KHCC returns with 10th festival

It might have been raining like cats and dogs on Friday, June 16 but that did not stop Kingsbridge Heights Community Center from celebrating its 10th annual festival while also celebrating Juneteenth and Pride Month indoors.

“Kingsbridge Heights Community Center is excited to welcome so many of our fellow community members as we celebrate Pride and Juneteenth together,” said Raye Barbieri, the center’s chief executive. “It’s so exciting to lift up and honor our shared values of unity resilience, hope and belonging that are the heart of KHCC and what the Bronx is about.”

Children enjoyed the large bounce house while grabbing popcorn, animal- and sword-shaped balloons. And an endless array of games and art. Everyone of all ages participated and was able to hop to various booths to take gifts home.

Also, the center provided a LGBTQ+ Pride theme photo booth with Juneteenth-themed props creating a celebratory inclusion atmosphere, according to a news release.

Tammy Wofsey, a print maker, brought her talent, recycled materials and a clothing dryer to make prints. She uses an 1800s manual clothing dryer to create a printing press out of recycled materials.

“I got it (the manual clothing dryer with rollers) from some antique store for cheap,” Wofsey said.

At her booth, she used paint, cardboard coffee cup covers and other items that people might think is trash.

And she used the same technique as drying clothes while adding all the materials together before placing it in between the two rollers stacked with blank papers to thicken them up.

Once the paper with colors from paint she uses goes through the rollers, the participant can see their rainbow paint with a small coffee cup holder indentation come to life.

Aida Roman stood by another booth, blowing up and shaping balloons. Children had smiles on their faces while Roman handed them balloons shaped like dogs and swords. 

She came to the center approximately one year ago to learn English. Now, she works with respite students at the center’s special needs program.

The fun did not end there as the International School of Liberal Arts performed a dance that brought the festival alive.