For more than ten years, the Corinne May Botz searched for ghost stories in buildings across the United States. She ventured into these haunted places with both camera and tape recorder in hand; her photographs, accompanied by first-person narratives, reveal a rare glimpse into American interiors, both physical and psychological.

She says, “The first thing that inspired the project were writers like Edith Wharton, Charlotte Bronte and even Toni Morrison. Often these ghost stories were written by women as a means of articulating domestic discontents. I was interested in the idea of a woman being trapped in the home or by domestic space and how this was expressed in history."

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

It's Summertime and no better time to be a part of The In Crowd. Performances by internationally-acclaimed ragtime, jazz, boogie-woogie, and stride pianists playing the likes of Ella, Ramsey & Scott. Please Say You Will!

Produced in partnership with the Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and Sam Ash Music Stores.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Upper Terrace (in Bryant Park)

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed the North Woods to replicate the forests of the Adirondack Mountains, with their crystal streams, tumbling cascades, rustic bridges, and picturesque pools right in New York City's backyard. Join us for a tour through the North Woods and admire their work.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or email tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Hilly, stairs, and a few Park-related obstacles to negotiate - not recommended for people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 860-1370

Location: Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park)

Fresh Grown Produce, Baked Goods, Flowers and more. We accept USD Cash, EBT ,WIC ,Farm Checks, Debit and Credit cards

Start time: 3:30 pm

End time: 6:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Hands and Heart Community Garden

Enjoy the bounty of the growing season and learn to preserve your harvest! Join Just Food trainers as they demonstrate how to preserve your cucumbers, create fruit jams and enjoy the harvest all year long. This workshop is offered in partnership with Just Food.
(www.justfood.org/cityfarms/workshops).

Registered Grow to Learn school gardens only will receive canning kits and a book, while supplies last.

Please RSVP to Andrew Barrett at Andrew.Barrett@parks.nyc.gov or 212.788.8073

Start time: 5:30 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: 212.788.8073

Location: PS 11, William T. Harris Elementary School (02M011)

Novices and masters can battle for the title of park champion in these fun, single-elimination, bracket-style tournaments.

Pre-registration required at bryantpark.org

Start time: 6:00 pm

End time:

Contact phone:

Location: Ping Pong Court (in Bryant Park)

For the first time in decades, Edgar Allan Poe's works written in The Bronx will be publicly read out-loud at The Bronx Library Center on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. Dr. G. Hermalyn, historian, publisher, and noted Poe speaker, will present a short history of Poe's life, and then read "The Cask of Amontillado" among other poems of the great Bronx writer. This event is free and open to the public.

Start time: 6:00 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 881-8900

Location: Bronx Public Library at Kingsbridge Road

FLOW returns to Randall's Island Park for 2012 with five new artists and five new site-specific installations along the Park's southern shoreline.

FLOW is a project of the Randall's Island Sports Foundation and the Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA), suported by the Rockefeller Foundation and Made Event.

Start time: 6:00 am

End time: 9:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 830-7722

Location: Waterfront Pathways along Ward's Island (in Randall's Island Park)

DIscover the varieties of birds that call Bryant Park home during the migratory season with guided tours.

Presented in partnership with the New York City Audubon Society

Start time: 8:00 am

End time: 9:00 am

Contact phone:

Location: 'wichcraft coffee kiosk (in Bryant Park)

Join us for a free fitness walking program for adults at Fort Totten Park!

Sponsored by The Fitness Consultants.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 352-4793

Location: Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park)

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is pleased to announce Nature: Prints, Drawings, and Mixed Media, an exhibition of works on paper by artist Julio Valdez, curated by Graciela Kartofel. This show includes twenty-one works created during the past two decades of Valdez’ artistic career. Utilizing nontraditional materials and processes, he explores the inseparable spiritual relationship between man and his natural environment; on view through September 13th through October 25, 2012.

Deeply influenced by his Dominican cultural heritage, which has instilled in him an acute connection to nature, Valdez continues to search for and contemplate his own identity. The resulting works use a visual language that echoes traditional Latin American mythology and simultaneously blends his past and present. The mythical nature of Caribbean culture is evident in each of Valdez’s works—he uses ancestral symbols with a profoundly sincere contemporary approach. The lizard, turtle, and yucca plant, all indigenous to the Dominican Republic, are regularly featured in his works and emphasize the bond with his homeland despite his residence in New York City. However, Valdez states, “The physical and psychological distance from my birthplace has allowed a critical distance for re-examining my origins [which has] triggered gradual changes in my artistic vocabulary.”

These intimate works on paper are rich and fragmented scenes where the human body is entangled in a sea of colorful symbols and textures. Paying homage to a tradition of quilting, Valdez employs a system of layered earthen tones, prints, drawings, and other media. These built surfaces are tactile as they are vibrant and have spontaneity similar to surrealist automated drawings. The silhouette plays a prominent role in his work, referencing traditional portraiture’s look inward, but his lack of identifying features transforms them into “the everyman.” Kartofel notes, “Although some are self-portraits, it is frequent for the artist to say, ‘This is my brother… this is my son.’ Each portrait is not only physiognomic, but it is also a study of the relation and interaction between humans and nature.”

