Joyce Bakeshop on Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn is raffling off a gingerbread Brooklyn Bridge this holiday season to raise proceeds to support local public elementary school PS 9.
Raffle tickets are $2.00 each, which buys you a chance to bring home Joyce Bakeshop’s handmade gingerbread Brooklyn Bridge. The drawing will be held on Monday, December 21st, and the winner will be notified by phone.
Stop by to see the Gingerbread Brooklyn Bridge on display now at Joyce Bakeshop. Purchase a raffle ticket, say thanks to Mo, and support Joyce Bakeshop as they raise proceeds for PS9!
Joyce Bakeshop
646 Vanderbilt Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718.623.7470
www.joycebakeshop.com
This Sunday, October 18th, is the Prospect Heights House Tour. The tour is from 12:00 to 5:00 PM and is self guided. It includes 11 wonderful homes and apartments in the beautiful neighborhood that is Prospect Heights. Known for its beautiful brownstones, the neighborhood was recognized by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission this summer when the Prospect Heights historic district was created.
Stop by for Hello Living at 957 Pacific Street for refreshments and to rest your feet during the tour. While you are there be sure to check out all the amazing amenities ( including a lounge with zebra print carpets, rainbow print carpets in the children play centers, a pool, gym and sauna). 
Tickets for the tour are $20 prior to the event at the following locations:
• The Forest Floor, 659 Vandebilt Avenue (between Park Place and Prospect Place
• Prospect Perk, 183 Sterling Place (at Flatbush Avenue)
• Tillies, 284 DeKalb Avenue (at Vandernbilt Avenue)
• Tom’s Restaurant, 787 Washington Avenue (at Sterling Place)
• Berman Realty, 105 7th Avenue (between Union and President Streets)
• New York Naturals, 253 Flatbush Avenue (at 6th Avenue)
Advance tickets and additional information are also available by calling (718) 393-7653.
Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour for $25 at the Forest Floor.
Prospect Heights is easily accessible by either the 2/3 Train to Grand Army Plaza or the Q/B Train to Seventh Avenue.
Hope to see you there!
Happy October everyone! Time to carve those pumpkins and get that holloween costume ready. Leave a comment and tell us what you are going to be.
It’s the beginning of the month, and you know what that means. Target first Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum.
After the event at the there will be a a shuttle to take you out in the wonderful neighborhood presented Heart of Brooklyn
Here is the line up for the day
October 3, 2009
Opera Unbound
The October Target First Saturday, in collaboration with the Hungarian Cultural Center and its Extremely Hungary festival, brings you art and culture that take the magic and fantasy world of opera back to its roots and to the hearts of the people.
Music
5–7 p.m.
Dallam-Dougou blends the lively tradition of Hungarian Gypsy music with the melodic sounds of West Africa.
Performance
5:30–6:30 p.m.
Vertical Player Repertory performs act one of William Bolcom and Arthur Miller’s collaborative operatic adaptation of Miller’s play A View from the Bridge. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5 p.m.
Artist Talk: Patricia Cronin
6 p.m.
Patricia Cronin speaks about Harriet Hosmer, Lost and Found, the exhibition of her luminous, unearthly watercolors representing the work of nineteenth-century American sculptor Harriet Hosmer. A book signing of the catalogue raisonné Cronin created for Hosmer follows. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5 p.m.
Common Ground Meetup
6–9:30 p.m.
Meet staff members from the Brooklyn Museum and the New York Public Library and learn about the historical photographs being uploaded to The Commons on Flickr. This meetup is part of the world-wide event Common Ground.
Interactive Cell Phone Concert
6–10 p.m.
Play with Opera Looper, a cell phone–controlled interactive collaboration that helps you create spontaneous loop-based compositions with music videos to match.
Young Voices Gallery Talk
6:30 p.m.
Student Guide Hilary Thompson leads a lively conversation about the connections between Hungarian and French art movements.
Hands-On Art
6:30–8:30 p.m.
Get dramatically decked out for the opera: create your own theatrical mustache inspired by classic Hungarian historical figures. “The Mustache Sisters,” Nina Frenkel and Aya Kakeda, designers of an award-winning two-person mustache, show you how. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.
Film
7 p.m.
Cremaster 5 (Matthew Barney, 1997, 55 min., parental discretion advised). Ursula Andress stars as a Hungarian diva in this tragic love story made in the style of a lyric opera and set in the romantic dreamscape of late nineteenth-century Budapest. Free tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
Music
7–9 p.m.
Jeans-wearing, beer-drinking, fun-loving singers from Opera on Tap and promenading, beautifully costumed players from Vertical Player Repertory perform favorite opera melodies.
Music
7:30–8:30 p.m.
