Red Hook Fest this weekend!

It's a big weekend for Red Hook! Brooklyn Studio Tours for the visual arts and the 20th annual Red Hook Fest for dance.  During the Red Hook Festival you can watch dance performances, participate in a dance party yourself and eat, of course.  It's an especially important year for this event and for Red Hook in general after all the area's been through with the hurricane aftermath.  One of the performances, Danced Invocations for Red Hook Recovery, is dedicated to Sandy survivors.  Learn more on their website or click the links below for more info on events starting tonight.

FRI MAY 31 BBQ/Dance Party (6pm-8pm)
SAT JUNE 1 Red Hook Rebirth Parade (10am)
SAT JUNE 1 Mainstage Performances (12pm-7pm)

More on Carnivals!

We blogged about PS 29's Friday night carnival yesterday, mainly because it sounded like fun and we've seen flyers posted everywhere in the neighborhood.  We saw the flyer above today and wanted to give PS 32 a shout out too!  They are having a spring carnival as well this Saturday day from 12pm-4pm, so if a carnival/festival sounds like fun and you'd rather go in the daytime this one's for you! We have such wonderful schools in our hood, mainly because of parent and community involvement.  These festivals are a great way to get out there and support our kids!

PS 29 Carnival

May 31st, this Friday, between 5pm and 8pm PS 29 is throwing a carnival celebration in it's schoolyard to welcome a new principal, Dr. Rebecca Fagin.  The amount of activities at this shindig are too many to list.  You'll probably be able to make them out on the flyer above.  Just know they'll have all the normal festivities, such as face painting and bouncy houses, plus a whole bunch of more unique activities such as a hair coloring station, hacky sack demonstration, and a fortune teller.  And food, of course, BBQ and snacks.  Should be a good time!

Brooklyn Studio Tours.

The 5th annual Brooklyn Studio Tours kicks off this Saturday, June 1st and includes Sunday, June 2nd as well.  We blogged about this last year, which was held in mid-May.  Good choice to hold it a little later this year since the weather has been so crazy.  This tour is meant to bring people to the Red Hook and Carroll Gardens community to observe the local art scene first hand by touring the artists studios or the local businesses supporting them.  It's a great way to see our hood for those who aren't familiar and see it in a different light for those who live here! You can check the tour's facebook page for more info.

Brand New Bagels.

The new bagel shop at 285 Court Street is open! Although it was closed when we walked by in the evening. It looks pretty nice.  Simple but nice.  It's great to have a new bagel shop in the neighborhood.  There aren't too many options and in our opinion you can never have too many.  It's good to have one within a few block radius for those early morning breakfast runs.  We're psyched to try this place out!

Red Hook Ferry Tomorrow!

Good news for businesses in Red Hook, residents, and visitors alike comes this weekend when the expanded free summer ferry service starts at Pier 11 in Manhattan.  It makes two stops in Red Hook one is off of Van Brunt Street and the other is, of course, Ikea.  The decision to expand this route of transportation was mainly because of the impact that Hurricane Sandy had on the area.  Service will begin tomorrow, May 25th.  Read more here.

The Pianos are Coming to Our Hood in June!

Have you heard of the Sing for Hope Pianos program?  Here's a brief summary.  88 artist-designed pianos will be placed around the city starting in June.  Not only are these beautifully designed from them spontaneous performances will occur daily.  After their time with the public they will be donated to under-served schools,and other community organizations in need.  A couple of these pianos are coming pretty close by.  One will be at Columbus Park near Borough Hall, one in Brooklyn Bridge Park and another in Gowanus at 336 3rd Street.  Check out their site for more info.

Governor's Island Opens Soon!

This Saturday, May 25th, marks the opening day of Gov Island to the public for the season.  We're so lucky that this amazing spot is just a short (and free!) ferry boat ride away from Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park.  Here are a few things you can expect to see this weekend.

Children's Museum of the Arts Free Art Island Outpost Program: May 25-September 29,  Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm
Join CMA's Teaching Artists for free hands on art-making each weekend. Collaborate with other visitors on a variety of themed art workshops including painting, sound design, sculpture, animation, podcasting, and more!!  For more information visit www.cmany.org.

Better Than Jam: handmade gifts shop: May 25- September 29, 11 am-6pm
For it's 3rd year, the Brooklyn boutique of all locally handmade products, will be bringing the creations of New York City's most talented artists and crafters

Vintage Baseball, Saturday and Sunday May 25-26, Saturday, June 29, Saturday July 27, Saturday August 24 and Saturday, August 21
See baseball played as it was at the turn of the last century! Visit the Parade Ground and enjoy America’s pastime the way it used to be played!

 

Chickens at Urban Meadow.

Urban Meadow, a beautiful community garden on President and Van Brunt, has added chickens to their space.  They've had them for a little while now but just recently we noticed that a couple of them were roaming free so we snapped this pic.  The tulips and other spring flowers are blooming, along with the scattered flowering trees.  That as well as the picnic benches, brick garden paths and now the chickens strolling around make this a really cute spot.

Buying into Brooklyn Event Reminder!!

Tomorrow night is the night.  Just wanted to let everyone know, and remind those who already knew, that we'll be at Brooklyn Brewery along with a great panel of folks who can answer your questions about buying in Brooklyn.  Come for the knowledge, come for the beer, come for the snacks.  Come see us!!  Check the event's facebook page for tickets and more info.