Just confirmed today: Andrea Bernstein, award-winning WNYC radio journalist will moderate the Brooklyn Blogfest panel. Yay. We really lucked out.

Award-winning journalist Andrea Bernstein heads up coverage of transportation, urban planning, infrastructure and sustainability. As Director of the public radio Transportation Nation project, Bernstein works with Marketplace, The Takeaway and seven public radio stations across the country to deepen their coverage of these issues.

In 2007 and 2008, as Political Director, Bernstein covered the Presidential election from the primaries through the debates to election night, culminating her work in the Takeaway series “Counties that Count,” which focused on voter attitudes and opinions in eleven key swing counties across America.

Bernstein joined the WNYC news staff in 1998. She’s covered government and politics for over a decade, and has at various points been assigned to Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson, and Charles Schumer. She’s also covered rebuilding at the World Trade Center Site and the campaign for the 2012 Olympics.

Bernstein was one of twelve U.S. Journalists to win a prestigious 2007 Knight Fellowship at Stanford University. She has won over three dozen team and individual awards for her work, including the Investigative Reporters and Editors award for radio, the National Press Club award for environmental reporting, and national Murrow and Society for Professional Journalists awards for investigative reporting. In 2009, she became a Hoover Media Fellow.

She was political correspondent for The New York Observer for eight years, and her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Newsday, The Daily News, The Nation, and Salon.com

Also, did you know that thanks to Absolut Vodka this event is FREE??

More surprises are coming.

How many bloggers does it take to fill the Brooklyn Lyceum (Fourth Avenue & President Street)? Come find out at the Fifth Annual Brooklyn Blogfest on June 8 at 7:00 PM when the borough’s most opinionated and dedicated bloggers (and surprise special guests) step away from their keyboards to sound off about how and why Brooklyn remains such a rich source of material and inspiration.

But forget about filling the room. Here’s the real question the Brooklyn Blogfest will answer: How many bloggers does it take to wrap their arms around New York’s most happening borough? So, whether you are a blogger, wannablogger, reader, or media maven, you’ll want to come see for yourself. And meet up with this year’s most tenaciously keen tribe of bloggers as they gather to celebrate all the reasons Brooklyn is such a potent source of runaway creativity.

Since it was founded in 2005, the Brooklyn Blogfest has established itself as the nexus of creativity, talent, and insight among the blogosphere’s brightest lights. This year will be no different as a panel of blogging’s best disect the unique brand of entrepreneurial creativity flourishing here. Also on tap: a video tribute to Brooklyn’s most visionary photo bloggers, special networking sessions for like-minded bloggers (i.e. Blogs of a Feather), the return of the ever-popular Shout-out, when bloggers are invited to share their blogs with the world, and a roof-raising after-party with ABSOLUT^® VODKA cocktails, food and music.

“The borough of Brooklyn has always been front and center in the world of blogging,” says Louise Crawford, founder of the Brooklyn Blogfest and onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn.com. “Whether you live by a blog, blog to live, or live to blog, you’ll want to come out on June 8.”

The 2010 BROOKLYN BLOGFEST is sponsored by ABSOLUT^® VODKA

It’s happening this Thursday! Don’t miss Edgy Moms…

So what is an edgy mom? Based on the reading I’d have to say it’s a mom who questions authority and group-think, and who tells the truth, even if it’s shocking. Also, judging from the night’s readers, edgy moms are funny!

– Louise Sloan, author of Knock Yourself Up, A Tell All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom

Brooklyn Reading Works presents the Fourth Annual Edgy Mother’s Day on May 20, 2010 at 8PM at The Old Stone House in Park Slope. It’s motherhood without sanctimony and an evening  of maternal revelry, wisdom and irreverent fun.

This is not your mother’s Mother’s Day but a celebration of mommydom nonetheless that will shock, rock, and make you laugh ‘til your thongs snap!

Hear Brooklyn writers of non-fiction, fiction, memoir and poetry rant and rave about mothers and motherhood. They will shock, amuse, and entertain but won’t make you eat carrots before dessert.

Bring a friend. Or bring your mom.

Hosted by Louise Crawford and Sophia Romero, here’s the evening’s line-up:

—Marian Fontana, author of A Widow’s Walk

–Rosemary Moore, author of Side Street

—Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl From the Left

—Jill Eisenstadt, author of From Rockaway

—Wendy Ponte, author of Mothering Magazine’s Having a Baby Naturally a life coach.

