Things To Do This Weekend In New York City and Roosevelt Island - Buckwheat Zydeco, Coney Island Sandcastles, Diane Birch, Judy Collins& Bearded Bards

You Tube Video of Diane Birch's Valentino

Looking for fun or interesting things to do on Roosevelt Island or in some other part of New York City this weekend? Here are some ideas:

Tonight head on over to Prospect Park for Celebrate Brooklyn with Buckwheat Zydeco. According to Free NYC:

The Prospect Park Bandshell should be a fun place to spend your Friday night. The swamp boogie accordion master Buckwheat Zydeco and his band take to the stage tonight and share the bill with the Holmes Brothers, whose harmony-filled blend of American roots music jumps from church to the juke joint.

I saw Buckwheat Zydeco performing several years ago at the Montreal Jazz Festival and had a wonderful time.

Saturday is the 19th annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest. From NYC Parks Department:

Saturday, July 25, 2009
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

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Come to Coney Island's 19th Annual Sand Sculpting Contest and Unity Day Celebration! Try your hand at building the best sand sculpture--there will be cash prizes for the best sculptures by kids and adults. If that's not enough, there will be international entertainment, dancing, live music, clowns, face painting, and information tables.

Roosevelt Live will also be presenting Jones Street Station with Diane Birch on Roosevelt Island's Riverwalk Commons starting at 4 PM:

After an appearance this week as musical guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and the release of her hit album Bible Belt, rising Billboard star Diane Birch (dianebirch.com) will be playing a free concert at the Roosevelt L!VE. Opening the show, will be Brooklyn's own Jones Street Station, who recently took part in a hugely successful summer tour with Ben Kweller.

On Sunday Judy Collins will be performing a free Concert at 2PM on Governors Island. From NBC New York:

Celebrated folk singer Judy Collins will perform this summer on Governors Island as part of Trinity Wall Street’s Folks on the Island concert program. Free ferries to Governors Island will leave every hour, on the hour, starting at 10 a.m. from the Battery Maritime Building in lower Manhattan, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry. For travel directions and more information,...

Also on Roosevelt Island this weekend, in addition to Jones Street Station with Diane Birch from Roosevelt Live on Saturday, the Farmers Market is open as usual as is Gallery RIVAA, the Roosevelt Island Visual Arts Association which is exhibiting the show titled Holocaust - Never Forget, Never Again. There will be another performance of Roosevelt Island's own Bearded Bards, 5PM at the Public Library on Saturday.

Another suggestion - RIOC has produced a great self guided tour map (PDF File) of Roosevelt Island for any visitor or resident looking to stroll the Island and learn something more about it. There will also be Light Jazz performed outside of The Trellis restaurant on Friday and Saturday evening, weather permitting.

The MTA is reporting no Roosevelt Island F Train subway advisories this weekend and neither is RIOC with Tram advisories but there will be a parking advisory for the Motorgate Garage and adjacent Main Street.

Check out some other ideas on what to do in New York City this weekend from the NY Times Urban Eye and Spare Times, Free NYC, NY Post Weekend Calendar and Newyorkology.