Spring Tag Sale at Summit Garden Saturday!

The Summit Street Garden, located at the corner of Summit & Columbia streets, is having a spring tag sale on Saturday, June 2, from 9 am-noon.

Clothing, new and vintage books, jewelry, household items and more will all priced to sell! All proceeds benefit the community garden.

For more information about Summit Street Garden, visit summitstreetgarden.blogspot.com.

Upcoming events at the Carroll Gardens Library

Thursday, June 7 2-4pm 

The Summer Reading Kick-off Party celebrates the start of Brooklyn Public Library's Summer Reading program with fun activities for the whole family.

Author Daniel Kalla

Tuesday, June 12 at 7pm

The CG Library Authors Series continues with Daniel Kalla reading from his new novel The Far Side of the Sky (June 5th, 2012, MacMillian/Tor-Forge) which focuses on a short but extraordinary period of Second World War history, when the cultures of Europe and Asia converged.

For more information visit the Friends of the Carroll Gardens Library blog or Brooklyn Public Library's events calendar.

Summer Pottery Classes at Clayworks

Register now for our Summer Pottery Classes

Monday July 2 thru Aug 20
Wednesday June 27 thru Aug 22 (no class 7/4)
Thursday June 28 thru Aug 16
Saturday July 7 thru Aug 25

The summer session runs for 8 weeks. Class fee is $250 and includes 3 hours of
instruction per week, open studio time, clay & glazes. Firing fee is 4 cents per
cubic inch.

For more information about our classes & studio visit us at
www.clayworksoncolumbia.org

To register for our summer session call 917 428 3128 or email
info@clayworksoncolumbia.org

One more day to tour the OpSail 2012 ships!

The ten ships docked at Pier 7 and 8 on Columbia Street are absolutely spectacular and there is one more day to visit. I toured four ships today: two tall ships visiting from France and Mexico and two Navy ships from Japan and Canada. Friendly sailors are stationed on each ship to do demonstrations and answer questions. 

My favorite has to be the tall ship Cuauhtemoc from Mexico. Speakers play traditional music and the gentlemanly sailors help the ladies step on and off. At night the masts and sails are lit with strings of white lights. We joked that it was the "party ship."

The last day of free tours is tomorrow, Monday, May 28 from 10am to 4pm. (The ships in Manhattan and Staten Island will also be open through May 29.)

PortSide created a guide to the 10 ships in Brooklyn and a webpage with all the info you need about visiting the Red Hook ships and suggestions on how to make a day of it in the Columbia Waterfront and Red Hook. 

Public Art Dedication Saturday May 19

photo by Rafi Magnes

You may have noticed the six tree shadow silhouettes that have appeared on our sidewalks recently. They are a new public art piece by artist Nobuho Nagasawa. The Word on Columbia Street had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Nagasawa this week and we'll have that interview and more photos on the blog by next week. You can learn more at the dedication and tour this Saturday afternoon. Here are the details:

Event: Public Art Dedication
Host: Brian McCormick
Time: Saturday, May 19, 2012 01:00PM
Location: Brooklyn Greenway Initiative & Neighborhood
Address: 153 Columbia Street, Brooklyn

The dedication ceremony will commence at 1:00PM sharp, followed by a walking tour of the six installations from 1:30PM-2:30PM. A reception for the artist will follow at a private local residence. RSVPs are strongly recommended, as space is limited for the dedication and reception. Check in at BGI’s office, located at 153 Columbia Street between Kane Street and Degraw Street, from 12:30-12:45PM. Please RSVP no later than Friday, May 18th at 12:00PM to art@brooklyngreenway.org and include the full names of all guests.

Additional information:
Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI) announces the public art dedication of TIMECAST by artist Nobuho Nagasawa on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 in the Columbia Waterfront District. Nagasawa’s art was commissioned in 2004 by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs under its Percent for Art Program and the NYC Department of Transportation as part of the Columbia Street Reconstruction project, which included the Columbia Street segment of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Nagasawa received an Excellence in Design Award for TIMECAST from the City of New York Art Commission in 2007.

According to the artist, “The shadow of six trees was precisely traced at a certain time of the day on the sidewalk, and became visible as permanent silhouettes on the sidewalk. These tree silhouettes were sandblasted in the bluestone, which is not only quarried in New York, but has been used historically as a paving stone in this neighborhood, as well as in landmarked locations, such as around the New York Public Library and Bryant Park.

