All posts by admin

Luna Park To Stay Open Through October!

So Marty Markowitz announced yesterday that Coney Island’s Luna Park will stay open through October. Since it opened in June of 2010, 400,000 visitors have enjoyed the revamped amusement park, which is part of the city’s revitalization plan.

The original Luna Park, which was festooned with literally hundreds of thousands of lights, opened in 1903 and burned down in 1944.

Watching the new HBO show, Boardwalk Empire, and especially the great set created in Brooklyn, one gets a sense of what the original Luna Park might have been like.

Book Jackets Required: Reading Series at Park Slope’s Montauk Club

Tonight The Montauk Club presents Book Jackets Required, the first event in their new literary reading series with Judy Baumel, Martha Cooley and Giles Harvey.

This event is produced in partnership with AGNI and is co-curated by Beth Romano.

The reading will take place at 8 PM, Wednesday, September 22, 2010, in the historic 120 year-old Ballroom at the Montauk Club, 25 Eighth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn (adjacent to Grand Army Plaza).  Authors will read from recent work, followed by a brief panel discussion with a cocktail hour and tour of the club’s landmark building afterward.

The ticket price is free to club members and $5 for non-members; drink tickets for cocktails, wine, beer and non-alcoholic drinks can be purchased.  Visit our website at www.montaukclub.com for details on trains/transportation; RSVP to manager@montaukclub.com.

Click on Read more for information about the authors:

Continue reading Book Jackets Required: Reading Series at Park Slope’s Montauk Club

Emergency Preparedness Workshop at Spoke the Hub

Good timing I’d say. The recent Park Slope tornado got us all thinking about what to do in an emergency.

On Saturday, October 2, 2010, Spoke the Hub (STH) is presenting a FREE program, sponsored by the American Red Cross in Greater New York, on emergency preparedness, to be held at the STH Re:Creation Center at 748 Union Street between 5th and 6th Avenues in Park Slope. The program will last one hour, from 12:30-1:30pm. RSVP required.  Reservations for the free event can be made by calling Spoke the Hub at (718) 408-3234.

It is certainly prudent—and essential—for individuals and families, especially in New York City, to prepare for possible disasters and other emergencies. Both natural and human-caused crises can strike suddenly, anywhere and at any time.  This free workshop will provide participants with the crucial facts they’ll need  – before, during, and after a disaster or emergency situation. Attendees will learn how to create a family disaster plan, build and maintain a supply kit, and keep loved ones safe and informed.

Click on read more to see the topics that will be covered…

Continue reading Emergency Preparedness Workshop at Spoke the Hub

Drawn in Brooklyn: Festival of Children’s Book Illustration at Library

It’s not just an exhibition, it’s a festival celebrating Brooklyn’s large and eclectic community of children’s book illustrators.

Says the Library: “Brooklyn is home to the LARGEST concentration of children’s book professionals on the planet.” At the Brooklyn Library’s main branch at Grand Army Plaza, this interesting fact is put on brilliant display by the work of the illustrators featured in this exhibition.

I always had the sense that there were a lot of children’s book pros around here but this just proves it. This festival, which runs through January 23rd, 2011 has many facets.

Drawn In Brooklyn Exhibitions
September 21, 2010 – January 23, 2011
Central Library, Grand Army Plaza

Illustration by Sophie Blackall

OTBKB Music: Kristin Diable Returns to Play The Living Room

Kristin Diable is a singer-songwriter I discovered a few years back when she was regularly playing The Living Room and The Rockwood Music Hall.  Her music is a combination of rock, folk and blues all held together with an amazing voice made even more astonishing with a Louisiana drawl.  Back then, Kristin was living in New York City.  But about 18 months ago she decided she had enough of living in a third-story apartment in Greenpoint and moved back to Louisiana.   All the details about Kristin’s show tonight are here at Now I’ve Heard Everything.

–Eliot Wagner

Sept 24-26: Bushwick Film Festival

How many Brooklyn film festivals does it take to screw in a light bulb? I don’t know but there are so many Brooklyn fests,  including two this weekend (Bushwick and Coney Island) that I’ve lost count.

The Bushwick Film Festival returns for its fourth year on September 24th for an exciting three day event at Brooklyn Fire Proof in Bushwick, Brooklyn. From September 24th-26th the festival will screen 5 feature films by notable directors Steven Garbas, Giorgio Arcelli, Dan Keezer, Andrew Shirley, and Shaun Jefford.  Also, the program for shorts will showcase documentaries and comedies by 20 filmmakers, including works by Brooklyn based collective The Film Shop and Untucked Films, who recently screened a retrospective of their work at Anthology Archive.

