Another celebration of Earth Day this coming weekend:
Pratt Area Community Council is planning a great Earth Day event, scheduled for April 18! Get your hands dirty and help plant a garden. Plus, if it means a chance to take a peek inside the amazing Gibb Mansion, it'll be worth it!
PACC will also be offering coffee and breakfast from the popular Desserts by Michael Allen (which seems to be bumping every time I walk past).
The below details both kid- and grown-up friendly Earth Day events at Greene Grape and Provisions in Fort Greene. It's all happening within steps of Habana Outpost's season opener as well!
At The Greene Grape, we’re excited to celebrate Earth Day Weekend April 18/19 and the return of our neighbor, Habana Outpost, from its winter hibernation. Join us for the following special events all weekend!
PLANT SALE AND SEED BOMBS
Outside Greene Grape Provisions, 753 Fulton at South Portland, the Brooklyn Brownstone Garden District will hold an edible plant sale and help kids make ‘seed bombs’ using recycled coffee grounds from the coffee bar that will hopefully lead to a summer floral explosion in Fort Greene! Plants for sale will include Dwarf Grey Sugar Peas (the peas and the leaves are edible and it can be grown inside), Ho Lang Tau (an Asian pea which is a delicacy and you can also eat the peas and the leaves and grow it inside) and Nasturtium (edible flowers). An expert on edible plants and flowers will be on hand to answer questions. Plant sale will be both April 18 and April 19 from 10am-5pm.
WINE TASTINGS
While the kids are waiting for their seed bombs to dry, the parents can mosey over to The Greene Grape Wine store at 765 Fulton where we will be holding an all-day tasting of environmentally-friendly wines. From a malbec packed in a tetrapak to organic wines to local NY state wines, there are many ways to reduce your wine drinking carbon footprint without sacrificing the quality of your wine. The tasting schedule is as follows:
Saturday, April 18 12pm-7pm Think Global, Drink Local
By supporting local growers and producers, we are cutting out both the cost of transportation and the damage that gasoline leaves on our environment. Alie, the founder of Brooklyn Oenology, a Brooklyn label that uses New York grapes and labels by Brooklyn artists, will pour her Social Club White 2007. From 2-4, Pure vodka, made from upstate NY apples, will be mixing and sampling cocktails. We’ll also open 3 wines from our monthly New York Cork Club, which features 2 new wines each month from the Empire State.
Sunday, April 19 12pm-7pm Economical and Earth-Friendly
We’ll pour 4 organic wines all under $15 including a 1-liter malbec in a tetrapak (Yellow+Blue Malbec 2007).
It's time once again for the popular eco-eatery to open for a new season! Here's to tasty corn from the truck and warm summer nights in the Habana yard.
This year, owner Sean Meenan plans kick off his 2009 season with an Earth Day Expo. The two day free event will feature Green Crafts and face painting for children sponsored by Habana Works and The Leadership Learning Lab, a Kid’s Eco-Fashion Show with the Scrapkins, and a Recycled Art Show featuring the art work of local students. There will also be plenty of information for adults - groups like Green Homes NYC, Transportation Alternatives, Green Spaces and Brooklyn Green Drinks will be on hand as well as Habana Outpost suppliers; Solar Energy Systems, Tri State Bio Diesel and Rolling Press.
The following is a schedule of Earth Day events for young and old alike:
Earth Day Expo at Habana Outpost
Two Days of Good Green Fun for the Whole Family!
