Perhaps it’s time to rename one of the great months on the New York City calendar.
The annual celebration of Harlem Week continues to grow in every phase. There is something for everyone during this month in August, choreographed by Lloyd Williams and his Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce staff. From concerts in the street to Freddie Jackson performing at the world-famous Apollo Theater, to the appealing vendors and what becomes for a month a virtual outdoor food festival accompanied by showcase musical performances, Harlem Week is a month-long festival and celebration of the world’s most famous African-American community.
But since sports is our thing, here’s a sampling of some of the many sports and recreational events partnering with the month-long festival. The first major sports event on the month-long calendar is the Harlem Week Tri-State Junior Tennis Classic, which will host young tennis hopefuls from 12 to 18 years of age from Aug. 18-21 at the legendary courts known world-wide as “The Jungle.” Those are the same courts where tennis great Althea Gibson honed her skills on the way to becoming the first African-American to win championships at Wimbledon, the French Open and at Forest Hills.
A suggestion to New York City Department of Parks administrators: How about renaming them the “Fred Johnson-Althea Gibson Tennis Courts”?
Junior tennis action takes place from Aug. 18-21. On Aug. 27, the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run and New York Family Health Walkathon will get the gun at 135th Street across from the Harlem Y at Seventh Avenue.
Other notable sports events will be the annual Golden Hoops Basketball Tournament as well as the Hansborough Recreation Center, which will host families, children, adults and seniors as well as the legendary Harlem Honeys and Bears, the senior, award-winning synchronized New York State organization, which will introduce its family program during the month-long celebration of Harlem Week.