Harvest Festival at Aunt Bee's Backyard Indoor Playroom

Aunt Bee's Backyard is inviting you and your family to an Open House this Sunday, November 2, 2008, from 2pm to 5pm.

Enjoy for free:

• Playtime
• Healthy Snacks
• Arts & Creative Crafts
• Face Painting
• Balloon Animals

Please RSVP for this even by October 31, 2008 at 718.624.2212.
Aunt Bee's Backyard is situated at 20 Tiffany Place, between Kane and Degraw streets.

The Annual Miro's Run Howl-o-ween Fundraiser!

The Annual Miro's Run Howl-o-ween Fundraiser will be held on Sunday, November 2nd from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

Join us at the dog run for cider and donuts, a dog costume contest, dog games, photo booth and raffle. Costumes are optional but if you dress up your doggie you may win a prize for Best Costume, Best Handmade Costume, Cutest Costume or Scariest Costume. $10 suggested donation, all proceeds go towards improving and promoting the dog run. Sponsored by Monster Mutt, Mobile Mutts, Walk This Way and Hope Vet.
Raffle prizes have been donated by Coffee Den, Jalopy, Love Thy Pet, and Brooklyn General. Any other local businesses interested in donating a raffle prize can contact Andrea, Coordinator, Friends of Miro's Run, at http://brooklynmutts.blogspot.com/.


Miro's Run is located in DiMattina Park, on Hicks Street between Rapelye Street and Hamilton Avenue (next to the baseball field). It was the first official dog park in Brooklyn, established in 1997.

Celebrate Old Brooklyn's 1st year anniversary this Friday!

Old Brooklyn, the neighborhood's only wine store is celebrate their one year anniversary with a wine tasting!

When: This Friday, Oct.24
Where: 145 Union Street
Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm


Old Brooklyn Wine & Liquor Company
145 Union Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Group Meditation class at Element Natural Healiing Arts - Oct 26 - 12pm

GROUP MEDITATION CLASS
in the vault

Sunday October 26th
12:00 - 1:00 pm
(Must sign up - limited space available)

This is a guided meditation class for all experience levels.
It is a small group class that takes place in our quiet and relaxing vault.
The class is taught by Claire McCarty.

Claire McCarty is a licensed yoga instructor registered with Yoga Alliance. She received her yoga teacher training at The Energy Center in Brooklyn and received pilates mat training at the Kane School of Core Integration. Claire teaches meditation, yoga, and pilates mat at Element Natural Healing Arts. Her classes are tailored to the student's level of experience, and can be modified to accommodate personal needs. Her classes focus on breathing and anatomical alignment.

Private yoga and private pilates mat classes are available at Element Natural Healing Arts by appointment.

Chili Cookoff @ Moonshine, 10/25/08

I love chili. Around this time every year, when the weather is getting colder, i start thinking about making my first batch for the season.

I guess Moonshine bar and I are on the same wavelength, because while walking down Columbia St. today I noticed a sign for a Chili cookoff that they are having on Saturday 10/25/08. Anyone can sign up to compete, and prizes are being given away by some local businesses. If you would rather just eat than compete, adults can get a bottomless bowl for $10 and children can get some for $5.

Sounds like a lot of fun to me, plus its a fundraiser for the Debate Society Theater.

Moonshine is located at 317 Columbia St. between Woodhull and Hamilton Ave.

Bulb Class at the Gowanus Nursery - Sat, Oct 18 - 10am

As you all know, this is the time to put those bulb underground and our local nursery is offering to teach you all about it:
Check out http://www.gowanusnursery.com for more information about the Gowanus Nursery.

Fundraiser for the Red Hook Playgroup

Hello mamas and daddies,

The RED HOOK PLAYGROUP, a progressive pre-school licensed as a group family daycare in the heart of Red Hook, Brooklyn, announces its next benefit event. Set for Sunday, November 2 at 3pm, the family-friendly event will feature the music of AUDRAROX and will take place at the newly christened music venue HELLO BROOKLYN, which has recently joined the neighborhood’s burgeoning arts scene.

Singer/songwriter and music teacher Audra Tsanos has developed a cult following among thousands of spellbound kids and their grateful parents. AUDRAROX ( HYPERLINK "http://www.audrarox.com" www.audrarox.com), her high-energy kid-rock band, is made up of six professional musicians, (mostly) moms and dads, all from Brooklyn. Adam Armstrong on bass, Jordan Shapiro on guitar, drums by Tony Graci, vocals & dance with Jennifer Milich & Lily White on saxophone. AudraRox performs insightful, original songs that tackle everything from lost shoes and broken toys to sugar highs and short attention spans with a wry wit that appeals equally to children and their parents. The band’s critically acclaimed debut CD, I Can Do It By Myself, is full of catchy sing-along melodies, and a distinctive blow-the-roof-off-the-

playhouse sound. AudraRox has performed in venues big and small all over the city and has been even been seen on the beloved “Jack’s Big Music Show” on Nickelodeon preschool channel Noggin.