Continue reading Sept 24-26: Bushwick Film Festival

Sept 23: All Ages Show at Brooklyn Reading Works

On September 23rd at 7PM, Brooklyn Reading Works presents the second annual Young Writers Night, fiction, poetry and song by New York City teenagers. “In planning this event, I looked for artists with fresh insight, candor and guts.” writes curator Jill Eisenstadt, author of From Rockaway and Kiss Out. Young Writers should be an exciting night and a preview into the next generation of published writers.

Did I mention that the reading starts at 7PM???

Young Writers is an all ages event at the Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. Suggested donation of $5 includes refreshments.

Readers include Hananh Frishberg, Maria Robins-Somerville, Noah Miller, Banks Harris Lily Konigsberg, Gussie Rock, Charie Dore-Young and Luca Balser.

The show starts at 7PM!!!

Cooking Demonstrations at the Park Slope Farmer’s Market (on Fifth Avenue)

On Sunday, Sept. 26th Fumiko Akiyama, owner of Park Slope’s Kappa Sake House, will demonstrate how to make two different kinds of miso soup using local produce and seafood at the Park Slope Farmers Market on 5th Avenue between 3rd and 5th Streets in Brooklyn. The event marks the first in a series of weekly cooking demos given by local chefs at the Farmers Market. Each demonstration will be held from 2 to 3:30pm and will feature local, farm-fresh ingredients.

Akiyama is excited to promote her healthy miso soups while educating shoppers about adjusting ingredients based on what’s available at the farmers market. Her restaurant’s mission is to go beyond sushi, bringing a more authentic taste of Japan to Brooklyn.  The next week’s demonstration, on October 3rd, will feature the chef at Belleville, a Michelin Guide recommended Parisian Bistro. Aunt Suzie’s, where the cooking is grounded in southern Italian and Brooklyn roots, will give a demonstration on October 10th. The rest of the schedule for October is available at www.communitymarkets.biz. Shoppers will be able to taste each chef’s creation and take the recipe to try at home.

Continue reading Cooking Demonstrations at the Park Slope Farmer’s Market (on Fifth Avenue)

Jazz Passengers at Lincoln Center and Jazz Standard

Jazz musician, composer and poet Roy Nathanson, an OTBKB fave and one of the 2009 Park Slope 100, will perform on Sept 28  and 29th at The Jazz Standard with the original Jazz Passengers (Curtis Fowlkes, Marc Ribot, EJ Rodriguez, Bill Ware, Brad Jones, Sam Bardfeld and Roy). at 116 East 27th Street -(212) 576-2232. Shows are 7:30 and 9:30. At the Sept 29th show Debbie Harry (of Blondie fame) will sing instead of Ribot on guitar.

October 7th is your chance to hear “Subway Moon,” Nathanson’s beautiful spoken word jazz cycle performed by Sotte Voce at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. Show begins at 8:30PM and it’s free.

The Jazz Passengers were founded in l987 by Nathanson and Trombonist Curtis Fowlkes. The two musicians met in the band of the Big Apple Circus and toured extensively together in John Lurie’s The Lounge Lizards. The two musicians connected over their Brooklyn roots, their affection for hard bop, comedy and eccentric currents in modern American music.

Continue reading Jazz Passengers at Lincoln Center and Jazz Standard

Clear Life Coaching: Help for Brooklyn Divorcees

Divorce, which ends almost half of all marriages today, is one of the top five life stressors. Wendy Ponte, a life coach and founder of Clear Life Coaching, has developed a new short-term workshop called, Transform Your Divorce, which will help you find positive ways to deal with the process of divorce and to come out the other side having done way more than just “survive.”

* Learn exciting new techniques for coping with stress.
* Find out how some of the latest research on the brain can help you cope with divorce.
* Access dreams and ideas you may not have even known were there.
* Create an action plan that will get you through this transition and take you into your new life.

To get more details about this exciting new workshop, go to Clear Life Coaching’s website.