Frank Oteri from the American Music Center and VJ Benton-C Bainbridge host a multimedia presentation on prolific Hungarian-American composer Gabriel von Wayditch (1888–1969), including the New York premiere of passages from his lush operatic works, video projections, and excerpts from a documentary about the composer.
Opera Open Mic
8:30–10 p.m.
Opera singers and multidisciplinary performers are encouraged to get on stage and entertain the Brooklyn crowd. The program includes short collaborations with actress, singer, and former Rent cast member Anika Larsen, choreographer and dancer Jamie Philbert, and members of Opera on Tap.
Target First Saturdays Book Club
9–10 p.m.
Brooklyn-based author Arthur Phillips leads a discussion of his novel Prague, about five American expats seeking financial, romantic, and spiritual fortune in early-1990s Budapest. Order the book from the Brooklyn Museum Shop.
Dance Party
9–11 p.m.
Brooklyn’s DJ Reborn and Hungarian DJ Yonderboi play a mélange of soul, house, and electronic with traces of the world’s most famous operas.
For more information about Extremely Hungary, a yearlong festival showcasing contemporary Hungarian visual, performing, and literary arts at leading cultural institutions in New York and Washington, D.C., visit www.extremelyhungary.org.
On Saturday, August 15th I had the pleasure of attending Lafayette Gardens Day with igotITtoo, a young start-up based in Bedstuy, Brooklyn that provides “information and communication technology support and education services to residents in under-served communities.” It was a beautiful day in filled with sunshine, barbecues, music and dancing.
igotITtoo was there to meet the community, to let people know about the servic
es and classes we will be providing, as well as to gauge public interest and demand for these types of services. We received a warm welcome from the residence of the community. From the response we saw on Saturday, it seems that there is a high demand for these types of classes.
Throughout the day, there were raffles where messenger bags, stuffed animals, igotITtoo t-shirts (my personal favorite), sun glasses and gift cards given away to lucky winners. The Bronx Youth Choir performed during the afternoon, only to be followed by a Michael Jackson tribute dance off, performed by various children and residents, in the late afternoon.
We got a lot of great feedback, and the event was a huge success all around. I would like to thank everyone who made this event possible including Mr. Polite, Clare, Santana, everyone else at igotITtoo and at Lafayette Gardens!
This past week in Prospect Park concluded the free concert series at Celebrate Brooklyn, but do not worry. There are more benefit concerts on the way this week including TV on the Radio, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal, and Animal Collective. Before we get into the up coming performances let’s review the amazing line up this past week.
On Thursday, August 6th, their was a screening of Prince’s 1984 famous big screen debut, Purple Rain. The feature film is about an aspiring musical talent, played by Prince, who tries to balance his troubled home life, a newly formed romance, and his band, The Revolution. The screening was not complete without a Purple Rain sing-a-long, which the crowd enjoyed very much. I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain.
The amazingly talented Grace Potter took the stage on Friday night giving an eclectic performance consisting of blues, R&B, soul and rock n roll. Grace showcased her amazing vocal range and dazzling stage presence during the concert. Supporting act Deer Tick gave a captivating performance as well, winning over the crowd one song at a time. If you ever have a chance to see either of these acts you will not be disappointed.
Hip Hop legend, Big Daddy Kane, wrapped up the weekend with host Rahzel, presented by the Lyricist Lounge. The night started off with a few opening acts, a performance by Rahzel and a screening of BDK: The Big Daddy Kane story, directed by Lyricist Lounge’s own Anthony Marshall. This was followed by a performance by Big Daddy Kane himself. The performance
electrified the audience with live hip hop band.
Let’s be realistic for a moment–it’s rare that all the elements of a side project come together successfully. Normally, what seems like a great idea after a few glasses of wine reveals itself as an okay idea that requires a lot of work the morning after. I’ve had my fair share of them. Underground supper club hostess. Yoga teacher. Street portrait artist. Bachelorette party planner. All I have to show for these side project ideas is a notebook full of side project ideas…
That’s why it’s heartening to attend the King’s County Cinema Society events at Ortine. The movies they show in the cafe’s garden are clearly born out of side project idea with legs. The group, founded by Tobias Arturi and Nick Shimkin, is dedicated to bringing NYC everything from Hollywood classics to obscure shorts without the hefty Film Forum price tag (yes, for me, twelve bucks is plenty hefty).
As their name suggests, they screen at a variety of spots around King’s County (you can see the whole schedule at their website www.kingscountycinemasociety.org). But, since (as our name suggests) this is a blog concerning all things Prospect Heights, we’ll focus on Ortine here.