She continued, “I wanted the shadows to be literally ‘set in stone,’ and to appear as ‘jewels’ set in time, and to give the impression of time frozen, which is a historical record. Since the trees will not continue to cast the same shadows as they grow taller, the shadows will become fixed markers by which the effects of time on the streetscape become apparent as the years pass. The name of each tree and the date of each shadow tracing were sandblasted into the bluestone along with silhouette itself, identifying a moment and leaving a historical mark.”

Love Your Library Day is May 19

Love Your Library Day is coming to the Carroll Gardens Library on Saturday, May 19! It's the annual fundraiser of the Friends of the Carroll Gardens Library with a huge book sale and community celebration from 10AM - 4PM at the library at 396 Clinton Street at Union Street. In addition to the book sale, the group is celebrating our community with a line up of cool entertainment including readings by children's authors and local residents Josh Lewis, author of the "Super Chicken Nugget Boy" series and Lela Nargi, author of "The Honeybee Man", a finalist for the Cook prize for children's science writing; art activities with Curious Jane, and more!

Brooklyn Public Library t-shirts will be available for sale and they'll have another delicious bake sale - all to raise money for the library and raise awareness of how important libraries are to the community. FCGL holds monthly meetings and everyone is invited to share their ideas and energy. FCGL’s website is http://friendsofcglibrary.blogspot.com/ and FCGL can be found on Facebook at Facebook.com/FriendsofCarrollGardensLibrary and Twitter at Twitter.com/FriendCGLibrary.

Bayou n' Brooklyn Cajun Music Festival May 11-13

This year's Bayou n' Brooklyn Cajun Music Festival starts tomorrow at Jalopy!

Take a visit to New Orleans without leaving Brooklyn, and bring your dancing shoes! Sounds of Cajun fiddles, and zydeco rubboards will fill the air for three days and nights of music and dance.

"Dancehall bands, workshops, Culture & Community Jam sessions, and Gumbo dinner (the real deal!) I'll be one big party,” says Jesse Lége, who's giving over his Gumbo recipe again on Saturday.



Friday May 11

7:00 PM Opening

8:00 PM Catahoula Cajun Band

9:00 PM Dr. Zsa’s Powdered Zydeco Band

10:30 PM Forest Huval & Al Berard

Saturday May 12
12 Noon Al Berard Cajun Fiddle Workshop
1:30 Community Jam
2:30 Empty Bottle Ramblers
4:00 Zydegroove
5:30 Cajun Trio
7:00 C'est Bon!
8:30 Johnny Ace & Sidewalk Zydeco
10:00 Al Berard Bayou Brew and High Bidders

Sunday May 13

11:00AM Workshop: I Love Cajun Fiddle!

12:00 PM  Workshop: Traditional Cajun Music From the Heart: Fiddle, Guitar and Song

12:00 PM OffShore Aces for Kids-Family Dance

1:30 PM Un-Written Stories-Louisiana Music and Culture

2:30 PM Community Jam

3:00 PM  Jesse Lege & Bayou Brew

4:30PM Krewe de La Rue

6:00PM Forest Huval & Al Berard

7:30PM Johnny Ace & Sidewalk Zydeco

Day passes are $15 or $35 for all three days. Children under 12 years old are admitted free. Workshops are $25 or two for $40. Festival pass includes all night dance hall bands, community jam sessions, art show, and 'Un-Written Stories' culture session. Sponsored in part by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and Louisiana Culture, Recreation & Tourism celebrating 200 years of Louisiana.

Bayou n' Brooklyn Cajun Music Festival
Jalopy Theatre @ 315 Columbia St between Woodhull and Rapeleye
More info: www.bayou-n-brooklyn.com
Pre-order your tickets

The Red Hook Jazz Festival June 10 and 17

Celebrating its fifth anniversary presenting the most forward-thinking musicians and composers in modern jazz, the Red Hook Jazz Festival, produced by big bang productions, will take place this year at its usual location, the Urban Meadow in Red Hook on two consecutive Sundays, June 10 and June 17 starting at 1 PM. Both days are sponsored as in years past by both the Urban Meadow and the venerable House of Pizza & Calzone which has also provided food and drinks for festival goers for many years. A suggested donation of $10 per adult per day for each day of the festival will be requested, and all children will be admitted free of charge.

[Update 5/10: The festival has launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign. Contribute here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/150612466/red-hook-jazz-festival-2012-brooklyn-ny - ]

The Red Hook Jazz Festival prides itself on being a homegrown jazz festival featuring an amazing line-up of mostly local talent. Where other festivals rely on corporate sponsorships and donations, the RHJF is an all-volunteer event proud to support a wide variety of superb figures in NYC jazz, both young and old. The RHJF has truly developed a tradition of presenting great music with a laid back vibe, an outdoor setting, and a strong family-friendly focus, while striving to develop the next generation of jazz audiences.