Trying to Reform Brooklyn Politics

Yesterday on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall prior to the Brooklyn Democratic Party’s biennial meeting, elected officials, government advocates, and members of New Kings Democrats called for Vito Lopez’s resignation as Party leader. The reform-minded group outlined a 4 point platform for reform:

1) Eliminate unelected at-large State Committee Seats

2) Open up meetings to press

3) Cease the practice of mass proxy voting

4) Hold County Committee meetings twice a year, at least

The group, which included State Committee member Jo Anne Simon (AD 52) and newly elected State Committee member Chris Owens (AD 52), marched to St. Francis College and rallied against the closed door meeting.
Sounds like things got interesting.

Apparently Lopez relented under pressure and for the FIRST TIME EVER,  reporters and non-invited individuals flooded the biennial meeting.

Lincoln Restler, candidate for State Committee in the 50th AD said in a press release from New Kings Democrats: “Three of Brooklyn’s past four Democratic Party bosses have been indicted on charges of corruption, and if the recent news about current Party Boss, Vito Lopez, is any indication, he is likely to meet the same fate. Brooklyn deserves a better brand of politics.”

Speaking of Restler, they still haven’t figured out whether he or Warren Cohn is the winner in the District Leader race in the 50th AD in North Brooklyn. Cohn was Lopez’s hand-picked candidate.

Last I heard Restler was ahead by 85 votes in the recount but the race, the most contested race in Brooklyn, has yet to be decided.

Stay tuned.


Oct 2: Bike Like a Driver

It’s important that bike riders know and observe the rules of the road so that our streets are safe for bikers, motorists and pedestrians.

That’s why a workshop like this sounds great.

Information on the October 2 Bike Like a Driver clinic and event as well as Bike to School Day information can now be found on Bike New York’s website here: http://www.bikenewyork.org/education/classes/bike_to_school.html.

Anyone interested in having their kids attend the Bike Like a Driver clinic should email their kids’ names and ages to classes(at)bikenewyork(dot)org.

This Thursday: Young Writers at The Old Stone House in Park Slope

Yes, an all ages event at the Old Stone House brought to you by Brooklyn Reading Works. In fact, it’s the first BRW event of the season. So come one, come all. It should be great.

On September 23rd at 7PM BRW presents the second annual Young Writers Night, fiction, poetry and song by New York City teenagers. “In planning this event, I looked for artists with fresh insight, candor and guts.” writes curator Jill Eisenstadt, author of From Rockaway and Kiss Out. Young Writers should be an exciting night and a preview into the next generation of published writers.

Young Writers is an all ages event at the Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. Suggested donation of $5 includes refreshments.

Readers include Hananh Frishberg, Maria Robis-Somerville, Noah Miller, Banks Harris Lily Konigsberg, Luca Balser, Charlie Dore-Young, Gussie Roc and more or their bios click on “read more.”

Continue reading This Thursday: Young Writers at The Old Stone House in Park Slope

You Went to College for That? Returns to Union Hall in Park Slope

The latest installment of Brooklyn’s hot new storytelling series, You Went to College for That,  with all new stories and great new storytellers, will be back at Union Hall October 6 at 7:30 PM. The second semester will continue on November 3 and December 8.

“You Went to College for That?” is an opportunity for New York’s best storytellers to present stories about their college days — love, classes, booze, experiments with drugs, experimenting in organic chemistry, growing up and being young. The stories can focus on any part of their lives, but each storyteller must teach the audience something that they learned in their major. We hope that the show will become part of the community of great storytelling in New York.

The show is hosted and curated by acclaimed standup comic and storyteller Ophira Eisenberg, (B.S., Anthropology, McGill University). Selected as one of New York Magazine’s Top 10 Comics, Ophira has appeared on Comedy Central, Fox, VH-1 and NBC. Her writing has been published in five anthologies, including I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America’s Top Comics and Heeb Magazine’s collection Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish. She is also a regular contributor for Us Weekly’s “Fashion Police” and YourTango.com. Her debut stand-up comedy CD As Is is available on iTunes.

Continue reading You Went to College for That? Returns to Union Hall in Park Slope

Hope for Immigrant Students with The Dream Act

My neighbor, who is an assistant principal at a NYC international high school, feels passionately about The Dream Act. She wrote me this letter yesterday about improving the lives of immigrant students.

As you know, I feel very passionately about improving the lives of immigrant students through education. It is possible that after years of stalling, the Dream Act, which would open a pathway to citizenship for undocumented students who graduate from college will be voted on tomorrow or Thursday. I urge you to take five minutes out of your day to send a letter to your federal representatives via this link: <http://capwiz.com/nacac/issues/alert/?alertid=13099226>.

