August is Kiddie Month at The Yard in Gowanus. Per the email we got:

We just wanted to spread the word that August is officially “Kiddie Month” at The Yard. Every Sunday, we host the Sunday Best dance series at the banks of the Gowanus Canal. With a roster of international DJs and homegrown talent, laid back vibes and delicious food, the Sunday Best parties have become a weekend staple. Especially amongst the young’ns! Something about warm breezes and top-notch dance music seems to bring out the neighborhood kiddies — I guess The Yard is a perfect place for slipping on those dancing booties and getting those wiggles out. And so, every Sunday in August, we’ve decided that kids should get royal treatment at The Yard! Free entry, VIP popsicles, and a very special spot on the dance floor…Fresh Huaraches straight off the griddle brought to you by Margarita and friends (Red Hook Vendor). Sangria and cold drinks.

That’s every Sunday in August at The Yard, which is located at 388-400 Carroll Street between Bond and Nevins. It happens from 3PM-9PM. Admission is free for kids and $8 for everyone else.

200 Fifth (on 5th Avenue b/t Union and Sackett) is always packed, especially on game nights, but the whole left side of the restaurant is currently closed up. They have a sign up that says the kitchen is closed and it’s temporary. (There are DOB permits up indicating renovation work.) For now, if you are looking for a burger, better head to Bonnie’s.
—Kristen Haas

The Park Slope Parents Mailbag bring news of a “Disturbing Incident at Ninth Street Playground,” where reports of various things originate from time to time. It is about a report from a babysitter “very upset about an incident” at the playground:

It involved a 12-18 month old boy who was wearing only a diaper and sandals and had been playing in the fountains. He appeared lost and approached a mom crying. Apparently the boy’s caregiver appeared after a 30+ minute search for her.

We’ve heard of worse, but perhaps someone wasn’t doing her job?

Urban Green in Williamsburg is one of those projects that has taken ages to get moving. But it’s definitely moving. Its sales office on N. 6 Street is now closed and the building is rising on both the N. 5 and N. 6 Street sides. Early on, we nicknamed Urban Death early on in the construction process because of the astoundingly dangerous conditions in the gaping construction pit which persisted for months, including an open fence allowing access to a three story deep hole. We’ll the hole is gone. And, in its place, the 44-unit building is rising. Move-ins are promised for this winter, but that could be a big, big stretch given that it’s August and the building is still coming out of the ground.

Forgotten New York takes a look today at Dunham Place, a block-long street east of Kent Avenue just south of the Williamsburg Bridge that’s a touch off the beaten path for some people in Williamsburg. Among other things, we learn about who the street is named after:

David Dunham (1790-1823), a New York merchant who helped initiate an early steam ferry from Brooklyn to New York, which earned him the nickname “Father of Williamsburg.” Dunham was an indefatogable advocate for steam navigation and a pioneer of steamship travel, venturing to Havana, New Orleans, and several southern states. He died a tragic death when he fell overboard in gthe Hudson River and drowned near West Point while returning — by steamship, of course — from Albany.

Head over for more Dunham Place goodness.

[Photo courtesy 8thandprez/Brooklynian.com]

So, what was an NYPD helicopter doing touching down in Prospect Park yesterday morning? The answer: unclear. But 8thandpress posts a dramatic shot on Brooklynian of the landing and writes the following:

I was in Prospect Park this morning at about 9:30 when a NYPD helicopter started circling. It flew around, lower and lower, before coming into the north end of the Long Meadow about 5 feet above the ground. It hovered there, kicking up a huge amount of dust and grass, for several minutes before taking off. Anyone else see this? Any idea why they would do this? There were kids, dogs, and people sitting on benches quite close.

Popular opinion says that it was part of a training exercise.