The complexity of his artistic process has also led to fruitful explorations of the printmaking process itself. Valdez is a master at combining revolutionary techniques and traditional methods, blurring the boundaries between mediums, as he inserts hand worked elements and torn paper in his prints. He often combines processes such as embossment, à la poupée, chine collé, monotype, silk aquatint, and solar plate printmaking. These processes are directly linked to the themes in his work—his hand application and other direct methods honor ancient cultural traditions of Africa and Latin America.

A native of Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic, Julio Valdez moved to the United States in 1993 after receiving a fellowship to work at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City. A painter, printmaker and mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited internationally, he has received numerous prestigious international awards, including an Artist-in-Residence Fellowship at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City (1997-98), the Silver Palette for Painting at the XXXeme Festival International de la Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (1998), the Grand Prize at the XVII E. Leon Jimenes Biennial, the Dominican Republic (2000), and the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2003), among others. Valdez’s work can be found in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Artes Graficas Oaxaquena in Oaxaca, Mexico, among others. He currently lives and works in New York City. Julio Valdez’s Harlem studio offers print workshops, lectures and classes, for more information visit www.juliovaldez.com.

Nature: Prints, Drawings, and Mixed Media will travel to the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Connecticut. On view December 2, 2012 - January 27, 2013.

The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks, and park history. It is located on the third floor of the NYC Parks & Recreation headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for holidays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art or call 212-360-8163.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: 212-360-8163

Location: Arsenal (in Central Park)

This multifaceted exhibition examines the life and work of the Impressionist master by highlighting his passion for gardening and the inspiration he drew from his living masterpiece, the garden on the grounds of his home in Giverny, France. Monet's Garden has components in several venues throughout the Garden and has a rich assortment of programming, including concerts and family activities. The curator for this exhibition is Professor Paul Hayes Tucker, the World's foremost authorities on Monet and Impressionism.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: 718-817-8700

Location: Watson Building, Room 302 (in Bronx Park)

Join us to view a series of ornamental textiles inspired by the beauty of Staten Island’s Greenbelt.

This exhibit is made possible in part by a DCA Art Fund Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, (COAHSI), with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Silk Painting Workshop and Reception on Sunday September 29th from 2:00 PM -5:00 PM. For information and registration visit www.statenislandarts.org

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Learn to play pétanque, the popular European game anchored in precision, patience, and camaraderie from members of La Boule New Yorkaise, NYC's championship-winning club. Available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Petanque Courts (in Bryant Park)

Come play ping pong at Bryant Park!

Paddles and balls will be provided free of charge to all skill levels.

Visit the park and sign up with an attendant, who can arrange a friendly game.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Ping Pong Court (in Bryant Park)

Game boards, including chess, backgammon, checkers, and Scrabble, are available for a small fee. Provided by the Marshall Chess Club.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Fountain Terrace (in Bryant Park),Chess Area (in Bryant Park)

Le Carrousel was specially created to complement the park's French classical style, featuring brightly colored animals and French cabaret music.

$2 per ride, or buy a discount card to enjoy 10 rides for $15.

Weather permitting. Also available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

For more than ten years, the Corinne May Botz searched for ghost stories in buildings across the United States. She ventured into these haunted places with both camera and tape recorder in hand; her photographs, accompanied by first-person narratives, reveal a rare glimpse into American interiors, both physical and psychological.

She says, “The first thing that inspired the project were writers like Edith Wharton, Charlotte Bronte and even Toni Morrison. Often these ghost stories were written by women as a means of articulating domestic discontents. I was interested in the idea of a woman being trapped in the home or by domestic space and how this was expressed in history."

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

It's Summertime and no better time to be a part of The In Crowd. Performances by internationally-acclaimed ragtime, jazz, boogie-woogie, and stride pianists playing the likes of Ella, Ramsey & Scott. Please Say You Will!

Produced in partnership with the Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and Sam Ash Music Stores.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Upper Terrace (in Bryant Park)

Walk from the Dairy to Belvedere Castle and learn about the intricate design of Central Park's web of pastoral landscapes and formal romantic vistas.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or email tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Hilly, stairs, and a few Park-related obstacles to negotiate - not recommended for people with disabilities.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 794-4064

Location: Outside the Dairy Gift Shop (in Central Park)

Make the most of your visit and stop by the High Line Field Station to chat with High Line Greeters. These dedicated volunteers can answer your questions and provide information about the park’s unique design, history, horticulture, art, and more.

The High Line Field Station is open every Thursday and Friday afternoon between 3:00 and 7:00 PM, and every Saturday and Sunday between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

Start time: 3:00 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 206-9922

Location: Chelsea Market Passage (in The High Line)

Play your hardest at this fun-filled instructional clinic on an official Central Park soccer field. Enhance your soccer skills and learn about sportsmanship while meeting new friends.

Ages 6-9. Registration required; please call 212-348-4867 to register or for more information, visit Central Park Conservancy's Central Park recreation page. Clinics are held every Thursday from September 20, 2012 to October 11, 2012 at the North Meadow Soccer Fields (mid-Park at 97th Street).

