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festival

Park Slope Nature: Spring In Park Slope

April 3, 2019 By Ryan Gellis Leave a Comment Filed Under: Outside, Park Slope Life Tagged With: festival, natural world, outside, park slope nature, ryan gellis

It isn’t hard to get the impression, reading into the signs of the natural world, that every flower, tree and squirrel is as excited for the coming of spring as we humans are.

Take a walk in Prospect Park to do as the horticulturalists do and monitor the first blooms of our common perennial flowers. Snowdrops, the hearty little white bells, pushed stubbornly through snow drifts as early as February this year. In March you can expect to see tight purple bouquets of crocus sneaking out of the ground, accenting the forest floor and giving us hope that the city’s windiest month will soon be blowing in the familiar waft of warm air.

What better way to usher in a new season than by eating like it’s spring. Help jumpstart the pulse of local green markets by picking up some early spring greens like lettuce, spinach or coveted garlic scapes and ramps. Colonial settlers and modern-day wildlife would agree that the charmingly chilly days of spring can be a tricky time to meet caloric requirements. Pair the old with the new and cook up some of the staples that have been long forgotten in your pantry then finish them with leaves of spring. A quick mosey on down to Grand Army Plaza on Saturday or Bartel Pritchard Square on Sunday can pay dividends in farm-to-table fresh greens. 

If you want to eat your way through more than one hundred local and regional food purveyors than find your way up to Breeze Hill in Prospect Park for the return of Smorgasburg. The lines are long but the inventive and tasty snacks on offer come with a view. You can take your meal to go and trek down the rustic trail at the back of the market to the quiet Lullwater where herons may also be searching for a meal. Just do everyone a favor and pack out your trash. The feast begins on April 7th and continues every Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM. 

Spring really encompasses two seasons: the abatement of winter is marked by a sticky mud season and the thirsty joy for those first sips of warm, fragrant air; then summer is around the corner.

Maybe cooped-up kids are the priority, their energetic limbs itching for activity after a winter short on sledding opportunities. Little Leaguers won’t have to wait long to start lapping those bases. The opening day ceremony hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Baseball Association arrives on Saturday, April 6th. Park Slopers might remember the opening day parade by the throng of children marching down 7th avenue in baseball regalia, outstripping the marching band and posse of civic leaders. Anyone can join the parade which works its way to the ballfields, (best accessed around 9th street, 11th street, or Bartel Pritchard Square,) to watch the first pitch get thrown out. The day coincides with the seasonal opening of the lawns for ball players, picnickers and frisbee enthusiasts alike. 

Those who are looking to ring in the spring with something a little more grueling can sign up for one of the near constant barrage of races that loop Prospect Park starting in the warmer weather. The Brooklyn Spring Half Marathon (http://www.citytri.com/brooklyn-spring-half-marathon ) is just one option to tour the park on four consecutive loops of its 3.35 mile track. For the less competitive runner our local tri-sport provider, JackRabbit, will continue to host community runs through the park for all paces. You can meet at their 7th Ave. location on Mondays and Fridays at 6:30 PM.

Spring really encompasses two seasons: the abatement of winter is marked by a sticky mud season and the thirsty joy for those first sips of warm, fragrant air; then summer is around the corner. April is a month of transition, manifest in the fleeting, show-stopping flower blooms. Daffodils dot woodland borders and blanket the 3rd street berms in sunny yellow. Tulips add a diverse color palette to the ground, their rainbow blooms sometimes surprising the gardener who planted them. The rotund buds of magnolia trees pop open and promptly the park is a pastel wonderland. Delicate little flower nubs run up the thin branches of the redbud, wide open dogwood flowers look up to the sky, lilacs perfume the air and a score of perennial flowers from hyacinths to bluebells join the floral fray. These and more are on display in Carmen’s Garden, just in front of the Litchfield Villa on 4th street and Prospect Park West. But nothing gets the casual flower enthusiast as excited as the sight of an allée of flowering cherry trees as they burst into fecund bloom, thick cotton-candy canopies of silky pink, purple and white petals. The display at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to the park is hard to top. A loop around the long meadow will offer a more complete collection of impressive blooming plants and trees.

