Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

Sticky fingers were all over Madison Square Park on Saturday and Sunday – on the lawns, the benches, and the Sol LeWitt sculptures. Yes, these were sophisticated sticky fingers, not belonging to young children with melting ice-cream cones, but rather to thousands of adults attending the third annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party.There were long lines for every kind of barbecue and drink, but they didn’t seem to drag people down.“When I got here, I was very discouraged, but now that I have my food, I can say it’s worth it,” a retail manager from the Upper East Side, Paula Pritchett, said as she tackled a rib.Her friend Jennifer Mallicote wasn’t eating at all – she’s a vegetarian. But Ms. Mallicote’s Jack Russell, Punk, was on the trail for leftovers.Che Chisholm had her fill after three plates (at $7 each): beef brisket, pulled pork, and baked beans. Kenneth Yuan was ready to quit after one serving of baby back ribs from 17th Street Bar & Grill of Murphysboro, Ill. A designer from Brooklyn, Rebecca Baumgartner, had a breakfast of M &Ms in preparation for her feast, which she said would involve only non-New York barbecue – out-of-town pits included Mitchell’s BBQ in Wilson, N.C., and Whole Hog Cafe in Little Rock, Ark. A student living on the Upper West Side, Ray Wang, enjoyed the beef brisket, sausage, and cole slaw from the Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, Texas. He said he eats New York barbecue about once a week at Dallas BBQ. Zac Lill’s favorite item was the hot sauce at Big Bob Gibson Bar-BQ in Decatur, Ala. Others praised Big Bob’s baked beans, which were served with pork shoulder. Angie and Ted Bartles sipped sangria from Eleven Madison Park while they waited in line for the ribs from 17th Street Bar & Grill. “It’s a great event. We wish there were more things like this to do in the city, things that didn’t involve crepes, hot dogs – street-festival food,” Mrs. Bartles said. The couple from Hell’s Kitchen – now that’s a place for barbecue-lovers to reside – likes to barbecue, “but only when we’re not in the city – we don’t have the backyard space here,” Mr. Bartles said. A researcher at Rockefeller University, Heather Lee, found a bench in the shade and dug into a pulled-pork sandwich from Ubon’s in Yazoo, Miss. She had an extra plate of the same at her side, which she was saving for a friend. “Now that’s a sign of true love if I don’t eat it before he gets here,” Ms. Lee said. The event, in its third year, raised more than $50,000 for the Madison Square Park Conservancy and attracted more than 100,000 people.***Introductions of speakers at events tend to be too long and formal. It would be better if event planners eliminated them. Surely the president of Yeshiva University, Richard Joel, would have managed without an introduction last week at the spring benefit of the Yeshiva University Women’s Organization. In just one year in office, Mr. Joel has won the hearts of faculty, students, and this fiercely loyal organization of donors. When Mr. Joel’s wife, Esther Joel, stood up to make the introduction, there was hope some amusing secrets would be shared, but Mrs. Joel stuck to remarks prepared by the national chairwoman of the group, Dinah Pinczower (who would have read them herself, had she not lost her voice that day). So it was up to Mr. Joel to get some laughs out of his wife’s remarks. “We’ve been married 31 years and have had six children together, and I’m ‘a very strong friend and supporter’?” Mr. Joel said. He proceeded to talk about the stalwarts being honored at the event: the dean of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Dominick Purpura, and a national board member of the organization, Bina Blumenfrucht, and her children, Talia Vegh, Reina Malki Roth, and Marc Blumenfrucht. Mr. Joel credited Dr. Purpura with creating the happiest student body of any medical school and thanked Mrs. Blumenfrucht for establishing a scholarship fund in honor of her husband, Marvin. “I encourage all of you to celebrate a spouse’s special occasion by giving me presents,” Mr. Joel said. He noted the Blumenfruchts were creating a Yeshiva University dynasty, with Talia and Reina graduating from Stern College and Marc, a sophomore at Yeshiva University High School who already has been already voicing his opinions. “In five minutes, Marc told me everything I have to fix at his school,” Mr. Joel said. The Yeshiva University Women’s Organization has been a faithful source of monetary support for more than 80 years. The organization bankrolls projects large and small – from laboratories and dorms to student stipends for clothing and Friday-night singles dinner parties. This year, the organization gave $20,000 to the Albert Einstein Synagogue. Dr. Purpura summed up the spirit of the group when he told the story of how he first came to the university. “I’d heard the university didn’t have any money,” he said. “When I asked about it, I was told, ‘We dig a big hole and we let the Jewish heart bleed into it.’ And that’s the way it is.” More than 200 women attended the luncheon, raising $1 million. Mrs. Pinczower, the national chairwoman, brought her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Also attending were members of the group’s national presidium, Caron Enlander, Harriet Muss, Maguy Naparstek, and Gabrielle Propp.

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party

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