[Coney Island photo courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related information and images:

· Nine-Year-Old Boy Shot in Head at Weeksville Gardens Houses [NYT]
· Hundreds Mourn Little Girl Who Drowned at Coney Island [NYDN]
· Greenpoint Church Read for Conversion [Curbed]
· 277 Gold Street Rising [Brownstoner]
· Following Up on the “Hipster King” Hostel [NYDN]
· Rat King House is History [New York Shitty]
· BARC Benefit on Thursday Night [Bad Advice]
· A Front Street FSBO [Dumbo NYC]
· Downtown Cambria Suites Hotel Gets the Green Light [Brownstoner]
· Pomegranate Supermarket on Coney Island Ave Opening Aug. 12 [Flatbush Pigeon]
· Finding Ten Dollars & Giving It Back in Park Slope [Brooklynometry]

A proposal for parkland south of the Williamsburg Bridge has been on the table for several years, but there is a renewed push for one. Community Board 1 member and City Council candidate Evan Thies says that “It’s a complete waste to have trucks parked along one of the most beautiful views in the entire world.” The land is currently the site of a maintenance shop for the Departments of Transportation and Citywide Administrative Services.–NYDN

Folks who live in a rent-stabilized building owned by one of the most high-profile developers in Brooklyn are finding a hot shower hard to come by nowadays, according to a press release sent out last night by Councilmember Letitia James’s office. Tenants in 25 Lafayette Avenue, in the BAM Cultural District, say that the gas in the building has been off since July 31st because their landlord, the Dermot Company, neglected to pay National Grid. The lack of hot water and stovetop-related amenities has fed the ire of residents who are already wary of Dermot because they believe the management company is trying to force rent-stabilized tenants from the property. The press release provides a bit more color:

“Since Dermot has taken over management of our building, there have been a series of transgressions on their part,” said Joe Pressley, who is a long-time resident of the building. He added, “With all the capital improvements that they have done to our building, I don’t understand why they could not afford to pay the monthly gas utility bill.” Members of the tenants association, which began to organize after Dermot’s acquisition of the building, believe that the new owners’ intent is to rid the building of its rent stabilized apartments. “Dermot has failed to communicate to us their desire to make certain that we remain as residents in this ever-changing neighborhood,” said Pressley. “Our area has become the Manhattan of Brooklyn, and the location of our building is seen as Ground Zero.”

To make matters worse, tenants say they’re caught in a bizarre situation where National Grid may not turn the gas back on because “the building may not be able to pass a required inspection.” Dermot, which developed the landmark One Hanson Place, has purchased a number of rent-stabilized buildings in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene over the past year and a half. Many tenants in those buildings have said the Dermot Company has used harassment tactics to get them out of their apartments. A tenant association meeting is being held tonight at 25 Lafayette Avenue to discuss the building’s problems.

[Photo courtesy of erinmelina/Gl Flickr Pool]

We do find sea level photo of the Gowanus Canal compelling, so here’s the second one of the morning that was contributed to our Gowanus Lounge Photo Pool by erinmelina. This one was shot under the Union Street Bridge, heading for the foul end of the canal where a lot of raw sewage ends up during rainstorms.

Studio B is shut down for now, in no small part due to neighborhood advocacy. “The very day the Public Safety Committee decided that Studio B did not merit a recommendation for a Cabaret license, the Department of Buildings disapproved their Place of Assembly application. For both floors. No worries, I am certain former City Councilman Ken Fisher will have an answer. He has a lot to say!”–New York Shitty

[Photo courtesy of Glasson/GL Flickr Pool]

This sign comes from Guernsey Street in Greenpoint and it appears that someone (perhaps even the original sign maker) may have tried to correct the spelling from “fance” to “fence.”

We’ve been combating dual technical difficulties. Problem No. 1 is an intermittent internet connectivity issue. Life is more fun when you have an internet connection that cuts out every couple of minutes. Problem No. 2 are major downtime issues with our webhost, which has been knocking us off the air for up to six hours a day on some days. The problem seems to kick in around 9 or 9:30 AM. Obviously if it happens again this morning, you won’t see this message but it will explain why we disappeared. Yesterday, we were down from 9:30AM until nearly 2PM. On Saturday, we were down from 9AM-3PM. We will be changing servers soon. Until then, we hope it’s not a daily happening.

