Bay Ridge

On the Avenue: B’klyn vols help bring Little North Pole to life

November 20, 2022 Editorial Staff
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — especially at the home of well-known lawyer and community activist Joseph Mure Jr.!

Mure’s Neponsit Beach, Queens home was recently transformed into a winter wonderland in preparation for this year’s Little North Pole event, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 26 to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Hundreds of life-sized decorations were unloaded and set up “on the avenue” at Mure’s home at 144-03 Neponsit Ave. thanks to a collaborative effort that saw volunteers travel in from Brooklyn and beyond to assist with the process and contribute to the worthy cause.

Now in its 27th year, the Little North Pole draws thousands of people each year for an evening of food, live music, celebrity appearances and a visit from Santa Claus himself. Its primary purpose is to raise money for research in the fight against Juvenile Diabetes.

Students from Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn, 8515 Ridge Blvd., were there to paint and position giant dreidels donated by the school each year as part of the gigantic holiday display.

Joe Mure admires the life-sized dreidels donated by Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of Adelphi Academy of Brooklyn

“Service is a key component of an Adelphi education, so our students are very glad to volunteer and assist with whatever is needed on this special day,” explained Head of School Iphigenia Romanos. “Mr. Mure is a dear friend and supporter of Adelphi and he does so much for the community through his role as a board member of the Kiwanis Club of Bensonhurst & Bay Ridge. It’s great to be able to give back and show support for the Little North Pole, which brings joy and hope to so many during the holidays each year.”

Fellow Kiwanis Club board members Albert C. Corhan, who also serves as director of academy operations at Adelphi, and Frank Naccarato, who serves as executive vice president of the Federation of Italian-American OrganizationsIl Centro, were also on hand to assist with the setup.

Kiwanis Club of Bensonhurst & Bay Ridge board members Albert C. Corhan, Joe Mure and Frank Naccarato (left to right) set up one of the dozens of life-sized ornaments that help transform Mure’s home into the Little North Pole each year. Photo courtesy of Kiwanis Club of Bensonhurst & Bay Ridge

Media personality Todd Wharton spent the day alongside the volunteers, conducting interviews and capturing all the action for his popular “Facetime with Todd Wharton” program. He will serve as co-host of the event on Nov. 26, along with radio personality Sid Rosenberg. Radio legend Brooklyn’s own Joe Causi will serve as the evening’s emcee.

A few years back, the Mure family was featured on ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight” and the Little North Pole was named the overall winner. Mure donated all of the winnings to the JDRF, a cause he said is dear to his heart. Online donations benefiting JDRF may be made anytime via littlenorthpole.org.

Here’s hoping for a tremendous crowd gathered “on the avenue” on Nov. 26 to aid Mure in his quest to better the lives of those in need!

* * *

Gotta run! Approximately 50,000 runners were spotted “on the avenue” for the TCS New York City Marathon this past Sunday. It was the first full-scale marathon since the pandemic, and crowds that gathered to cheer on their favorite runners were not disappointed.

The five-borough, 26.2-mile course saw runners pour over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and into Bay Ridge via Fourth Avenue. Thousands of supporters lined the route with signs, flags and shouts of support for the dedicated athletes as they made their way through the Brooklyn portion of the race.

Overall winner Evans Chebet crossed the finish line with a time of 2:08:41. No word on whether he ran back to Bay Ridge to sample some of the fine dining and entertainment available, but it’s certainly worth another visit!

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