Season 6 Week 31
City sidewalks…
Are we the only ones already hearing holiday music?!
Anyway — we wanted to update you all on our big mural project. Quick recap: we got a $25,000 Public Realm Grant (!!!) from the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to bring five murals to the Open Street blocks in 2026. We brought on the great Talisa Almonte (the mind behind our bike corral mural, and so much more) to help with the process. And we asked Isto Barton and our friends at QNS Collaborative to ask our community for some neighborhood notes, under the banner of ‘We’re Making a Mural Y’all!’ The responses have been adorable.
Our RFEI (fancy pants lingo for ‘Request for Expressions of Interest’) received ~70 submissions (!!!), which was immensely heartening to see. And now, our team is narrowing it down to finalists, as we weigh potential design proposals before year’s end.
AH! So exciting. With lots of news to come soon :)
Now, onto the good stuff:
The Clips
Can we get these ‘ring dings’ in Astoria please? (Streetfilms)
The fight for universal daylighting continues. (Gothamist)
Paging John Wilson. (The New York Times)
Weekend Plans
SATURDAY
Goods for Gaza: 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Indivisible Western Queens: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
SUNDAY
NYC-DSA Palestine Tabling: Break the Chain ⛓️💥: 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Kids & Adults Book Sale for Gaza: 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Astoria Cat Rescue: 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Indivisible Western Queens: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Vendors Unite Market: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
For information on each event, peek our events page, which stays more updated than this newsletter.
Upcoming Markets - November
If you’re interested in selling on the Open Street, read our FAQs first here and join our Markets WhatsApp group to get the latest news as markets are being planned.
11/23 - Vendors Unite Market
Join Your Neighbors!
Sign up for a setup, breakdown or tabling shift this weekend and join the 31OS crew!
All are welcome and no prior experience is required. The most help is needed 12pm-1pm and 7pm-8pm but shifts are available all day for anyone interested in keeping an eye on things, meeting neighbors, and talking with members of the community who may have questions.
For more info on the types of shifts, or to see what sign-ups are available, check out our Volunteer page.
If you want to help, but can’t make it to the street in person, there are lots of other tasks and projects we’re working on throughout the week. Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form to share what you like to do and we’ll reach out if we have something!
Stay Connected via WhatsApp
Want to stay in touch with 31OS and your neighbors even when the Open Street isn’t active? Use our invite link to join our WhatsApp Community today!
Share Your Feedback
We strive to make the Open Street a pleasant experience for all, so if you have any feedback that you’d like to share with the volunteers we’d love to hear it! Our Feedback form is available 24/7 for members of the community to send their thoughts directly to our team.
Support the Open Street
It takes a lot to run the 31st Ave Open Street, such as renting storage space, paying for insurance, or buying supplies like extra chairs, sidewalk chalk, and trash bags to keep our street clean.
We list a few of the materials that we are in frequent need of on our donation page. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we also take tax-deductible donations via our Givebutter campaign for those who would like to contribute financially.
Every bit helps and we appreciate your support in making 31st Ave a better place for all! Thank you!