Details, event schedule and directions follow below. For up to date announcements on the RHJF, visit: http://www.facebook.com/RedHookJazzFestival and the Urban Meadow's website: http://urbanmeadowbrooklyn.blogspot.com/p/directions-to-urban-meadow.html. For more information about the Red Hook Jazz Festival and/or big bang productions, please contact Mike Golub at:917-751-9347 or golub.mike [at ] gmail.com.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 10
Max Johnson Trio
Max Johnson, bass
Kirk Knuffke, trumpet
Jeff Davis, drums

The Flail
Dan Blankinship, trumpet
Stephan Moutot, saxophone
Brian Marsella, piano
Reid Taylor, bass
Matt Zebroski, drums

Nick Gianni's Evolution
Nick Gianni, saxophones, flute
Rick Bottari, keyboards
On Ka'a Davis, guitar
John Trent, bass
Dalius Naujo, drums

Hot Cup Chili Pepper 7 (aka: Mostly Other People Do the Killing + 3)
Peter Evans, trumpet
Jon Irabagon, saxophones
Dave Taylor, trombone
Brandon Seabrook, banjo
Ron Stabinsky, piano
Moppa Elliott, bass
Kevin Shea, drums

Travis Sullivan's BJORKESTRA
Travis Sullivan, saxophones
Shayna Steele, vocals
Ian Cook, laptop
Sean Nowell, tenor sax
Lauren Sevian, baritone sax
Ravi Best, trumpet
Eli Asher, trumpet
Alan Ferber, trombone
Andy Hunter, trombone
Art Hirahara, piano
Yoshi Waki, bass
Joe Abbatantuono, drums


SUNDAY, JUNE 17

Rick Parker Collective
Rick Parker, trombone
Yayoi Ikawa, keyboards
John O'Gallagher, saxophone
Sean Conly, bass
Ziv Ravitz, drums

Harris Eisenstadt's Canada Day Octet
Nate Wooley, trumpet
Matt Bauder, saxophone
Chris Dingman, vibraphone
Garth Stevenson, bass
Ray Anderson, trombone
Jason Mears, alto saxophone
Joe Daley, tuba

SPOKE
Andy Hunter, trombone
Dan Loomis, bass
Justin Wood, saxophone
Danny Fischer, drums

Nate Wooley Quintet
Nate Wooley, trumpet
Matt Moran, vibes
Eivind Opsvik, bass
Harris Eisenstadt, drums

Mike Baggetta Quartet
Mike Baggetta, guitar
Jason Rigby, saxophone
Eivind Opsvik, bass
George Schuller, drums

Red Hook Spring Flea Today!

Also happening today, the Red Hook Spring Flea!

Saturday 5/5 10 am - 5pm in the PS 15 yard on Van Brunt Street in the 'Hook (between Sullivan & Wolcott Sts).

Activities Include:

10:30a Drawing Together by KENTLER INTERNATIONAL DRAWING SPACE
11 a Yoga by CORA DANCE
12 p Family Fitness & Kick Boxing by TRIOMPH FITNESS
1 p ZUMBATOMIC by Sarah Folland
2 p NEEDS Fit by SESSIONS FIT
3 p Swing Dancing by CORA DANCE

AS WELL AS ART PROJECTS, ROBOT MAKING, BOUNCY HOUSE, MUSIC AND MORE!

Vendors include:

Rocky Sullivan’s, Added Value, Metal & Thread, Tiburon, Equity Modern,
Live Poultry, Ristorante Gancio Rosso, Swoon Sweets, Lunacy Design,
Brooklyn Robot Foundry, Swilleys, Everbrite Mercantile, Red Hook’s
Brooklyn Public Library, Realty Collective, Sandoval’s Party Boutique,
AND MORE!

For more information visit www.ps15patrickfdaly.org

Plant Sale in the Urban Meadow Today

Coreposis Creme Brulee will be one of the perennials available at the sale

It's a beautiful day for a plant sale at the Meadow! The Urban Meadow's plant sale will help you beautify your yards, window boxes and tree pits. 

It's today, May 5 from 11 AM - 3:30 (note the time change from 10 AM). 

The Urban Meadow folks say, "Kids can also come pick up plants and a pot for Mother's Day to decorate as a gift - if mom loves lavender or herbs, they'll be selling those along with beautiful annual and perennial flowers (and new Urban Meadow t-shirts)."

The Urban Meadow is on the corner of President and Van Brunt Streets.