Every Tuesday, they set up a projector in Ortine’s garden. This works to everyone’s advantage for a couple of reasons. First of all, the garden is an utter delight with little cafe tables and a cherry tree. More importantly, though, you don’t have to feel guilty ordering a beer–you didn’t sign away those twelve dollars to the box office cine-geek at film forum. Order a snack while your at it. Ortine’s Mediterranean plate piled high with homemade hummus, pita chips and house-cured pickles, shames the Greek restaurant nearby.
Besides being a cost-effective, tasty way to enjoy a movie on Tuesday night, the King’s County Cinema boys have tailored their movie offerings to the location. Each film perfectly reflects the quirky, romantic atmosphere that prevails in the garden. In the past month, we’ve seen Alfred Hitchock’s Notorious, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Princess Bride and wished we were on a date a little bit the whole time.
The bottom line? Check it out, have a drink, order a sandwich and relax–their successful side project idea has already done all of the work for you.
The first Saturday of every month the Brooklyn Museum hosts thousands of visitors to enjoy free programs of art, entertainment, and culture. This month it kicks off August Caribbean style. On Saturday, August 1st, the event will light up the afternoon with The West Indian Day Carnival Association’s steel pan music and carnival costumes at 3PM and will continue through out the day. The event will wrap up with a dance party featuring Jephte Guilliame and Sokalypso’s house DJs from 9-11PM.
Look below for a complete schedule of the event.
Meta and the Cornerstones perform their original song, Right Skank, at Village Underground in New York City. Shot and Edited By Lucas Gath.
For more information visit the Brooklyn Museum website
August 1, 2009
Celebrating the Caribbean: “Its Bacchanal Time Again!”
Performance
3–7 p.m.
The West Indian−American Day Carnival Association kicks things off with steel pan music, stilt walkers, Carnival costumes, and more.
Spoken Word Open Mic
5–6:30 p.m.
The enchanting Aracelis Girmay hosts a poetry open mic with featured artists from Urban Word NYC, Cheryl Boyce Taylor and Alexis Marie. Rain Plan: Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor.
Performance
5:30–6:30 p.m.
The Brooklyn-based troupe Conjunto Nuevo Milenio showcases the Afro-Latino roots of Panamanian carnival with music and dance. Free tickets (340) are available at the Visitor Center at 5 p.m.
Hands-On Art
6:30–8:30 p.m.
Create a Carnival costume headdress inspired by objects in the Museum’s permanent collection. Free timed tickets (380) are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.
Film
7–8:30 p.m.
Calypso Dreams (G. Dunn & M. Horne, 2004, 90 min., NR). In this intimate look at calypso music, some of its greats reveal why it is among the prized possessions of Caribbean people. Free tickets (340) are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
Music
7–9 p.m.
Meta and the Cornerstones’ reggae takes us from Jamaica to Senegal and right back to Brooklyn. Rain Plan: Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor.
Gallery Talk
8 p.m.
Professor Veronica Gregg gives a talk in Yinka Shonibare MBE highlighting the parallels, related to identity and power, between Shonibare’s work and Caribbean literature. Free tickets (30) are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
Dance Party
9–11 p.m.
Jephte Guilliame and Sokalypso’s house DJs host a soca versus zouk party.
Free music is always an amazing part of New York in the summertime and Celebrate Brooklyn has an all-star line up this week, all for the suggested donation of three dollars.
The world famous roots reggae sensation Burning Spear will be starting off the week tonight accompanied by supporting act Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens. With four decades of recording and performing reggae under his belt, Burning Spear is one of the few living artists who has been active since the creation of the genre. This is a performance not to be missed.
On Friday night the Jazz and Funk Trio Soulive will be performing with John Scofield and Christian Scott in the band’s 10 year anniversary concert. The show will be kicked off by Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, making the evening out to be a very exciting event.
Dean & Britta will be performing their original scores to the rarely seen Andy Warhol short silent film portraits, Screen Test, on Saturday night. The New York Times says, “The music unabashedly translates the ominous drone of early Velvet Underground songs like I’m Waiting for the Man and Venus in Furs into a more modern electronic mode reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder’s chic torture-chamber disco.”
All the concerts are located at the Celebrate Brooklyn bombshell in Prospect Park. Gates are at 6:30, Performances at 7:30. See you all there!
Local Brooklyn graffiti artist Miles Wickham, know for his unique artistic style, was featured at the He
llo Living Art Walk, May 30th on Pacific Street in Prospect Heights. There he was discovered by the founder of RIVE Magazine. Fascinated by Wickham’s watercolors, Wickham was invited for an interview to be featured in RIVE Magazine.
Miles Wickham is a young artist who works with many different mediums including water color, ink, spray paint, oils and whatever else captures his attention. His artwork is very eclectic not only using many mediums, but also drawing from many artistic styles.
The interview can be found here on RIVE Magazine.
Find more of Miles Wickham’s art here, Flickr
Chris Brown
ceciliaprospect