[Photo courtesy of erinmelina/GL Flickr Pool]

This is a sea level of the Gowanus Canal, which is something we do love. The photographer writes, “I think this is right before we saw the dead floating rat.”

We’re looking at a party sunny day with a shower or thunderstorm around this afternoon. The high will be 86. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. The low will be 70.–Accuweather

From Greenpoint, we have the Peace and Love Couch to kick off what is shaping up to be a superb week of street couches. This one comes from Banker Street and Nassau Avenue and was actually part of a street art display, but is, nonetheless, primo street seating.

Here’s a flier posted at Manhattan and Driggs in Greenpoint. We like how it’s been amended and also wonder what it’s advertising.

A gorgeous sunset in Williamsburg last week. That’s the Domino Plant in the distance.

Documentary – Coney Island from Mike Nubie on Vimeo.

Yes, there are a lot of nostalgic looks at Coney Island around featuring footage of Coney and older people talking about the good old day. We like this one we found on Vimeo.

Our lousy webhost, Lunarpages, has been even more wretched and dysfunctional than usual of late, taking GL down for anywhere from 1-6 hours at time. They struck, again, around 9:30 this morning, wiping out a good part of today’s posting schedule and everyone’s ability to reach the site. We apologize. We’ll try to have a full schedule of posts tomorrow and are working on finding a provider with at least 50 percent uptime.

Do you have what it takes to be a “Williamsburg Extra” and take part in a cool Burg party scene in the indie film The Greatest, which will have a “legendary cast”? Well, your moment has arrived. We found these fliers up around N. 6 St. and Berry St. seeking “cool, eclectic people.” The downside is that the workday will start at 7AM, which could have some downsides. The synopsis, per IMDB, is: “A drama that is centered around a troubled teenage girl and a family that is trying to get over the loss of their son.” The stars include Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan. We’re guessing somebody ends up a hipster party in the Burg. Do Greenpoint and Bushwick people qualify to be Williamsburg extras?

Fourth Avenue has always been full of garages, tire places and other businesses catering to everyone’s automotive needs. In fact, it still is, although places are slowly falling to development pressure. In any case, it was nice to see that the shaft-like apartment building at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Carroll Street, next to Cattyshack, is carrying on the grand tradition. We were wondering what that space in front was for. Now we know: parking for two cars, plus waxing. A nice street-level amenity.

[Photo courtesy of Charles Andrisano]

Local photographer and welcome GL Contributor Charley Andrisano reports in on that popular Brooklyn summer tradition, the block party. He writes: “We had our 4th annual block party on Saturday the 2nd of August, on 71st street, between 3rd ave., and Ridge Blvd., in Bay Ridge. The open fire hydrant was an immediate magnet for all the kids waiting for their turn to get wet. It was a great day for all of us on the block.” And it certainly looks like it was.

Here’s one from the Brooklynian grape vine about a possible retail development that is both fascinating and tantalizing: a bagel shop may be coming to the one un-rented space where D’Agostino’s had been on Seventh Avenue. The rest of the space has been taken, of course, by Bank of America and Five Guys Burgers. Here’s the word from chaplin’smom: “my bf was in La bagel Delight on 7th (and 5th) and he said all the guys there were complaining as they had heard that A BAGEL PLACE was going up in the new/old d’agnostino’s place. they supposedly went on to bemoan how ‘there’s no more respect’ in the world as why would someone want to put up a bagel place less than 3 blocks away from another?!? sadly ONE of them won’t last…” If it’s true it only means one thing: A Seventh Avenue Bagel War, the La Bagel Delight Everything vs. the Newcomer Poppy. Stay tuned for the decisive Battle of the Bialys.

Forget the news about eminent domain suits and new estimates for a possible opening of the Nets Arena. Here’s some very compelling and current Atlantic Yards-related imagery. This is a toasted BMW 5 Series. The GL reader who sent it writes: “sucks for them. spotted at the 6th avenue bridge over atlantic yards (two blocks from the dean street fire station).”

Another angle on the toasted Beemer, ahead.