The 6th annual TAMA Summerfest is set to take place on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Brooklyn, NY. With plans to transform the streets into pedestrian friendly public places for dining, socializing, shopping, music and neighborhood camaraderie, the event will feature free live performances by hip-hop vets, Sadat X of Brand Nubian and Jarobi White of A Tribe Called Quest, children’s games, food, health, and dental mobiles, FDNY’s “Touch a Truck,†prizes, and much more. For the past three years the festival, hosted by the Bridge Street Development Corporation (BSDC) and the Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association (TAMA), provides a unique opportunity for community residents to discover local businesses.
[Related: Marriott Hotels Courts Millennials with Live Performances, Food Trucks and More]
“TAMA SummerFest highlights the unique mix of merchants along Tompkins Avenue and encourages community residents to get to know and patronize the small businesses right in their neighborhood,†says Emilio Dorcely, President & CEO of Bridge Street Development Corporation. Bridge Street has worked with small business owners for more than a decade to develop and strengthen merchant associations along Tompkins Avenue, Malcolm X Boulevard, Bedford Avenue, and other so-called “secondary†commercial corridors in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Local businesses such as Bed-Vyne Wine and Bed-Vyne Brew will sponsor a wine and beer event from 1:00pm to 6:00pm, and an afterparty during Summerfest.
According to a press release statement, Bridge Street Development Corporation (BSDC), founded in 1995, evolved out of Bridge Street AWME Church’s more than 200-year-long history of community service. The Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association (TAMA) is a collective effort amongst the businesses, building owners, and residents along the Tompkins Avenue commercial strip to improve the economic condition and quality of life in their community.