retail areas examined
at 27 percent. Those
stores never had to close,
which makes them more likely
to survive and provides a point
of strength for retail corridors
to build on, according to the
report. However, just 16 percent
of businesses in The Hub
are chain stores and only 40
percent have enough space for
sidewalk seating.
The Hub, which is a bustling
shopping destination for
many Bronx residents, has a 12
percent vacancy rate. The immediately
surrounding neighborhood,
a community of color
with 67 percent Hispanic and 29
percent black residents has a 46
percent poverty rate, one of the
highest in the city.
The borough’s COVID case
rate is higher than the citywide
average, and its unemployment
rate increased from 4.9 percent
to 16.5 percent between January
and April. These numbers
may limit both the neighborhood
and other Bronx consumers’
ability to support Hub businesses.
While most eateries have outdoor
seating right now, less than
half of such establishments in
The Hub can create sidewalk
seating. In Jackson Heights and
on Madison Avenue, almost twothirds
of these businesses can
create sidewalk seating.
Diaz, BronxNet debut summer concert series
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