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September 5-6
eNewsletter Volume V • Issue 35
Free Edition
| | Swing your partner at the West Side County Fair | | |
Did summer go by so fast you missed the old school county fairs happening in Dutchess, Ulster and Sussex counties? No worries. The county fair comes to the city at the annual West Side County Fair, Sunday, September 6 in Riverside Park South. Enjoy live bands, square dancing with the City Stompers, plus lots of carnival amusements, kiddie rides and treats. Due to some new Parks Department rules, bouncy houses have been scrapped. The fair is from 1-6pm at Pier I at West 70th Street. The rain date is Sunday, September 13.
Spend Labor Day, Monday, September 7, in Prospect Park. The Prospect Park Alliance hosts the annual celebration, 10am-3pm, that includes nature activities at the Audubon Center and rides on the historic carousel, noon-5pm. The nature programming is FREE; the carousel is $3 per ride.
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Get a head start on the holiday weekend starting today at Free First Fridays, 11am-8pm at the Noguchi Museum. Today will be the last summer session offering extended hours. Advance reservations are not required.
If you go, be sure to stop by for the Gallery Kit, an all ages activity from 3-5pm. Visitors are invited to explore Isamu Noguchi’s work and current exhibitions through art-making in the galleries. Each session begins with a motivating question, guiding participants through a creative exploration of materials and ideas. The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum is located at 9-01 33rd Rd. at Vernon Boulevard, LIC.
There's a lot more to come Share next week. Share Blast Off! with friends! New subscribers can sign up on the website.
| | City Park Foundation's PuppetMobile sets up shop at Fort Tryon Park on Saturday. Photo is from the Summer 2025 production of Pippi Longstocking. | | |
FREE EVENT
Pinocchio and Gepetto's Big Apple Adventure | 11am-noon | All ages
Last chance to see the City Park Foundation's PuppetMobile production of Pinocchio and Gepetto's Big Apple Adventure, a modern retelling of the classic tale, set in New York City. FREE. Fort Tryon Park, near Anne Loftus Playground, Broadway and Riverside Drive, northern Manhattan. For further information, visit cityparksfoundation.org.
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Family Activity Weekends: Lenape Games | 11am-4:30pm | All ages
Discover the traditions of the area’s Indigenous people and play the same games that were enjoyed here long before the city we know today. Family-friendly activities include Selahtinalìtin, a scattering straws game similar to Pick Up Sticks or Jackstraws, and Mamantuhwin, a dice-and-bowl game inspired by the whirligig beetle. FREE with museum admission $18 adults, $15 seniors/students, $5 children. South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St., Lower Manhattan. For tickets and further information, visit southstreetseaportmuseum.org.
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FREE EVENT
Canoeing on the Gowanus Canal | 1-5pm | All ages
Self-guided canoeing on Brooklyn's former cargo transportation hub, the Gowanus Canal Trips may be limited to 20 minutes if there's a crowd for walk-up canoeing. FREE. For reservations and further details, visit eventbrite.com. Also, September 6.
FREE EVENT
Fishing at the Gantries | 10am-12:45pm | All ages
Few tickets remain. Learn the basics of rod and reel fishing and help collect valuable data to support conservation efforts in the East River. All materials will be provided. 45-minute sessions at 10am, 11am and noon. FREE. Gantry Plaza State Park, Pier 4, LIC. Advance reservations are required, visit eventbrite.com.
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Sparky the Robot Dog | Noon, 2&4pm | All ages
Get to know MoMI LAB’s new mascot: Sparky the Robot Dog. The museum's Education team introduces visitors to Sparky, a Unitree Go 2 Robot Dog. Learn how onboard cameras and systems help Sparky see and navigate through real 3D environments and avoid obstacles, while robotic servos and sensors help to keep the robot dog upright and balanced. Sessions are 30 minutes. FREE with museum admission $20 adults, $12 students/seniors, $10 youth ages 3-17. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave., Astoria. Advance reservations are not required; visit movingimage.org. Also, September 6.
FREE EVENT
Rangers Choice Guided Walk at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Center | 10:30am-11:30pm | All ages
Join the National Park Service for a ranger-led program highlighting the nature and history of Jamaica Bay. FREE. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, 175-10 Cross Bay Blvd., Queens. Advance reservation is not required; for further information visit jbrc.org.
