Are you really gonna’ eat that? Donate it to CAMBA instead! Alright folks, it’s time to go into your pantry, pull out all those cans of garbanzo beans and creamed corn and bring it on down for the annual CAMBA Food Drive! After 20 years of feeding our hungry (and in this scary economic time), CAMBA is still working hard to help feed families. Between October 8th to November 14th, please drop off non-perishable canned and packaged items (come on – the tasty stuff too! We want to see peanut butter, Cheerios, organic apple juice, etcetera etcetera!) to one of the many locations: 1720 Church Avenue, 2nd Floor; 885 Flatbush Avenue, Room 202; 19 Winthrop Street; 2103 Kenmore Terrace; Park Slope Shelter – 1402 8th Avenue.
—Vaduz Uvunt

[Photo for GL courtesy of David Marangio]

The Greenmarket that people in Bay Ridge had been fighting for on in the parking lot of a former Key Foods opened up on October 4. Thomas Marangio, who also shot all the photos here, writes to us:

So, one of the most exciting developments in Bay Ridge (for some of us, anyway) is the new Greenmarket at what was previously a Keyfood parking lot. It began on October 4th and the initial response was so much greater than expected that by noon many items were gone and by 2PM, some vendors were completely sold out and packing up to go home. Bread Alone actually refilled their inventory from their stand at Grand Army Plaza, but still could not last the whole day! There’s an interesting thread on Bay Ridge Talk that was started when the market was just a twinkle in someone’s eye.

The gentleman in shirt and tie in some of the photos (after the jump) is Council Member Vincent Gentile who helped get the market going.

A full image gallery ahead if you click here.

[Photos for GL courtesy of Jodi Call]

(This morning it bring us great pleasure to welcome a new contributor, Jodi Call, who produces the superb blog Pistols & Popcorn. Jodi wrote this post for GL. It’s a beautiful feature about some people that have lived their entire lives in Carroll Gardens. It is a heartwarming and beautiful story and we thank Ms. Call for sharing it with us.–GL)

If you live in Carroll Gardens, chances are you’re at least familiar with the faces of my neighbors, Guy, 68 years old, John, 67 years old and Rose, 57 years old. They’ve lived in my building for twenty-seven years. That’s back when the corner restaurant Marco Polo’s was a pub, and back when the newly bulldozed lot on the corner of Union and Court was the International Longshoreman’s Association. These siblings have figured out the best parts of the hood (Rose tells me the best meat is at Mastellone’s), made life-long friendships with their neighbors (they all mention Moses and Millie in the building as very dear friends), and they welcome newcomers (like my family) with such warmth and kindness that my son Roan considers them part of our family.

Guy, John and Rose grew up in Brooklyn with very “strict” parents. Guy says that “I grew up as a prisoner”, with John explaining that they “weren’t really let out of the house.” Guy remembers being behind the glass of a window, watching other kids play. He describes having no toys to play with but then says, “That’s how I became the toy-maker!” In retrospect, Rose feels she was “the spiteful one” as she would defy her mother by leaving the house and going across the street. Guy and John remember themselves as “daredevils” telling of building giant bon fires and jumping through them.

When asked why none of them have married, John replies, “I blame my parents.” He and John say that when they would try to leave the house and go out, their mother would follow them. Rose expresses doubt that their mother really did, but John and Guy assert that their mother would always know where they had gone, and that there was really no other way for her to know. John says he would often be looking over his shoulder to see if he could see her, but he never caught her.

When Guy and John were in their mid-twenties, they were drafted into the Vietnam War. Guy ended up suffering “a complete nervous breakdown”, and was hospitalized for seventeen months. This remains the longest stretch of time that the trio has been apart from each other. Through it all, they have very few complaints. Rose says that the brothers leave the toilet seat up at times, and that she’s the one who has to fix everything. Guy says, “they don’t really aggravate me too much”, and John couldn’t think up a single complaint.

Do yourself a favor and read the rest of this wonderful story.

