Make Buttons for Mom

This Saturday, May 4th from 1 - 6:30 pm, drop by the Ground Floor Gallery (343 Fifth Street near Fifth Ave) for a fun day of custom button-making for mom! Local artist and mom Lori Nelson will be on hand to help little artists make something truly handmade and special. Drop by and check out the activities and the new Ground Floor Gallery. There will be a raffle to win an original piece of artwork by Lori!

Remember: Mother's Day is just 2 weeks away!

Spring Fling

This Saturday, May 4th, show your love for the Old Stone House & Washington Park as they celebrate the first anniversary of the playground and gardens with a Spring Fling. There will be music, face painting, a cake walk raffle, a mask making workshop and a Puppeteers Cooperative "Rites of Spring" performance and parade.

Also, from 5:30 – 10 pm, come on down for a DANCE PARTY fundraiser on the turf field with DJ Chowtime. Just $10!

News Round-Up

New Bikes Lanes Roll into Park Slope [DNA Info]

South Slope Sidewalk Snake [FIPS]

Loli’s Taqueria Opens Friday on Sixth Avenue [PS Patch]

19th Century Festival Brings Victorian Fashion, Martial Arts to Park Slope [DNA Info]

Uke Night Fundraiser

Tonight at 7 PM at Freddy's Bar, enjoy some great music for a fun cause:

Ukes and Kids: South Africa is a project that will deliver 50+ ukuleles to kids and teachers in Johannesburg. Local volunteer musicians and teachers will work for two weeks with the students on creating original songs on the uke culminating in a CD which will help promote the Mobile Arts and Entrepreneurship Institute in South Africa, an organization dedicated to developing music education programs in South African schools.

The Uke acts performing tonight and helping with this great cause include:

-Kevin Huffnagel of the progressive metal band Dysrhythmia!
-The Ukuladies
-Kelli Rae Powell
-Khabu
-Avi Fox Rosen

Don't miss it! Above is a video from the effort's Kickstarter Campaign.

BAX: Artist-in-Residence Performances

Tis the season for Artist-in-Residence performance at Fifth Avenue's cultural hub, the Brooklyn Arts Exchange.

These performances culminate a shared journey through the creative process. Audience members enjoy the rare opportunity to follow a work and engage its creators from the early stages through to full productions. This journey began with the Open Studio Series in November, continued with the Works in Progress Series in January, and culminates in these Spring performances.

Here are some upcoming performances that are part of the series:

ENCOURAGER is a new solo performance by Max Steele. Fictive secular spiritual guru Billy Cheer leads a Courage Workshop, leading the audience through new emotional strategies, drawing from the vernaculars of self-help books, queer and punk subcultures and radical politics, working towards personal liberation through self-destruction.

Performances:
 Friday April 26, 2013 8:00 PM
Saturday April 27, 2013 8:00 PM
Sunday April 28, 2013 6:00 PM

Memory Witholdings grew out of a year-long study that seeks to identify hidden traces of accumulated memories among African and African descendant communities who have undergone generations of suppression. As African descendant women, they have become rooted through culture -- a culture retained notably in in the preparation of food where stories upon stories are held and passed among generations over the stove and at the Kitchen table. Artist-In-Residence Love|Fortè posits that in memory there are signs that demarcate a common language. They're asking how does the captive mind look in memory, and are there stories, hopes, dreams, desires, and fears that color it's landscape, architecture, and geography

Performances:
Friday May 03, 2013 8:00 PM
Saturday May 04, 2013 8:00 PM
Sunday May 05, 2013 6:00 PM

Jodi for Jill, Jill for Jodi and Polly Pocket is a video by BAX Artist-In-Residence Jillian Peña with Jodi Melnick.  Jodi Melnick tries on Jillian Peña, Jillian Peña tries on Jodi Melnick.

Polly Pocketperformed by Alexandra Albrecht and Andrew Champlin A coming of age story, Polly Pocket follows Alex and Andrew as they mediate between being siblings, friends, lovers, and mirror reflections.

Performances:
Friday May 10, 2013 8:00 PM
Saturday May 11, 2013 8:00 PM
Sunday May 12, 2013 6:00 PM

Family Fun Festival 2013

This Saturday, April 27th, join the gang from Park Slope's Puppetry Arts at 4th Street near Fifth Avenue for a full day of family fun:

-Crafts
-Activities
-Snacks
-Music
-Bounce House
-Prizes
-Puppets
-Star Wars Characters
-and More!

The event runs from 11 AM - 3PM, rain or shine. See you there!

Happy Earth Day!

-from the merchants of Fifth Avenue and the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID.

Do you have plans to help improve Mother Earth, today? Or did you do something special over the weekend?

News Round-Up

Park Slope, ‘Cradle of Candidates’ [NY Times]

5th Avenue Family Festival in Park Slope on April 27 [Brooklyn Eagle]

Starbucks Coming to Flatbush Avenue [PS Patch]

Workers at Park Slope Nail Salon Buy Store from Boss [DNA Info]

Tonight's Events

Here are a few things happening within the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID tonight:

Freddy's:
7pm Liz Kelly: A feisty multi-instrumental performance with large doses of folk and rock & roll (pictured above)
8pm Lisa Kasimow: Singer-songwriter
9pm Jeff Young Band: Authentic Classic Blues and Americana

The Old Stone House:
Brooklyn Reading Works: Funny Pages
Thursday, April 18 @ 8 pm
More information here.

