Cover Story: Summer in New York City

Summer Events in Parks around the City:

Central Park, New York’s Backyard

Play Ball: Manhattan Parks Ball Fields. For permits call 212-408-0209. For Special Events call: 212-360-3456. For complete Special Events and permit information, visit www.nyc.gov/parks or use the ‘fax-on-demand’ function on the phone menu. Main office: 16 W. 61^st St., 6^th Fl. (bet. B’way/Columbus).

Bird Watching: Belvedere Castle. Call 212-772-0210 for schedule and group workshops or visit www.centralparknyc.org.

Ride the Carousel: Open M-F, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. & Sun., 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Fee: $1 for adults and children. Call 212-879-0244 for more information.

Go Fishing: Tues-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Maximum of 20 poles. Call 212-860-1379 for a free photo ID and about group reservations and the Discovery Center .

Walk around the Conservatory Gardens: Free tours every Sat. between Apr 16 & Oct. 26, starting at 11 a.m. Regular hours: M-Sun., 8 a.m.-dusk. For tour information call 212-360-2766 or -3444.

Horseback riding: Lessons and riding in the park start at 175 W. 89^th St. For more information call 212-724-5100.

Swimming Lessons: Free for pre-teens. Call the Aquatics Hotline at 718-699-4219.

Visit the Zoo: Central Park Wildlife Center. M-F, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Weekends & holidays, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fees: $3.50 adults, $1.25 Senior citizens, $.50 3-12 yrs., free under 3 years. Call 212-861-6030 for more information.

Discover the Dairy: Central Park at 65^th St. Open Tues-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Take a free walking tour of Central Park that starts at the Dairy. Find out about the following educational activities by calling the Dairy at 212-310-6658 or visiting www.centralparknyc.org.

Adult Tai Chi Class, North Meadow, Sat., July 7, 14, 21 & 28, Flag Making, Henry Luce Observatory at Belvedere Castle, Sat., July 7, ages 6 & up, Seed Mosaics, Henry Luce Observatory at Belvedere Castle, Sat., July 14, ages 6 & up, Sketching to See, Dana Discovery Center, Sat., July 14, all ages.

Summer with the Rangers

New to 2001, the Urban Park Rangers offer summer Explorer Programs filled with educational activities to introduce New Yorkers to the city’s natural environment. The Explorer Programs are free and include canoeing, biking, camping, fishing, orienteering and hiking, active conservation, nature exploration, local history, performing arts and lectures, and special events. Adults and families can learn how to appreciate the environment. Upcoming events include:

 Lecture: Bats
July 20, 7 p.m., Marine Park, Brooklyn, 718-421-2021

Madison Square History
July 21, 11 a.m., Madison Square Park, Manhattan, 212-628-2345

Open Mic: Poets, singers, musicians and artists
July 21, 7 p.m., Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan, 212-304-2365

Nightime Visit: Nocturnal Animals
July 28, 8 p.m., Forest Park Visitor Center, 718-846-2731

History of City Hall Park
July 29, 1 p.m., City Hall Park, Manhattan, 212-628-2345

Lecture: Medicinal Plants
July 29, 2 p.m., Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, Urban Ecology Center, 718-548-0912

Van Cortlandt House Tour
August 5, 2 p.m., Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, 718-548-0912

Pelham Bay Guided Biking Tour
August 11, 2 p.m., Pelham Bay Park, Bronx, 718-885-3466

Free Concerts in the Park
Summerstage presents a range of musical and spoken events on various days throughout the summer. Most events are free and no tickets are required. Seating is first come, first served. A sampling of events follows.

Kwaito Music, the New Face of South Africa
Saturday, July 14, 12 noon, The Arsenal Gallery

New York Grand Opera: Verdi’s Othello
July 18, 7:30 p.m., Rumsey Playfield

Kid Creole and the Coconuts/Los Mocosos; DJ Set: Jeno
Saturday, July 28, 3 p.m., Rumsey Playfield (DJ set starts at 1:30)

For information about the many other Summerstage events, call 212-360-2777 or visit www.summerstage.org.

The Seagull in Central Park

Shakespeare in the Park presents Tom Stoppard’s version of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, July 24 through August 19. Directed by Mike Nichols, the actors include John Goodman, Marcia Gay Harden, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Debra Monk, Larry Pine, Natalie Portman, Stephen Spinella, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken

For over a hundred years, The Seagull has remained a modern classic, resonating with contemporary questions of sex, love, family and fame. Madame Arkadina is a well-known B-list actress. Trigorin, a well-known writer, Arkadina’s young lover and lapdog, falls madly in love with an even younger want-to-be actress, Nina. Enter Konstantin, Arkadina’s son, a would-be writer who is fiercely jealous of his mother’s lover, and is dying to write the ultimate modern theatrical tragedy. As his own play unfolds, so does Konstantin’s real tragedy, when he must choose between his art and his love.

For more information, call 212-539-8750 or visit www.publictheater.org.

Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
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