Start time: 4:00 pm

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 348-4867

Location: North Meadow Recreation Center (in Central Park)

Discover the benefits of composting with a worm bin in your classroom. This excellent hands-on and inquiry-based activity teaches kids biology, recycling, and responsibility. Learn great facts about red wiggler worms, how to set up a worm bin, and how to maintain the system effectively.

Registration is required. Email compost@queensbotanical.org or call 718-539-5296 to register.

Grow to Learn registered school gardens may request soil, compost, and lumber for spring delivery.

Start time: 5:00 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 539-5296

Location: Materials for the Arts

FLOW returns to Randall's Island Park for 2012 with five new artists and five new site-specific installations along the Park's southern shoreline.

FLOW is a project of the Randall's Island Sports Foundation and the Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA), suported by the Rockefeller Foundation and Made Event.

Start time: 6:00 am

End time: 9:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 830-7722

Location: Waterfront Pathways along Ward's Island (in Randall's Island Park)

Managing New York’s 843-acre Central Park, which is both a historically significant designed landscape and natural habitat, is delicate. This daylong conference specifically examines ecology as affected and influenced by natural and cultural value systems, the agendas of different constituencies, diversity and the role of people, and public education. Two panels will address this stewardship challenge: the morning session focuses on “lessons learned” by public sector stewards at Prospect Park (Brooklyn), New York Botanical Garden, and The Presidio (San Francisco); the afternoon session is comprised of landscape architects in private practice with experience in urban parks.

Start time: 8:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Museum of the City of New York

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is pleased to announce Nature: Prints, Drawings, and Mixed Media, an exhibition of works on paper by artist Julio Valdez, curated by Graciela Kartofel. This show includes twenty-one works created during the past two decades of Valdez’ artistic career. Utilizing nontraditional materials and processes, he explores the inseparable spiritual relationship between man and his natural environment; on view through September 13th through October 25, 2012.

Deeply influenced by his Dominican cultural heritage, which has instilled in him an acute connection to nature, Valdez continues to search for and contemplate his own identity. The resulting works use a visual language that echoes traditional Latin American mythology and simultaneously blends his past and present. The mythical nature of Caribbean culture is evident in each of Valdez’s works—he uses ancestral symbols with a profoundly sincere contemporary approach. The lizard, turtle, and yucca plant, all indigenous to the Dominican Republic, are regularly featured in his works and emphasize the bond with his homeland despite his residence in New York City. However, Valdez states, “The physical and psychological distance from my birthplace has allowed a critical distance for re-examining my origins [which has] triggered gradual changes in my artistic vocabulary.”

These intimate works on paper are rich and fragmented scenes where the human body is entangled in a sea of colorful symbols and textures. Paying homage to a tradition of quilting, Valdez employs a system of layered earthen tones, prints, drawings, and other media. These built surfaces are tactile as they are vibrant and have spontaneity similar to surrealist automated drawings. The silhouette plays a prominent role in his work, referencing traditional portraiture’s look inward, but his lack of identifying features transforms them into “the everyman.” Kartofel notes, “Although some are self-portraits, it is frequent for the artist to say, ‘This is my brother… this is my son.’ Each portrait is not only physiognomic, but it is also a study of the relation and interaction between humans and nature.”

The complexity of his artistic process has also led to fruitful explorations of the printmaking process itself. Valdez is a master at combining revolutionary techniques and traditional methods, blurring the boundaries between mediums, as he inserts hand worked elements and torn paper in his prints. He often combines processes such as embossment, à la poupée, chine collé, monotype, silk aquatint, and solar plate printmaking. These processes are directly linked to the themes in his work—his hand application and other direct methods honor ancient cultural traditions of Africa and Latin America.

A native of Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic, Julio Valdez moved to the United States in 1993 after receiving a fellowship to work at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City. A painter, printmaker and mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited internationally, he has received numerous prestigious international awards, including an Artist-in-Residence Fellowship at The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City (1997-98), the Silver Palette for Painting at the XXXeme Festival International de la Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (1998), the Grand Prize at the XVII E. Leon Jimenes Biennial, the Dominican Republic (2000), and the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship (2003), among others. Valdez’s work can be found in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the Instituto de Artes Graficas Oaxaquena in Oaxaca, Mexico, among others. He currently lives and works in New York City. Julio Valdez’s Harlem studio offers print workshops, lectures and classes, for more information visit www.juliovaldez.com.

Nature: Prints, Drawings, and Mixed Media will travel to the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Connecticut. On view December 2, 2012 - January 27, 2013.

The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks, and park history. It is located on the third floor of the NYC Parks & Recreation headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for holidays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/art or call 212-360-8163.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: 212-360-8163

Location: Arsenal (in Central Park)

This multifaceted exhibition examines the life and work of the Impressionist master by highlighting his passion for gardening and the inspiration he drew from his living masterpiece, the garden on the grounds of his home in Giverny, France. Monet's Garden has components in several venues throughout the Garden and has a rich assortment of programming, including concerts and family activities. The curator for this exhibition is Professor Paul Hayes Tucker, the World's foremost authorities on Monet and Impressionism.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: 718-817-8700

Location: Watson Building, Room 302 (in Bronx Park)

Join us to view a series of ornamental textiles inspired by the beauty of Staten Island’s Greenbelt.

