Come Join the Smorgasburg!!!

You know that summer is here when…

For Brooklyners it’s when the Smorgasburg starts (which is April actually!).  If you’ve not been yet be sure to hop on down to East River State Park (90 Kent Avenue) on a Sunday. And if you have been, you probably know what we’re talking about.  It truly is a wonderful, fun, summer-kinda-feeling open air food market.  So fun indeed that around 20-30,000 people come every single weekend!

Featuring more than 100 local vendors (coz we do like to keep it local if we can), it was dubbed “The Woodstock of Eating,” by The New York Times.  The event is organized by Brooklyn Flea in conjunction with Prospect Park Alliance.

And if you ever have a craving for “deep fried cookie dough, cheese pies and lobster nachos,” then that really is the place that has it all!

Summer Happenings in Brooklyn

Summer is well underway and as we all know, it can get extremely pricey when the kids (and adults) want to go to events that cost money.  So we try on this blog to provide options of things to do that are either cheap or free.

For the upcoming week, starting tomorrow, this is on offer:

1.      If you’re looking to go out Friday night and don’t to break the bank, why not switch your entertainment fun to Friday morning and enjoy a free concert in Central Park?  On 13^th July the Backstreet Boys are playing at 7am.  Get up early and have your fun before the sun gets too hot!

2.      Saturday July 14^th you can enjoy the FAD Market: Summer Pop Up – another free event – from 11am to 6pm. You’ll be able to view art, jewelry, clothing and other stuff from independent makers.

3.      And then on Sunday July 15^th there is NYC’s Summer Ice Cream Blizzard at the Grand Bazaar NYC where you can take a pick of the city’s greatest “artisanal ice cream makers,” all in one spot.

Just remember: you don’t have to break the bank to have fun in Brooklyn in the summertime.  You just need to keep your eyes peeled for the latest on great events.

Brooklyn Black Revival

A revival of black pride is happening in the Brooklyn, NY region.  Some recent examples of the festivals increasing awareness in this genre include: the Afropunk festival; Juneteenth festival; Black and Latino Gay Pride and more.  Organizations are working toward this too, such as Harlem Capital Partners and All-Star Code.

According to an NYU Sociologist, Jacob William Faber:

“We’re in a sociopolitical moment where there’s greater acceptance of black people having pride in themselves. It sounds silly — or sad, really. It should be normal. But we live in a world where saying ‘black lives matter’ is controversial. It’s a rebuttal to the idea — the false choice — that if you want investment you have to accept displacement.”

And it seems to be working.  The US Census Bureau’s recent survey of business owners found a huge nationwide escalation of black-owned businesses between 2007 and 2012 from 1.9 to 2.6 million, mainly from black women.  Indeed, there have been 24 (out of 35) female black entrepreneurs profiled by Black-Owned Brooklyn.

In addition, according to the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises in 2017 Brooklyn had 319 black owned contractors (a large jump from 2015’s 295 stat).  Sean Combs (who is currently developing an app to help locate local black-owned businesses) said:

 “I want to be an authentic, unapologetic warrior for black culture. This is not about taking away from any other community. We’ll still go to Chinatown. We’ll still buy Gucci! But the application will make it possible for us to have an economic community. It’s about blacks gaining economic power.”

Summer Fun for Kids

The summer can be a treacherous time for parents, trying to find numerous activities to keep the little ones entertained. It’s long, it’s hot and it seems ever-so-expensive all the time as well. So what is going on in the Kensington, Brooklyn neighborhood that is good for kids?  What are the best hangout places offering airconditioning and a cup of coffee for parents to ease the summer vacation pain?  Here we take a brief look at some options.

Metro Parents offers a Daily Events listing of great things to do with kids that are cheap or completely free.  You can join events like the free info session on the upcoming African Diaspora’s summer camp in July.  For those wanting to send their kids there, between July 9 to 20^th, your children will be traveling through the wonders of Africa and its cultures, through movement, song and crafts.  The Hakuna Matata: Kings, Lions and Other African Wonders is a fantastic opportunity for kids aged between 3 and 7.

Later on in the summer is the Singing Frogs and Talking Fish: Diving Through the Caribbean Sea.  Between July 23 to August 3, kids will enjoy frolicking through the Caribbean Sea through music, movement, drum-making and so much more!

Tomorrow you can check out the weekly Drop-In Art, Poems and Stories for kids aged 6 to 9 at Park Slope.  The participants get to read a book and then make a craft out of it.  Fun for all, no need for advanced booking and $15 fee.

Pop-up Pool

The Pop-up Pool at Brooklyn Bridge Park is set to become a more  permanent feature of the area.  Since 2012 it has gained such popularity in the summer months that locals will be able to enjoy it for two more seasons in its current location.  While there are plans for demolishing the site after this summer session for the Pier 2 uplands, a permanent pool is to be brought to the neighborhood at Squibb Park (that is attached to the waterfront via the Squibb Park Bridge).

Thanks to the huge efforts of locals via the Love Our Pool campaign, this has been – and will continue to be – a community endeavor.  The BBPC will hold meetings with the community to get their advice on what they think would make the pool great. Once information has been gathered, a designer will be chosen and the pool will thereafter be built.  It’s a process but it will be worth it when it reaches its culmination. 

Kensington Mixed-Use Structure Permits

A three-story mixed-use structure located in Kensington’s 1121 36^th Street has received permits.  A mere eight blocks from the Church Avenue subway station, the applications were approved from the Mina Group LLC to build the 39-feet tall structure.  It will provide six apartments, each spanning approximately 1,086 square feet.

The structure should be completed by January 2019 through Asher Hershkowitz Architect PLLC.

Columbia Street Waterfront District

A new exhibition is arriving at Columbia Street Waterfront District from a local.  Elliot Arkin – an artist hailing from Brooklyn – just returned to his roots to feature “The Spanish Gardener.” This 10-foot sculpture of Pablo Picasso mowing the lawn. The exhibition was opened on June 1^st and will continue until July 15^th.

Arkin does not just do art though.  He is actually a real estate salesperson at Brooklyn Heights Real Estate on Montague Street. Of this position he explained:

“I’ve been in Brooklyn since 1983, when I graduated from Amherst College. Originally, I lived above the Queen restaurant [on Court Street in Downtown Brooklyn]. Now, I own a little building at Hicks and Union streets, the one that has La Petite Crevette on the ground floor.”

For other artistic appreciations, a non-local – Erwin Wurm – is putting out his Hot Dog Bus for the summer.  Free hot dogs will be available in Brooklyn Bridge Park between June 9^th and August 26^th in an effort to get people to view “the human body as a piece of art, specifically as a sculpture.  The venture is in conjunction with the Public Art Fund.