As part of the Keep Rockland Beautiful-sponsored Great American Cleanup 2013, we will meet for a few hours in the Village (Downtown and the Greenway) to do some spring cleaning. Bring plants to plant, gloves, and a trash picking attitude.
When? April 14, 2013 at 10:00AM | Where? The Four-faced Clock @ New Main Street & Maple Avenue
Check out the pics from 2012 and 2013 below (thanks to Alex Guarino and Tom McGuire for taking them – that’s why they’re not in the pictures!):
Which town looks more like Brooklyn? Top Row (Haverstraw) or Bottom Row (Irvington)? Photo creds: Ken Karlewics and Cat Alley
Hot off the presses, this New York Times article “Creating Hipsturbia in the Suburbs of New York” touches a whole slew of nerves and advances shallow ideas regarding demographic shifts in the Hudson Valley. The article confidently declares that Westchester Hudson River villages of Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Irvington and the like are becoming enclaves of that same Bohemian lifestyle that brought downtrodden Brooklyn back to life. No mention of Beacon, New York here. The article is the latest in a raft of publications and posts since 2010 that avow the too-cool aspects of the Hudson Valley. This edition is particularly sad because it fully ignores these towns’ history, while somehow comparing the “transformation” of these places to Brooklyn’s revival. The villages mentioned in the article are some of the whitest, wealthiest, and most educated zip codes in North America . . . and they were that way well before the word “hipster” existed. This is nothing like Brookyn’s transformation – in fact, it is astroturf.
“Welcome to hipsturbia,” indeed. (more…)
NRRC – Join Now! Spring 2013
Hudson Valley Brickyard 5000 – October 14, 2012
Organized in 1895, Relief Hose No. 3 was intended to provide additional fire protection to the ever-growing Village downtown. In the days of horse-drawn water pumps and low-pressure hand pumps, additional firehouses were needed to cover new neighborhoods that sprung up in the North West corner of Haverstraw. The newly formed fire department was housed in a barn and carriage house, which still stands at the corner of Westside Avenue and Gurnee Avenue. Today, the structure is a dwelling; originally, the house contained barn doors on the ground floor where the original fire wagon and then a motor car (pictured at left) rigged with a pump were stored. (more…)
Jakriborg, Sweden, a medieval village of 500 families and a major tourism destination can fit within a relatively small area in the Village of Haverstraw. Such an exercise in scale really shows how zoning can have such a major impact on the built environment and the economy. How many Jakriborgs can your town fit? Better yet, how many Jakriborgs can a nearby Walmart parking lot fit? Now, think about the economic consequences of this. . . My inspiration for this graphic came from an article posted here at the Small Streets Blog. http://blog.smallstreets.org/post/18496915718/turn-this-parking-lot-into-a-village
Google, NY Waterway, and the MTA MetroNorth Railroad have finally heeded my repeated requests to have the Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry schedule added to Google Transit Directions! Enjoy using the transit app now; Haverstraw is finally and legitimately linked to the region.
Dancing Under the Stars on Maple Avenue, Village of Haverstraw, New York. June 15, 2012.
In Cleveland, local residents installed bike lanes and street furniture along a particularly desolate street in order to enliven their city with a more pedestrian friendly atmosphere. In the past I’ve written about pop-up urbanism as a way to create sense of place in a downtown area and spark a new interest among residents in using the street as a place to meet, exercise, relax, and be human. Tactical urbanism is a new phase of downtown citizen activism, where residents take matters into their own hands and reclaim the streets for people. Would something similar work along Main, New Main, or Broadway in downtown Haverstraw? See the short film below to catch my drift:
Friday, April 20, 2012. “Haverstraw: Bricktown & Its People” Documentary
8:00 PM @ the Central Presbyterian Church, Haverstraw Youth Theatre. $20 suggested donation. Wine & Cheese reception.
Saturday, April 21, 2012. Groundbreaking: Concession Stand Build-Out @ Cpl. Manny Lopez Field, Village of Haverstraw. 9:30AM. Come and help “Community Build” the concession stand. Call Village Hall 845.429.0300 for more information.
Saturday, April 21, 2012. NORTH ROCKLAND CASH MOB – Local Economy Support March & Gathering. 12:00 PM Noon @ the Four-faced Clock, New Main/Maple Avenue – marching to a local business pre-selected by NR residents to receive support. Business TBD – vote now! $20 suggested spend at the local business.
Sunday, April 22, 2012. “Haverstraw Brickyard Sprints” BIG Rowing Regatta.
8:00 AM to 1:00 PM @ the Haverstraw Ferry Landing, Dr. Girling Drive, Haverstraw. Free. Concession/breakfast/lunch available for purchase. Support local activity on the Hudson River! 5 teams from across the region (scholastic and adult).
Sunday, April 22, 2012. Keep Rockland Beautiful Cleanup, 10am -12pm. Help us keep the Village garbage free. Meeting across Village Hall in the square and then pick up garbage along the water and on the Greenway and behind Lady Warren Fire Department. Please bring gloves and water. If you would like to join us please email Steve at: sm8961@att.com and write ROCKLAND CLEANUP in the subject.
The North Rockland Cash Mob started with a flash. Local resident Ellen Donovan contacted me via Facebook to get a local cash mob initiative launched and generating buzz. Well, the mob is buzzing. Now over 700 members in size, and growing by the hundreds each day, the North Rockland Cash Mob is becoming, well, unruly. The mob will descend upon the Village of Haverstraw on Saturday, April 21, 2012. The mob will convene beneath the four-faced clock at the corner of Maple Avenue, New Main Street, and Main Street at 12:00 PM (high noon!) prompt! From there, the mobsters will strut their stuff to the business that was selected via crowd-sourcing. That business, which has yet to be finalized (vote now!), will get a needed boost in business from the flush-with-cash unruly mob. We’re excited! Join us on April 21st; we’re rowdy and ready to support the local economy!
Here are more reasons how cash mobbing helps the community and brings us together.
