Casa Frela Gallery to host Harlem Art Walk Tour Exhibition and Fundraiser April 13

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Harlem’s Casa Frela Gallery will be hosting a Harlem Art Walk Tour Fundraiser (HAWT™) with Silent Auction on Saturday, April 13th, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the gallery’s space at 47 West 119th Street. The fundraiser will feature the works of selected HAWT™ 2013 participating artists, each donating a piece of their work, which will then be offered up for auction to raise funds for the Harlem Art Walk Tour this coming October. The event is open to the public, and free to attend! Refreshments will be served.

HAWT™ Artist’s donated works will be on display at Casa Frela Gallery from April 1st through April 13th . Visitors will have the chance to view the artwork up to 2 weeks prior to the event.

See past blog coverage on the Harlem Art Walk.

Harlem’s PS/IS180 Hugo Newman College Prep to start flea market April 7

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A parent of Harlem’s PS/IS180 Hugo Newman College Prep School emailed HarlemGal Inc to let us know this Harlem school is starting their very own flea market to raise money for various programs that could potentially get cut. They plan on having a variety of vendors at this flea market, such as arts/crafts, clothing, vintage, jewelry, etc., and they are looking for vendors who are interested selling their products at this flea market!

The flea market will start April 7th and run until June 23rd every Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm RAIN OR SHINE at the school, which is located at 370 West 120th, between Morningside and Manhattan Avenue.

East Harlem’s Aromas Boutique Bakery & Cafe hosting dessert tasting event March 26

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The good folks over at Aromas Boutique Bakery & Cafe located in East Harlem have given us the heads up that they are having their monthly dessert tasting on Tuesday, March 26th from 5 to 7 pm. All are welcome!

At this event there will be sampling of Fresh Lemon Loaf, Carrot Cake, the Best Pumpkin Cake in the World and a New Hazelnut Cake. Aromas Boutique Bakery & Cafe recently added Gluten free Pumpkin Cake and a Brownie to their menu.

Aromas Boutique Bakery & Cafe
2248 First Avenue (Between 115th and 116th)
New York, NY 10029
Phone: 212.360.0010
Fax: 212.360.0012

Attend MillionTreesNYC Tree Care Workshop at Harlem’s Casa Frela Gallery

imageMillionTreesNYC will be giving a tree care workshop for the Harlem community on April 6th at Casa Frela Gallery, 47 West 119th Street, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

The workshop will run 2 hours and consist of two parts. The first part will be 30-40 minutes and will take place in the gallery, covering the importance of trees, tree care, and the reasons behind Million Trees NYC’s mission to plant a million more trees throughout the five boroughs. Part 2 of the workshop will be hands-on, where attendees will go outside and actively steward the two new trees on 119th Street — and beyond, time-permitting. At the end of the workshop if attendees pledge to care for a new tree in their neighborhood, Million Trees NYC will give them a free toolkit (collapsible watering bucket, trowel, weeder tool, and cultivator) and a tree care manual with step by step guide to caring for their tree.

To learn more about MillionTreesNYC, visit their website.

Mark your calendar: Harlem Earth Day activities begin April 3

Harlem Park to Park (HP2P) released information yesterday (March 19) about their second annual Harlem Earth Day initiative, which begins April 3rd until April 21st. HP2P has lined up free, fun filled activities for the whole family in Morningside Park (April 7th) and Marcus Garvey Park (April 21st); and panel discussions including celebrity chefs, authors and activists every Wednesday evening at MIST Harlem on April 3rd, 10th and 17th! The initiative is sponsored by Con Edison, Land Yoga, MIST Harlem, Friends of Morningside Park, and Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.

Below is an outline of the program and participants. See you at Harlem Earth Day activities!
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Spring Sale at Harlem’s Katrina Parris Flowers

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Harlem’s Katrina Parris Flowers has some great plans for the upcoming Spring season. Katrina Parris Flowers, located at 191 Lenox Avenue, tells HarlemGal Inc that they are not just about flower delivery, events, and weddings. They are about being a part of the Harlem community and coming up with ideas, products and services, that benefit its customers and the community. Here are a few examples-and one of those examples is a Spring Sale. Enjoy!

  • Katrina Parris Flowers is a collection point for Harlem Park-to-Park’s “Harlem Earth Day Bottle Cap Collection – Kids art project”.
  • SPRING SALE is underway. 40 percent off selected gift items and 50-70 percent off gently used event inventory and vases. Plus KPF is having an online sale with 30 percent off select designs for delivery.
  • KPF will be launching soon its LOCAL LOYALTY program, allowing customers to earn points towards free flowers with every purchase.
  • And there is a Contest Giveaway on Facebook going on right now, to win a Harlem Love, Peace & Soul T Shirt.

Stop by and visit Katrina Parris Flowers in Harlem. See details below!

Katrina Parris Flowers
191 Lenox Avenue
New York, NY, 10026 USA
212-222-7030
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Harlem loses one of its celebrities for now, The View’s Sherri Shepherd moves across the Hudson

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A HarlemGal reader recently left a comment saying Sherri Shepherd, comedienne, actress, and television personality of ABC’s The View, is not residing in Harlem anymore. My reaction was WHAT! I just saw her online mentioning she’s hanging at the Corner Social in Harlem. So I followed up with the lovely and funny Mrs. Shepherd-Sally to see what’s up.