Union Hall:
JOHN HODGMAN: SECRET SOCIETY SOLD OUT!

Gorilla Coffee to Expand

Fifth Avenue's Gorilla Coffee is expanding!

Yesterday, Brownstoner announced Gorilla's plans to open a 4,000 square foot roasting facility and cafe at 500 President Street (between Nevins and 3rd Avenue). Their Fifth Avenue shop will remain open and continue to serve coffee and treats (good news for the area's laptop army).

Congratulations to the gang at Gorilla Coffee. We look forward to the grand opening!

Above: some renderings of what the new facility will look like.

Spring Civic Sweep 2013

Spring is here (although it's hard to tell sometimes). It's time to clean up, Park Slope! Put on your old clothes and join other volunteers in weeding and mulching street trees and picking up litter on the sidewalks of Fourth, Fifth, and Seventh Avenues.

Spring Civic Sweep 2013 (an initiative of the Park Slope Civic Council )
Saturday, April 20, 2013 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Old Stone House/JJ Byrne Playground/Washington Park
Fifth Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets

The Results Are In!

Almost 500 people attended A Taste of Fifth last week, raising nearly $10,000 for local charities. The breakdown is below. Congratulations to MS 51 for, once again, raising the most donations from the event:

Fifth Avenue Committee          $940
BAX                                         $940
Brooklyn Pride                          $1080
Dream Factory of Brooklyn      $820
Good Shepherd                         $1,160
MS 51                                       $2,160
Old Stone House                      $1,420
Park Slope Civic Council         $340
President Street Garden            $640

Above: a  brief video of the event, produced by BCTV (Barclays Center Television).

News Round-Up

Slope Restaurants Impress at 2013 Taste Of Fifth Avenue [Park Slope Stoop]

Open For Business: Fusion City, 310 Ninth Street [Here's Park Slope]

Check this! Hockey hits Barclays on Sept. 21 [Brooklyn Paper]

G Train More Important, Also Full as Brooklyn Grows [Brownstoner]

Photos from A Taste of Fifth

The restaurants of Park Slope's Fifth Avenue really put on a show last night at A Taste of Fifth. Check out the photos, above. We'll have more details on how much money was raised for local charities soon.

Tonight: A Taste of Fifth!

Tonight is the big night! Food, drinks, music and dancing at the Grand Prospect Hall! 

Pre-sale tickets are still available via brownpapertickets.com but hurry, the online ticket sales stop at 4:30 pm! Tickets will be available at the door for $50 (cash or credit).

April 10th, 6:30 pm, Grand Prospect Hall

Community Groups
$20 of each ticket you purchase goes to one of the following local groups of your choice:

-5th Avenue Committee (FAC)
-Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX)
-Brooklyn Pride
-Dream Factory of Brooklyn
-Good Shepherd
-Middle School 51
-Old Stone House & Washington Park
-Park Slope Civic Council
-President Street Community Garden




Participants (list in formation):

• 200 Fifth
• Al Di La
• Aperitivo Café
• Atomic Wings
• Baluchi's
• Backyard
• Benchmark
• Beauty Bar
• Blue Ribbon
• Blue Sky Bakery
• Bogota Latin Bistro
• Burger Bistro
• Campo Di Fiori
• Caramello
• Chip Shop
• Coco Roco
• Der Kommissar
• Dizzy's
• DuJour Bakery
• Eagle Provisions
• El Pollito Mexican
• Empire Express
• Fleisher's Grassfed & Organic Meats
• Fort Reno
• Has Beans
• Kos Kaffe
• LaDolce Café & Bakehouse
• Leske’s Bakery
• M & S Prime Meats
• Nahm
• Palo Santo
• Piramide
• Pork Slope (Talde)
• Fort Reno
• Sidecar
• Sky Ice Sweet & Savory Thai
• South
• Stone Park Café
• The Monro Pub
• V-Spot
• Yayo’s Latin Cuisine

Just One More Day Until: A Taste of Fifth!

Here are some photos from last year's event. This year's A Taste of Fifth is going to be even bigger! Don't miss out on the biggest food event of the year! Buy your tickets for A Taste of Fifth now!

This Wednesday April 10th: A Taste of Fifth!

Are you ready for a party? We've got The Grand Prospect Hall. We've got the food (see the list of participating businesses below). We've got the music and dancing and, of course, we've got booze. Lot's of it. 

Now all we need is you!

Buy your tickets today! Ticket prices go up to $50 at the door! 