This exhibit is made possible in part by a DCA Art Fund Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, (COAHSI), with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Silk Painting Workshop and Reception on Sunday September 29th from 2:00 PM -5:00 PM. For information and registration visit www.statenislandarts.org

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Learn to play pétanque, the popular European game anchored in precision, patience, and camaraderie from members of La Boule New Yorkaise, NYC's championship-winning club. Available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Petanque Courts (in Bryant Park)

Come play ping pong at Bryant Park!

Paddles and balls will be provided free of charge to all skill levels.

Visit the park and sign up with an attendant, who can arrange a friendly game.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Ping Pong Court (in Bryant Park)

Game boards, including chess, backgammon, checkers, and Scrabble, are available for a small fee. Provided by the Marshall Chess Club.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Fountain Terrace (in Bryant Park),Chess Area (in Bryant Park)

Le Carrousel was specially created to complement the park's French classical style, featuring brightly colored animals and French cabaret music.

$2 per ride, or buy a discount card to enjoy 10 rides for $15.

Weather permitting. Also available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum will be open for free all weekend! Take a self-guided tour, view the Collecting the Kitchen exhibit and take a quiz to see if you can identify the historic kitchen artifacts. Visit on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. for the annual cider pressing.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Dyckman Farmhouse Museum (in Dyckman House Museum)

Attention neighborhood foodists: it’s your favorite time of year! Mad. Sq. Eats is returning to Worth Square Friday, September 21! This month-long outdoor market will bring you 26 vendors from some of the city’s most raved about eateries, including returning Mad. Sq. Eats favorites as well as some newbies to keep things feeling fresh.

With the extensive line-up of vendors, be sure to stop by early and often and try it all! All are welcome to stop on by, grab a drink and EAT! Mad. Sq. Eats is open daily September 21 through October 19 from 11am to 9pm.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time:

Contact phone:

Location:

For more than ten years, the Corinne May Botz searched for ghost stories in buildings across the United States. She ventured into these haunted places with both camera and tape recorder in hand; her photographs, accompanied by first-person narratives, reveal a rare glimpse into American interiors, both physical and psychological.

She says, “The first thing that inspired the project were writers like Edith Wharton, Charlotte Bronte and even Toni Morrison. Often these ghost stories were written by women as a means of articulating domestic discontents. I was interested in the idea of a woman being trapped in the home or by domestic space and how this was expressed in history."

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

It's Summertime and no better time to be a part of The In Crowd. Performances by internationally-acclaimed ragtime, jazz, boogie-woogie, and stride pianists playing the likes of Ella, Ramsey & Scott. Please Say You Will!

Produced in partnership with the Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians and Sam Ash Music Stores.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 2:30 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Upper Terrace (in Bryant Park)

Walk through a scenic area on the western edge of the Park, much of which is off the beaten track for most visitors. See rolling meadows, lake views, bridges of different styles, and a garden with flowers and plants mentioned by Shakespeare.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or email tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Moderate inclines and stairs, paths clear and negotiable - only parts accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (in Central Park)

Free tours of the Conference House on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. There is a charge for group tours which are booked separately. Please visit www.conferencehouse.org or call 718-984-6046 for more information.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: 718-984-6046

Location: Conference House Museum (in Conference House Park)

Join the Greenbelt Natural Resources Team in exploring our native and non-native plant species. A great opportunity to learn plant ID skills and explore our parks. We will be inside for an overview and then outside for an exploration. Bring Lunch. Suitable for ages 16 and up. Free program. Registration recommended.

Start time: 1:00 pm

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 667-2165 ext 301

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Marja Samsom (the Dumpling Diva and chef of famed, now historic, downtown restaurant The Kitchen Club) will serve up 'batter cakes and lemon cream', based on the mid-19th century recipe. Reportedly a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, batter cakes were often served at tea time. The original recipe, with Marja's adaptation for modern cooks, is featured in the museum's newest publication "The Little Book of Tea."

Free admission, includes a self-guided tour of the Merchants' House Museum.

Start time: 2:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 777-1089

Location: Merchant's House Museum

Make the most of your visit and stop by the High Line Field Station to chat with High Line Greeters. These dedicated volunteers can answer your questions and provide information about the park’s unique design, history, horticulture, art, and more.

The High Line Field Station is open every Thursday and Friday afternoon between 3:00 and 7:00 PM, and every Saturday and Sunday between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

Start time: 3:00 pm

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 206-9922

Location: Chelsea Market Passage (in The High Line)

Join us opening night in this historical garden for a neighborhood centric event of music, dance, performance and visual art.

Start time: 5:00 pm

End time: 9:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: La Plaza Cultural

OSA Presents the Lacoste L!VE Concert Series featuring Animal Collective. Tickets available here!

Start time: 5:30 pm

End time:

Contact phone:

Location: Williamsburg Park

Tours of the 1799 country house - home to New York City mayors since 1942 0 are usually not offered in the evenings, making this a special treat for people who can't make the regular Wednesday tour hours. Take a tour and sample cider and gingersnaps based on a historic recipe.

Reservations are required.

Start time: 5:30 pm

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Gracie Mansion (in Carl Schurz Park)

FLOW returns to Randall's Island Park for 2012 with five new artists and five new site-specific installations along the Park's southern shoreline.