If you’ve never done a Forgotten NY tour with Kevin Walsh, there’s a great opportunity coming up with “The Secrets of Prospect Park.” It takes place on Sunday, October 26, starting at Noon. The meet up spot is the southwest corner of Prospect Park West at Grand Army Plaza. The cost is a mere $5 and the tour will last for 2-3 hours. Here’s the description:

Unlock Prospect Park’s deepest secrets, from the Vale of Cashmere, Dongan Oak, Binnenwater, Boulder Bridge, discover the difference between the Pagoda and the Pergola, the Cleftridge Span and the Endale Arch and visit Washington Irving on this comprehensive visit that will range all over Prospect Park.

More info here.

[Photo courtesy of sabeth718/GL Flickr Pool]

At Bedford and N. 7 in the Burg. One word: genius.

Prudential Douglas Elliman, which isn’t particularly known for sending out outrageous emails, sent one out yesterday saying it was “opening its can of whoop-ass in Brooklyn.” It’s promoting a property at 306 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill that’s on the market for $1.9 million, which works out to $406 per square foot and saying that the price will “get those doggone buyers off their behinds.” You know, because their asses are being whooped.–Curbed

[Photo courtesy of hungrymadchen/GL Flickr Pool]

Hey, it’s debate day, so this image of some subtle political commentary from a Crown Heights bodega on Schenectady between Union and President is all the more topical.

Here is a short email we picked up in the BoCoCa parents group that is certain to raise the blood pressure of many people, both parents and non-parents:

This morning me and my 3 year old son was playing in the bed and he flicked me in my face with his fingers. When asked where he learned it, my 3 year old son told me his teacher does that when he don’t lay down to take a nap. To say I was surprise… Of course I am going to the school tomorrow and speak to the director, but I mean what I am expecting to happen. An apology, have her fired? I don’t know.

We’re going to go out an a limb and say that something more than an apology is in order. Those with opinions are welcome to leave them.

Barrette bar in Prospect Heights is holding an anniversary party on Thursday, October 16 from 8:00pm to 4:00am. Now a year old, Barrette was one of the new bars that have paved the way for the revitalization of Vanderbilt. Barrette announces, “We’re doing our grand opening party again, only this time we have More! More! More! FIVE dancers, THREE dj’s, DRINK SPECIALS every hour on the hour, and an OPEN BAR from 8-9pm.” Barrette is located at 601 Vanderbilt Ave. Well, I know what I’m doing after work, how about you?—E.C. Stephens

A GL reader writes of a raccoon in Fort Greene:

please help! …I saw a raccoon on Clermont Avenue (Brooklyn). He/she looked stuck at the window seal of a parlor floor… by all mean I thought he wasn’t doing well and done everything possible and impossible to get a rescuer come help… nothing! I got bounced btw 311, animal rescue something something, again, nothing. The poor thing spent the whole day up there up to the police and some nice neighbors wanted to call someone who will finally put him to sleep!!! I dealed on having them wait up to tomorrow, and I hope someone can help me finding a REAL rescue organization. He looked sick, maybe a car ran him over or so… don’t know but I can’t think that he should be put to sleep only because he is a wild animal… Pleas if anyone knows of a number I can call, I’ll be back there on Clermont and Dekalb (Fort Greene) tomorrow morning. Thank you!

Advice in the comments section.

[Photo for GL courtesy of E.C. Stephens]

We do love our disassembled bikes almost as much as we adore a good street couch. Generally, we find our candidates in North Brooklyn, with Williamsburg being the epicenter of the screwed up bike. This specimen, however, comes from Carroll Gardens, which makes it a very special one for us.

Gourmet Fresh on Court Street in Carroll Gardens opens on October 15th. Boasting its fresh produce, bakery, catering, deli and imported cheeses, it’s stocked full of produce and aisles of everyday goods. Interestingly enough the location is side by side to another “supermarket” and a fruit and vegetable shop. Could this be the harbinger of a grocery war? A preview of the inside shows all signs of a well thought out market, from cereals, meats to canned foods. Its neighbors may not be too happy.
—E.C. Stephens

More pics of the new food store in town, ahead.

