Police-Teen Theatre Project Interviews on Wednesday

For the last few years FalconWorks has run a great improv program pairing local teenagers with police officers who serve the community.  What have we learned?

• Teenagers can do awesome things when they’re working with cops and not against them (and vice versa for the cops!).
• Improv theatre makes for a great show.
• Police officers are pretty funny guys.

If you’re a teen, or know one in South Brooklyn, get on board this year’s project.

Interviews for this year’s cast are being held 4:30-5:30 at the Justice Center (88 Visitation Place) Wed. afternoon.  Call (718) 395-3218 for details or check out their snazzy new website.

Save the Date: June 4-5, 2010

We’re kicking it into high gear with preparations for this year’s Red Hook Festival.

I thin we’ve got a lot of cool things coming together- some incredible musicians from down South(maybe?!), awesome NYC-based dance companies, and possibly even a new location for our Friday night kick-off event.  We’re still working out details and dotting i’s, though, so don’t quote me!

As long as we’re looking forward to June, though, how about some pictures of Valentino Park in (what looks like) warm weather?  Just stumbled across these great images on BridgeandTunnelClub.com.  Check out the rest.

And if you’ve got ideas for this year’s Festival, now’s the time to tell us.  Send me an email- jon@dtetc.org – if you know about a great youth group, a community organization doing good work in South Brooklyn, or if you want to volunteer (whether you want to teach a watercolor painting class on the pier or just help us take out the garbage when the night is over) at the Festival.

Development Developments

A couple days ago The Brooklyn Paper ran an interesting piece about proposed student housing at the old Revere Sugar Factory site. Developer Joe Sitt did a quick 180, though, and suggested that what he was really interested in was retail space.

Via Brownstoner

And picking up an old thread (one that, perhaps, never goes away or moves forward), The Brooklyn Eagle today has a piece about the possibility of revived interest in a Brooklyn trolley system given new government evaluation processes:

Could a shift in policy by the Obama administration on trolleys and streetcars benefit efforts to establish streetcars in Brooklyn, and in the city in general?

The answer?  A resounding maybe.  Check out the article for details.

Navegante @ Southpaw

Friends of DTE from Red Hook Festivals-gone-by (not to mention an awesome in-school performance at South Brooklyn), Navegante, has a big show coming up on Thursday at Southpaw (9PM), headlining for the BAM SOUNDS LIKE BROOKLYN FESTIVAL.

They’re an awesome band- check out their website for vids/music, and really seem to be taking off lately.  Buy tickets here or, for those of you on the dreaded f’book, check out the event page.

Falconworks & Other Friends on TV

Via McBrooklyn:

Brooklyn Independent Television’s Neighborhood Beat visits Red Hook on Thursday, February 4, at 8:30pm

Neighborhood Beat is a great show that checks out a lot of the under-the-radar highlights in neighborhoods across the borough.  Looks like for this episode they’ve got old DTE friends Falconworks, the Kentler Gallery, plus Hope & Anchor and one unfamiliar name, Marsha Trattner.  Apparently Ms. Trattner is going to show us  the old art of blacksmithing, which I can tell you from my experience in the fourth grade- very cool.

Check it out tomorrow night on Brooklyn Independent TV (link for which channel that means for you).

Call for Red Hook Artists

Straight from the Brooklyn Arts Council (via Google Alert):

Lucky Gallery is looking for artists that reside in Red Hook or have a studio in Red Hook to participate in an upcoming exhibition titled “Made in Red Hook.” All Mediums are welcome. Please contact Laura@LuckyGallery.com for more information.

Chance to Help Haiti

It may seem off topic, but the artists, educators, and young people we’ve worked with over the past years would surely understand why we’re interested in spreading the word about effective ways to help those affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

Whether at the Brooklyn International High School, out at East Brooklyn in Canarsie, or even here in Red Hook, Haitians are one of the largest immigrant communities in Brooklyn and certainly one we are lucky to have crossed paths with on many occasions.

The button above should take you to the International Rescue Committee’s donation page:

The IRC is preparing to respond to the major earthquake that devastated Haiti’s capital on January 12. Your donation will help the IRC work with partners on the ground in Haiti to rescue lives.

The IRC is one of the most efficient charities around in terms of getting resources to those who need them, and it seems worth reminding that no donation is too small.

We hope you’ll join us, at least, in giving your thoughts and prayers to those in Port-au-Prince, and to their family members and friends around the world who anxiously await word from their loved ones.  Wishing them all well.

Metal And Thread: NB Red Hook « BRIC Community Media

Brooklyn Independent TV station profiles longtime Red Hook spot, Metal & Thread:

more about "Metal And Thread: NB Red Hook « BRIC …", posted with vodpod

Red Hook Roundup

offManhattan is a cool travel guide-style website for New Yorkers and tourists, promoting a “green” lifestyle.

They just did a rundown of things to do in the neighborhood, and plenty of Red Hook mainstays make the list.

It’s become our favorite quick getaway for local artisan crafts, inexpensive eats, and an unparalleled view of the Statue of Liberty a mere twenty minutes from Manhattan. Read on for our top things to do in Red Hook.

Check out the article for full descriptions of some cool Red Hook spots.

PAVE/PS 15 Continue to Lock Horns

Ever since the PAVE academy, a charter school here in the neighborhood, announced that it would be extending its stay inside the PS 15 building beyond its originally-planned two year period, there has been quite a bit of back and forth between the two parties.

Photo from The Brooklyn Paper/ Tom Callan

Parents of PS 15 students feel that their children are being hurt by the presence of another school, adding more bodies to the school and potentially competing for resources.

PAVE, for its part, says that they are making the best out of an imperfect situation as they try to find their permanent home.

I’ll refrain from weighing in- if anything, the debate around charter schools is a complex one, and I think anyone who suggests that they are always/never a good thing isn’t looking at it from every side.  I will say that it’s a shame that these two schools, both committed to teaching young people and both with solid track records, have been put in this position of opposition.

According to an article in the Brooklyn Paper, though, the controversy may be en route to ending.

“We have $26 million from the Department of Education, and we’ve raised $6.2 million on our own,” said Wally Bazemore, a member of the PAVE Academy board of directors.

Bazemore added that the academy needs $6 million more to have full funding its own facility at Henry and Mill streets.

So who knows how long that could be.  Here’s hoping that a peaceful resolution is in sight, and that these two schools will continue to offer rewarding educational experiences for their students.