–Sophia Romero, blogger, The Shiksa from Manila and author of Always Hiding

—Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of Breaking the Bank

—Michele Madigan Somerville, poet and author of WISEGAL and Black Irish

–Allison Pennell, parenting journalist and writer for Effed in Park Slope

–Kathy Fine, educator

–Nicole Caccavo Kear, writer of Dispactches from Babyville, a regular column in the Park Slope Reader and blogger for A Mom Amok.

The Where and When

Date: May 20, 2010 at 8PM

Location:  The Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets
Phone:  718-768-3195
7:30 p.m.:  Open bar/Wine donated by Shawn Liquors
8:00 p.m.:  Reading

Suggested contribution:  $5 to benefit Old Stone House
Reading is open to all – not just mothers – though please leave children at home.

My mother takes Fall Prevention &  Strengthening class with Celeste Carlucci at the JCC on the Upper West Side. She heartily recommends it.

A friend writes that Park Slope writer Jane Kelley has a new young adult/early teen novel out — Nature Girl — and her first reading and book launch is Sunday, May 23rd at 11 a.m. at BookCourt in Cobble Hill.

Eleven-year-old Megan is stuck in the wilds of Vermont for the summer with no TV, no Internet, no cell phone, and worst of all, no best friend. So when Megan gets lost on the Appalachian Trail with only her little dog, Arp, for company, she decides she might as well hike all the way to Massachusetts where her best friend, Lucy, is spending her summer. Life on the trail isn’t easy, and Megan faces everything from wild animals and raging rivers to tofu jerky and life without bathrooms.

Most of all, though, Megan gets to know herself—both who she’s been in the past and who she wants to be in the future—and the journey goes from a spur-of-the-moment lark to a quest to prove herself to Lucy, her family, and the world!

Kelley lives in Park Slope. Her new book has been garnering good reviews and blurbs like this one:

“First-time novelist Jane Kelley uses the light touch of humor to let in the sunlight. Bravo!”—Sid Fleischman, Newbery Award–winning author.”

Momasphere presents LUNAFEST at BAX.

Filled with stories of reflection and whimsy, hope and humor, grace and perseverance, LUNAFEST films are renowned for celebrating the talents and stories of women. Our films include many off the traditional “festival circuit.” Collectively, LUNAFEST films captivate audiences, compel dialogue and arm those who participate with both the knowledge and the motivation to make a difference in their communities.

From quirky animation to touching documentaries, this year’s 10 selected films are incredibly diverse in both style and subject matter, united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling by…for…about women.

Price: Tickets are $20 online and $30 cash at the door.

Space is limited so please RSVP by purchasing tickets online. Tickets at the door are cash only and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click Here for more on Momasphere and LUNAFEST Women’s Film Festival

It’s funny, but after all these years, Smartmom still hasn’t worked out the work/motherhood conundrum.

She still feels guilty about blogging at the computer when the Oh So Feisty One is getting ready for school (even though OSFO doesn’t really need her help anymore).

“Do you want French toast?” Smartmom says while typing a blog post. “How about some Raisin Bran?”

Smartmom jumps up and fills a glass with orange juice. OSFO doesn’t really want it, but Smartmom insists.

“You need some breakfast. It’s good for your brain.”

Sure, Smartmom values her identity as a writer, blogger and producer with a long list of projects. But she also feels guilty when she devotes herself to anything other than her children.

What’s a smart mom to do?

Back in September, 1991, when her son was only three months old, Smartmom returned to her full time job as a video producer in Manhattan. Weekday mornings, she’d leave Baby Spirit (the future Teen Spirit) in the care of Hepcat and their wonderful babysitter, Beautiful Smile. Hepcat and Baby Teen Spirit would wave from their fourth-floor window on Fifth Street, and Smartmom felt very blue as she slogged up Fifth Street in her black Joan and David pumps. She knew she was missing out on a day of play, naps, feedings and fun.

When she got on the F train, she’d think about her adorable little blue-eyed baby and feel sorry for herself. But once at the office, she’d get swept into the hyperactive pace of a production company and get to work.

During the first year of Teen Spirit’s life, she’d use her Medela Breast Pump at lunchtime and put a sign on the door that said “Please Knock” and just prayed no one barged in.

