West New York’s recreation and public affairs department has been bustling to provide residents with plenty of fun (and most often free) events and activities for children, adults, and seniors alike this summer. They’ve cleaned up the community pool, scheduled a wide variety of street fairs and festivals for every taste, and put together a children’s day program bound to keep parents saner through the school-less months.
Summer festivals, fundraisers, and street fairs
Looking for something outdoors, entertaining, and free to do Friday nights? The town will host movies in the park at Miller Park on Jackson Street between 57th and 59th streets beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be live music performances before the movie begins and free ice cream for all.
The town will host Domingos al Atardecer (Sunday Sunsets) starting June 17 at Donnelly Park on 59th Street and Boulevard East with live bachata, merengue, salsa, jazz, and rock music performances from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free.
West New York’s recreation and public affairs department has been bustling to provide residents with plenty of fun (and most often free) events and activities.
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The chess team will meet at Hudson Hall, 6018 Hudson St., offering free tournaments on Saturdays beginning at 2 p.m. for kids and adults alike.
For more information, call the Department of Recreation at (201) 867-1943.
Public pool
Also known as the West New York Swim Club, the town has a public pool which is open all summer long to anyone in the community, with a discount for residents. They recently received new filters and an internal facelift meant to improve the quality and safety of the water.
Located at 6600 Anthony M. Defino Way, residents pay a flat fee of $99 for the summer for the first family member and $50 for each additional member. Non-residents pay $199 for the first family member and $50 for each additional member.
For those who don’t care to commit to a season pass, adults pay $7 per day on weekends and $6 on weekdays while day passes for children run $6 on weekends and $5 on weekdays.
The pool also has a swim club for children age five and up and has regular competitions.
For more information, call the pool at (201) 295-5249.
What’s cool for kids
Beginning June 18, the Recreation Department will begin their free children’s summer day program for residents aged 6 to 14 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Days are structured around sports, arts and crafts, dance and Zumba classes, and cooking classes amongst other fun activities, interspersed with field trips to places like the Statue of Liberty and the Bronx Zoo. The program has been extended from six weeks to eight weeks this year and will culminate in a talent show where kids will have the opportunity to perform for the community.
Baseball is available to residents of three age groups: T-ball for kids four to six, Little League for those six to 12, and Babe Ruth for those 13 to 18. The soccer season will kick off with a parade on July 10 after which children between 4 and 17 may participate in clinics and games.
There are basketball clinics from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays for children enrolled in the town’s school system between age six and 13 in order to prepare them for the school season.
For more information on registration and exact start times, call (201) 867-1929.
Especially for seniors
The Senior Center will host several events all summer long, including the usual free senior birthday celebrations with Mayor Felix Roque held the last Friday of every month at Hudson Hall from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On June 13, there will be an Atlantic City casino trip from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for $20, and on June 23 they will travel to Amish country from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for $25.
On June 27, there will be a senior trip to Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan to see Cirque du Soleis’ ‘Zarkana.’ They will depart at 12:30 p.m. and the show starts at 2 p.m. Tickets are $45.
Hudson Hall is located at 6018 Hudson St., and events take place on the second floor. For more information, call the Senior Center at (201) 295-5144.
Beyond books at the library
Along with a healthy year-round selection of free books and films, the public library has also scheduled a variety of free programs for the community.
English as a Second Language classes are offered Monday through Friday (but not on Wednesday) from 6 to 8 p.m. on a walk-in basis. The next round of classes, which are offered at both the basic and intermediate level, will begin in mid August with the exact date to be determined.
Adult computer classes are also held every Saturday in the middle school located at 201 57th Street from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Classes are offered in both Spanish and English for free and residents may sign up at the library any time.
Befuddled by your new iPhone, Android or Blackberry? The library also offers a Smartphone workshop based on need. Interested parties may go to the library to sign up, and the class will be scheduled once it is filled.
Children age 6 to 12 can enjoy arts and crafts on Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m., and every Friday from 2 to 5 p.m., children age 6 to 15 are welcome to attend the showing of one of the library’s many Disney movies. They must be prepared to read the book that goes with the movie and answer a few questions, providing an interactive learning and viewing experience.
The West New York Public Library is located at 425 60th St. For more information, visit the library, call (201) 295-5135, or visit www.wnypl.org.
Gennarose Pope may be reached at gpope@hudsonreporter.com