Communal Spirit: UES Church Moves Street Fair, Saving Woman’s Wedding Plans

In an act of moving community partnership, an Upper East Side church has agreed to move their annual fall street fair away from E. 66th St. and onto E. 65th St., to avoid upending a local bride-to-be’s wedding plans.

Last month, Kristen Toppeta told Community Board 8’s Street Life subcommittee that her Sept. 20 wedding would be significantly interrupted by the fair, which is being put on by the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer & St. Catherine of Siena.

Toppeta’s family home is located on E. 66th St., with her big day significantly scheduled around activities there. “If there’s one day in the entire span of my entire life that I need this street to be open, it’s this day,” she said at the time; Toppeta timed her comments well, given that a representative from the church was appearing before the committee, in order to explain what the festivities would entail for the annual fair.

The representative, Father Peter Martyr Yungwirth, indicated that he would make every effort to see if the fair could be relocated. This impressed the board’s subcommittee, who said that any updates should be announced at a July 16 full board meeting, when CB8’s wider membership would debate on whether to recommend a city permit for the fair.

After stepping up to the podium at this latest meeting, Toppeta announced that the church “let me know that they were able to change their street fair application,” and now intended to move their festivities one block south. “Thank you so much for being accommodating, it means so much to me.” Her mother then spoke, noting that she was similarly “grateful.”

Then Yungwirth had a turn at the mic, where he reiterated the activities that would be on offer, such as salsa and swing dance lessons.

He also provided some historic factoids about his parish, and how he believed they tied into their obligation to help preserve Toppeta’s wedding: “While I’ve only been in New York City for four years, the Dominicans have been here since 1859. We have the second-oldest building on Lexington Ave. I would love to continue the traditions that have been offered by Dominicans who have gone by, for centuries, to help foster a community feel in our neighborhood.”

The heartwarming proceedings clearly touched CB8 Chair Valerie Mason, who proclaimed that it was shaping up to be a “great night” after Yungwirth concluded his comments. “This is what it’s really all about.” She added that her son’s birthday was also on Sept. 20, and that the fair would give them “something to do.”

By the end of the meeting, everybody voted in favor of a resolution blessing the fair’s move to E. 65th St. Although community boards only have advisory powers, their deliberations can strongly influence the decisions of relevant city agencies, which in this case would appear to be the Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management. They will likely have the final say on granting a permit to the parish.

Mason, the CB8 chair, enthusiastically told Toppeta’s family that “this will go in your memory book.”