By the time earth day rolls around on April 28th the bees will be buzzing and the park staff will have all hands on deck planting spring trees, shrubs and flowers. Engage with the environment by coming out to Prospect Park on that Sunday for citizen science exhibitions. The Prospect Park Alliance is making it easier than ever to get involved as a student of nature with their Audubon center educational programming. Earth day also starts off the park’s volunteer season. One of the most rewarding ways to give back to your community is by volunteering with the PPA’s volunteer corps (https://www.prospectpark.org/get-involved/volunteer/) and donating your time to repair trails, pick up trash and remove invasive weeds, among other ecologically-minded projects.

If you’re familiar with It’s My Park Day, a regular May occurrence, you may be surprised to find that this year the park has upped the ante. Spring Fling, encompassing the weekend of May 18th and 19th, is a celebration of the park and all the opportunities that come with nice weather. You can still volunteer in events sponsored by REI as in previous It’s My Park tradition, but now you can also expect a family fair with educational activities at the Audubon Center and the historic Lefferts house, ensuring the weekend has something for everyone. 

By late spring the park is in full leaf, busy soaking up the sun’s rays and growing dense with greenery and life. Parkgoers are busy playing sports, taking walks and enjoying the most beautiful weather of the year. Brooklyn’s back yard is rife with opportunities from taking a kayak out on the lake to rollerblading around the drive. My personal recommendation is to simply explore the grounds. I’ve lead locals on tours that left them saying there’s an entirely different park inside of the heavily trafficked loops and zones they were used to. Getting lost in the Midwood or trying to catch a view from the top of lookout hill make Prospect Park one of the last places in the city where you can forget, for a few peaceful moments, that you are in New York City.

Fishing by the lake house Earth Day Celebration Prospect Park Alliance at the Audubon Center for annual Earth Day celebration. Enjoy fun-filled activities for all ages from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Urban Park Rangers and the Prospect Park Alliance Landscape Management team.

Filed Under: Outside, Park Slope Life Tagged With: festival, natural world, outside, park slope nature, ryan gellis

A Musical Trip Around the World

July 26, 2016 By Florence Wang Filed Under: Music Tagged With: bandshell, bargemusic, BRIC arts, concert, dance, David Bowie, festival, free, jazz, Labyrinth, music, Prospect Park, summer

The summer concert season in New York City is phenomenal. Every year I wait with baited breath for BRIC arts and SummerStage lineups to be announced. And I’m always blown away. The sheer diversity is amazing, so hats off to the people who organize and schedule these events because it can’t be an easy task. 

Now, we all know about some of the larger acts, but my favorites are the lesser known international acts that come to swelter in our summer heat. It’s a musical voyage around the world, with all points on the globe represented – even Iceland (though sadly, not this year). Here are some of my favorite upcoming events. They are all FREE, and (for the most part) in Brooklyn. If you want to dance, dance; if you prefer to just sit back and take in nature, go for it! Embrace a new language, or just chill out. It’s all here, right at your doorstep. 


Bargemusic 

Saturdays through Labor Day, 4pm 

Fulton Ferry Landing near the Brooklyn Bridge

2 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn Waterfront

Bargemusic moored at Fulton Ferry Landing
Bargemusic moored at Fulton Ferry Landing

Brooklyn truly offers everything, and in this case, it presents chamber music on board a renovated coffee barge alongside the Brooklyn waterfront. Bargemusic provides the rare opportunity to witness virtuoso talent in an intimate setting – a wood-paneled room with a view of the Manhattan skyline. The ensemble performs various dates year-round, but through a partnership with Brooklyn Bridge Park, Saturday afternoons are offered gratis to the public. Advance tickets are not available for these free events and doors open 15 minutes prior to show time. To learn more about the Saturday afternoon engagements, visit www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events/bargemusic. Bargemusic is a non-profit organization with a unique history, which is detailed on their website, www.bargemusic.org.


Rachid Taha / Krar Collective 

July 15, 6:30 gates open/ 7:30 show

Prospect Park Bandshell

9th St & Prospect Park West, Park Slope

The songs and albums Rachid Taha creates are perhaps the perfect embodiment of “World Music.” The Algerian-born performer embraces every influence from rock to gypsy to flamenco to RaЇ, Algeria’s indigenous pop music. His vocals, sung in Arabic, English, and French, are intense and emotive; his expressions transcend words. A solo artist since 1989, he has performed around with world with acts such as Dengue Fever, Fela Kuti, and Brian Eno. His passionate and sometimes political approach has led him to be compared to the late Clash front-man, Joe Strummer. The London-based Ethopian band Krar open the evening with their hypnotic grooves. More information about these performers can be found at www.rachidtahaofficial.com and www.krarcollective.com.