Family Art Project: Paint and Fly with Monarch Butterflies | 10am-1pm | All ages
In a few weeks, monarch butterflies will fly thousands of miles south for the winter. Kids celebrate this natural wonder by painting their own wearable butterfly wings. Program includes at storytime at 11:30am. FREE with grounds admission $10 adults, $6 students/seniors, $4 children ages 6 and up, children 5 and under admitted FREE. Wave Hill, 4900 Independence Ave. Bronx. Advance registration is not required; visit wavehill.org. Also, Sunday, September 6.
FREE EVENT
Science Saturdays! | Noon-4pm | All ages
Explore scientific topics outdoors: seining and fish identification, water chemistry, a Hudson River Puzzle, Hudson based games and more. FREE. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Hudson River Field Station, 200 Ferry Rd., Piermont, NY. For further information, visit lamont.columbia.edu.
Tea With the Animals | 10-11:30am | Ages 6+
Have a mid-morning cuppa while you meet and learn about the animals on the farm. Participants will harvest and make some treats for both humans and the animals to enjoy together for a tea party. Cost: $15 per person. Hilltop Hanover Farm & Environmental Center, 1271 Hanover St., Yorktown Heights, NY. Pre-registration is required; visit eventbrite.com.
Bedford Music Festival | 2pm | All ages
Full day into evening of live music on the beautiful outdoor grounds of Caramoor features something for everyone: Rock and Roll Playhouse Plays the Music of Taylor Swift, followed by Summer Fling, Jamie Mclean Band and The Motet. Plus, explore the exhibition of Sound Art, lawn games, an Instrument Petting Zoo, scavenger hunt, bouncy house and more. Tickets: $64 in advance, $70 at the door, children 12 and under admitted FREE. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY. For tickets, visit caramoor.org.
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Open House TADA! Youth Theater | 10am-noon | Ages 4-13
Sample a musical theater class for fall with TADA! Youth Theater. 10am for ages 4-7, 11am for ages 8-13. Cost: $25, which is applied to fall semester class for families that sign up. TADA! 15 W. 28th St., Chelsea. Advance registration is required at tadatheater.com.
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FREE EVENT
Playscape Performs at the Battery: WonderSpark Puppets | 10:30am&12:30pm
After the August hiatus, Sundays at Showbox is back with a puppet performance of Ricitos de Oro (Goldilocks) from the NYC-based WonderSpark Puppets. FREE. The Battery, State Street and Battery Place, Lower Manhattan. For further information, visit thebattery.org.
Brooklyn Cyclones vs. Frederick Keys
Last chance to catch the Brooklyn Cyclones this season when they take on the Frederick Keys. Post-game, kids run the bases. 2pm. Tickets: $21-$72. Maimonides Park, 1904 Surf Ave., Brooklyn. For tickets and further information, visit milb.com.
Apples & Honey Day | Noon-4pm | All ages
Celebrate the beginning of fall with live music, apples and honey tastings, themed crafts, tours, local vendors, and more. Visitors are also invited to meet the beekeeper and learn about the Garden’s bees. Tickets: $7.29 adults, $5.19 students/seniors, $3.09 children ages 4-12. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing. Advance registration is suggested, visit eventbrite.com.
Animal Adaptations | 2pm | All ages
Visitors explore how wildlife use adaptations like camouflage, hibernation, and migration to thrive in their environments. Attendees will get to meet and touch some live animal ambassadors and take a walk to the nature center's outside exhibits. Cost: $7. Greenburgh Nature Center, 99 Dromore Rd., Scarsdale, NY. Capacity is limited; plan to arrive early to secure tickets at the Manor House. Learn more at naturecentergb.org.
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A heads up for Blast Off! Supporters on upcoming events
with limited availability or likely to sell out in advance.
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Get the complete Giddy Up! each week when you upgrade on Patreon. Blast Off! Supporters got the early scoop on:
• The upcoming Field Guide with the Noguchi Museum which has now sold out.
• WeBop Family Jazz Parties — tickets are still available
• Upcoming family workshops in architecture, discounted kids tickets and more.
Plus, you'll receive the newsletter on Wednesday, two days early.
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About Blast Off!
“In a perfect world, someone would send me the 10-20 of the coolest New York things to do with kids,” is the genesis of this newsletter. The statement came from a parent overwhelmed by the amount of content posted and pushed out by online parenting sites.
Blast Off! strives to provide a useful resource the exhausted parent can trust. I vet all the worthwhile stuff to do with kids, so you don’t have to. I’m also on the hunt for affordable and free events; if a cultural institution offers a discount on a quality event, I want you to know about it. Conversely, you may also encounter pricier listings totally worth the splurge. Feedback and ideas are always welcome; email me at blastoffkids@gmail.com.
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