Rollin' on the river

Record crowds throng to RiverFest

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Perfect weather, a big name band, booths selling wares and touting nonprofit organizations and a chance to sail the Hudson brought scores of residents to the College of Mount St. Vincent on Sunday for the sixth annual Riverfest. 

The afternoon-long party is more than just a good time; it brings people together to experience the river first-hand and advocate for a scenic Greenway along the shoreline. 

Local musicians, including the Riverdale Rising Stars teen theater group, warmed up the audience for the headliners — Blood, Sweat & Tears — and jewelers, artists, craftspeople and merchants manned tents intermingled with organizations as diverse as Riverkeeper and the Riverdale/Yonkers Ethical Culture Society.

Speechifying politicians were on hand — including Rep. Eliot Engel, state Sen. Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz and Councilman Andrew Cohen, but they kept their remarks brief and yielded the stage to the musicians.

Kids were treated to face painting, jousting, a bounce castle and Bronx Children’s Museum art activities, not to mention a stilt-walking juggler.

Two sloops, the Clearwater and the Pioneer, offered tranquil sails up and down the river all afternoon long, but for some families it was enough just to have a chance to get up close and personal with one of the world’s great rivers.

RiverFest, Adrian Fussell

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