HELLO BROOKLYN (www.hellobrooklynnyc.com) is nestled in Red Hook’s eclectic mix of living artist residences, industrial businesses, restaurants, bars –and of course Ikea – and makes for the perfect location for raucous live performances. The site most recently was the home to the music venue The Hook and renovations to the space include with a plush new upstairs and downstairs interior, an upgraded, state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, and a refurbished outdoor space with a newly added bar. Hello Brooklyn’s opening marks the realization of a lifelong dream for owner and manager Craig "Knoki" Fyffe, and business partner, Cesar CeDillo. 'It's been a good four-year search for the right space in the right community," said Fyffe. "I want Hello Brooklyn to be known as a performance space with a lot of cultural and community events in Red Hook – we’re not just another nightclub, we’re an all-inclusive event space."

RED HOOK PLAYGROUP, a not-for-profit corporation and parent run cooperative is hosting the event to raise funds for supplies and maintenance to their space so that the children of RHP have a safe, fun and educational place to learn. Now comprising 20 families, RHP was established in 2007 as a community-based option to pre-school where children explore, develop, create, and are challenged and cared for in a loving, supportive and creative environment.

All tickets are $10 and will be available at the door or from RHP parents. Kids under 2 years of age get in free! All net proceeds go to benefit the Red Hook Playgroup to help pay for much-needed supplies and maintenance.

Hello Brooklyn is located at 18 Commerce Street between Richards and Columbia Street. To get directions to the event or to get more information on Red Hook Playgroup visit us at HYPERLINK "http://www.redhookplaygroup.org" www.redhookplaygroup.org and to get tickets directly, contact RHP fundraisers Zach Hochkeppel and Caitlin Cassaro at (718) 222-0115 or email at :zhochkeppel[at]gmail.com.

Please come! It'll be a fun event!

-Stephanie


Stephanie Cherry
stephanie_cherry[at]hotmail.com
www.redhookplaygroup.org

Looking forward (and West) at the potential future of our ports

Do you ever walk along Columbia St. or Van Brunt and wonder what's going on at the Marine Terminal? If not, the fact that this area is historically a port neighborhood or that American Stevedoring will remain active there for at least another 10 years should make you wonder. We should also think about the future of that industry in the area - including economic development, environmental impacts, the labor force that is employed there, etc. - given that they will be here for those 10 years and possibly beyond.

Today, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy provided some insight into these topics at an event they held with the Sean Arian, Director of Economic Development for Los Angles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in which he discussed LA's recent initiatives to clean up the Port of Los Angeles and improve the pay and treatment of the truck drivers who service the port. Following Mr. Arian's speech was a disccusion with local advocates for a variety of stakeholders effected by the Ports in the area, including U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, New York and New Jersey Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward, environmental justice advocate Kim Thompson-Gaddy and President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 16 Gary La Barbera.

Live blogging of the event, which is quite interesting, can be found here.

In addition, some video highlights can be found below:
Sean Arian on why ports cannot be sustained by a broken Third World labor model
Chris Ward on why the LA model of port reform is the right model for NY and NJ ports
Rep. Jerrold Nadler on how smarter land use could create middle-class manufacturing jobs

Kim Thompson-Gaddy on why New Jersey needs real port reform now, not later

Even though some of the discussion is about LA and New Jersey, the issues involved are also very much applicaple here is we are right next to our local port.

The 7th Annual Halloween Bash at Mother Cabrini Park!

Here it is again! Every child's favorite holiday!

Come join us on Saturday, November 1st at Mother Cabrini Park for delicious treats and games. One last chance to wear that costume and indulge in candy!

The party will be from 10am to 12pm at Mother Cabrini Playground, which is located on President St. between Columbia St. and Van Brunt.

Thank you to the following local businesses, organizations, and individuals for their support of the event:

• Everyday Athlete Studio
  
• The Coffee Den
• Old Brooklyn
• Red's Produce
• The Red Hook Raiders
• Everyone who donated at the Columbia St. Waterfront Festival
  

Anyone interested in providing donations (in the form of funding, treats, or decorations) or volunteering to help on the day of should contact us directly at jessievencat((at))gmail.com

Keep the BBQ going

I just read over on Brownstoner that Jakes BBQ on Columbia St. is for sale. I hope that when someone buys it, they can manage to keep it as a high quality BBQ restaurant. One thing I love about our area is the diversity of restaurant choices, and BBQ is an important piece of that.