Smartmom’s co-workers were fascinated with her tales of motherhood. Every day was a new episode of “The Baby Spirit Show” rife with cute stories of his adorable baby antics. Still, they didn’t always understand how important it was for her to leave the office promptly at 6 pm so that she could relieve her babysitter.

“Half-day?” they’d joke when she left the office. It was a business where people frequently worked until late at night. Sometimes she felt like a slacker, but she knew she had to go.

As Baby Spirit got older, Smartmom would hear about his life at home and pre-school and feel like she was really missing out on a special time. And of course she was. Buddha knows, she was extremely conflicted. She loved her work, but it didn’t leave enough time for her to be with her boy. She and Hepcat talked heatedly about switching roles. But Smartmom was the one with the full-time salaried job with health insurance. Their situation felt intractable at the time.

This conflict was difficult on their marriage, but things changed a few years later when Smartmom got pregnant with OSFO and decided that she was going to be a stay-at-home mom. Magically, her pregnancy coincided with Hepcat getting a full-time job as a software developer at a dotcom — with health insurance.

The gods were shining down on them.

Smartmom loved being a stay-at-home-mom. Music for Aardvarks, Music Together, playgroups, Gymboree, she couldn’t get enough of child enrichment activities with OSFO. But after about two years, she found herself longing for something else — a creative outlet, a part-time job. She knew she didn’t want to go back to work full-time, but she needed to do something in addition to being a mom.

Smartmom talked about this with the other moms, and most were grappling with the same issue. Gluten Free formed a monthly discussion group called Manifesto Mamas for mothers who wanted to talk about the work/motherhood conundrum.

“You said you were feeling like you’re “failing some feminist test” by staying home to care for your child, but that you’ll know you’ll look back and cherish the time you’ve spent with your children,” one of the mothers wrote in an e-mail to the others. “[You said] you look at me and feel like an underachiever. … And I, on the other hand, look at you and am haunted by the terror that I’m missing my daughter’s babyhood by having a full-time caregiver. Missing it all. Who’s going to remember her childhood and tell her what she was like when she was a baby? Who’s going to be there when she says her first verifiable word? I already was third on the list of people to see my daughter’s “first” steps. … I have the nagging feeling that I’m missing the most important thing in the world, and that it’s right in front of me.”

The group also talked about how important it was for women to have careers. This subject was rife with conflict as well. As one woman wrote in an e-mail:

“I don’t feel as though I can (or want to) step out of the labor force. I don’t feel as though I can count on my husband’s business to be as economically viable as it was last year, and even if I could, I wouldn’t want to let him be the primary wage-earner anyway. I don’t feel secure enough in the relationship to want to ‘bank’ on him entirely.”

Smartmom felt lucky for Manifesto Mamas, which was a safe place to chew on these important issues. Over time, Smartmom did become a freelance writer. She got an office in the neighborhood so that she could be close to home and school when she worked. She worked hard to balance the demands of work and her desire to be involved with her kids in a multitude of ways. Still, work has a way of capturing one’s attention and taking us all away from the family. It’s a constant push and pull. The bottom line is the absurdity that this world asks us to pretend that 1) mothering is a hobby, a sideline, something to squeeze in at the end of the day and 2) mothering is everything, the only thing, the one true calling, the fulfillment of one’s womanhood.

You can see why the debates between the so-called working mothers and the “stay-at-home-moms” are so virulent. When you don’t see any way out of a paradoxically and unsatisfactory paradigm, you become frustrated and angry as would any caged creature.

How can we step out of this paradox? What kind of new world can we invent?

Smartmom wishes she knew.

What an action packed day in Park Slope: The Fifth Avenue Fair, The Bike Jumble, the Park Slope Civic Council House Tour. Get busy people. Here’s a  nice blurb about the Fair from Brooklyn Vegan with an emphasis on music.

Park Slope’s annual 5th Avenue Street Fair is Sunday, May 16th. It runs from Sterling to 12th Street and starts at noon. Not your typical corn dog and lemonade street fair (though they do have that stuff), the Brooklyn event features multiple stages of live music including two hosted by Southpaw which is also home to the day’s Punk & Underground Record Fair (10am-6pm, $5 entry). Southpaw’s stages, assuming it doesn’t rain, will be in front of Southpaw, and at the Gate (5th Ave & 3rd St). If it rains, music moves inside Southpaw where the record fair will also be taking place.

