Blood, sweat and RiverFest

The Palisades are in full bloom and the days are getting longer. It's June in Riverdale, which can only mean that RiverFest is just around the corner. Sunday June 14 from 12 to 6 p.m. at the College of Mt. St. Vincent to be precise. 

For those of you who are new to the party, RiverFest — now in its sixth year — was conceived as a means for the Bronx to both celebrate the Hudson River and to enable our community to speak in a single, united voice that the time has come to "Build It Now." And of course, the "it" we refer to is the Hudson River Greenway in the Bronx, which when complete will link the existing Greenways in Manhattan and Westchester County.

On May 29, I had the privilege to stand by state Sen. Jeff Klein and other community leaders as he announced that Grammy Award-winning Blood, Sweat & Tears would headline this year's festival. Anyone of the Woodstock generation knows that this is a big deal. There is a certain irony in a band from that epochal era performing on a local stage for an audience hungry for change.

And the change they seek seems modest enough. With Greenways in various stages of planning and completion across the five boroughs, it's reasonable enough to ask why Riverdale remains effectively alienated from its own River.

And while no one has ever suggested it would be easy or quick, it's also reasonable to ask why the MTA can't share at least a modest sliver of incredible valuable waterfront turf wide enough to build the Greenway with the people of the State of New York. The same people who gave it to the precursor of the MTA in the first place over 150 years ago.

At least one man in a position to influence the outcome is doing exactly that.

By bringing Blood, Sweat & Tears to RiverFest 2015, Mr. Klein has demonstrated once again that he fundamentally understands what makes communities strong and vibrant. He has made it possible for the Greenway movement to reach a broader audience and to elevate this already iconic festival on a new level. His support for the Greenway means so much to our community. And his leadership moving forward will be essential to making it a reality.

It's rare for one man, one leader to possess both the vision and the pragmatism that this effort will require. We are blessed that Mr. Klein has both in spades. And that will be a win for RiverFest, a win for this community and a win for the Bronx.  

Cliff Stanton is the Greenway Coordinator for the Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation and lead organizer of Riverdale RiverFest 2015.