Outdoors

HUNTS POINT Riverside Park, located at Lafayette Avenue and Edgewater Road in the Bronx, will host the Bronx River Community Paddle, a special outdoor program for the whole family, on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Throughout the event, staff members from the Bronx River Alliance will lead paddling trips — canoes and kayaks — through the tidal flats of the Bronx River in the South Bronx. In addition, Rocking the Boat — a community rowing organization — will allow visitors to go rowing in their handmade wooden boats, between noon and 5 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public, but all rides will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, go to www.bronxriver.org or call 718-430-4636.

PELHAM BAY Park invites local residents to join the Urban Park Rangers for the special program, “The Reel Deal,” on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 11 a.m. Participants will fish in the Long Island Sound and search for the area’s saltwater dwellers. This event is free and open to ages 8 and older, on a first-come, firstserved basis. All necessary equipment will be provided. Participants should meet at the Orchard Beach Nature Center, which is located in section two of Orchard Beach. For directions and more information, call 718-885-3467.

THE GREENBURGH Nature Center will host the following events during the upcoming week:

• The center will host Feeding Fun, on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. During this program, visitors will explore the live animal museum and discover what various critters consider to be a gourmet meal. This event is included with paid admission to the museum.
• On Sunday, Aug. 30, the center will hold its next Open House, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Visitors will have a chance to experience some of the treasures on this 33-acre property as they walk through the center’s gardens, trails and grounds, as well as meet some of its live animals. This program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.

The nature center is located at 99 Dromore Road, just off Central Park Avenue in Scarsdale, N.Y. For more information, call 914-723-3470.

STERLING FOREST, located at 600 Route 17A, in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. — less than 50 miles from the Bronx — will host its 32nd annual New York Renaissance Faire, on Saturdays and Sundays (and Labor Day Monday), now through Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a wide variety of entertainment for all ages to enjoy, such as a royal joust with armored knights on horseback, acrobatic performances, an ongoing Robin Hood show, a living chess game and much more. Visitors can also interact with storytellers, pirates and magicians, browse through a crafts marketplace, go on human-powered rides and participate in various 16th-century games. There will be all kinds of gourmet food and beverages available for purchase throughout each day of the festival. Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for ages 5 to 12 and free for children ages 4 and younger. Tickets can be reserved online at www.renfair.com, by calling 845-351-5174 or at the box office.

THE NEW York City public pools are now open for the 2009 summer season. The Van Cortlandt Pool, which is located in the park, at West 242nd Street and Broadway, will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., every day of the week, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Visitors should bring a bathing suit, towel and a lock. Pool admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 718-548-2415 or call 718-760- 6969 ext. 0 for the Adult Lap Swim schedule.

ORCHARD BEACH, located on the Long Island Sound in Pelham Bay Park, is the only beach in the Bronx and it is currently open for swimming, sun tanning and more, now through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Throughout the beach season, lifeguards are on duty everyday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Swimming is prohibited at all other times. For more information, call 718-885-2275.

This is part of the August 27, 2009 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

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