While on Fifth Ave, you can also stop by Union Hall (season finale of tearing the veil of maya at 7 / indie rock all stars cover tusk by fleetwood mac at 9), and walk a block down to 4th Ave to check out new venue Rock Shop.

PARK SLOPE HOUSE TOUR

This Sunday marks the 51st Annual Park Slope Civic Council House Tour.  The self-guided tour features seven beautiful homes, followed by a panel discussion on how to make your home more environmentally friendly (moderated by yours truly).

Tickets are $20 in advance, via the Civic Council’s web site or available through tomorrow from many local businesses

Tickets can also be purchased on Sunday, for $25, at the tour’s starting point, the Poly Prep Lower School, at 50 Prospect Park West, near the corner of 1st Street.

All of the profits from the house tour are redistributed by the Park Slope Civic Council in the form of grants to local non-profit organizations.  Click here for more information about the house tour; to purchase reserved tickets, click here.

FILM

Please Give, Babies, and Exit Through the Gift Shop at BAM.

THEATER

The Gallery Players present “City of Angels” through May 23rd. With multiple sets, a large cast, frequent costume changes, and the need for over-the-top performances that don’t go too far over the top, City of Angels is an ambitious choice for an Off-Off-Broadway theatre company. However, the folks at The Gallery Players are more than up to the challenge. The five-piece band is excellent, and the cast handles the humor, singing, and costume changes with aplomb. City of Angels [is] a delightful musical. -Wendy Caster, Show Showdown

The Creditors at BAM. Directed by Alan Rickman, this fiercely modern battle of the sexes comes to BAM following a sold-out run at London’s Donmar Warehouse (RED, Jude Law’s Hamlet, Frost/Nixon). A darkly comic tale of vengeance, jealousy, and psychological warfare, Creditors unfolds as a young husband (Tom Burke, in his New York debut), anxiously awaiting the return of his new wife (Olivier Award-nominee Anna Chancellor), falls under the sway of a mysterious stranger (Tony Award-winner Owen Teale).

MUSIC

May 16 at 7PM at Barbes: New Music Sundays: A New Music Series curated by Richard Guérin and Giancarlo Vulcano presents HEBREW SCHOOL David Griffin’s Hebrew School is a soft-psych interpretation of ritual, atheist rant, the renewal and failure of culture, quasi-biblical meditations on violence, and fragmented prayer. Oh, and a sappy love song or two.

BIKE SHOPPING

May 16 10AM until 4PM: The Bike Jumble in Washington Park (Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Park Slope).  A note from the organizers: “Just like last year, we’re holding the Brooklyn Bike Jumble in Washington Park. Dealers from all over the east coast and from New York City will be there to sell bikes, bike parts, t-shirts, clothing, and really anything bike related! This year, the Fifth Avenue Streetfair will be on as well, so food options and other shopping options abound!”

CONEY ISLAND VELODROME EXHIBITION

Strong Backs and Weak Minds on view at the Old Stone House through June 21. The Coney Island Velodrome opened on July 19, 1930, as the world slipped toward the Great Depression and war. The track became the last velodrome in America offering the thrills and chills of motor-paced racing, where riders raced behind motorcycles to attain speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour.

The exhibit features bikes that were raced on the track, as well as photos, programs, tickets and other ephemera, including a special ‘Stayer’ bike for motor-paced racing and New York-built track bikes from long-forgotten builders.

Momasphere presents LUNAFEST at BAX.

Filled with stories of reflection and whimsy, hope and humor, grace and perseverance, LUNAFEST films are renowned for celebrating the talents and stories of women. Our films include many off the traditional “festival circuit.” Collectively, LUNAFEST films captivate audiences, compel dialogue and arm those who participate with both the knowledge and the motivation to make a difference in their communities.

From quirky animation to touching documentaries, this year’s 10 selected films are incredibly diverse in both style and subject matter, united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling by…for…about women.

Price: Tickets are $20 online and $30 cash at the door.

