The Leaning Spire of Park Slope

Have you tried to walk up Sterling Place from the Fifth Avenue Key Food, and found your way blocked by police tape? Or, walking along Sixth Avenue, seen barricades and a Police van and wondered "What have I stumbled into?" No, it’s not a grizzly crime scene, or a film shoot – it’s the swaying spire of St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church.

During the post-Irene wind storm Sunday evening one of the local residents noticed the oxidized copper spire swaying and called 911. After an assessment by the Department of Buildings, a Vacate Order was placed on the Church until they could fully evaluate and stabilize the now angled spire.

On Tuesday structural engineers surveyed the structure and met with the church Pastor as well as members of the Archdiocese of Brooklyn and City agencies to discuss both temporary and permanent fixes. The hope is that by Thursday the contractor will be able to begin work stabilizing the approximately 40 foot tall spire while a plan is written to permanently fix any rotting or damaged wood. And, if lucky, Sterling Place will re-open before Labor Day.

St. Augustine is a beautiful Romanesque Revival church built in 1886 by the Parfitt Brothers and was featured in the 2003 movie Mona Lisa Smile.

~Photo and post by Erika Clark

A Taste of Fifth Avenue

As we all know, Park Slope's Fifth Avenue is home to numerous great restaurants and bars. With such a rich and varied selection, it can be tough to choose just one. Google Places wants to celebrate some of these local spots. Join us on September 15th, 6-8pm, for a Taste of Fifth Ave. Stop by the Google Places table at 269 Fifth Avenue (corner of 1st St. at TD Bank) where they'll offer free tickets redeemable for a food or drink special at a participating business and hand out some Google swag. The first 150 customers will be eligible.

Below is a list of some of the participating businesses, which will also be offering a $5 Taste of Fifth Ave food or drink special (and maybe even some free samples if you stop by):

El Viejo Yayo - 36 5th Avenue
Sky Ice - 63 5th Avenue
Juice Masters - 77 5th Avenue
Los Pollitos - 148 5th Avenue
Kiku - 177 5th Avenue
LOBO - 188 5th Avenue
200 Fifth - 200 5th Avenue
Comida - 230 5th Avenue
Aunt Suzies - 247 5th Avenue
Trois Pammes Patisserie - 260 5th Avenue
Baluchis - 310 5th Avenue
M and S Prime Meats - 312 5th Avenue
El Sito Boriquen - 341 5th Avenue
Colombia - 376 5th Avenue
Coco Roco - 392 5th Avenue
Tacos Nuevo Mexico - 491 5th Avenue
Grills Delight and Juice Bar - 587 5th Avenue
Has-Beans - 620 5th Avenue

Alchemy - 56 5th Avenue

Culture An American Yogurt Company - 331 5th Avenue

Ginger's Bar - 363 5th Avenue

Perch - 365 5th Avenue

Kappa Sake House - 388 5th Avenue

Peppino's - 469 5th Avenue

Timboo's 477 5th Avenue

Edible Arrangements - 500A 5th Avenue

Energy Fuel - 606A 5th Avenue

Sponsored by Google Places, TD Bank and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.
RSVP for the event via Facebook!

To find out what Google Places will be up to next, follow @GoogleNYC on Twitter and on Facebook!

Last Night of Dancing

Okay, this is it. This is the last night of Dancing Under the Stars!

Enjoy one more performance by Rolie Polie Guacamole before the summer ends and the kids go back to school. See you there! The show starts at 6.

Tonight: Square Dancing !

Tonight is the last "adult" night at Dancing Under the Stars (which sadly means that summer is nearly over). It's ending on a fun note, though, with Square Dancing! Join The Backyard Boys with caller Dave Harvey as they get feet moving on Fourth Street, starting at 7 pm.

By the way, if you missed LA Saxy last week, you missed an amazing performance. Luckily, his friend took a great video of some of the tunes. Check it out, below:

Getting Back to Normal

Here are some photos of damage by Hurricane Irene, taken by local Fifth Avenue photographer Erika Clark. If you have photos of your own, post a link in the comments, below, and we'll share them here.

For the most part, life on Fifth should be back to normal, today. We'll let you know if we hear otherwise.