Please make it possible for students like Angel, who was brought to the US at age ten by his parents, to live up to their potential and contribute to our society.  In bald terms, taxpayers spent close to 100K on his education and society is not reaping his potential.  In human terms, Angel’s story is a painful reminder of what can happen to undocumented students. Angel graduated from Brooklyn International High School a number of years ago, scraped together the means to attend and graduate from Hunter College. This in and of itself is an extraordinary accomplishment given the statistic that fewer than five out of one hundred Latinos graduate from college.  Angel was offered a position at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the strength of his work as an intern there, which he could not accept, because he was undocumented.  Angel now sells flowers by day in midtown Manhattan and delivers take-out Chinese dinners in Park Slope by night.

When Angel came to me years ago to say he didn’t think going to college would be worth it, I told him about the Dream Act. I told him it would be a gamble, but if it never got passed, noone could ever take his education away from him and he would serve as a powerful example to his community and future children.

Let’s just say, my heart breaks every time I bump into Angel on his delivery bike.  Please, for his sake, and for the sake of all the Angels out there all over the US, please take a moment out of your busy lives to insure that we tap into the potential and hold out hope for the students who really do believe in and work for the promise of the American Dream with an ardent fervor even as many of our children, who have the birthright of American citizenship purely by chance, take for granted.

Please, also send this out to all of your friends and family.

Bklyn Bloggage: neighborhoods

It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time to walk around Brooklyn blog by blog:

Street art: NY Shitty

B&Q subway disruptions: Sheepshead Bites

Happy 4th Birthday: Gerritsen Beach

Diving into the Gowanus in 1979: Pardon Me for Asking

I survived tornado t-shirt: Effed in Park Slope

Park Slope cameo in Boardwalk Empire: Here is Park Slope

Champion of bridezillas: Bushwick, BK

Out of context at 11 Broadway: Brooklyn 11211

First Brooklyn Heights dog show: McBrooklyn

Review of Chestnut Market: Bed-Stuy Blog

Sept 24-27: Coney Island Film Festival

The 10th annual Coney Island Film Festival honors Darren Aronofsky, the Brooklyn-born director of the Coney Island classic, Requium for a Dream and The Wrestler for which Mickey Rourke won an academy award for his incredible portrayal of a troubled wrestler.

The mission of the festival, which runs from September 24th through September 26th, is to raise funds for the non-profit arts organization Coney Island USA, a group dedicated to the preservation of Coney Island and its history, nd to present an engaging program of films just steps from the fabulous boardwalk.

Check the festival website for the schedule of a eclectic group of films from the U.S. and all over the world, including a number of “made in Coney Island” productions each year.

The main screening venue is the legendary Sideshows by the Seashore theater, home to America’s last authentic 10-in-1 circus sideshow. The opening night celebration will  feature live performances by sideshow & burlesque stars.

“The Recession is Over”

Yeah, right.

Technically the recession might be over but what does that really mean?

The unemployment rate hovers at 9.6% and economic growth is slow but according to the National Bureau of Economic Research the longest recession since WWII is now officially over.

Sounds like it’s time to send my resume all over town: hire me, the recession is OVER, hire me.

But I think businesses are still too shaky to start hiring again and the conclusions of the NBER aren’t  much consolation to struggling small businesses, unemployed individuals and those whose home values have gone down.

I’m glad to hear that the recession is over but I want to see evidence (other than the rising stock market) that thing are really getting better for most Americans.

In other words, it ain’t over till it’s over.

Sept 27: Brooklyn’s Got Character(s) at Galapagos

Brooklyn’s Got Character[s], featuring songs written about and inspired by the real people of Kings County, will be presented Sept. 27 at Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo.

That got my attention. Especially since one of the songwriters got in touch with me because he was looking for Park Slope’s sidewalk astronomer. I asked why and he told me about this show.

According to the press materials, the show will “bring Brooklyn’s rich and varied humanity to life in theatrical songs based on the lives, stories, and personalities of its residents.” written by of some of New York City’s emerging composers, including Nathan Tysen and Chris Miller (The Burnt Part Boys), Joe Iconis (Things to Ruin, Bloodsong of Love), Tommy Newman (Band Geeks) and many more. All writers are alumni of New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.

Galapagos Art Space is located at 16 Main Street in Brooklyn. Tickets, priced $15, are available at www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=BRO101, and will also be available at the door.