April 10th, 6:30 pm, Grand Prospect Hall

Community Groups
$20 of each ticket you purchase goes to one of the following local groups of your choice:

-5th Avenue Committee (FAC)
-Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX)
-Brooklyn Pride
-Dream Factory of Brooklyn
-Good Shepherd
-Middle School 51
-Old Stone House & Washington Park
-Park Slope Civic Council
-President Street Community Garden



Participants:

• 200 Fifth
• Al Di La
• Aperitivo Café
• Atomic Wings
• Baluchi's
• Backyard
• Benchmark
• Beauty Bar
• Blue Ribbon
• Blue Sky Bakery
• Bogota Latin Bistro
• Burger Bistro
• Campo di Fiori
• Caramello
• Chip Shop
• Coco Roco
• Der Kommissar
• Dizzy's
• DuJour Bakery
• Eagle Provisions
• El Pollito Mexican
• Empire Express
• Fleisher's Grassfed & Organic Meats
• Fort Reno
• Has Beans
• Kos Kaffe
• LaDolce Café & Bakehouse
• Leske’s Bakery
• M & S Prime Meats
• Nahm
• Palo Santo
• Piramide
• Pork Slope (Talde)
• Fort Reno
• Sidecar
• Sky Ice Sweet & Savory Thai
• South
• Stone Park Café
• The Monro Pub
• V-Spot
• Yayo’s Latin Cuisine

News Round-Up

Juguemos a Cantar Spring Session Starts This Weekend [Park Slope Stoop]

5th Avenue's Kahawa Cafe Back in Business [South Slope News]

Police: Waiter pocketed nearly $8,000 [Brooklyn Paper]

The Rumor Mill: Are Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos Opening In The Fornino Space? [Here's Park Slope]

Insider tips! How to get the most cash for your old duds at Beacon’s Closet [Brokelyn]

ALSO, PRE-SALE TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR A TASTE OF FIFTH! GET YOUR TICKETS VIA BROWNPAPERTICKETS.COM!

This Weekend: Seed Swap!

Spring is here.

No, really, it's here, whether it feels like it or not. It's time to start thinking about gardening! If you are in Park Slope this weekend and you love to garden, don't miss the 8th Annual Spring Seed Celebration & Swap!

Join us for their annual celebration of making things grow all around the Old Stone House & Washington Park

Schedule: 

10:00 am Seeding starts and transplanting seedlings

11:00 am Seed cleaning, storage and identification
(includes guess that seed, displays with whole foods and whole forms of seeds)

12:00 pm design tips for city gardens

1:00 pm lunch break – propagating plants through stem cuttings and divisions – outdoors

2:00 pm GMO information and discussion

2:30 pm OPEN SESAME: the Story of Seeds, trailer – a new film by Sean Kaminsky

3:00 pm seed art display, raffle winner and How many seeds in the jar?  winner announced

Odd Twin 4th Anniversary

This Friday, Odd Twin will be celebrating 4 years of business on Fifth Avenue! Congratulations, to them!

If you are around, drop by and help them celebrate!

Details:

Friday, April 5th, 2013 6-10pm 

164 5th Avenue 

*Storewide SALE
*Free beer and wine
*Good people and good times.

Opening: Ground Floor Gallery

This Saturday,  Ground Floor Gallery will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Urban Alchemist (343 5th Street, off of Fifth Avenue).

The new space is by "G-Train Salon" curators Krista Saunders and Jill Benson, seeking to introduce local artists to New Yorkers interested in living with original art without spending a fortune.

Park Slope's own, Lori Nelson, will be featured in the very first exhibition "Next Generation"which will also feature artists June Glasson, Preston Trombly and Evan Venegas.

If you are around, join them for their opening on Saturday, April 6 from 6 - 10pm. Wine will provided by Fifth Avenue's own Picada y Vino.

No Joke - Buy Your Tickets Today!

No, it's not an April Fools Day joke. Tickets for A Taste of Fifth Avenue increase from $45 (pre-sale online) to $50 at the door! There are just 10 days left to take advantage of cheaper pre-sale prices. Buy your tickets today!

April 10th, 6:30 pm, Grand Prospect Hall

Community Groups
$20 of each ticket you purchase goes to one of the following local groups of your choice:

-5th Avenue Committee (FAC)
-Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX)
-Brooklyn Pride
-Dream Factory of Brooklyn
-Good Shepherd
-Middle School 51
-Old Stone House & Washington Park
-Park Slope Civic Council
-President Street Community Garden



Participants (list in formation):

• 200 Fifth
• Al Di La
• Aperitivo Café
• Atomic Wings
• Baluchi's
• Backyard
• Benchmark
• Beauty Bar
• Blue Ribbon
• Blue Sky Bakery
• Bogota Latin Bistro
• Burger Bistro
• Campo di Fiori
• Caramello
• Chip Shop
• Coco Roco
• Der Kommissar
• Dizzy's
• DuJour Bakery
• Eagle Provisions
• El Pollito Mexican
• Empire Express
• Fleisher's Grassfed & Organic Meats
• Fort Reno
• Has Beans
• Kos Kaffe
• LaDolce Café & Bakehouse
• Leske’s Bakery
• M & S Prime Meats
• Nahm
• Palo Santo
• Piramide
• Pork Slope (Talde)
• Fort Reno
• Sidecar
• Sky Ice Sweet & Savory Thai
• South
• Stone Park Café
• The Monro Pub
• V-Spot
• Yayo’s Latin Cuisine