With the baseball postseason in full swing, we wanted to reveal a little local lore. At the beginning of this year, it was announced that moves were underway to change the name of J. J. Byrne Park to Washington Park—actually back to Washington Park. The interesting thing is that, over the years, there have been three Washington Parks (all major league baseball parks) at two different locations diagonally opposite each other at 3rd Street and 4th Avenue. The first Washington Park was where J.J. Byrne is now – bounded by 3rd and 5th Streets and 4th and 5th Avenues. The story behind this one is fairly well known. The Old Stone House on the property served as a temporary headquarters for George Washington during the Battle of Brooklyn and thus inspired the name. The ballpark, on these same grounds, was the home of the Brooklyn baseball club from 1883-1889. The team was then called the “Atlantics,” which started as minor league team and joined the American Association in 1884, switching to the National League in 1890. Since trolley tracks ran near the ballpark, they became the inspiration for a nickname for the team that eventually stuck – “Trolley Dodgers.” The entire stadium burned to the ground in 1889 and was rebuilt. In 1891, the team split its time between Washington Park and Eastern Park (what is now Pitkin and Sutter Avenues and Van Sinderen and Powell Streets), moving there full-time in 1892. It was a little too far east for the fans’ convenience, and was abandoned after six poorly attended seasons.

There is a lot more to this story, ahead.

We were asleep at the switch on this issue as the news arrived as we were coming off our unplanned break. There was a meeting yesterday about the issue of allowing off-leash dogs in Coffey Park. The issue at hand is extending park hours from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. for all users and designating Coffey Park as the 89th official off-leash park in the city from 6AM to 9AM and from 9PM to the park’s closing. The issue will also be in front of the local community board on Wednesday, October 15 at 6:30PM in the Park House at Coffey Park. Per the email from Amy Haimerl, co-president of the Red hook Dog Association: “There is a lot of debate within the community about this…” (We apologize for not listing the Sunday meeting in advance.)

Oh yes, there’s going to be some stinky civic poop in the Hook on this issue.

Looking for action at the corner of Grand Street and Berry Street in the Burg where some old buildings came down last year? Keep looking. Nothing’s happening. Whether this ends up being one of the Burg’s many (future) abandoned building sites remains to be seen. The only thing we know is that 130 Grand, which would be a Hot Karl Fischer work, has seen no progress since the demolition happened last year. The building that would end up here, wrapping around that lonely and tagged up building, would be five stories tall. Keyword: “Would.”

A valued Park Slope source drops the exclusive neighborhood word on GL that there is activity at the old Tea Lounge location at Seventh Ave. and Tenth Street and that the spot will become a Vietnamese sandwich shop. That alone, should be enough to make some Park Slope residents start to salivate. Here’s the tip we got:

It looks like something will be moving into the Old Tea Lounge location on 7th Avenue and 10th Street soon. Men have been seen working on the space the past week. A neighbor informed me this morning that she had asked them what was coming in and they told her a Vietnamese Sandwich Shop.

You heard it here first, friends.
[Photo courtesy of kansasliberal/flickr]

UPDATE: Our friends at Brownstoner reported a rumor about the sandwich development at the time of the Tea Lounge closure, but said it was dismissed by ex-Lounge employees.

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brookyn-related information and images.

Berkeley Carroll School Wants to Evict Longtime Resident [Daily News]
Marty’s Gotten at Least $2.7M in Public Dough Since ’03 [NYP]
Family of Girl Who Died at Coney This Summer is Suing City for $10M [NYP]
Waterfalls, Concert Have Made Heights Folks Cranky [Eagle]
Get Your VHS Fix in Greenpoint [Urbanite]
Is Brooklyn a Retail Paradise? [Gotham Gazette]
The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower Clock is Busted Again [Lost City]
Pics of the Bed-Stuy Alive Fest [Bed-Stuy Blog]
Tree Adoption Coming to S. Park Green Market [Best View in Brooklyn]
Happy 4th Birthday, Brownstoner! [Brownstoner]

[Photo for GL courtesy of Max Casey]

Villa Rustica, which was setting up shop in the defunct pizza place on Third Street next to Stone Park Cafe officially opened yesterday, per a report from GL Correspondent Max Casey, who covers that territory with great interest and probably sniffed it out just from the scent of the pizza. Max reports: “A guy I talked to said he’d tried one of their slices and it was ‘pretty good.'” Hmm. Not a ringing endorsement, but we’ll be waiting for the reviews to roll in given that any new opening in the Slope is greeted like the Second Coming.