FLOW is a project of the Randall's Island Sports Foundation and the Bronx Museum of the Arts (BxMA), suported by the Rockefeller Foundation and Made Event.

Start time: 6:00 am

End time: 9:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 830-7722

Location: Waterfront Pathways along Ward's Island (in Randall's Island Park)

At this monthly event, FIDO in Prospect Park will offer free goodies for dogs and their owners, and provide information pertaining to off-leash activities and issues.

Meet in the Meadow beside the Picnic House. Enter at Prospect Park West and 3rd Street. This event is rain or shine.

Sponsored by FIDO (Fellowship in the Interest of Dogs and their Owners).

Start time: 7:00 am

End time: 9:00 am

Contact phone:

Location: Picnic House (in Prospect Park)

Good Morning! Come join the Van Cortlandt Track Club for regular morning group runs through and around the Yonkers-Bronx border in small groups each Saturday morning at 8AM!

We break into various groups based on different paces and distances, starting with a loop of the Parade Grounds, then some peel off through the trails for various length and speed runs in smaller groups.

Be sure to meet back up after the run for breakfast!

Visit www.vctc.org for details & local running tips.

Start time: 8:00 am

End time:

Contact phone:

Location: Van Cortlandt Stadium (in Van Cortlandt Park)

Bird Walks focus on wildlife happenings in the park and are led by NYC Audubon experts or the Urban Park Rangers.

Wear comfortable shoes, and bring water and a light snack.

Start time: 8:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 430-1890

Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park)

We offer birding programs throughout the year and our Exploration series focuses on unique wildlife viewing opportunities during particular seasons. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome. To enhance your experience we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides, or ask a Ranger to borrow a pair.

Start time: 8:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 548-0912

Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park)

Come out and lend a hand to help us rake, weed and do various gardening chores. Join us for coffee and doughnuts in the am. Bring a rake or use one of ours and have some fun.

To volunteer in Westerleigh Park call (718) 442-0336.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 12:00 pm

Contact phone: 718-442-0336

Location: Westerleigh Park

Visit the farm stand to purchase organic farm-fresh produce grown on-site at the Decker Farm. Then head down the hill to enjoy all the specially planned programming taking place in the historic village.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 351-1611

Location: Historic Richmond Town

On It's My Park Day, join the Hendrick I. Lott House Preservation Association to clean, rake, and weed the grounds at this historic house from 9am to 11am. There will be tours of the house from 11am-3pm, wood-turning demonstrations throughout the day, Dutch treats, as well as live music in the afternoon.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 965-8902

Location: Hendrick I. Lott House

On It's My Park Day, the Friends of Westerleigh Park will be cleaning, raking, and weeding at Westerleigh Park. Then join the excitement by designing, building and bringing your own version of a soap box cart for the Parks' Annual Soap Box Derby. You must be over seven years-old to race. NO motors allowed. Helmets and some type of brakes are required for all cars.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 442-0336

Location: Westerleigh Park

On It's My Park Day, the Natural Resources Protective Association will be cleaning debris from the beach at Lemon Creek.

Start time: 9:00 am

End time: 12:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 873-4291

Location: Lemon Creek Park

The Central Park Conservancy offers weekly moderate to brisk walks led by the NY Walkers Club for people 18+ years of all abilities. This low-impact fitness program is perfect for those who want to get in shape, build muscle tone and strength, and increase cardiovascular health while enjoying Central Park’s beautiful landscapes.

Free and no pre-registration is required.

Start time: 9:30 am

End time: 11:00 am

Contact phone: (212) 348-4867

Location: North Meadow Recreation Center (in Central Park)

Join the Downtown Boathouse for 20-minute instructional paddles, and explore the Hudson River first-hand. Please wear a bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt, and know how to swim.

Weather permitting. No registration required. Kayaks and life vests provided.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: 311

Location: Kayaking on the Hudson Meeting Point (in Riverside Park)

Quiet like a mountain, yet moving like a river, Tai Chi is a sequence of gentle movements based on images found in nature. Short and long form classes are led by Irving Yee, an active member of the William CC Chen Tai Chi School. Sessions are held outdoors only and are weather dependent. Call (718) 549-3200 ext. 245 by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the class for weather updates. Registration opens on-site at 9:00 a.m.

Photo credit: Joshua Bright

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Wave Hill

Join us for local, national, and international pétanque tournaments organized by La Boule New Yorkaise.

Spectators welcome

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Bryant Park

This multifaceted exhibition examines the life and work of the Impressionist master by highlighting his passion for gardening and the inspiration he drew from his living masterpiece, the garden on the grounds of his home in Giverny, France. Monet's Garden has components in several venues throughout the Garden and has a rich assortment of programming, including concerts and family activities. The curator for this exhibition is Professor Paul Hayes Tucker, the World's foremost authorities on Monet and Impressionism.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: 718-817-8700

Location: Watson Building, Room 302 (in Bronx Park)

Garden along Brooklyn's beautiful waterfront! The Green Team provides essential horticultural care to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Weekly projects may include planting, mulching, and removing invasive plants. The Green Team is a wonderful opportunity to learn about gardening, enjoy nature, and make the park look its best.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 12:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Brooklyn Bridge Park: Main Street (in Brooklyn Bridge Park)

The Morris-Jumel Mansion will host the second annual Culture and Arts Festival (CAFé) on October 6, 2012 from 10am to 6pm. The air will be filled with music, performers and artists who will share their talents with all who attend and restaurants will have tasty treats that visitors can buy. Performers, artists and restaurants already confirmed are: The Harlem Swing Dance Society, Singer/Reenactor Rich Bala, Diaspora Now, Cherrymae Designs, Bistro Latino and many more will be announced!

