Thousands enjoy Bay Ridge’s Summer Stroll on 3rd Ave.

July 24, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Members of the Bay Ridge Lemonade Coalition had just the thing for a hot summer night. They sold lemonade to pedestrians. Eagle photos by Paula Katinas

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Summer Stroll on 3rd appears to be hitting its stride.

Thousands of people turned out to enjoy the second Summer Stroll on 3rd of 2017 on Friday night, taking advantage of the freedom that the absence of cars on the avenue gave them.

“This is so nice!” said Sara Steinweiss as she relaxed with three of her friends at a sidewalk cafe outside Tanoreen restaurant on 76th Street.

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) ordered a temporary ban on vehicular traffic on a 12-block section of Third Avenue from 68th to 80th streets.

Summer Stroll on 3rd is part of DOT’s Weekend Walks program, a series of happenings taking place in all five boroughs in which cars and trucks are banned from streets for a day or night so that the roadways can be turned over to civic organizations and business groups to host sports and recreational activities.

The Merchants of Third Avenue business group sponsors the Bay Ridge program. The organization set up a pedestrian plaza and invited the avenue’s restaurants to set up sidewalk cafes and asked musicians to come and play for the crowds.

The previous Summer Stroll on 3rd, which was held on July 14, took place between 80th and 90th streets.

There were many delightful sights and sounds on Friday. The Bay Ridge Lemonade Coalition, a group of school children who perform charitable tasks, set up a refreshment stand. The kids sold lemonade at Summer Stroll to raise money for Reaching Out Community Services, Inc., an organization that operates a food pantry in Bensonhurst.

The coalition members were doing a brisk business when the Brooklyn Eagle visited their lemonade stand.

Speaking of the Brooklyn Eagle, the newspaper’s beloved mascot Eddie the Eagle made an appearance on the avenue, where he was mobbed by kids eager to greet him and give him a high-five.

The Merchants group, which represents hundreds of storeowners on Third Avenue between 68th and 95th streets, has been hosting Summer Stroll on 3rd every year since 2012.

There will be two other Summer Strolls this season. The event comes back to the 10-block area between 80th and 90th streets on Aug. 4. A week later, on Aug. 11, the final Summer Stroll of the year will take place from 68th to 80th streets.