Take a break from the summer heat with your Vassar friends at a Schmooze in the lovely Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn! Just East of Prospect Park, perfect for a nighttime stroll!

Join us from 6:00–8:00 p.m. ET for a VCNY Schmooze at Franklin Park, which serves an eclectic mix of burgers with plentiful options for folks with dietary restrictions/allergies. Top it off with one of their signature cocktails or a rotating list of beer/wine. If you arrive before 7:00 p.m., you can enjoy the Happy Hour menu with $2 off wine/beer and $10 select cocktails!

Best options to get there are the 2/3/4/5 at Medgar Evers College or the A/C at Franklin Ave.

Join VCNY and the Morgan Library's music curator, Robinson McClellan ’99 at 11:00 a.m. ET for a tour of his new exhibition, Crafting the Ballets Russes, featuring music manuscripts of iconic ballets including Stravinsky’s Firebird and Petrouchka, Debussy’s L’après-midi d’un Faune, and Maurice Ravel’s Bolero, in the Robert Owen Lehman Collection.

The exhibition captures the dramatic arrival of Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes troupe in Paris in 1909, tracing its impact across the arts and highlighting the rise of women in leading creative roles, including choreographer Bronislava Nijinska and dancer/producer Ida Rubinstein. The exhibition explores the creative process that brought these ballets to life, highlighting the sketches, drafts, and working copies of the composers, choreographers, and designers.

Alums are welcome to hang out after the tour to grab lunch together at the Morgan Café or any nearby restaurant.

Space is limited so registration will be limited to alums only (no guests, please).

The gallery and the entire museum is wheelchair accessible, including bathrooms.

Robinson McClellan ’99 is a composer, curator, scholar, and teacher. He holds a doctorate in composition from the Yale School of Music and majored in music at Vassar. He is Associate Curator of Music at the Morgan Library & Museum, and teaches music theory at Rutgers University.

Bring your family (ages 14+) to join the Prospect Park Alliance new litter pickup program. Volunteers can enjoy great conversation between fellow alums while beautifying the park.

Feel free to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after all of our hard work. VCNY will provide a special post-volunteering treat!

Event will take place rain or shine.
Remember to wear close-toed shoes and long pants that can get messy. Wearing a hat and sunscreen is encouraged.
Please do not bring any pets to this event with you.
Please bring a snack or lunch, and bring your own filled water bottle—a cooler will be available for refills.
All hand tools will be provided.
Remember, you are responsible for your belongings. Please bring only what you are comfortable carrying with you.
Space is limited so please register early!

Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains “Brooklyn’s Backyard,” working in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance was founded in 1987 to help restore the Park after a long period of deterioration and decline. Today, the Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep the Park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home. Among the staff of the Prospect Park Alliance are Vassar alums Morgan Monaco ’06, President and Park Administrator, Susan Sharer ’00, Vice President of Development, and Wylie Barker ’15, Assistant Architect.

The Vassar Club of New York and Vassar LGBTQIA+ alums invite you to join us to unite for the 2024 NYC Pride March. This year’s March marks the 40th anniversary of Heritage of Pride and the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.

The March starts at 25th street and 5th avenue in NY, NY. We expect to meet between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET with a march time of one and a half hours. The exact formation time and location will be emailed to registrants in advance.

Heritage of Pride’s mission is to work toward a future without discrimination where all people have equal rights under the law. The March, originating in 1970 as a civil rights demonstration following the Stonewall Uprising, has evolved into a powerful symbol of resilience, unity, and advocacy. Join 2 million marchers and spectators in honoring the past, celebrating the present, and continuing the fight for a brighter, more inclusive future.

Registrants will receive a Vassar pride button at the march.

Join us from 6:00–9:00 p.m. ET at Pig Beach BBQ in Queens, known for its award-winning barbecue and vibrant atmosphere.

The menu features meats from the smoker, classic BBQ sides, and sandwiches, including a vegan option. Guests can order from the full bar or choose to get a craft soda, with free refills. With spacious indoor and outdoor seating, whatever the weather, it will be a great BBQ to kick off summer. Thursday nights are also trivia!

RSVPs are encouraged. Pig Beach BBQ is wheelchair accessible.
Hope to see you there!