This weekend my Grandmum came to visit us in Brooklyn. Uncle Medwin brought Dim Sum over then we walked to the Kensington World's Fair up the street from our apartment. My mommy got Henna on her hand.
When visiting our neighborhood's World's Fair yesterday, I was filled with Kensington pride. I found myself thinking "Wow - I truly live in the coolest area of Brooklyn!" Where else do so many worlds collide? I enjoyed the smells and tastes of the Mexican, Thai, and variety of South Asian fare. I stopped to listen to the music that made my feet tap along to the beat, and I was riveted by the children carrying and marching along with the larger-than-life puppets. Sadly I only had an hour to spare, but I am so glad that I didn't miss this rich event! I can't wait until the next one...
I thought the Kensington's World Fair was a great experience. It was so nice to see so many new people and learn a lot about different cultures. The performances were really great to watch, and the tables were from so many different countries that I didn't know we had living in our neighborhood. It was nice seeing everyone with a smile on their face and interested in learning.
I got there late, to find a large, friendly crowd at the Kensington World’s Fair. Neighbors were proudly celebrating the beautiful children, who were performing on stage, the delicious food, sold at stalls and eaten by everybody, and their handicrafts, being perused and purchased. Kids and grownups were obviously having a wonderful time.
Congratulations to all of you who organized a fabulous Kensington World's Fair! I felt so proud to be part of the fair and this community. From the passport to the incredibly wonderful music and arts this was a truly multi-cultural fair celebrating the diversity of many folks in this neighborhood. I imagine you all might be very exhausted, but I hope you all are feeling joy and pride as well.
A lot of time and effort went into presenting the Kensington World's Fair held Sunday, Oct. 24th.
It was a beautiful day with warm sunny skies and friendly faces. There was an aura of community, everyone sharing in the day... diverse ethnic foods, the performances were wonderful.Celebrating the different cultures within our community with music, dance, clothing and the children made it even more special.
A special Thank You to all who put the event together... I have to give a really special Thank You to Jessica from Brad Lander's office who helped with the vendors to secure their tables. She literally walked me through the application process... her time and patience is greatly appreciated.
Thank You to the volunteers who helped set up the event with the tables and canopies, the stage as well as the cleanup..
It was also nice to meet the many people who post on the KWT blog as well as meeting and making new friends within our community.
I personally enjoyed connecting with everyone who stopped by the Essential Oils/Champissage booth. Would like to send out a congratulations to the winners of our booth...
Carolyn.. Winner of the Deluxe Spa (Champissage and KV Foot Massage)...Johanna ... Winner of the Day at the Spa (Champissage) andClaudia... Winner of the Thieves Waterless Hand Cleaner.The event was a huge success. Being the pioneer of the first Kensington World's Fair, I would definitely partake in one held next year!!!
We were thrilled to be part of the organizing team for the Kensington World's Fair. It was a fantastic event, truly highlighting the incredible diversity of the neighborhood and bringing people together to celebrate it. The entertainment (from the PS 230 choir to Slavic Soul Party to Cynthia King's dancers and everyone well), the activities (my seven-year-old daughter did just about every one), the fantastic food, the weather, and--most of all--the organizers, volunteers, and participants came together to make it a remarkable day.
Photos:Special thanks to the very-hardworking organizing team--Bridget Elder, Annie Ferdous, Veronica Guzman, Trina Hickey, Jasmina Nikolov, Joy Rich, Maggie Tobin, and Jessica Turner (from my office, so of course my special thanks to her)--and to the great sponsors (Boro Gas/Boro Fuel, Rob Chowdhury, and Church Avenue Car Service) and community partners (PS 230, 66th Precinct, the Masons).
I hope it will be more than just one great day--that it will help build relationships, community, and energy across the neighborhood's diversity for working together to make Kensington an even better neighborhood for all of its residents. We got some great responses at our table on things people love about the neighborhood and things people would like to improve. So ,in addition to pausing to savor and say thank-you for the great celebration, we're looking forward to getting busy working with everyone to build on the Kensington World's Fair in the days to come.
Brad
"A few practical matters: A lot has been going on around Kensington; jazz concerts in the E. 4th St. garden, a new wing of Jaya Yoga recently opened, and more is to come soon. In particular I'm looking forward to the Sean Casey Halloween Party on Oct 31 from 12 - 5, and the Kensington World's Fair, this Sunday Oct. 24 from 11-4 featuring live music, dance and food from around the world."
The Kensington World’s Fair is just a few weeks away. It has already been covered by the Daily News and will also be covered by The New York Times. The aim of the event is to celebrate Kensington’s diversity, raise money for PS 230, and to HAVE FUN! Cynthia King, Slavic Soul Party, The Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts, Makeshift Wings, and others are all LOCAL performers. So many people in our community are contributing their time to the event, but we need even more help.
Do you have a few hours to spare on Sunday, October 24th? That’s all it takes to make this event a success. Lots of volunteer positions are available – from staffing arts and crafts tables for kids, orienting performers to the event, and selling raffle tickets to setting up and breaking down.
Volunteering at the World’s Fair is easy and fun! All it takes is a few hours and you'll be having a blast the whole time.
Contact us at jasmina1 at gmail for more info.
Cheers!
Jasmina
on behalf of the Kensington World’s Fair Organizing Committee
Check out the gorgeous flyer for the Fair!
The Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts, more commonly known as BIPA, was launched in 1993 with a view to keeping alive the rich Bengali culture among Bangladeshis living in the U.S., and to acquainting and enriching the American mainstream with our wonderful heritage.
We have performed in many mainstream establishments, including Ellis Island, the United Nations, Union Square Park, the American Museum of Natural History, the Queens Museum of Art, New York City public libraries, parks, schools, and colleges; Governor’s and Mayor’s programs, Asian Heritage Festivals, and also in various states across the country.
The founding members of BIPA are still active teachers, and they have been working very hard for the past 17 years to ensure that all of their students learn what they need to know to pass on our culture to future generations. These students become part of the “uttoradhikar,” or “inheritance” of their culture.
"With large Bangladeshi, Mexican, Russian and Orthodox Jewish populations, just to name a few, Kensington is one of the most diverse areas of the city. (Daily News, Tuesday, September 14, 2010, page 3)
"Organizers of Kensington’s upcoming World’s Fair event represent a broad spectrum of the various cultures that call the neighborhood home." (Daily News article)
Some of the members of
