Attention Bronx Artists: Rep the BoogieDown in WNYC's Battle of the Boroughs!

WNYC's The Greene Space is currently accepting submissions for their new First Fridays program, Battle of the Boroughs.

Unsigned bands and ensembles, instrumentalists, singers, DJs, spoken word artists and performance artists of all genres are invited to submit applications consisting of a registration form, a digital file of an audio performance, and a high-res photo. On February 22nd, 5-6 artists from each borough will be selected to battle it out in the First Fridays signature series in The Greene Space, which is WNYC's new street-level, state of the art performance venue in Lower Manhattan. The performance schedule is as follows:

• March 5 at 7 pm BROOKLYN: selected artists from Brooklyn will perform
• April 2 at 7 pm MANHATTAN: selected artists from Manhattan will perform
• April 30 at 7 pm BRONX: selected artists from the Bronx will perform
• May 7 at 7 pm STATEN ISLAND: selected artists from the Staten Island will perform
• June 4 at 7pm QUEENS: selected artists from Queens will perform

Audience members will vote to determine which performers will go onto the semi-final concert event, Friday, June 18th. A panel of judges will then select the winner of Battle of the Boroughs, who will have the opportunity to perform their very own concert sometime during Summer 2010.

Click here to access more information and to download the registration form.

For those interested in checking out these undiscovered artists, tickets for the First Fridays concert series will go on sale to the public on February 22nd.

~ErLu

Round'em Up

Here are some Bronx-related stories which we've rounded up you, our lovely readers, while trolling the interweb with our horse and lasso this fine morning:

A developer is seeking a change in zoning rules in order to build an additional 10 stories onto his 3-story building on E. Fordham Road at Hughes Avenue...residents and business leaders in the neighborhood fear there will be major traffic implications [Daily News]

BD NOTE: There will be a public hearing regarding this issue this evening at 6:30pm in the Candy Lounge, 608 E. Fordham Road. Additional development on that section of Fordham Road is pretty much a horrible idea. That particular intersection is already a clusterfuck of problems during rush hour - it's right where traffic from the Fordham Road/Crotona Avenue underpass/overpass merge together again, and it's simply horrible. Ten stories of rental units right there is just unnecessary. Who wants to live above a medical clinic anyway? Wait a minute, come to think of it, doesn't this building already have scaffolding up with construction underway? Anyone with intimate knowledge of this project out there?

An iceskating rink will open this week on the ground floor of the former Concourse Plaza Hotel, which is now a senior citizens' apartment complex...skaters will need to pre-register to get ice time [Daily News]

BD NOTE: I'm not trying to be a negative-nancy or anything, but the 161st Street BID was originally told by the City that the rink would have to be built on a grassy meadow of Joyce Kilmer Park. This option would have cost an additional $4,000, but I would think it would be more a draw for people to ice skate outside in a beautiful park than on the ground floor of an old building that has probably lost most of its original luster over the years.

The Parks Department will be working with the Army Corp of Engineers to rebuild a wetlands habitat near the mouth of the Bronx River in Soundview Park [Daily News]

A new building at the Hunts Point sewage plant was built without a necessary backflow preventer, which could have allowed the workers there to drink contaminated water [Daily News]

~ErLu

Any Stay-at-Home Dads Willing To Be Interviewed for Bronx Family?

Bronx Family, a great publication that we unfortunately don't get to see enough of because it's currently not online, will feature an article dedicated to dads in their upcoming May issue.

The reporter working on the piece is interested in interviewing a Bronx stay-at-home dad regarding "the joys and challenges of his role-reversal" and whether or not he finds himself constantly combating the outdated stereotype that he's the spouse that should be bringing home the bread. The interview would last a couple of hours...the reporter would like to spend some time with him and the kid(s) to experience a typical afternoon routine.

If you know any Bronx stay-at-home dads who may want to participate, please forward this post along to them...Those interested can simply email us at boogiedowner at gmail.com, and we'll pass their contact info along to the reporter.

~ErLu

Round'em Up

Here are some Bronx-related stories which we've rounded up you, our lovely readers, while trolling the interweb with our horse and lasso this fine morning:

Espada's lawyers have filed papers accusing Andrew Cuomo of conducting a 'smear campaign' against him [Daily News]

More on the Westchester Square Merchants Association's fight against DHS's stealth plan to use new luxury housing as a homeless shelter [Village Voice]

City Island residents yet again rally to fight to save their firehouse from possible closure [Daily News]

Tiny African toads smaller than the size of a dime will be on exhibit at the Bronx Zoo this month [New York Times]

St. Raymond's Elementary School in Parkchester raised over $15,000 for Haitian relief services [NY1]

The Silver Fox dishes all the weekly Bronx gossip [Daily News]

~ErLu

Listing of the Day: 5,000 Square Feet of Restored Beauty

W. 195th Street at Webb Avenue, 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths - $645,000

This is a property I always drool over when I pass it on my way to Target/Planet Fitness, so when I recently saw the For Sale sign go up, I just had to look it up on the interweb and profile it.

This five bedroom house is located on a whopping 5,000 square foot corner lot. Aside from having a backyard and a garden, this puppy boasts not one but TWO 2 car garages. And hey, if you're in a position to buy a property at this price point, you just may have enough vehicles to fill those garage spots. If not, the rental income for the spots would be some nice bonus money.

Now onto the actual abode...The pictures really say it all with this place. It appears that whoever owns this house has completely restored the property to its original glory. The home features many original details from the 20s and 30s, but also offers upgraded electric, cable and internet wiring. There are three terraces, a pantry, and a solarium. It also appears that some sort of lecture room has been either restored or added to the house - a quirky feature that would be great if you're crazy enough to home-school all those kids filling your five bedrooms.

You'd be able to take the BxM3 express bus into Manhattan from Kingsbridge Road/Sedgwick Avenue, or you could hoof it to the Kingsbridge Road 4 train station. You'd also be within walking distance of the Marble Hill Target, Marshall's, Starbucks, and Planet Fitness.

So, all in all, if we ever come into $645,000, we'd love to snap a place like this up.

FULL LISTING

~ErLu

Photo of the Day

Mertz Library, New York Botanical Garden

Photo by ErLu

Round'em Up

Here are some Bronx-related stories which we've rounded up you, our lovely readers, while trolling the interweb with our horse and lasso this fine morning:

Editorial calls out Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilmember James Vacca for their inaction as Old London gets ready to move its factory (along with 228 well paying jobs with benefits) from Morris Park to North Carolina...This reaction (or lack of it) 'stands in sharp contrast' to the battle waged by Bronx pols against the development of the Kingsbridge Armory [Daily News]

Residents and business owners in Van Nest must travel to neighboring hoods to do their banking, as the area's last bank closed ten years ago [New York Times]

Bronx man finds free ride to the airport by stealing a police vehicle that was left unlocked and idling in Bronxdale...the vehicle contained a loaded shotgun, but the perp judiciously chose to leave it there undisturbed [New York Times]

Fordham's hoops team actually won a game this weekend [goexplorers.com]

PS 204 in Morris Heights will be moving to a new building with a gym and a library [BxNN]

~ErLu