Continue reading Sept 27: Brooklyn’s Got Character(s) at Galapagos

Fortune: Park Slope Coop One of Most Successful Grocers in US

Fortune Magazine discovers the Park Slope Food Coop and thinks that “traditional supermarkets should pay attention.” Okay.

It turns out that one of the most successful grocers around by some measures isn’t really in it for the money. The Park Slope Food Coop (PSFC), the largest consumer-owned single-store coop by sales in the U.S., had $39.4 million in sales during its last fiscal year, raking in more than $6,500 per square foot annually. “Anyone would salivate at that,” says Ann Herpel, a general coordinator at PSFC. In our recent story on Trader Joe’s we noted that the successful Monrovia, Calif.-based chain outdoes it competition with an average of $1,750 in sales per square foot, more than double those of Whole Foods (WFMI, Fortune 500). Traditional supermarkets should pay attention, and not just to those stellar financials. Under the coop model, the owner and the consumer are one in the same. “A coop has to make money but also has to have the best interest of its owners, who are also its shoppers, at heart,” says Robynn Shrader, CEO of the National Cooperative Grocer’s Association (NCGA).

Bklyn Bloggage: civics & urban life

New report alleges fraud at Vito Lopez’s non-profit: Gothamist

Democrats circle wagons for Rep. McMahon: Brooklyn Paper

Lincoln Restler is leading, again: Brooklyn Paper

Vito’s charity shake-up: Brooklyn Paper

Staten Island’s Cedar Grove next chapter in city’s eminent domain saga: Noticing New York

Historical error at the Brooklyn Historical Society?: Atlantic Yards Report

Proposed Brooklyn trolley route: McBrooklyn

Chipolte in the Slope? Nope!

Brownstoner started a rumor that a Chipolte, a burrito chained owned by McDonalds, was slated for the space vacated by Miracle Grill on Seventh Avenue and 3rd Street. Well, it just ain’t so.

According to the Brooklyn Paper: “Chris Arnold of Chipotle corporate in Denver, adding “but dang, I’d love to see a restaurant in Park Slope.””

Last I heard, the owners of the now defunct Second Street Cafe were going to open up something new in the Miracle Grill spot.

Anyone know?

OTBKB Music: Sasha Dobson’s Couldn’t Let You Go

Call it fate or call it coincidence as you will.  Thursday, I saw Sasha Dobson walking on the Lower East Side.  Sunday, Now I’ve Heard Everything got a couple of hits from folks searching for Sasha. And that same day, a You Tube account titled UnreleaseOriginal posted a video (actually a great recording with a still picture) of Sasha singing Couldn’t Let You go in a tasty, soulful solo acoustic version.   That video is posted for you to see and hear here at Now I’ve Heard Everything.

–Eliot Wagner

New Blog on the Block: Investigating Choice Time

Renee Dinnerstein, who has over 40 years experience as an early childhood educator, has started a blog called Investigating Choice TIme and it should be an interesting and illuminating blog about education and how children learn, important topics in these times of budget cuts and constant academic assessment.

Dinnerstein has taught both in Italy and the United States and has spent eighteen years as an early childhood teacher at PS 321, one of New York City’s leading elementary schools. She was the teacher-director of the Children’s School early childhood inclusion annex and worked also as an Early Childhood Staff Developer in the New York City Department of Education, Division of Instructional Support, where she wrote curriculum, led study groups and summer institutes, and helped write the New York City Pre Kindergarten Standards.

When I taught kindergarten and first grade, the most exciting part of my day was Choice Time, when children had time to pursue an inquiry topic, explore materials and ideas and, of course, have space and time to play.  If you would have asked any of the children what the most exciting time of the day was for them, I would not have been surprised if they would have also named Choice Time as the best part of their school day.

Continue reading New Blog on the Block: Investigating Choice Time

Sept 23: Young Writers at the Old Stone House

On September 23rd at 7PM Brooklyn Reading Works presents the second annual Young Writers Night, fiction, poetry and song by New York City teenagers. “In planning this event, I looked for artists with fresh insight, candor and guts.” writes curator Jill Eisenstadt, author of From Rockaway and Kiss Out. Young Writers should be an exciting night and a preview into the next generation of published writers.

Young Writers is an all ages event at the Old Stone House. Third Street and Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. Suggested donation of $5 includes refreshments.

Readers include Hananh Frishberg, Maria Robis-Somerville, Noah Miller, Banks Harris Lily Konigsberg and Gussie Roc. For their bios click on “read more.”

Continue reading Sept 23: Young Writers at the Old Stone House