Bay Ridge

Third Avenue Festival brings the world to Bay Ridge

October 7, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer enjoyed meeting people at the festival. He is pictured with Kevin Peter Carroll, Democratic leader of the 64th Assembly District. Eagle photos by Paula Katinas
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Music, dancing and lots of mouth-watering food to eat…is there a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

Hundreds of thousands of people who came to the Third Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge on Oct. 4 would say, “There is no better way!” The 42nd Annual Third Avenue Festival was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The festival, which opened at noon and ran until 6 p.m., had something for everyone. All along the festival route, there were concert stages where bands like Out of the Blue and Social Zoo belted out rock and roll songs. There were dance performances from children who study at local dance academies. On one stage, members of Gateway City Church performed songs and skits and then playfully tossed bracelets to the audience. There were rides and game for kids, fashion shows, flea markets and lots of outdoor cafes offering everything from gourmet hamburgers to sushi. There were prayer stations scattered along the route. And if people were praying for good weather, their prayers were answered.

The festival ran from Bay Ridge Avenue (69th Street) all the way to 94th Street and offered something to do on every block. The Third Avenue Festival, which together with the Ragamuffin Parade on Saturday, Oct. 3, provides a one-two punch of excitement to Bay Ridge, is part of a blockbuster weekend of family fun I the community. The festival is sponsored by the Merchants of Third Avenue, an organization that represents storeowners on the Bay Ridge end of the busy commercial thoroughfare.

Merchants President Bob Howe could be seen on festival day casually strolling up Third Avenue with his wife Diane and their baby grand-daughter Caroline Funaro.

“It looks like a good amount of people. We’re happy with the way everything turned out,” Howe told the Brooklyn Eagle. The festival’s visitors included U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-New York) who walked the route talking to festival goers and posing for pictures. Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels were also there. They posed for pictures with anyone who asked them.

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