By SÍLE MOLONEY
A CHILD PICKS up a pumpkin during the annual fall festival held in St. James Park in Fordham Manor on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, hosted by Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14) and various partners.
Photo by Síle Moloney
The Annual Fall Festival hosted by District 14 City Council Member Pierina Sanchez, in collaboration with State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assemblyman George Alvarez (A.D. 78), Assemblywoman Yudelka Tapia (A.D. 86), and several other sponsors, including various city agencies and many health entities, was held in St James Park on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Despite the rain, there was a pretty decent turn-out and kids were seen playing in various bouncy houses, riding a novelty train, pumpkin picking, taking part in fall arts & crafts and other activities. Meanwhile, a DJ kept the mood light as adults milled around the various stands offering health-related and other information, and they also participated in a raffle offering various prizes.
One female attendee we spoke to who was in attendance with her 5-year-old child and his friend, said it was not her first time. Speaking in Spanish and declining to give her name, she said, “It’s great for the kids; they enjoy it a lot.”
Another female resident and mom, also Spanish speaking and who also declined to be identified, said she lives near the Bronx Zoo, and was attending the festival for the first time with her 9-year-old who, she said, really enjoyed the activities, especially the bouncy house. “It’s fabulous!” she said. “Very pretty!” She said similar events were needed in the “Italian quarter.”
Also speaking in Spanish, one young child told us, “I fell!” when we asked how she was enjoying the day. She went on to say that it was ok, and she didn’t hurt herself.
Later, we spoke to another mom and local resident, Doumia Boumsmat, who explained that she was an asylum seeker from Algeria in north Africa. Speaking in French, she said the event was great for the kids. “It’s the first time that I’m attending here as we’re here just one year in The Bronx, in New York,” she said.
COUNCIL MEMBER PIERINA Sanchez (C.D. 14) and State Sen. Robert Jackson (S.D. 31) take a photo with some of the raffle prize winners and attendees at the Annual Fall Festival held in St. James Park in Fordham Manor on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Asked how she felt about the current climate when it came to immigration-related policy in the United States, Boumsmat said, “We’re still waiting. I haven’t yet done the interview yet so I’m waiting [for the date].”
Asked if she was receiving help from elected officials with her application, she said, “Yes, I received information and they gave me addresses [of various places to go for more assistance]. Now, I’m waiting on the equivalent of my diploma here.”
She continued, “I have a masters in psychology.” We mentioned that there appears to be a shortage of mental health professionals in New York City and that Mayor Eric Adams previously announced funding to support students studying mental health as a profession to help recruit more professionals to address the City’s mental health crisis. “I saw that,” Boumsmat said. “I’m just waiting on my work permit.” She said she hopes to receive it in January and then start to look and apply for work.
Later, we spoke to one of the stall attendants and asked what type of questions she was getting from the fair attendees. “They ask if we do health insurance for people without papers and the answer is no, because they don’t have legal eligibility, but they could get emergency Medicaid to go into the City hospitals for emergency services,” she said. Asked how that process worked, she said, “Through the hospitals.”
We spoke to another mom and her 3-year-old daughter whose birthday is next month. The mom said she enjoyed the event but only found out about it very late.
David Chuchuca, schools programs director with NYC Department of Water, who was also manning a stand with his colleagues, told us they teach the community about where their water comes from. “We do a lot of school programs for 2nd and 12th Grades where we bring students to parks and historic reservoirs, and coastlands like Orchard Beach to learn about where our water comes from, where it goes, how nature protects it, how nature is integral to a clean, healthy water system,” he said.
Chuchuca continued, “So, we identify trees, we look for shells, we’ll talk about plants and animals and about how it’s all connected so that we can hopefully take care of these spaces in the City, take care of the spaces that provide clean water, and have a healthier ecosystem and a secure water supply.
State Sen. Robert Jackson (S.D. 31) was also in attendance and praised the councilwoman and her team for turning the park into a “wonderland for the people of the community.” He added, “This is an amazing, beautiful event.” Impressed with what he learned at the festival, he talked about a local restaurant that makes coconut cake without hardly any sugar. “Excellent! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and 100% organic!” he said of the eatery. “In my opinion, I’ve tasted it, ate the whole piece; it’s very good!”
He also applauded the presence at the event of local cure violence group, Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (B.R.A.G.), saying it was essential to coordinate with residents to reduce gun violence in the community. “We’re here to support the kids,” a representative of B.R.A.G. later told us.
AN NYC DEPARTMENT of Buildings emergency response unit is seen parked outside 2441 Morris Avenue, an unoccupied dwelling, in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on Saturday morning, Oct. 11, 2025, after a fire was extinguished earlier that morning by the FDNY.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Norwood News also spoke with the councilwoman, who has endorsed Democratic mayoral nominee, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (A.D. 36). We asked Sanchez for her thoughts on what she believed could be the deciding factor (or potential blocking point) for the assemblyman in the race, while acknowledging he’s still leading in the polls, after Adams dropped out.
The mayor had previously said, “Mamdani’s supporters, a substantial number of them, are mean people. They’re arrogant, they’re nasty, they have a total disregard for other people.” This prompted yet another Mamdani social media campaign account (one of dozens) to be created entitled, “Mean Girls 4 Mamdani.” [Among others are “Oldies 4 Zohran,” “Jews for Zohran,” “Punjabis for Zohran,” “Perimenopausers 4 Zohran,” and “Buses 4 Zohran.”]
For her part, Sanchez said, “In my conversations with the mayoral nominee, I’ve been talking about our neighborhoods, our districts, the way that our district voted in the primary, and I appreciated that Zohran Mamdani is focused on The Bronx,” Sanchez said. “He’s been coming her a lot and he’s been having the campaign focused a lot on outreach in The Bronx, and on reaching more people, and so I think that’s the right approach, is not take anything for granted, to keep working, because you don’t win until Election Day.”
Referring to the remaining campaign time ahead of Election Day, Nov. 4, the councilwoman said in part, “He has to do everything he can to reach every single voter because he’s going to govern everyone, and it would be a beautiful thing to have more folks on board with him.”
On the success of this year’s fall festival, Sanchez acknowledged that although the turn-out was a little lower compared to previous years, likely due to the rain, she said she was grateful to her co-sponsors and partners. “It’s about bringing people together,” she said.
The Annual Fordham Road Fair took place on the same day a short distance away, and, as reported, a residential fire broke out the same morning on nearby Morris Avenue in Fordham Heights.