STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Overcast skies and a little rain didn’t scare away the crowds who came out to celebrate the season during the Second Annual Fall Freedom Festival in Stapleton on Saturday.
The Staten Islanders who came to Tappen Park for the six hours of festivities were greeted with activities for all ages, featuring vendors, community resources, and local entertainment.
Local vendors, such as NeeNee’s Food Fantasy and Auntie Sheila’s Kitchen provided food for the event.
Vincent Giles — who performs as DJ Thrilla — and other acts provided live music throughout the day.
1/9
2nd Annual Fall Freedom Festival
Dorcas Meyers, president of Roc-A-Natural Cultural Foundation and event organizer said that the second year of the Fall Freedom Festival presented an opportunity to bring together a unique blend of cultures to the North Shore park.
“I love the culture. We’re constantly bringing in a new culture because it’s all about diversity. Tappen Park belongs to everyone,” said Meyers.
“I was told in the past ‘Dorcas, you’ve turned this Tappen Park into a cultural center’ and it is so true. It is a cultural center,” Meyers continued.
During the festivities, children were able to enjoy a host of activities in the park, including chess lessons, face painting, a haunted walkthrough, and pumpkin picking sponsored by NYC Parks.
One of the biggest hits was the fall festival’s pumpkin painting tent, which provided all materials necessary for kids to decorate their pumpkins as they saw fit.
“When they saw the pumpkins, they ran and got the pumpkins and came running to the table,” said Diana Daniels, who organized the festival’s pumpkin painting.
“Look at the paintings, I love it. I see young artists blooming at my table and that makes me happy,” she continued.
For adults, the festival had health screenings by Richmond University Medical Center, yoga, dance and live music.
“They had a little something for everyone, something for the kids and adults,” said Natasha Wheeler of Graniteville. “When I came in I was able to dance, we got to stretch our bodies. It was a great event all around.”
In addition to all the activities, some in attendance said that what’s most important is that the Fall Freedom Festival continues to build upon itself for years to come.
“What we’re doing is we’re planting a seed,” said Mark1, a local graffiti artist who had a live mural painting demonstration at the festival.
“This is the second annual, next year will be the third and that’s how you build with positive energy from the ground up. Not from the top down,” he continued.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.