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 923-8008

Location: Morris-Jumel Mansion (in Roger Morris Park)

Join us to view a series of ornamental textiles inspired by the beauty of Staten Island’s Greenbelt.

This exhibit is made possible in part by a DCA Art Fund Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, (COAHSI), with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Silk Painting Workshop and Reception on Sunday September 29th from 2:00 PM -5:00 PM. For information and registration visit www.statenislandarts.org

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Greenbelt Nature Center (in Blood Root Valley)

Wth his ailing wife Virginia confined to her bed and his writing consuming his rare free moments, how did Edgar Allan Poe make sure that his family was well fed? On your tour of Poe Cottage, you'll hear about new technologies that eased food preparation and daily life in the mid-19th Century. An assortment of fall festival treats will be available throughout the weekend while supplies last.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 881-8900

Location: Edgar Allen Poe Cottage (in Poe Park)

Come experience what 18th Century Bronx residents feasted on in this food-based tour of the Valentine-Varian House. Learn about how our Bronx forebears grew, prepared and consumed their food without modern comforts upon which today's world relies. An assortment of fall festival treats will be available throughout the weekend while supplies last.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 881-8900

Location: Valentine-Varian House (in Valentine Varian House)

Hosted on the grounds of the Old Stone House of Brooklyn, Washington Park. between 4th and 5th Avenues and 3rd and 4th Streets in Park Slope, Brooklyn - originally built in 1699 as the Vechte family farm - the Kings County Fiber Festival includes crocheters, dyers, rug makers, felters, knitters, quilters, spinners, and weavers, as well as artists creating design works that incorporate fiber as an integral material and celebrates both historic and contemporary approaches to the fiber arts.

The festival includes:

• A juried selection of vendors from up and down the east coast.
• A marketplace with a wide variety of hand dyed yarns, fiber-inspired artisans, sheep fleece, hand-crafted winter accessories, and holiday gifts.
• Master-level demonstrations by fiber experts.
• Symposium on spinning and dyeing.
• A yarn spinning cycle demonstrating the manual arts - from fleece to wheel and drop spindle.
• An exhibit of fiber influenced art works on display in the Old Stone House.
• Live performances in tribute to the crafts.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 768-3195

Location: Old Stone House (in J.J. Byrne Playground)

Look for migrating hawks soaring, circling and gliding above the Hudson, then create your very own windsock or raptor and take flight.

Photo credit: Joshua Bright

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Wave Hill

Build your own soapbox, and race it against the competition! Awards will be given for the fastest time, best design.

Registration begins at 10:00 am. Racing begins at 11:00 am.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 816-5558

Location: Westerleigh Park

Parents and children can enjoy an afternoon of free fitness activities such as basketball, jump rope, soccer, hop-scotch and more! Youth ages 17 & under will receive a free annual recreation center membership card. All ages are welcome. Please call 718-263-1163 for more information.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time: 12:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location:

From Saturday, October 6, through Wednesday, October 31, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden at The New York Botanical Garden will treat visitors to frightful Halloween fun. Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, bats, parties, and parades. On October 20 and 21, master carver Ray Villafane of Food Network fame will transform humongous pumpkins into zombies and other unearthly creatures. Pumpkin sculptures of spooky scarecrows, frightening spiders, sneaky snakes, and more await discovery at every turn in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Every day, youngsters can play inside a “gourd-geous” Pumpkin House, put on a scary show at the Pumpkin Puppet Theater, learn about owls, and join a Halloween Parade, while every weekend offers even more treats.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 817-8700

Location: Watson Building, Room 302 (in Bronx Park)

Join us for special programs as part of Open House New York (OHNY) Weekend. For more information on Open House New York, please visit www.ohny.org

Registration is required. Please visit our registration page.

Start time: 10:00 am

End time:

Contact phone:

Location: Eltingville Transit Center

Take a walk around the lands dominated by Belvedere Castle, situated high on Vista Rock. Visit the 55 acre realm on an eclectic tour of history and nature.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or email tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Moderate inclines and stairs, paths clear and negotiable - only parts accessible to people with disabilities

Start time: 10:30 am

End time: 11:30 am

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park)

Please note: this event has been cancelled.

Join us at the Van Cortlandt Park Nature Center to help plant trees, wildflowers, and shrubs to beautify the park.

All ages welcome. Students can earn community service hours.

Layers, shoes, long pants and long sleeves are highly recommended.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 543-1429

Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park)

Come get lost in our three-acre interactive corn maze. The adventure begins with a “Stalk Talk” to prepare you for the challenge of finding clues, solving puzzles, and making your way out of the maze.

