KRVC’s Friday Funday fall program ends this weekend

Need a place to relax Friday night?

The Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corp., might have just the place with one last Friday Funday as September draws to a close.

Hosted at KRVC’s West 236th Street headquarters, the fall program that ran throughout the month was designed to give children and their parents a chance to unwind after a long week through various activities like arts and craft projects, face painting, live music, and even a stilt walker.

KRVC began planning for Friday Fundays this past summer after placing a table topped with Play-Doh modeling clay in front of their office.

“Children walking by started playing with it,” said KRVC executive director Tracy McCabe Shelton. “We thought, ‘How can we make this bigger?’”

How? In what became Friday Fundays that kicked off Labor Day weekend.

“We were really happy with our first Friday Funday,” Shelton said. “There were a lot of families, and most children said they couldn’t wait for the next event.”

The fun days are geared toward the whole family. While parents are chatting amongst themselves, children socialize with each other, with the hopes of creating new friendships.

Of course, that doesn’t mean parents can’t take part, too. In fact, there was a wide range of ages at the crafts tables during the previous events, Shelton said, meaning you’re never too old to do something young.

Local musician Steve Oates even played live guitar music, providing not just a mellow experience, but also some familiar songs like the theme to the Charlie Brown animated movies.

“The smiles we get from the kids, parents and people passing by say it all,” Oates said. “It’s a wonderful event for our community.”

Friday Fundays are made possible by state grant funds given to KRVC through state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi. As a nonprofit, KRVC applies for private grants each year and relies heavily on private donations in order to host various events.

“Without the grants we received from Biaggi, Friday Fundays and the rest of our events wouldn’t be possible,” Shelton said. “She is a big help.”

Although Friday Fundays are free, KRVC won’t say no to donations that can be used to help sponsor other community events, including poetry readings, holiday parties and the popular RiverFest.

There’s also a possibility that Friday Fundays could return in the spring.

“We’re always thinking of new events to host each year for our community,” Shelton said. “And we really try to utilize the space we have. Friday Fundays allow us to do that.”