The Earth Day Expo at Habana Outpost is a chance for the whole family to get started with a healthier, greener lifestyle by offering free activities your whole family can enjoy
When:
Saturday April 18th and Sunday, April 19th 12-6pm
Where:
Habana Outpost 757 Fulton Street (Corner of South Portland) Brooklyn, NY
Directions:
C train to Lafayette / G to Fulton / N,R,4,5 to Atlantic –Pacific
Contact:
For more information please check out www.HabanaOutpost.com
E-mail: info@ecoeatery.com
Phone: 718 858 9500
Schedule of Events
Saturday and Sunday 12-6
Free “eco-friendly” face painting
Have your little ones turned into ladybugs, butterflies and bumble bees as they learn about the importance these vital insects are to our environment
Saturday 1:00pm
Kids Eco-Fashion Show with the Scrapkins
Watch these kids walk the runway in the inventive recycled fashions of the Scrapkins
Saturday and Sunday 12-6
Eco Arts / Carfts and Games
Join us in the Kids Corner where your kids can spend the day crafting away while learning about the environment and recycling. Brought to by Habana Works, Leadership Learning Lab and The Scrapkins
Saturday and Sunday 12-6
Recycled Art Show
The art of local students will be on display throughout the weekend with the winners being announced on Saturday at 1:30pm
Saturday and Sunday 12-6
Fun for Parents too!
Throughout the weekend local community groups focusing on sustainability will be handing out information, giving free samples and selling the wares
I've been receiving quite a few Earth Day events in the CHB inbox, so I'm creating a mini-feature leading up to Earth Day. Earth Day listings will appear with this header to help denote an environmentally friendly event:
THIS TUESDAY 4/14: General MeetingSorry for the late notice! Please join us for The Greene Hill Food Coop's April General Meeting: When: this Tuesday, April 14th 7pm-9:30pm (meeting will start at 7:15pm, newcomers please come at 7pm) Where: 138 So Oxford St, Brooklyn (So Oxford Space, Great Room, 2nd FL) (note location change) Please take a look at our agenda for this General Meeting: http://www.greenehillfoodcoop.com/general-meetings/meeting-agenda-2009-04-14 Any size of monetary contribution is greatly appreciated to go towards the rental of the space. |
ChildcareSitters Studio (www.sitterstudio.com) is providing free childcare during the March meeting. Sitters Studio is a unique babysitting agency that is entirely staffed with artists who have a childcare background. They arrive with a tote of artistic toys ready to engage the children in fun and creative play. The agency is insured and bonded. All of the sitters are reference and background checked and are CPR certified. Please email info@greenehillfoodcoop.com by Monday 13th to let us know if you will be in need of childcare so that we can staff the appropriate amount of sitters. |
Go-Go Grocery!A Greene Hill Food Co-op Gathering Sunday May 17th 2nd floor at Red Bamboo (corner of DeKalb Ave and Adelphi St) Doors: 4:30 PM $5 a head Come meet your neighbors, and get the inside word about the Co-op. Food, Fun, Friends! Win cool prizes by playing BINGO, featuring Rich Awn, the voice of Green Air. Pin the Tail on the Co-op: help decide the location of our store. Favorite Food Group Darts: aim for your favorite food group and then write down which product you’d like to see on our shelves! |
Community PartnersThe Greene Hill Food Coop is being created in a vibrant and exciting neighborhood. The Community Partners Program was developed so our efforts and the efforts of so many other neighborhood institutions can be highlighted. For more information about this program, follow this link: http://www.greenehillfoodcoop.com/committees/outreach-committee/community-partners |
We need your helpEven if you can't make our General Meetings, we would love your help and support in developing the coop. Joining a committee or even two (http://www.greenehillfoodcoop.com/committees) is the best way to find out what needs to be done. Any questions? Email info@greenehillfoodcoop.com. |
In an earlier post, commenter George W. asked about the namesake for Putnam Avenue; technically it’s a toss-up whether Putnam is part of Clinton Hill or Bed Stuy, but Israel Putnam was just plain interesting. So, George W., this is for you. I found a lot of info, but had to weed out what seemed like tall tales. Born in Danvers, Massachusetts -- the town that used to be called “Salem” -- in 1718, Putnam was a Revolutionary War hero who was prone to acting rashly, and so some of his biographies are somewhat…exaggerated. One biography claims that once when he was a child he was climbing a tree, and got stuck on a branch – and instead of panicking, calmly asked a friend to shoot at the branch until it fell, bringing him with it to the ground.
