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Read the press release here.

Access the Waterfront Before it Gets Cold

By Heather Holland | August 17, 2012 7:21am | Updated on August 17, 2012 10:16am

NEW YORK CITY — It’s not too late in the season to enjoy all that the city’s waterfront has to offer, and there’s something for everyone.

Roll out the sleeping bag for a family camping trip in Pelham Bay Park, watch a vintage baseball game on Governor's Island, or take a tour of the Brooklyn waterfront while riding a Jet Ski.

Manhattan

Blues and BBQ

The Hudson River Park is bringing southern flair to the waterfront this summer, with an afternoon of blues and barbecue.

On Aug. 25, Hudson River Park will bring back it’s 13th annual Blues BBQ Festival at Pier 84 in Hell's Kitchen, featuring blues bands from across the country and food from local restaurants.

The event’s lineup includes The Bo-Keys, Glen Davis Andrews, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Curtis Salgado. Meanwhile, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Brother Jimmy’s BBQ will provide the feast. The show begins at 2 p.m. and entry is free.

For more information, visit www.hudsonriverpark.org/events/series/blues-bbq.

Dance like MJ

Watch young dancers perform to Michael Jackson songs at Riverside Park, and you may even pick up a few moves yourself.

On Aug. 17, dancers from the Uptown Dance Academy will perform a tribute to the King of Pop in the park at 125th and Marginal streets.

The show will feature a Michael Jackson impersonator and dances to songs including, "I Want You Back," "Beat It", "Bad," "Smooth Criminal," "Thriller" and "Man in the Mirror."

The performance begins at 6 p.m. and takes place at Harlem Piers Park. The event will be cancelled in the event of heavy rains.

For more information, visit www.riversideparkfund.org.

Vintage baseball

Watch baseball as it was played 150 years ago with a vintage baseball game on Governors Island.

On Aug. 18, home team Gotham Baseball Club will be playing Hoboken Nine at the Parade Ground. Games are free to watch and cheering is highly encouraged.

The Gotham BBC, like other vintage baseball clubs, strives to recreate the game as it was played in 1864 as accurately as possible, and team members play in vintage baseball uniforms.

For more information, visit www.govisland.com.

Brooklyn

Tour Brooklyn on a Jet Ski

Thought you wouldn’t get to ride a Jet Ski before the summer ends? Well slap on your wetsuit, because Brooklyn’s Jetty Jumpers offers tours of the Brooklyn coast all aboard a personal watercraft.

The tour begins at Sheepshead Bay, passes Manhattan, Brighton and Coney Island beaches, and then zips past the South Brooklyn waterfront, the Cyclone roller-coaster and Fort Wadsworth.

“Our tours are so different and unique, you will see New York City in a whole different way,” said Anthony Stallone, president of Jetty Jumpers. “The views are incredible and you will totally enjoy the city from a water angle.”

The tour lasts for about 90 minutes, although one-hour and three-hour full-city tours are available as well. Cost is $175 for each watercraft and $50 for an additional rider. Participants will get a brief safety class before the ride. Prior Jet Ski experience is not necessary. Riders must be at least 13 and drivers must be 17..

For more information, visit  www.jettyjumpers.com.

Queens

Scarecrows in August

Get a jump-start on Halloween and help artists transform Socrates Sculpture Park in Astoria into a field of glowing, larger-than-life sculptural scarecrows.

On Aug. 25, Canadian artists Thom Sokoloski and Jenny-Anne McCowan will lead participants through a series of registered workshops in creating an exhibition of scarecrows that will be used to ward off misfortune and protect the creative spirit during the waterside park’s annual Halloween Harvest Festival, which lands on Oct. 20.

Using a variety of materials and found objects, the artists will use the glowing scarecrows to portray the area’s history of unique individuals, superstitions and tales of the supernatural.

To register, visit http://socratessculpturepark.wufoo.com/forms/the-scarecrows/.

Staten Island

Art that showers

For a limited time, sunbathers can cool off at Cedar Grove Beach in Great Kills Park using the Mist Wave, an interactive sculpture that sprays water from five different openings.

Artists Andrea Padilla and Stanley Harris constructed the spray showers out of recycled scaffolding materials, and the sculpture was originally exhibited at last year’s Figment NYC Art Festival on Governors Island. The sculpture represents the vascular system of a wave and offers a refreshing mist from each of its five crests.

Now, until Sept. 5, the turquoise shower sculpture will be on display and available for use near the park house at Ebbitts Street and Cedar Grove Avenue.

For more information, visit www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=22676.

The Bronx

Family camping

Bring your tents, sleeping bags and best scary stories for a night of family camping in Pelham Bay Park.

The overnight fun begins at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Park rangers will be on-hand throughout the event to help people set up tents, lead night hikes, tell stories and assist with dinner preparation.

Rangers will supply families with everything except bedding, and it’s a good idea to bring along mosquito repellent and sunscreen, noted a Parks official. Families are also advised to dress in layers. Dinner will be supplied.

Participants will be chosen by lottery, and those interested must enter by Sept. 5. Cost is free.

To enter the lottery, visit www.nyc.gov/parks/rangers/register.

For more information, visit, www.nycgovparks.org/parks/pelhambaypark/events/2012/09/15/family-camping.