This summer, the chant on Bay Ridge Ave and 4th St was “The church is not falling down!” but the church is most definitely coming down now. Demolition has begun on the “Green Church” that its small congregation fought so hard to save. Preservationists in the area are horrified that this unique colossus in green stone is being destroyed to make room for new development. Today, we watched them dismantle the clock tower, and it appears they’ve already carted off the large stained glass pieces on the east and north faces. All in all, it’s a sad state of affairs, because they just don’t make ’em like they used to. Couldn’t they just gut the church and convert it into some luxe condos? We all wish we could see the blueprints of what developers are planning to build in its place.
–Vanessa Lee Raymond

[Photos for GL courtesy of F. Jasmin Adams]

We’ve long heard stories of people fishing in the Gowanus Canal and we know there are fish in the damned thing. We had one story last November. Just last week someone emailed us to say they’d seen someone fishing off the Carroll Street Bridge but that they didn’t have a camera with them at the time. Well, our beloved Carroll Gardens Correspondent F. Jasmin Adams happened on a fishing scene and did have a camera and here is the evidence that someone caught a striped bass in the Freaking Gowanus Canal. We presume that he asked to have face not appear in the photo. We also understand the fish was returned to the waters from whence it came and was not taken home for dinner. On the other hand, it could be a marvelous way of getting back at someone. “Look, what I’ve brought dinner! Fresh caught striped bass!”

The New York Post ran a story yesterday that had been broken by our friend Miss Heather at New York Shitty a week earlier, of course, in true Post fashion (and following the bad habit of some other reporters who might be said to be lacking in professional ethics in the Intellectual Theft Department) providing no credit whatsoever to the blog that did the original reporting. Here’s what Miss Heather has to say, and we believe she’s being overly polite about it: “After writing about [this bag]…LAST WEEK it has come to my attention via Gothamist that the New York Post has brought this to the attention of the Russian Orthodox Church (with predictable results). Way to go guys, that’s what I call professionalism! Perhaps I should provide you with my mailing address so you can simply cut me a check (READ: finders fee) every time you use my web site for news leads without citing it? Would that make it easier for you? Please advise.”–New York Shitty

[Photo courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]

Taken at an undisclosed location and given to us by Adrian Kinloch.

Yes, it is October and in some cases it means Oktoberfest(s). Here are the details:

Sycamore, the new (and only) bar on Ditmas Park’s Cortelyou Road is having an Oktober Fest Celebration for twelve full hours on Saturday, October 18 from noon til midnight. Come on out and enjoy $3 beers, $2 grilled sausages, and live music.

The rain date is October 25 and the address is 1118 Cortelyou Road, between Stratford and Westminster. Take the Q to Cortelyou Road.
—Lauren Fairbanks

See the full poster by clicking here.

[Photo courtesy of ethersong/GL Flickr Pool]

This is the fairly repulsive state in which the Gowanus Canal is sometimes found. It comes from GL Flickr Pool contributor ethersong and the black and white treatment makes it even more special.

If you’re into pitching in to help the Obama campaign during these critical next few weeks, here’s a chance to do so in Gowanus. There’s a party and silent auction to benefit Barack Obama on Friday (10/17) at The Bell House, which is located at 149 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. The doors open at 7PM. It’ll feature Anti-Pop Consortium, Dirty on Purpose, Dragons of Zynth, Takka Takka and more. There will be DJ sets by French Kicks and Cassettes Won’t Listen. It’s hosted by Eugene Mirman. Silent auction items by: Albert Watson, Another Magazine, Anthem, Art Streiber, George Pitts, Gravure, Inhabit, Lewis Cho, Mariah Robertson, Me Magazine, Mike Perry, Monocle, Other Music, Patrik Ervell, Paul Davis, Philip Crangi, Rachel Comey, Rachel Mason, Soma, Stanley Donwood, Sunshine & Shadow and others. The minimum donation: $25 and cash/credit is accepted at the door. You have to be 21 to get in and have ID to prove it. Also, advance donations can be made by clicking here.