The stories about his early adulthood are a little more believable. Putnam moved to Eastern Connecticut when he was 22 (in fact, he lived very near the town where I grew up). The winter he was 24, Putnam and his neighbors had trouble with a wolf in the nearby woods preying on their sheep each night; the wolf killed as many as seventy sheep on one occasion. Settlers set out traps, but she escaped them all. One night, a team finally got fed up enough to spend all night tracking the wolf, and were able to find her den. They spent the next twelve hours trying to drive her out so she could be shot, or urging their own dogs in to attack her, to no avail. Finally, Putnam decided he would crawl into the den HIMSELF. Tying a rope around his waist -- so the others could haul him out in a hurry, if need be -- he lit a makeshift torch and crawled into the wolf’s den, where he shot her at point-blank range. The town celebrated for a full two days afterward, and Putnam’s nickname was “Old Wolf” for years afterward.
Putnam later went on to fight in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, and got into similarly hair-raising scrapes. During the French and Indian War, Putnam’s squad was ambushed, and a Mohawk warrior captured Putnam; rather than taking him to the POW camp right away, the warrior tied him to a tree and returned to battle. Then the field of battle shifted – to the very field where Putnam’s tree stood smack in the center. For an hour Putnam dodged the musket balls from both directions as best he could.
Then another Mohawk warrior, discovering him trapped, started tormenting him by throwing his tomahawk towards his head, scaring Putnam with several near-misses. A French officer coming on the scene then tried three times to shoot Putnam, but his gun jammed each time, and the officer gave up, taking the Mohawk warrior with him and leaving Putnam there. Putnam’s original captor returned when the battle died down and took him to the prisoner of war camp, where later that night a group of other Mohawk warriors tied him to a stake and tried to burn him alive. Putnam dodged the flames for a good five minutes before a passing French officer rescued Putnam, and kept him safe until he was returned home to Connecticut during a prisoner exchange.
The next twenty years were quiet for Putnam; then in 1775, he was plowing with his son Daniel when a messenger rode through town, spreading word about the outbreak of battle in Lexington, Massachusetts, and the beginning of the war for Independence. Putnam immediately dropped his plow, got a horse, and spent the rest of the afternoon spreading the news through two counties. Putnam also formally enlisted at the home of the governor, and then – without even changing out of his work clothes – set out that night on the eighteen-hour ride to Concord, reporting for duty the next morning.
Putnam became a General in the Revolutionary War – he is best known for giving the famous command, “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes,” at the battle of Bunker Hill. Less famous – at least to the layman -- was Putnam’s solo ride to rally reinforcements during a surprise British attack on a site near Greenwich, Connecticut. Putnam’s 150 soldiers were only one-tenth the size of the attacking British force, and after defending their position a while, Putnam led his men to safety in the nearby woods, then set out alone to nearby Stamford for reinforcements; four British officers followed him in pursuit.
After about a mile, Putnam lost the officers by urging his horse down a steep and rocky hillside; the thwarted British soldiers, whose horses refused to follow, shot after him out of frustration, and one of the musket balls pierced through Putnam’s hat. He responded by turning back to the British officers and taunting them before continuing to Stamford. By the time he returned, the attacking British troops had withdrawn, but Putnam’s men had taken a few prisoners. Perhaps recalling his own treatment in the French and Indian War, Putnam insisted on decent treatment and medical care for the prisoners, and looked after their safety until a later prisoner exchange. As a reward for his decency and his bravery, the governor of Connecticut presented him with a new hat to replace the one with the bullet hole.
Very soon afterward, Putnam suffered a stroke, ending his military career. He retired to his home in Brooklyn, Connecticut, dying there in 1790.
In addition to being the namesake for Putnam Avenue, Israel Putnam has also had counties in nine states named for him; there are also towns named Putnam in both Connecticut and New York. PS 44 in Bed-Stuy, now named for Marcus Garvey, was at one time also named after Israel Putnam.
An amateur historian has created a whole tribute site to Israel Putnam ( http://www.israelputnam.com/index.html ), where you can read more details about his exploits. The site also has modern photos of the wolf’s den, the battlefield where Putnam was tied to a tree, and other landmarks (although, fair warning that the site also has a MIDI music file that can get fairly annoying after a while).