SummerStage Kids: Sonia De Los Santos 

July 27, 10:30 – 11:30am 

Sunset Park

41st St, between 5th Ave 7Th Ave, Sunset Park

Sonia De Los Santos Band 1 (credit Quetzal Photography) copy
Sonia De Los Santos Band, Credit: Quetzal Photography

Sonia De Los Santos plays a variety of Mexican music for kids that can best be described as delightful. One of Dane Zanes’ Friends, she recently released her debut solo album, Mi Viaje: De Neuvo Léon to the New York Island, in which she shares the experiences of growing up in Mexico and moving to New York City. Her songs are in the of the regional son jarocho style, drawing on Spanish and African sounds. In her performances, as she plays her jarana (a small guitar that looks like a ukulele), she encourages children to dance, and sing in Spanish. To learn more about Sonia, visit www.soniadelossantos.com.


The Hubble Cantata / Tigue

August 6, 6:30 gates open / 7:30 show

Prospect Park Bandshell

9th St & Prospect Park West, Park Slope

hubble 7
Hubble Space Telescope

Perhaps the most intriguing show this summer, and the one that’s hardest to wrap my head around is The Hubble Cantata’s performance. Composer Paola Prestini collaborates with multi-media artists to create a soundscape and full sensory experience – a portion of the performance is to be viewed via Virtual Reality headsets – sharing footage from the Hubble telescope and taking the audience through the universe. I’m prepared to be awestruck. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of information about this show available online, and perhaps it’s best to go and enjoy without preconceptions. Art trio Tigue open with their minimalist, ambient contemporary chamber music.


Labyrinth / Donny McCaslin Group

August 10, 7:30pm

Prospect Park Bandshell

9th St & Prospect Park West, Park Slope

Donny-July-2012-2-Mirroring-Fixed_0
Donny McCaslin. Credit: courtesy of artist

I say with complete lack of irony that Jim Henson’s 1986 masterpiece Labyrinth is one of my all-time favorite movies. It has everything: muppets, music, and David Bowie sporting one of the most amazing costumes to come out of the eighties (and that’s saying a lot). I was fifteen years old when this movie hit the theaters and thereafter wanted to be Jennifer Connelly. I can’t wait to watch it once again with a group of eager movie-goers. Opening act, The Donny McCaslin Group, backed Bowie on his final release, Black Star; so the evening comes full circle. With David Bowie’s passing this year, it seems a perfect tribute.


Jazzmobile

August 16, 7pm

Harborview Lawn

334 Furman St, Brooklyn Waterfront

Founded in 1964, Jazzmobile was the first not-for-profit arts and cultural organization created for jazz. The group’s goal is outreach – to bring jazz, “America’s Classical Music,” to the community. At the heart of this award-winning ensemble is acclaimed Vibraphonist, Jay Hoggard. During this evening, their compositions create the soundtrack to the waters of New York Harbor and the Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines. What a beautiful, relaxing way to take in the mid-summer’s eve. Learn more about Jazzmobile’s mission and musicians by visiting www.jazzmobile.org.


Inukasuit / Rite of Summer Festival

August 27, 1 & 3pm (rain date August 28)

Governors Island at Nolan Park

Technically this event is not in Brooklyn. But a visit to Governors Island, the gem in the middle of New York Harbor, is mandatory during the summer. With everything happening during the short season, it’s sometimes easy to forget to plan a visit; so here’s the perfect reason to do so. “Inuksuit” refers to a grouping of large man-made markers used by Inuit and North American indigenous people, and is the composition created by John Luther Adams who finds inspiration for his music from nature. Hailed by the New York Times as “the ultimate environmental piece,” it is performed by more than 60 percussionists led by percussionist/Music Director, Amy Garapic. Amazing, right? Directions to and around Governors Island can be found at www.govisland.com.


IMG_1831 2
Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, playing at the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, 23-24 September

Filed Under: Music Tagged With: bandshell, bargemusic, BRIC arts, concert, dance, David Bowie, festival, free, jazz, Labyrinth, music, Prospect Park, summer

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