News Round-Up

Your FIPS Guide to Hurricane Irene [FIPS]

10 Things Ted Mann Wants You To Know About His Giant Beer Hall [PS Patch]

Zito’s Sandwich Shop is an Old-school Treat [Brooklyn Paper]

Fleisher’s Park Slope Opening Soon! [Brownstoner]

Song of Summer Ending [PS Patch]

Your Guide to the Best Noodles in Town [Brooklyn Paper]

Upcoming Events (Beat the Hurricane)

Well, it looks like an earthquake wasn't enough. We have a hurricane on the way this weekend. What a fun week!

So, take this opportunity to get out and do something on Fifth before you get stuck inside. Here are some ideas:

• Battle Week: events have been going on all week and this weekend the festivities come to a conclusion. Some of these events could get rained out, so check out the schedule here. or, drop by The Old Stone House to check out their Battle of Brooklyn Exhibit. Gallery Hours 11 am – 4 pm, Sat/Sun.


• Tonight: Uke Night: Suavarinos with special guest openers Sonic (Freddy's Bar), Skill or be skilled & DJBooth present Skyzoo (Southpaw), Classic Metal w/ DJ Malfeasance 9p (The Fifth Estate).


• Tomorrow Night: LAVA-BEARD: NEW BEARD LAVALIER LADY AYE (Union Hall), Live music by Voltera TBA (The Fifth Estate), Randy Johnston / Andi Rae & Animal Pharm/Evil Woman/Amy Steinberg/Jaclyn Dima (Freddy's Bar), Live On Stage NY (Southpaw).

For more events, check out our Google Calendar.

Also, while the weather is still good, don't forget to shop and eat along Fifth Avenue. And where better to wait out a hurricane than at a local bar? Find what you need at the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID'S online business directory.

Rolie Polie Night

It's Wednesday and it's August and that means Rolie Polie Guacamole will be playing a free show at Fifth Avenue and 4th Street. The show starts at 6. Here's a little video from last week's performance.

Events Tonight

It's a busy night along the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID. Of course, we have Dancing Under the Stars at 7 pm with LA Saxy. Here is a video from their performance in July. They are an amazing band to dance to or even just to watch! Lots of talent!

Below is a video of last week's performance by Sonido Costeno:



Also tonight, don't forget about the Food Truck Panel Discussion, sponsored by Gelf Magazine. Is there common ground and can food trucks and restaurants coexist peacefully? Details Below:

When: Tuesday, August 23rd, 7:30 PM

Where: Tea Lounge, 837 Union Street bet. 6th & 7th Ave

Participants:

David Weber: NYC Food Trucks Association and owner of the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck (and Bar)

Kate Collignon: NYU professor of urban planning and principal at HR&A Advisors

Irene LoRe: Executive Director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID and owner of Aunt Suzie's Restaurant.

FREE!

Recent Changes Along Fifth

We took a walk along the entire Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID last week (Dean to 18th Streets plus businesses along side streets) and saw a lot of changes. Here are the highlights:

Openings

• 336 9th Street, formerly A&K Tile, will soon become an Allstate Insurance office.


• 351 Fifth Avenue is the new location of Cozbi, which sells handmade (in Brooklyn) women's and children's clothing. The store was formerly located on Court Street. Owner Cozbi A. Cabrera is truly multitalented: creating dolls, clothing, quilts and even children's books! Details at Cozbi.com.


• Yes Cleaners moved to the long-vacant space at 351 Fifth Avenue, from 219 Fifth Avenue.


• 195 Fifth Avenue, formerly the home of Extraordinary, will be the new home of Goorin Brothers, a stylish hatmaker with a long history and locations throughout the country. When we passed by, they were unpacking boxes of inventory, so they appear to be about ready to open. Details about their goods at Goorin.com.


• The space at 191 Fifth Avenue has turned over quickly. It will soon be occupied by Dr. Brendan Mac Repair, which currently has shops located in Manhattan and Greenwich, Ct. Judging by the number of iPhones, iPads and Mac laptops we see in the neighborhood, Dr. Brendan appears to have settled in the right place.


• 192 Fifth Avenue, formerly occupied by Hog Mountain, will soon be home to Fleishers Meats. There is a lot of buzz surrounding this opening, as many know of Fleisher's organic meat from Kingston, NY. Read about it at Here's Park Slope.