To add to the adventure, join us for Maze By Moonlight on Saturday, October 6th and 13th, when the maze will be open until 9:00 PM.

Feel up to the challenge? Then join us for the fun of getting lost and loving it!
$9 adults; $5 children (ages 4–11)
Group Rates available for 10 or more people. For details and reservations, visit www.queensfarm.org or call (718) 347-3276

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 4:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 347-3276

Location: Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park)

Pick Your Own Pumpkin

October is Pumpkin Month at the farm! Enjoy the crisp autumn air as you wander through the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. A fun farm treat for the whole family!

Prices are based on size of pumpkin.
This event will take place each weekend in October.

*On weekdays, pumpkins will be available for purchase in our Gift Shop.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 4:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 347-3276

Location: Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park)

Come to Central Park and marvel at 2,000 Korean chrysanthemums in full multi-colored bloom while touring the autumn Conservatory Garden with curatorial staff!

Provided at no cost to you! No advance registration. No groups please. Weather permitting.

More details, including rain plans and directions, are on the Conservancy's website: centralparknyc.org/calendar

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 12:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 860-1370

Location: Conservatory Garden (in Central Park)

Analyze an instructional game with Women’s FIDE Master Laura Ross for new tactical insights, then pit your newly acquired skills against other players of your level tournament-style. Recommended for ages 6+.

Boards and pieces are available to borrow at the Chess & Checkers House for anyone who wishes to play.

Free. No advance registration. No groups please. Weather permitting. For more details, including information on accessibility for people with disabilities, call 212-794-4064.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 1:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 794-4064

Location: Chess & Checkers House (in Central Park)

Quiet like a mountain, moving like a river, Tai Chi is a sequence of gentle movements based on images found in nature. Short and long form classes are led by Irving Yee, an active member of the William CC Chen Tai Chi School. Sessions are held outdoors only and are weather dependent. Call (718) 549-3200 x245 by 8:00 a.m. on the day of the class for weather updates. Registration opens onsite at 9:00 a.m.

Photo credit: Joshua Bright

Start time: 11:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: (718) 549-3200

Location: Wave Hill

Come play ping pong at Bryant Park!

Paddles and balls will be provided free of charge to all skill levels.

Visit the park and sign up with an attendant, who can arrange a friendly game.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 6:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Ping Pong Court (in Bryant Park)

Game boards, including chess, backgammon, checkers, and Scrabble, are available for a small fee.

Provided by the Marshall Chess Club

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Fountain Terrace (in Bryant Park),Chess Area (in Bryant Park)

Le Carrousel was specially created to complement the park's French classical style, featuring brightly colored animals and French cabaret music.

$2 per ride, or buy a discount card to enjoy 10 rides for $15.

Weather permitting. Also available for parties.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 8:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Le Carrousel (in Bryant Park)

Make the most of your visit and stop by the High Line Field Station to chat with High Line Greeters. These dedicated volunteers can answer your questions and provide information about the park’s unique design, history, horticulture, art, and more.

The High Line Field Station is open every Thursday and Friday afternoon between 3:00 and 7:00 PM, and every Saturday and Sunday between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 7:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 206-9922

Location: Chelsea Market Passage (in The High Line)

The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time:

Contact phone: 718-817-8700

Location: Watson Building, Room 302 (in Bronx Park)

Join Van Cortlandt House Museum's Director Laura Carpenter Myers as she presents the basics of baking without an oven - from corn bread to small yeast-raise loaves - and pies.

Participants must register no later than October 3 via email to: info@vancortlandthouse.org. A valid email address must be used for registration so that we may contact participants in the event of rain.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 543-3344

Location: Van Cortlandt Park

This 1719 farmhouse will be serving traditional Dutch treats.

The menu includes:

• Hot and Cold Cider
• Zandkoekjes (Sand Cookies)
• Friese Dumkes (Frisian Thumbs)
• Boterkoek (Butter Biscuits)

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Hendrick I. Lott House

Take this rare opportunity to see the attic of a 17th Century Dutch colonial dwelling, featuring post-and-beam construction, as well as the original root cellar. The guided tour shows you the interior of the oldest structure in New York City as well as a document from August 1670 on display.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 629-5400

Location: Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park)

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum will be open for free all weekend! Take a self-guided tour, view the Collecting the Kitchen exhibit and take a quiz to see if you can identify the historic kitchen artifacts. Visit on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. for the annual cider pressing.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Dyckman Farmhouse Museum (in Dyckman House Museum)

Come bring an old lamp and swap it for another new old lamp! Plue, enjoy tastes of Victorian American pies and mulled apple cider.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 961-8585

Location: Lewis H. Latimer House (in Lewis H Latimer House)

Visit the 1800s Decker Farm and enjoy a guided tour through the 1810 farmhouse and a hayride. Purchase a pumpking to bring home. Free shuttle bus service from the Historic Richmond Town parking lot to the farm.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 351-1611

Location: Historic Richmond Town

Discover the beauty of Seguine Mansion, which overlooks Prince's Bay. Learn about the family's oyster harvesting business and the significance of the estate in Staten Island's agricultural and farming history.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 360-8012

Location: Seguine Mansion

Join us for special programs as part of Open House New York (OHNY) Weekend. For more information on Open House New York, please visit www.ohny.org

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 722-3218

Location: Fort Greene Park Visitor Center (in Fort Greene Park)

Here's your chance to see inside the Fort Tryon Cottage! The 1908 cottage flanking the garden was originally the gatehouse of the C.K. G. Billings Estate. Today the cottage houses the offices of the park administrator. The cottage is only open to the public on Open House New York (OHNY) weekend. Tours are every 30 minutes.