Love the sense of humor. Not to mention the deals!
RePop 68 Washington Ave.
Nigerian Restaurant Reported to Open this Month in Fort GreeneAccording to NY Magazine, En of Africa will soon be opening at 120 Lafayette.
Greene Grape Wins Award The Brooklyn Paper reports that the Greene Grape, the wine shop on Fulton, was just named New York Wine and Spirit Retailer of the Year. (The secret: Selling a lot of NY wine.)
The Brooklyn Flea, held at Bishop Laughlin High School, will return to Fort Greene on Saturday, April 18. Perhaps the move to Saturday was a deal with the nearby church. Either way, with the weather warming up, I'm excited to do some browsing and try out some of the delicious food vendors.
Randi, co-owner of Der Shwarze Koelner, the beer garden opening in Fort Greene this summer, wears many hats. Not only is she helping her boyfriend and business partner, Dale, get ready for the beer garden opening, but she also runs a Fort Greene-based export business, called ex49. ex49 (ex=export / 49=German country code) provides talented, emerging artists from Germany the opportunity to exhibit and sell their products overseas. The company is environmentally aware, with many of their items made from recycled materials, and socially conscious (take a look at their Angels for Africa collaboration). While ex49 usually sells wholesale, they are currently offering certain items retail. I had a chance to look at some of their wares up close and was impressed with their craftsmanship, creativity, and overall sense of fun. Some highlights:
Bellevue Cutting Boards
My personal favorites; made using wood from sustainable forests. Look closely and you’ll notice the patterns in the wood complement the story the laser-engraved figures are telling. Some of these boards are currently on sale on the website.
Angels for Africa
These crocheted angels are made by single mothers in Kenya. They get paid per angel and can therefore earn income to feed their family, send the kids to school and pay for medical care.
Hot Water Bottle Bags Made out of hot water bottles from the 1960’s German army and used tarp.
Vintage Dish Cloths Dating back to 1897!
Thanks for the heads up, Dale and Randi!
Cadman Church on Lafayette and Clinton will be holding their annual Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday! A great traditional spring event for families in the neighborhood.
This recap is a bit late, as it happened a few weeks ago, but better late than never! The charette was indeed a planning workshop for the cobblestone area on Lafayette at St. James, and the meeting was held in Pratt's architecture school (the cool-looking one with the glowing mid-section on St. James. The project will be a NYC Greenstreet, supported by the Dept of Parks and Recreation, the Dept of Transportation, Pratt and Councilwoman James. The Greenstreet program "carves out new landscapes from the left over spaces of our dense system of urban roadways."
In answer to the question of ownership posed in my original post about this area, the space belongs to the city of NY and NOT the buildings it sits in front of. However, the buildings' residents are still concerned about liability in the space and on the sidewalk that sits in front of it next to Lafayette Ave. (Apparently, who is responsible for the sidewalk and injuries it may cause is a contentious issue. It was once thought to be the responsibility of the property owner, but recent lawsuits have left the city responsible. I can see owners having to shovel and salt sidewalks in freezing, snowy weather, but major repair seems as though it should be the city's responsibility. My two cents.)
During a slideshow presentation, attendees were shown different options regarding how to use and design the space, based on examples from Manhattan. These included various bench arrangements, different types of greenery and the creation of small "rooms" using benches and planters that allow small groups of people to sit and visit, with some seats in the shade and some in the sun. The presenters said they hoped to dedicate 30% of the space to gardens and include at least three benches in the new design.