Space is limited so please RSVP by purchasing tickets online. Tickets at the door are cash only and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click Here for more on Momasphere and LUNAFEST Women’s Film Festival

This Sunday marks the 51st Annual Park Slope Civic Council House Tour.  The self-guided tour features seven beautiful homes, followed by a panel discussion on how to make your home more environmentally friendly (moderated by yours truly).
Tickets are $20 in advance, via the Civic Council’s web site or available through tomorrow from the following local businesses:

* Aguayo & Huebener, 138 7th Avenue
* Astoria Federal Savings, 110 7th Avenue
* Brenton Realty, 322 5th Avenue
* Brown Harris Stevens, 100 7th Avenue
* Dixon’s Bicycle Shop, 792 Union Street
* Dizzy’s Diner, 511 9th Street
* Ideal Properties Group, LLC, 78 7th Avenue
* tb shaw realty associates, 197 7th Avenue
* Warren Lewis Realty, 123A 7th Avenue
* Windsor Café, 220 Prospect Park West

Tickets can also be purchased on Sunday, for $25, at the tour’s starting point, the Poly Prep Lower School, at 50 Prospect Park West, near the corner of 1st Street.

All of the profits from the house tour are redistributed by the Park Slope Civic Council in the form of grants to local non-profit organizations.

Boy have I been asleep at the wheel. This Sunday, THIS SUNDAY May 16 is the Park Slope House Tour and I’ve said word 0 about it. My bad.

And the weird thing is this house tour is as old as me. Woo.

And it’s always a fun way to satisfy that voyeuristic impulse.

This Sunday marks the 51st Annual Park Slope Civic Council House Tour.  The self-guided tour features seven beautiful homes, followed by a panel discussion on how to make your home more environmentally friendly (moderated by yours truly).
Tickets are $20 in advance, via the Civic Council’s web site or available through tomorrow from the following local businesses:

* Aguayo & Huebener, 138 7th Avenue
* Astoria Federal Savings, 110 7th Avenue
* Brenton Realty, 322 5th Avenue
* Brown Harris Stevens, 100 7th Avenue
* Dixon’s Bicycle Shop, 792 Union Street
* Dizzy’s Diner, 511 9th Street
* Ideal Properties Group, LLC, 78 7th Avenue
* tb shaw realty associates, 197 7th Avenue
* Warren Lewis Realty, 123A 7th Avenue
* Windsor Café, 220 Prospect Park West

Tickets can also be purchased on Sunday, for $25, at the tour’s starting point, the Poly Prep Lower School, at 50 Prospect Park West, near the corner of 1st Street.

All of the profits from the house tour are redistributed by the Park Slope Civic Council in the form of grants to local non-profit organizations.  Click here for more information about the house tour; to purchase reserved tickets, click here.

This just in from Eric McClure of Park Slope Neighbors.

Officials with the New York City Department of Transportation late last month announced a significant makeover for Grand Army Plaza, which will make the plaza easier and safer for drivers to navigate, more accessible and safer for pedestrians to negotiate, and more logical and safer for cyclists to traverse.

Plans for the redesign were unveiled at a joint meeting of the Community Board 6 and Community Board 8 transportation committees on April 29th at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch.  Major changes include a physical barrier and new traffic signal for Park Slope-bound vehicles headed from the inner ring to Union Street and Prospect Park West, which will eliminate the need for drivers to jockey across a six-lane merge; enlarged medians and several additional crosswalks to enable easier pedestrian access to the Bailey Fountain and the Arch; an enlarged and bollard-protected Green Market space; and the conversion of the one-way, on-street Plaza Street bike lane to a two-way, physically separated bike path situated between the curb and parked cars.

You can have a look at a PDF of NYC DOT’s complete plan and presentation here: http://tinyurl.com/newGAP.

The project, which NYC DOT hopes to commence in August, should make Grand Army Plaza considerably more pleasant, and safer, for everyone using it.  With asphalt unused by cars reclaimed for pedestrians and cyclists, the entire experience of the Plaza should be significantly upgraded.

At the same meeting, NYC DOT reaffirmed that it will begin work on the Prospect Park West Bicycle Path and Traffic Calming project next month.  The project will remove one travel lane from Prospect Park West, and will replace it with a two-way, physically separated bike path along the park-side curb.  While aimed principally at increasing safety and slowing traffic on perpetually speeding-plagued PPW, the bike path will add an important north-south connection to the cycling network.  Details of the plan are available in a PDF here: http://tinyurl.com/PPW2010.

Taken together, these two important projects, which NYC DOT will accomplish without the need for any capital funds, will represent a significant leap forward in making our neighborhood’s streets calmer, more balanced, and most importantly, safer for all users.  Thanks to all of you who attended the meeting on the 29th to voice support for NYC DOT’s efforts.