• Citibank will soon occupy the Hollywood Video space at the corner of 8th Street and Fifth Avenue.

Closings

• Fatoosh recently closed their 437 Fifth Avenue location. Their Brooklyn Heights location will remain open.


• Adelina Hair & Nail Salon at 66 Fifth Avenue has closed.


• Fresh on Fifth (a women's clothing salon at 488 Fifth Avenue) has closed it's doors.

Friday News Round-Up

Battle Week (235th Anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn) [The Old Stone House]

'War' of Words Continues Over PPW Bike Lane [Brownstoner]

Who is Stealing the Dogs of Brooklyn? [Brooklyn Paper]

Storeowners post 'Safe Stop' signs on windows to help lost kids [Daily News]

Upcoming Merchant Events

Here are a few, upcoming Fifth Avenue merchant events that we thought you would be interested in:

Piramide: Trivia night starts August 22nd with prizes and lots of fun. Grand Prize: Mountain bike or Kayak. Every Thursday is Karaoke and every Wednesday is free Texas Hold Em. August 26th, Mariachi's to entertain from 8:30 to 10:30. They will also be celebrating Mexico's Independence on September 15th. Save the Date!

5th Avenue Fitness Collective: Celebrating their three year anniversary on August 27 with an open house which will include free group fitness classes (such as Kickboxing, Yoga, BalletFit, Circuit Dynamica and more), sales on personal training packages, prizes and free food!

Baluchis: Cultural Exchange/fundraising event.
6:00pm exotic pass around appetizers & discounted cocktails begins
7:00pm screening of works in process by Shannon Brunette
7:30pm classical Indian Odissi dance performance by Mala Desai
Children & friends welcomed!
Suggested donation at door, $30 ~ Kids $10
Donation page

Culture: FIPS and Google Places sponsoring Free Yogurt Night. Thursday, August 18th (TONIGHT) between 4 and 7 PM. The first 150 customers who drop by between those hours will receive a FREE cup of frozen yogurt!

Tonight: Even More Rolie Polie

Tonight at 6:00 pm @4th Street and 5th Avenue

Tonight at Dancing Under the Stars: Sonido Costeno (Part 2)

Sonido Costeno played at Dancing Under the Stars last month and they really got people's feet moving. Don't miss their Latin/Salsa music tonight at 7:00 PM at 4th Street and 5th Avenue.

In the meantime, check out these two clips from last week's performance by The Moonlighters. They were amazing!

Art of Brooklyn Festival

Coming this weekend:

The Art of Brooklyn is a new independent film and art festival created to bring together the new Brooklyn-based art community, the Brooklyn of immigrants and transplants and the Brooklyn of those who were born and raised here. Because to us, all Brooklyns are created equal. The festival features a week of indie films in all genres as well as art exhibits and live music, with pre-show receptions and after parties included in the ticket price.

Details

What: The Art of Brooklyn: A Festival of Film, Music and Art
When: August 20-27, 2011
Where: St. Francis College Theatre, 180 Remsen St. Brooklyn, NY 11201
How Much: Daily passes for $12 online/ $15 at the door

Full Schedule, trailers, tickets and more at: theartofbrooklyn.com

Speaking of films, Park Slope Films (Apostles of Park Slope) is raising funds for a new movie called "The Schenectady Package":

It’s a quiet Sunday on Brooklyn’s Schenectady Street, a dead-end block in what has recently become a very desirable neighborhood for wealthy young urbanites. Suddenly, an anonymous large box is discovered in the middle of the street by one of Schenectady Street’s long time residents. When the rest of neighbors gather to investigate, speculation slowly turns to accusation. Tensions rise as crazy theories fan the flames of mistrust. Fear of terrorism brings unspoken prejudices to the surface. Each homeowner points a finger at the others as panic make even the most outlandish claim seem reasonable. In a mad rush to escape the fear, houses are put on the market as the old guard of the street sells their homes for whatever they can get. Only then, is the story behind the mysterious package revealed.

For more details, go to thepackagemovie.com. To contribute to the movie, click here.