Shepherd confirmed via direct message on Twitter that she and her family (Lamar and Jeffrey) moved to New Jersey three months ago. But before I explain why Shepherd had to move plan-d-book-mockup400from Harlem, let me quickly point out that Shepherd unequivocally stated that she and her husband Lamar love Harlem and find it to be “a great community and plan to return in a couple of years.” They had an unexpected situation arise and had to react.

I believe Sherri Shepherd and her family will return in the near future to live full-time in Harlem. Why? As an influential celebrity, she could have easily avoided my request.  Shepherd responded in a timely manner and took the time to explain what happened. She was crystal clear in her communication. In my view, this is an example of a Harlemite who deeply cares about the community she lived in and still loves by personally taking the time to communicate what happened. Why even bother explaining to a Harlem blogger? But Sherri did.

As to what happened that caused Sherri, her son and her husband to depart Harlem, it’s a typical New York situation. Shepherd had been renting a beautiful Sherri_Shepherd_Lamar_Sally_s_Wedding_Pics_Harlem brownstone for almost three years. Her landlord gave notice that they planned to move back into the property and gave Shepherd 30 days notice. Shepherd and her husband looked at other places in Harlem because they wanted to stay, but given the time constraints they did not find a place they wanted within their budget so they moved to New Jersey for the time being. That’s it folks! That’s what happened and it happens to most New Yorker’s at one time or another.

Shepherd maybe living in NJ for now, but she has been taking the time to return to Harlem weekly. She visits the Corner Social on Lenox Avenue and 126th Street once a week and she visits Elsie’s Caribbean Cafe twice a month. Her heart is still in Harlem.

Let’s wish Sherri Shepherd and her family all the best with this change and pray for a speedy return back to Harlem. Amen!

Attend Guiltless Gourmet for a Healthy Harlem, an event to help stop hunger

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According to a news release by Beth-Hark Christian Counseling Center (BHCCC), there is an estimated 1.4 million New York City residents who are food insecure and rely on the city’s network of emergency food organizations. BHCCC hopes to VanKline223raise $20,000 through their second annual Guiltless Gourmet for a Healthy Harlem Celebrity Food Tasting and Silent Auction. Funds raised will help the organization keep pace with an increasing demand for emergency food services driven by food insecurity. Guiltless Gourmet for A Healthy Harlem takes place Friday, March 22 at Harlem’s Gran Piatto d’Oro on Fifth Avenue and brings together the celebrity chef triumvirate of Melba’s Melba Wilson (Food Networks’ former Fat Chef), Kimberly Van Kline of Passion for Palate Catering and Ronaldo Calle of Gran Piatto d’Oro.

Guiltless Gourmet for a Healthy Harlem will open with a VIP Reception/Chef Rolando2_smallerMeet and Greet followed by Food Tasting and Silent Auction. Guests will sample a range of celebrity chef gourmet delights from appetizers to main dishes and bid on auction items from jewelry to vacations with starting bids as low as $50. Two-tiered priced Guiltless Gourmet tickets are $65.00 for Food Tasting and Auction. The $75.00 tickets include admission to the Guiltless Gourmet VIP event. Tickets can be purchased at God’s Answer Bookstore and BHCCC offices co-located at Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc. BHCCC is the social services arm of Bethel Gospel Assembly, Inc. For more information visit www.bethharkccc.org.

Neil Patrick Harris tells online world he wants to purchase a Harlem brownstone

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Neil Patrick Harris, actor, singer and currently a Harlem condo owner, is looking to buy a brownstone in Harlem. How do I know this? Neil Patrick Harris said it on Twitter yesterday tweeting “he’s looking to buy a brownstone in Harlem. Figure someone on Twitter might want to sell. Any takers?”

I’m sure there might be a few takers. He could also ask Marcus Samuelsson for some pointers. He just scored a Harlem brownstone.

But why doesn’t Mr. Harris just go to StreetEasy.com? I see several Harlem brownstones there listed for $1.5 million to $3 million, which should be no problem for Neil Patrick Harris. He’s been making the big bucks since he was a child TV actor.

Hope this little blog write-up helps with your search. And by the way Neil, we are from the same state, i.e. New Mexico! Good luck with your search! I hope you find the Harlem brownstone of your dreams!

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Tribeca Pediatrics signs lease in Harlem, former 99 cent store to become children’s medical facility

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The Commercial Observer reported last week that Tribeca Pediatrics is opening up a branch in Harlem. Tribeca Pediatrics signed a 10-year, 2,500-square-foot lease at 2111 Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem, which most of us know as the 99 cent store.

The reason for the upscale facility coming to Harlem? According to Douglas Elliman’s retail group team Faith Hope Consolo, who represented both the landlord, Tahl-Propp Equities, and the tenant in the transaction told National Real Estate Investor that “just as Starbucks is a marker for an emerging neighborhood, a sophisticated pediatric clinic is a sign it has arrived. This now coveted corner is transitioning from a 99 cents store to a cutting-edge medical facility for children.”

To learn more about Tribeca Pediatrics, visit their website.

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