Residents and families celebrated the fourth annual Anti-Violence-Newburgh Community Day on Saturday, June 29 in Newburgh. Food, music and activities for all united the community for an afternoon of fun in a safe and positive environment.

Beginning at 11 a.m. that afternoon, residents made their way to the corner of First Street and Chambers Street (McLymore Square) where music from the DJ could be heard throughout the block and other surrounding streets. City police officers, elected officials and firefighters also joined together for the fun.

Vincent Bryant, a member of Life Restoration Church, enjoyed his time during the event talking with friends and sharing laughs. For Bryant, his focus and message is mainly for the children and youth of the community, saying that they are cared for and the community needs to steer them away from violence.

“There’s a lot of negative stuff that’s been happening. But what we try to do, we try to rise above that and let these children know that they are loved, and they got people that love them, and the church loves them, and we love the community,” said Bryant. “It’s a positive thing that we’re doing out here.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Robert McLymore, city councilman and pastor of Life Restoration Church. “We’re standing against violence and we’re showing that we all can come together to show love and unity in our community,” said McLymore. “This is a time for us to get to know each other, to show each other love, whether we knew each other prior or not. I think it’s important that when we walk away from here, that we see that we can be unified in our community. We can stand together, fight together against things that do not belong in our city.”

During the course of the afternoon, children and adults played against each other in basketball or showed off their hula hoop skills. Several attendees captured the attention of visitors with skills at double dutch. Children were able to get their faces painted and enjoy a cold treat. The City of Newburgh Water Department truck provided water for residents. The City of Newburgh Fire Department let children stop by and check out the engines.

Local organizations and booths from TD Bank, Newburgh YouthBuild, Affinity by Molina Healthcare, Habitat for Humanity and others provided information and spoke with families. The event was made possible through the sponsorship of Life Restoration Church, Mayor Torrance Harvey, Councilman Robert McLymore, Councilwoman Patty Sofokles, LYNC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, Alfi’s Uniform, Local 17 Laborers Union, IAFF Local 589, Zumba Sistas, Chauffeur Shaunie, RDM Ministries and the McLymore Foundation.

As the afternoon continued, a special performance of bomba for the community showcased music and dance of Puerto Rico with cheers and applause. The event ran till 6 p.m.

“It’s always a great time when we can get people to come out to try to improve our community as a whole. It’s just a great day,” said Ray Harvey. “I would like to see this done every week where it’s a block party so people can really get to know each other.”