City Council Member Brad Lander of the 39th district is glad that the City Council passed a “Small Business Owners Bill of Rights” this week.

The small, independently-owned businesses that line our commercial avenues are – as we so often say – a key part of what make our neighborhoods, well, real neighborhoods.

We are lucky to live in a place where we can walk to do so much of our weekly shopping, where we are likely to see neighbors, where we know the proprietors, where we have a choice to support local businesses instead of only global chains. Whether its 5th Ave, Court Street, Church Avenue, Prospect Park West, 7th Ave, Smith Street, Columbia Street, or Fort Hamilton Parkway, so many of you have talked with me about the importance of working to help strengthen and support small businesses.

Unfortunately, our small businesses face big challenges. Real estate, energy, and other costs of skyrocketed in recent years. Too many of us these days are doing more of our shopping online. And the economic downturn has been especially hard on those businesses without deep pockets or cash reserves.

Government can’t solve all of these problems, but we should do all we can to provide a level playing field. So I’ve been troubled when I’ve asked small business owners their biggest problem – and they’ve indicated it was agency inspectors who seemed bent on levying fines in order to raise revenue for the City, rather than attending to public health or safety, much less to help make our small businesses better and stronger.

So, I was proud this week when the City Council passed the “Small Business Owners Bill of Rights,” an important first step towards ensuring that small businesses in the city are able to survive and thrive in these difficult economic times. The new legislation requires inspectors, upon entering a business, to give owners a written bill of rights, that lets them know how they can contest a claim (which they will soon be able to do online) or make a complaint, and sets a standard for fair and consistent enforcement.
Continue reading Brad Lander on “Small Business Owners Bill of Rights” →

So what is an edgy mom? Based on the reading I’d have to say it’s a mom who questions authority and group-think, and who tells the truth, even if it’s shocking. Also, judging from the night’s readers, edgy moms are funny!
– Louise Sloan, author of Knock Yourself Up, A Tell All Guide to Becoming a Single Mom

Brooklyn Reading Works presents the Fourth Annual Edgy Mother’s Day on May 20, 2010 at 8PM at The Old Stone House in Park Slope. It’s motherhood without sanctimony and an evening  of maternal revelry, wisdom and irreverent fun.

This is not your mother’s Mother’s Day but a celebration of mommydom nonetheless that will shock, rock, and make you laugh ‘til your thongs snap!

Hear Brooklyn writers of non-fiction, fiction, memoir and poetry rant and rave about mothers and motherhood. They will shock, amuse, and entertain but won’t make you eat carrots before dessert.
Bring a friend. Or bring your mom.

Hosted by Louise Crawford and Sophia Romero, here’s the evening’s line-up:
–Marian Fontana, author of A Widow’s Walk
–Rosemary Moore, author of Side Street
–Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl From the Left
–Jill Eisenstadt, author of From Rockaway
–Wendy Ponte, author of Mothering Magazine’s Having a Baby Naturally
–Sophia Romero, blogger, The Shiksa from Manila and author of Always Hiding
–Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of Breaking the Bank
–Michele Madigan Somerville, poet and author of WISEGAL and Black Irish
–Allison Pennell, parenting journalist and writer for Effed in Park Slope
–Kathy Fine, educator

The Where and When
Date: May 20, 2010 at 8PM

Location:  The Old Stone House
Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets
Phone:  718-768-3195

7:30 p.m.:  Open bar/Wine donated by Shawn Liquors

8:00 p.m.:  Reading
Suggested contribution:  $5 to benefit Old Stone House
Reading is open to all – not just mothers – though please leave children at home

I just heard about the Brooklyn Folk Festival at Jalopy (315 Columbia St. between Woodhull and Rapelye streets in Red Hook, (718) 395-3214) on May 21-23.

There will also be shows at  Cabrini Urban Meadow Park on President Street between Columbia and Van Brunt streets.

The festival will include an eclectic mix of old-timey music, blues,  jug band music, New Orleans jazz, folk, Greek, African and Mexican folk music.

“It’s not so much getting big acts for the festival, but about getting quality acts,” organizer Eli Smith told the Brooklyn Paper. . “That’s why the Mexican folk band, Radio Jarocho, Gambian kora player Salieu Suso and American blues and folk musician Blind Boy Paxton are highlights of the festival.”