College of Mount Saint Vincent to Host Riverdale Riverfest June 24, 2012
6/18/2012
Riverdale, N.Y. – The University of Mount Saint Vincent will host the third annual Riverdale RiverFest celebration from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 24, 2012 on Marillac Lawn on the College’s Riverdale campus. This year’s event, which is free and open to the public, will feature more boats, more music, more activities and expanded hours.
The famed sloop Clearwater will particnipate in a flotilla of ships on the Riverdale waterfront for the third year of this festive celebration of the river and the environment. Accompanying the majestic, 106-foot Clearwater, a replica of the sloops that sailed the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries, will be the sailing ship A.J. Meerwald, a two-masted Delaware Bay oyster schooner built in 1928; the antique fireboat John J. Harvey; and the OurHudson Barge, a waterborne education showcase of the Hudson Valley.
As at last year’s Riverdale RiverFest, boat rides on the river will be offered on both the day of the festival and the day before, Saturday, June 23. Space is limited on the boats, but guaranteed reservations for all rides can be made for a small fee on the Riverdale RiverFest website, www.riverdaleRiverFest.org.
More than 4,000 people attended Riverdale RiverFest last year, a substantial increase over the previous year’s attendance, to enjoy the festival’s rotating schedule of musicians and performers, as well as food, crafts, family-oriented activities, and exhibits by local schools and environmental organizations.
This year’s Riverdale RiverFest will run from 12 noon to 6 p.m.—an hour longer than last year’s—and, as in previous years, will feature non-stop music, more than 50 exhibitors, special activities for children, a greenmarket, and fantasy battles by the popular Society for Creative Anachronism, a local group of Renaissance re-creators.
A variety of foods will be available throughout the day, including kosher, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. From more traditional festival fare to the exotic flavors of the Caribbean, South India, Mexico and the Mediterranean, and sweet treats such as fresh waffles, artisanal cakes and pastries, RiverFest will offer an exciting selection of foods for every taste.
The festival is organized and run entirely by community volunteers and supported by all local elected officials and more than 40 community organizations, including the neighborhood’s schools and religious institutions.
In addition to celebrating and enjoying the Hudson River, the purpose of the festival is to promote the Hudson River Greenway Link, an initiative to extend the Hudson River greenway from its current terminus at the north end of Manhattan through the Bronx along the Riverdale waterfront to Yonkers. A map of the proposed route, along with information about the Greenway, will be displayed during Riverdale RiverFest.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
The University of Mount Saint Vincent is an academically excellent, authentically inclusive, Catholic and ecumenical liberal arts college. It combines a strong core curriculum with a full array of majors in the liberal arts and selected professional fields of study, including accounting, business administration, education, and nursing. Through its School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the College extends its primary undergraduate mission by offering high quality graduate studies in business, education and nursing and an array of undergraduate and certificate programs serving non-traditional students. Mount Saint Vincent is located on a pastoral campus in New York City, with easy access to all the educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities that the City affords.