We broke up into small groups and played around with tracing paper over diagrams of the space. I had to leave for another engagement before the event was finished, so I wasn't able to see what the other groups had come up with (or what the event's conclusion was). The ideas that my group came up with included: - opening up and extending the existing playground area into the space - dog run - art alley with lighting, here as well as up St. James to create a visual connection up to the main Pratt campus - benches in L-shapes or across from each other to allow for better conversation - invite local groups to host events in the space - for example, Sunday morning coffee with the adjacent church - community garden - recycle cobblestones to create pedestal for sculpture* - special programming, ie. have a debut reception when the sculpture is changed
The event was filled mostly with Pratt reps, current and former students, and reps from Ms. James' office. There were also a handful of co-op board reps from te buildings adjacent to the space. They were enthusiastic but also very concerned about potential liability. Because I left early, I didn't get to meet everyone. However, I may have been the only regular neighbor there who was not involved with Pratt, Ms. James or the building. Would more people have come if the outreach had been better?
What do YOU want to see in that space? Implementation is planned for fall 09.
(And those planters I lamented as being filled with weeds? They're movable and will likely be taken out of the space for its facelift.)
* Yes, a few commenters were correct that there was once a sculpture in the space, and the plan is to bring art back to the front corner. It will be a rotating sculpture display - sculptures will be changed out regularly
Friends headed to off-leash hours early Saturday morning came across a grisly scene on DeKalb near Tillie's. Police tape blocked off much of the area, and a smashed up car sat near the scene. Also visible on the street were a pair of shoes and some kitty litter (which the tipster says is used to cover up blood on the street). Was someone hit by a car? Anyone know what happened?
(Clinton Ave)
A new weekly event at the ever-creative Sputnik... SPUTNIK CHESS KNIGHTS
EVERY TUESDAY. SIGN UP BEGINS AT 8pm. Free. Could Clinton Hill Brooklyn be epicenter of nightlife AND chess!? We think so! We've noticed there are many "closet chess players" in Brooklyn and seen a growing demand for a place to play. So we're offering it in a bar! Come down for the competition, drinks and food! Sign begins at 8pm.
For more information: www.barsputnik.com
SPUTINK: 262 taaffe pl., Brooklyn NY 11231. G train to Classon Ave. (1 bl. to dekalb, turn right, 1 bl. to taaffe pl,.)
Myrtle Minutes reports that Myrtle Thai, one of many Thai restaurants in the area, is moving further west down Myrtle into a more "intimate" space. I hope they're doing OK. I usually prefer them for takeout over Thai 101 - they're a little less expensive and usually deliver more quickly.
Like most of Brooklyn, Clinton Hill was originally farmland granted to early settlers. With a name like Clinton Hill, you’d think that someone named Clinton was the original owner. Wrong -- the first settlers in the Clinton Hill area were actually a Dutch couple, Marten and Annetje Ryerson. Marten emigrated from Amsterdam sometime in 1646, along with his brother Adrian; Adrian, the older brother, was probably married and brought his family along with him. The two brothers settled in Brooklyn on two different farm plots – Marten settling in a plot alongside Wallabout Bay. The site was a popular one for settlers; the first ferry between what is now Manhattan and Brooklyn docked in the bay. The tiny colony, sponsored by the Dutch East India company, offered settlers a deal – settlers would pay the Dutch East India company a tenth of their earnings for ten years, and then would own their plots outright. In fact, the very name “Brooklyn” refers to this deal – it comes from the Dutch words “Bruijk” and “leen,” meaning “to use” and “loan”.
It’s not clear when Marten settled on his plot, but he very well may have set up shop immediately. However, he took his time getting married; it was another twenty years before he married Annetje, who was born in the “new world.” Annetje was the daughter of Joris and and Catalina de Rapelje, another couple who emigrated to Albany via France. It’s not clear whether Joris and Catalina married before they emigrated, immediately upon landing, or even on the boat – at the very least, they were on the same ship, arriving in time to give birth to their first daughter, Sarah, in 1625 in a fort on the site of what is now Albany. In fact, little Sarah Rapelje was the first colonial child born in that city.
Annetje was the sixth of the Rapelje’s eleven children. It’s not clear when the Rapeljes moved to Brooklyn; it may have been sometime during Annetje’s childhood, as records show that Annetje’s older brother Jacob was “shot by Indians," an incident which may have been what sent the family from Albany to the comparatively safe Brooklyn colony. Annetje had definitely been living in Brooklyn long enough for her to be listed in the records as “a young maiden from Brooklyn” when her marriage to Marten Ryerson was performed in 1663.