Donated to NYC in 1935 by John D. Rockefeller Jr and designed by the Olmsted Brothers, Fort Tryon Park encompasses 67-acres with majestic views of the Hudson River. Its three-acre Heather Garden is one of the finest in the Northeast. Vistors can stroll through the garden or attend one of the tours led by a member of the horticulture staff every 20 minutes.

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Margaret Corbin Circle (in Fort Tryon Park)

For more than ten years, the Corinne May Botz searched for ghost stories in buildings across the United States. She ventured into these haunted places with both camera and tape recorder in hand; her photographs, accompanied by first-person narratives, reveal a rare glimpse into American interiors, both physical and psychological.

She says, “The first thing that inspired the project were writers like Edith Wharton, Charlotte Bronte and even Toni Morrison. Often these ghost stories were written by women as a means of articulating domestic discontents. I was interested in the idea of a woman being trapped in the home or by domestic space and how this was expressed in history."

Start time: 11:00 am

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind? Take a tour and learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (718) 287-3400

Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park)

Sharpen your dribbling skills with this interactive clinic focusing on skills development, sportsmanship, and team play.

Clinics are free of charge and open to players of all abilities, aged 9 to 17. Clinics are held every Saturday from April to October at the North Meadow Recreation Center (mid-Park at 97th Street).

For more information check www.centralparknyc.org/visit/recreation/.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 2:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 348-4867

Location: North Meadow Recreation Center (in Central Park)

Come revel in the splendor of this 19th Century Mansion and learn about the lives of the past inhabitants. Free guided tours from 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tours start at quarter past the hour.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 885-1461

Location: Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (in Pelham Bay Park)

In the 1930s, Alice and her partner Gertrude opened up their home and started a business serving refreshments. Come to their Victorian Tea House, relax on their porch, and bask in the amazing view of the Verrazano Narrows.

Last seating at 3:00 p.m.

Reservations are required.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (718) 816-4506

Location: Alice Austen House Museum (in Alice Austen Park)

On Saturday, October 6 from 12-4pm, the 20th Anniversary Little Red Lighthouse Festival will take place in Fort Washington Park, to celebrate the only remaining lighthouse in Manhattan. Sponsored by Benjamin Moore Paints, this year’s event is hosted by New York Restoration Project (NYRP), Historic House Trust, NYC Parks, Riverside Park Fund and Urban Park Rangers. The free event will include tours of the lighthouse, live music and theater performances, arts and crafts, fishing clinics, readings and activities for the family. There will even be an up-close reptile experience! The Festival celebrates the area and pays tribute to the popular children's book, "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge” by Hildegarde H. Swift.

Participating partners include:

• CityScience
• I Fish NY
• Erik the Reptile Guy
• Jan Bell & The Maybelles
• MillionTreesNYC
• MoMA
• Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance
• NY Sea Grant
• Renaissance EMS
• Word Up Bookstore

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 4:00 pm

Contact phone: (212) 333-2552

Location: Fort Washington Park

The “Harvest Arts Festival in the Gardens” will take place the first weekend of October in community gardens on the Lower East Side. Each participating garden is designing its own unique and multidimensional arts program, and it’s going to be a very eclectic mix from jazz to comedy to making mud balls to an “Art Rumble.”

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 5:00 pm

Contact phone:

Location: El Jardin Del Paraiso (in El Jardin Del Paraiso Park),6th St & Ave B Comm. Garden (in 6th St and Ave B Community Garden),Firemen's Memorial Garden,La Plaza Cultural,Generation X Cultural Garden (in Generation X),El Sol Brilliante Jr. (in El Sol Brilliante Jr),Campos Garden,11 BC Garden,11th Street Community Garden,Toyota Childrens Garden,9 C Garden,De Colores Community Yard and Cultural Center,Earth People Garden,Green Oasis and Gilbert Sculpture Garden,Parque Tranquilidad,Orchard Alley,Kenkeleba House Garden,La Petit Versailles,Childrens Magical Garden

An open competition for youth and children focusing on football skills. This event will allow members and the general public to participate in an instructional program followed by actual competition. Age categories will be 14-16, 12-14, and 10-12.

Start time: 12:00 pm

End time: 3:00 pm

Contact phone: 212-242-5228

Location: Tony Dapolito Recreation Center

Seneca Village was Manhattan's first known community of African-American property owners, on land that would become Central Park. Learn about the history of the village, the property owners, and what New York City was like at the time.

Groups of seven or more people should call (212) 360-2726 or e-mail tours@centralparknyc.org to schedule a custom tour.

Accessibility level: Moderate inclines and stairs, paths clear and negotiable - only parts accessible to people with disabilities.

Start time: 12:30 pm

End time: 1:30 pm

Contact phone: (212) 772-0210

Location: 85th Street and Central Park West (in Central Park)