Pasta Louise Scavenger Hunt! Vintage Pop-up @ Leroy’s! Artist Sketching Dogs in the Park! Rat Academy! Outdoor Music Everywhere!
Plus: 'Indiana Jones’ and ‘West Side Story’ Outside! The Baffler @ BAM! Artist’s reception @ Green-Wood!
Welcome back to your Park Slope events newsletter. As always, links to sources are in (parentheses) after each event. Follow our IG for updates as events change.
Book Now
We have a habit of knowing what sells out.
🔥🪦Natural Endings: Green Burial At Green-Wood And Beyond on 8/3: “Around the world, people are answering the call to make our final farewell better for the planet. But with so many new methods, what are the best and “greenest” options? Death Educator and Funeral Director Amy Cunningham is here to answer all of your questions! In this afternoon long walk and tour, Amy will address the growing importance of eco-conscious funeral practices, exploring sustainable alternatives to traditional burial methods and the emergence of environmentally friendly funeral rituals. She will then guide the group in a burial shroud workshop for a hands-on experience. Later, the group will walk to Cedar Dell, Green-Wood’s designated area for natural burial lots and learn about what natural burial looks like right here in Brooklyn!” (2:00 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery)
🍿'Summer Of Sam' @ Nitehawk Followed By A Q&A With Actor And Co-Writer Michael Imperioli on 8/27: “Another underrated gem in Spike’s filmography, Summer of Sam excellently captures White panic and paranoia in a “Scorsese”-esque film that no doubt made many White critics and audience members uncomfortable with its stark accuracy. The mob of White men near the end of this film is more frightening than any protest the studio heads imagined that Do the Right Thing would inspire.”(7:00 PM, Nitehawk)
🔥🤣Gender Spiral Live With Babette Thomas & Ally Beardsley on 8/29: “Join Babette, Ally, and some special guests (to be announced soon), for a live episode recording of the podcast.”(7:30 PM, The Bell House, $30.3)
Get Involved
The Camp Friendship School Supply Drive Is On: “Our annual back to school drive for our local students is on and we can use donations and supplies! I love this drive so much because I loved back to school shopping as a kid,” writes Soni Sangh, who was NY1’s “New Yorker of the Week” for her work on the school supply drive last year. “Nothing like a new backpack, new pencils and a new start. As an adult, the day feels more bittersweet. I can see the economic challenges our families face but I can also see the optimism the kids have. We have seen little ones enter the space concerned about their first day of school but emerge triumphant with their favorite superheros on their back packs. We love to tell them that they are part of a neighborhood that is cheering for them and wants them to have an amazing school year, where they do their best and they broaden their horizons and make friends.” (Camp Friendship)
News and Openings
Gothamist Recommends That Bar as the place to Watch the US Women’s Basketball Team: “The women’s team is once again loaded with stars, even though rookie sensation Caitlyn Clark famously failed to make the squad. Follow their journey at That Bar, located near the Barclays Center, home of the New York Liberty. The watering hole has become something of an unofficial Liberty bar, and since Liberty stalwarts Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu will help lead the team in its quest to continue U.S. basketball dominance, it should provide a fun atmosphere to watch the Games.” (Gothamist)
Beloved NYC venue The Bell House now being run by Live Nation: “More subtly, sources point out the calendar has shifted away from the quirky, community-focused events the venue has been known for — themed proms, cover bands and trivia — and is now packed with mostly comedy specials from well established acts. ‘Having your show get booked at Bell House was a big deal in this community and a goal, so it’s definitely a loss to mourn,’ one 30-something Brooklynite who has worked at local venues for years and requested anonymity for fear of ‘booker vengeance’ told The Post of the sale.” (NY Post)
La Taq Opening Saturday at 11 AM: “I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout this process. The constant words of encouragement along the way has motivated us beyond belief!! We’ve poured our heart and soul into this place and can’t wait to share it with all of you!!!” (La Taq IG)
Events
Events with a 🔥 emoji are going fast.