Marten and Annetje had eleven children themselves. Their oldest son, Joris, only stayed until he was married at the age of 24; Joris then started his own farm on Manhattan Island, nearby the site of Trinity Church. After 20 years, Joris moved even further, buying 5500 acres of land in what is now Bergen County, New Jersey, and eventually becoming a judge. Another son, Jacobus, stayed on the family plot, tending to the Ryerson’s land along what is now Flatbush Avenue; his own son, Marten, took over afterward, and operated another ferry running to and from Manhattan that proved useful to troop movements during the Revolutionary War.
The Ryersons, of course, lent their name to Ryerson Street, running from DeKalb Avenue north to the spot where Marten Jr. operated his ferry.
This email just in the inbox. Anyone want to weigh in? Hi CHB,
I live on Washington btwn Atlantic and Fulton, and for a couple of months now, the first call to pray from the mosque on Fulton (btwn Washington and St. James) has been waking us up every morning. I stopped in to ask them VERY nicely if they would consider turning the loudspeakers down a few notches, and they told me, literally, to fuck off. So I called 311 and Letitia James's office, to no avail. I'd be curious to know if anyone else in the neighborhood is having this problem, and if there is anything we could do to fix it. Thanks!
Last week I attended the Society for Clinton Hill monthly meeting because Letitia James was scheduled to present about the Mayor’s proposed budget (and Sisters of Mercy were scheduled to speak about their plans for the site). However, schedules being subject to change, the SOM decided not to show up, but NYS Assembly member Hakeem Jeffries spoke along with Ms. James. Here’s a quick summary of what I learned. I should preface this by saying I have a very intimate knowledge of the City’s budgeting process, as I spent several years working as a budget analyst for the Mayor’s budget office and at a City agency. As a result, I became extremely cynical about our local politicians because I learned firsthand how they grossly spin facts in order to appease the voting public. To be honest, I was not expecting much from Ms. James or Mr. Jeffries. However, I was very impressed with both of their command of our local issues and what appeared to me to be a genuine, passionate commitment on their part to the needs of our community.
Summary of Hakeem Jeffries' remarks:
Income Taxes:
Although we find ourselves in difficult times, the middle class and the poor should not have to bear the burdens of the sacrifices that need to be made, and he supports an increase in the income tax of the wealthy in this State (in opposition to our Governor).
MTA cuts:
The MTA has serious credibility issues, especially given that not too long ago they were found to be keeping two sets of books. It is not a cost efficient agency, and the proposed cut to the B25 bus line does not make any sense. The G train serves the neighborhoods that are showing the most growth in the City, and therefore should be maintained at current service levels.
Summary of Letitia James' remarks:
The Bailout:
Disgraced AIG gave Barclays $400 million to purchase the naming rights of the proposed Atlantic arena. ‘Nuff said right there.
Budget cuts:
The police department will not hire the previously planned 1,000 officers. The 88th precinct is already down in staffing, so this will not help matters.
A reduction of 15 EMS tours and 1 firefighter from each fire company. Also not good.
Libraries will be cutting hours and laying off 170 employees. 35 libraries will reduce hours to 5 days a week. Museums and cultural institutions will be reduced by 20%, on top of a 14% cut that was already taken in November. Very bad.
The proposed cut of the B25 line: the rationale was for this was that the C line goes along the same route. However, this does not help the elderly or disabled for whom it is difficult to take the subway (mayven aside: there are certain days when I’m tired or have a lot to carry when I wonder how anyone who is NOT absolutely physically fit negotiates the NYC subway).
Federal stimulus funds will only go for brick and mortar projects, which will help the construction industry but not the City or State budget woes.
Neither had a lot of time for their remarks, and there weren’t a lot of time for questions, but the audience seemed very receptive to and appreciative of their efforts.
Clinton Hill Blog published from 2006 - 2010. Please enjoy these archives - a love letter to the neighborhood.