News Round-Up

Chicken of Easy Virtue [PS Patch]

Before Taking on Albany, Raising 14 Children in 1960s Brooklyn [NY Times]

New Task Force Aims to Give Fourth Avenue a Makeover [PS Patch]

Jungle Love! Bongo, the Missing Monkey Doll, Has Been Found [Brooklyn Paper]

Free Yogurt Day at Culture

Culture Yogurt is becoming a real hot spot, this summer. In fact, a majority of the folks hanging out at Dancing Under the Stars seem to have a cup of Culture's frozen yogurt in their hands!

It seems that FIPS is teaming up with the gang at Google Places to sponsor an event at Culture on Thursday, August 18th between 4 and 7 PM (one week from today). The first 150 customers who drop by between those hours will receive a FREE cup of frozen yogurt!

In addition, FIPS readers are voting on a choice of 5 flavors in the comments section here. The most popular flavor will be served so feel free to cast your vote.

Tonight: Rolie Polie Guacamole

Rolie Polie Guacamole returns tonight at 6:00 PM at the corner of 4th Street and 5th Avenue.

See you there!

Tonight at Dancing Under the Stars: The Moonlighters

Groove to "Hawaiian Steel Guitar Swing" music with The Moonlighters. Hawaiian Steel Guitar Swing, you ask? What could be more Brooklyn!

Below is a video from last week, featuring Beechcraft Bonanza. Man, listen to that guitar tone!

Upcoming Food Truck Panel Discussion

As you may know, the explosive growth in the number of food trucks parked throughout the city has been both a boon to food lovers and a bitter controversy for those who work for/own local restaurants.

The question is, is there common ground and can food trucks and restaurants coexist peacefully? Gelf Magazine will ask this question in the August edition of their Non-Motivational Speaker Series. Details Below:

Save the Date!

When: Tuesday, August 23rd, 7:30 PM

Where: Tea Lounge, 837 Union Street bet. 6th & 7th Ave

Participants:

David Weber: NYC Food Trucks Association and owner of the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck (and Bar)

Kate Collignon: NYU professor of urban planning and principal at HR&A Advisors

Irene LoRe: Executive Director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID and owner of Aunt Suzie's Restaurant.

FREE!

News Round-Up

Business of the Week: Scaredy Kat, 232 Fifth Avenue [Here's Park Slope]

What’s on Steve Buscemi’s Stoop? [PS Patch]

Pop up Playground at Washington Park is a Totable Treat [Brooklyn Paper]

Hoarder Prompts Complaints in Park Slope [NBC NY]

Residents Feel Stung by Surprise West Nile Sprayings [PS Patch]

Bridge out! Historic Carroll Street Span to Close for Two Weeks [Brooklyn Paper]

Islanders in Brooklyn?

In case you haven't been following the local news, earlier this week Nassau County voters rejected a plan to spend $400 million to build a new arena for the New York Islanders (an NHL Hockey Franchise). Without a new arena, it's likely that the Islanders will seek a new home in the region (or outside of the state, if they must).

Of course, it didn't take long for the local press to start talking about the Islanders' options, including moving into the controversial Barclays Center, currently being built at the end of Fifth Avenue for the New Jersey Nets.

So, what do you think? Can we support a hockey franchise? Is it better to get the most use out of the arena (even if we hate it) or is the extra traffic not worth the hassle? Which result is better for Park Slope's Fifth Avenue?

Tonight: Lou Gallo Returns

Last week, Lou Gallo (father of Rolie Polie Guacamole singer Frank Gallo) played at kids night at Dancing Under the Stars.

Tonight he returns for more fun, music and stories, if the weather cooperates (stay tuned).

See you there!

Tonight at Dancing Under the Stars: Beechcraft Bonanza

Dance all night to Rockabilly hits with Beechcraft Bonanza at Dancing Under the Stars.

Below is a little sample of what you'll hear tonight, courtesy of ReverbNation:





Also, check out this amazing performance by Claude Gomis from last Tuesday at Dancing Under the Stars:

It's August: Almost Time for Battle Week

It's August 1st Today. Hard to believe!

As you may know, every August, Fifth Avenue celebrates the Battle of Brooklyn, which took place on August 27, 1776.

This year is the 235th anniversary of the battle, which means there will be lots of special events taking place throughout the month, especially at The Old Stone House, which played a pivotal role in this important battle.

The events start on Friday, August 19th. To see the full schedule, click here and plan ahead!