Red Hook Fest (May 30 - June 1) Begins Festivities Tonight!

This evening kicks off the festivities for the 20th Annual Red Hook Fest! 

This free 20th annual festival's theme and truly Red Hook's undercurrent in the past months has been "Rebuild, Restore, Rebirth: Resilience after Sandy."  The annual Red Hook Earth and Surf Parade has even been reborn this year - after an 11 year lull! Check out their website www.redhookfest.com for more info.

Festivity Lineup:

• Thursday, May 30th from 6pm - 8pm at the Miccio Center (110 West 9th St) - Youth Kick-Off Event

• Friday, May 31st from 6pm - 9pm at PS 15 (71 Sullivan St)  - Community BBQ & Dance Party

• Red Hook Rebirth Parade begins from Coffey Park (Richards St & Pioneer St) at 10 am on Saturday, June 1st  

• Saturday, June 1st from 12pm - 7pm at Valentino Pier & Park (Coffey St & Ferris St) - Mainstage Performances
• Brown Rice Family - Winners of the 2012 Battle of the Boroughs
• Gangstagrass -  Emmy nominated for the theme song on FX's Justified ('nuff said! I love that song!)
• Camille A. Brown & Dancers - Dance... Amplified!
• Avenida B - Live Salsa Dura Band
• Nicholas Leichter Dance - NYC based company with performances in 50 cities and 12 countries 
• The Hungry March Band - Street brass march band from Brooklyn who will lead the Parade

The mainstage performances will take place at Valentino Pier & Park and the festival will include special activities such as free Kayak rides in New York Harbor thanks to the Red Hook Boaters and other various fun and activities for all ages sponsored by community partners. 

Brooklyn Studio Tours June 1 and 2

Check out the fifth annual Brooklyn Studio Tours  in Red Hook and Carroll Gardens on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2 from 12PM-6PM. View art in the artists' own studios or in a local business that supports the arts. 

Many studios in the neighborhood will open their doors and businesses like Brooklyn Collective, Margaret Palca Bakes, and Clayworks are participating. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Restore Red Hook and Pietro’s Fight, which raises funds to find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy. 

For more information:

Brooklyn Studio Tours
http://brooklynstudiotours.com

Community Gardening Anyone?

Photo by Sael Ahrt

Spring has already sprung but it isn't too late to join a local community garden. Here are two ways to sign up for a piece of soil or just become a member....

THE SUMMIT STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN

According to their bulletin board the next meeting and work day is Sunday June 9th at 11am and their meeting poster says that anyone wishing to be a member can attend the meeting and sign up on the spot afterwards. Here are links to their blog and facebook page.

THE BACKYARD COMMUNITY GARDEN

Photo by Susan Egan (http://seganimages.com)

The Backyard Community Garden is actively soliciting for new members for empty plots. Members requirements and sign up info can be requested currently from Tom Kerr (347) 661-9728 - Garden membership coordinator. One of their members has set up a lovely blog and they hope to increase membership this year.

We truly have so much green space in this neighborhood compared to other parts of NYC - so get out there and 

ENJOY!!

Nominate Carroll Gardens Library to win $10,000!!

Ok... yes... we may be a little frustrated that the library is scheduled to be closed for about a month this summer (it is posted that it will close at the end of business on June 7th and re-open on July 8th), but truly it provides so many community benefits that certainly it deserves to be nominated for a chance to receive the $10,000 award!

The short survey can be anonymous or you can give them your contact info. It takes about 3-5 minutes of our time and will be accepting nominations until July 1st.... but don't wait! Don't procrastinate! Click on the link below and nominate!

~NOMINATE MY LIBRARY~

Columbia Street Tree-Mulching Party Sat. June 15

Neighbors are getting together Saturday, June 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a tree-mulching project along Columbia Street. NYC Parks will provide tools, mulch, and gloves, and the organizer will provide free coffee and donuts! Before the summer heat is upon us, help protect our local street trees from invasive weeds. All help is greatly appreciated.
Free music while you work! Ask for Wylie. 

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative's Annual Summer Benefit - Surf + Turf + Earth

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative's Annual Summer Benefit is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, 2013 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm at the Liberty Warehouse in Red Hook. Tickets start at $150 (till June 15th) and the event's website touts:

"Unbeatable views of Lady Liberty, New York Harbor and the lower Manhattan skyline are yours for the evening! Open bar, live music, dessert and after-party at Hometown Bar-B-Que are included. Festive summer attire suggested.

This year’s event will feature tastings of seafood and land-food from some of South Brooklyn’s distinctive eateries, including: Brooklyn Crab, Court Street Grocers,Fairway Market, Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbeque, Hometown Bar-B-Que, Littleneck,Luke’s Lobster, Mile End, M.O.B., Petite Crevette, Robicelli’s, Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies, Watty & Meg, and more!"

Sounds like good food and a lively party for a worthwhile endeavor. If you are interested you can purchase your tickets below:

"New" Bagel Spot on Hamilton Ave

The coming soon is here tomorrow! We welcome the "New" Park Bagels at 75 Hamilton Ave (between Summit Street & Van Brunt) - home of the former South Brooklyn Bagel Cafe. It has been a little while coming, but they open tomorrow. Congrats and welcome!

Karen K & the Jitterbugs Sing-along at the Children's Garden

Next Thursday, Karen K & the Jitterbugs will be doing a special sing-a-long at the South Brooklyn Children's Garden, 204 Columbia Street (corner of Sackett and Columbia Streets)

Thursday, May 23
11:30 am-12 noon
$10 suggested donation

Karen K & the Jitterbugs have been delighting families up and down the east coast since the release of their debut album, Pancakes for Dinner, last year. Donned "The Kiddie Queen" by the Brooklyn Paper, Karen K's well-crafted, catchy tunes combined with the band's high-energy highly-entertaining shows make them rising stars on the "kindie" music scene - a term coined for the blend of kids music and indie rock.

Karen K and her Jitterbugs have been featured in the New York Times and in New York Magazine's Best of New York 2011 issue. They were also chosen as a Critics' Picks in Time Out New York Kids. Jitterbugs retro-style music classes for kids ages newborn to age 5 operate in NYC and Boston, MA. Visit www.jitterbugsnyc.com for more info. 

The South Brooklyn Children’s Garden is a community garden founded in August 2012 with a mission to provide a physical and educations space for local children to learn about gardening, food cultivation, how it effects the environment and our local ecology. It is a member of New York City’s Green Thumb Program, a division of the Department of Recreation and Parks. www.southbrooklynchildrensgarden.org.