Read the Brownstoner article here.

Red Hook Film Festival 2008

Wow, it seems to be a busy weekend this weekend - the Red Hook Film Festival is happening on both Saturday, 10/11 and Sunday 10/12. After you've attended the harvest festival at The Yard and other events, head over to this festival for a variety of films from all genres. More info here.

4th Annual Red Hook Harvest Fest

With all these harvest festivals coming up, it's hard to deny that fall is truly here. The Red Hook harvest festival is a great one to attend as its on the Red Hook Community Farm, supports a great cause, and generally has great food, activities, and music.

Oh yeah, and the farm was featured in the NYTimes this week too.

The 4th annual Red Hook Harvest Festival
Saturday October 18th, 2008
10:30am - 5:00pm
At the Red Hook Community Farm
Food, Music/Performances, Kids' Activities, Pumpkin Patch, Contests, Farm
Animals, Info Booths, Vendors, Farm Tours, and more!

If you're interested in volunteering before or during the event, please contact
Andy (harvestfest2008@added-value.org).

Speaking of the Gowanus.......

Have you heard about the battle that's brewing between some Carroll Gardeners and the Toll Brothers - the group that is responsible a big upcoming development project on the Gowanus?

Curbed.com reports that some are charging the Toll Brothers with "dramatically understating the scale of the project." See the difference in the picture above and read the whole article here.

Gowanus Harvest Festival This Weekend

Just a short walk away from our neighborhood lies The Yard, an outdoor event space on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. This Saturday, they are having their annual harvest festival, which I highly recommend. We went to this event last year and it was full of fun for family members of all ages. Here's the info from their website:

Brooklyn! Fall! Brews! Bounty! Yes, its that time of year again. The Yard is once again hosting a fall-themed celebration of Gowanus proportions.

Last year was an incredible success – over 1,000 people joined us at the banks of the canal to enjoy farm fresh food, live music, local vendors, pumpkin carving contests, pony rides, delicious brews and other triumphs of sustainable urban living.


This year, proceeds from the Gowanus Harvest Festival will be donated to Just Food.


So join us and enjoy the wonders of Autumn on Brooklyn’s most …charismatic… waterfront.

EVENT DETAILS

11am-9pm

Advanced tickets $12

Day of Show $12

Children under 5 Free

Wine Tasting - Old Brooklyn Style

We love the Old Brooklyn Wine and Liquor Company. Not only is it THE wine and liquor store in the neighborhood, but the 2 guys that run the place are really friendly and the wine selection is good as well as affordable.

It appears they have just launched a website and a mailing list to go with it. The first news of the mailing list? A wine tasting.

Go there, check it out, and buy a few bottles to drink over the course of the weekend.

OLD BROOKLYN WINE & LIQUOR COMPANY
WINE TASTING
FRIDAY Oct.10, 2008 (tomorrow)
5:30pm-7:30pm
HOPE TO SEE YOU!

OLD BROOKLYN WINE & LIQUOR COMPANY
145 UNION STREET
BROOKLYN, NY 11231

Go

Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1 was a hit!

The NYPost reported today that the temporary run of Pier 1 at the future site of Brooklyn Bridge Park was a real success. I have to say that I went there once this summer and loved it. If the rest of the park will of similar quality, Broolynites will be in for a real treat. I can't wait!

From the article:

A small temporary park that offered a preview of one of the state's most highly contested projects – the Brooklyn Bridge Park -- was a surprise summer hit with 192,675 people visiting from around the world.

The 26,000-square-foot park at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Heights saw visitors from 440 different ZIP codes during a 13-week run that ended Sunday to make way for construction of the larger, 85-acre park project, according to data released yesterday.

The temporary park was a major draw for out-of-towners with 79 percent coming from outside the immediate area of Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and DUMBO.

In fact, 25 percent of all visitors came from 52 different countries, and another 17 percent came from outside New York City.

"I think this will put an end to debate that Brooklyn Bridge Park is nothing but a fancy back yard for the rich," said Mariana Koval, president of the waterfront park's conservancy.

Koval was referring to criticism of a feature of the park plan - luxury high-rise condos to be built in the park to offset maintenance costs.

The temporary park featured a massive sandbox, sprinklers and games for children, wine and beer, food and spectacular New York Harbor views -- including the temporary waterfalls display.

Entire article here.

Photo above from Brooklynbridge.org.