Harlem is jumping with activity. With summer unofficially over, it seems as if activity in New York City in general accelerates several notches, and Harlem is no exception. Even though HarlemLive was not able to cover every event in Harlem, we did get around to a number of places.

For example The Farmer's Market, on Lenox between 111th and 112th Streets, fresh foods are brought straight from the farm. Mark Mallay, a fruit and vegetable producer, said that Harlem is distinctive because he has been selling fruit at the farmer's market for about seven weeks and has yet to meet a nicer group of people. Also at the Farmer's Market we met Quillie Fishburne, a partner in KiKi's KonCoctions, a business for all natural soap and toiletries. KiKi's Koncoction is Harlem's only African American soap and cream manufacturer.

Our next stop was at a local park. The National Youth Action Program held a celebration for the young people of Harlem. Brother Arthur, the coordinator of this event said "Youth should continue to be the beacon of culture and pride that they have been in the past."

Shooting uptown, we crossed paths of Dazivedo Watson, the Vice-president of the community democratic club. He and his friends worked on wooden frames for posters for democratic council members in the upcoming New York City primary.

On 129st and Lenox Avenue HarlemLive stopped at a community Carnival. Even though the rides were set up for young children they drew spectators from all ages. Family and friends gathered together to win prizes, energetically enjoying each other's company in the process.

From the carnival, we headed back to The National Youth Action Program, curious to whether it had ended or not. Surprisingly it didn't and community lyricists put their skills to the test, laying down a variety of verses. Trevor Cambell a High School student said that, "This is a great event because it helps the boys and girls of the community and it also gives them a chance to get involved in programs and keeps them off the streets.

Well, one event we were unable to catch up to was the Harlem Classic 5 Mile race. It was over before we hit the streets. It's amazing the number of activities happening all over Harlem. Another event was Playing 2 Win's community day, where they got out the word about the opportunities they provide to the community.

Here is a short Slide Show of some of the stops we made on our bikes as we rode through Harlem on this busy September Saturday afternoon. Wow!