Thursday, 7/25
🗣Oral Histories: Collecting, Sharing And Cataloging: “Our Center for Brooklyn History staff experts will take participants through a brief history of how oral histories have been used over time, ways that they are used today, and what is their current value and future potential. Participants will also learn how our oral histories are collected, stored and shared with the greater Brooklyn community.”(4:30 PM, Central Library)
🎶Key Hutchinson @ Brooklyn Conservatory Of Music: “Keyanna “Key” Hutchinson is a versatile guitarist, composer, and producer from Brooklyn, NY whose multivalent influences can be traced to her Caribbean lineage, her love for popular music, her conservatory training and a remarkable musical career supporting performers in the fields of R&B, jazz and other experimental genres. As an artist, she is newly embarking on channeling her knowledge of guitar and music production into a creative exploration of original compositions.”(6:30 PM, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music)
🎺Blakkk @ Brooklyn Botanic Garden: “Enjoy a performance by Blakkk, a Brooklyn-based Afro-Caribbean band known for their vibrant fusion of Caribbean jazz rhythms and contemporary sounds. Free with Garden admission.”(7:00 PM, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, $24.2
🍿🌳Summer Movie Series @ Old Stone House: 'West Side Story' (2021: “7:00 PM Tambor y Cana live music pre-show. 8:30 PM Feature Presentation: Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City.”(7:00 PM, Old Stone House)
🧘🏽Prospect Park Yoga With Brooklyn Flow: “Brooklyn Flow, Prospect Park Alliance and NewYork-Presbyterian present free, outdoor yoga on the Long Meadow. Brooklyn’s finest yoga teachers from different studios around the park lead free, outdoor group yoga classes in a low-pressure, beautiful environment.”(7:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🔥🤣Josh Sharp's New Thing: “Brooklyn comedian Josh Sharp (a24's Dicks: The Musical, Ziwe, Search Party, plus many other esteemed under fives) does a new show where he performs an hour of stand up while he clicks through 1000+ slides. Expect jokes and story-telling alongside the herculean feat of stupidity that is memorizing a cue roughly every 3 seconds. Basically a one man show that's also a magic trick. Funny. Dumb. Manic. Erudite. A little sad. Funny. DUMB.”(8:00 PM, Littlefield)
🔥🤣Irene Tu: “Tu is an LA-based stand-up comedian, actor and writer who honed her chops in San Francisco. Her first comedy album WE’RE DONE NOW debuted in March of this year at #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. Irene has performed at Netflix Is A Joke comedy festival in the highly coveted “INTRODUCING” showcase. Her STAND-UP FEATURING set is the most watched reel on Comedy Central’s Stand-Up’s Instagram page, with over 2.7 million views. ”(10:00 PM, Union Hall, $29.78)
Friday, 7/26
🌳Nature Exploration: Lake Appreciation: “Join Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. Visitors will learn about Prospect Park’s aquatic environment and observe our underwater invertebrates up close using magnifying glasses.”(10:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🌳Prospect Park Wellness Walk: “Join Prospect Park Alliance at the Prospect Park Audubon Center for an uplifting and energizing morning walk including scenic trails along the Lullwater, Peninsula, Midwood or Waterfall. Please note, this walk leaves promptly at 10 am from the Prospect Park Audubon Center.”(10:00 AM, Prospect Park)
📕💋Must Love Books At The Ripped Bodice: “If you’re tired of swiping and ready for your very own bookstore meet-cute, look no further - Blink Date is hosting a Must Love Books event at The Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore! The mixer will include a few short n’ sweet readings interspersed with mingling over book-related question prompts.”(6:30 PM, The Ripped Bodice)
🔥🤣Trae Crowder: Just Me And Y'All!: “Trae Crowder first gained international attention (or notoriety depending on your politics) in 2016 for his hugely viral series of “Liberal Redneck” comedic “porch rant” videos. Since then, Trae has written a best-selling book, The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin Dixie Outta The Dark, toured the country thrice over playing sold out theatre shows under the WellRED Comedy Tour banner, and appeared on several news and late-night TV shows. ”(7:00 PM, The Bell House, $30.3)
🎶Celebrate Brooklyn! Ronald K. Brown / Evidence: “EVIDENCE, A Dance Company seamlessly integrates traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Founded in Brooklyn in 1985 by internationally acclaimed Director Ronald K. Brown, EVIDENCE provides a unique view of human struggles, tragedies, and triumphs, and uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture.”(7:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🛼Beyonce Dreamland Roller Disco: “A themed, dress up, immersive roller skating experience that will transport you into a fabulous retro roller disco “dreamland.””(7:00 PM, LeFrak Center @ Lakeside, $28.45)
🔥🤯HTBAF: Beauty Is As Beauty Does: “What do you see when you look at yourself? Do you see your shine, your cleverness, your empathetic heart? Do you see your crooked nose, the scar at your hairline from the fall out of your grandmother's front yard maple? What do others see when they look at you? Are those images anything like your self-perception? This month for HTBAF, we're in the gallery just after the close of Zé Kielwagen's "BAFO! Beauty Temple," and that rumination on queer labor, spirituality, world-building, and transformation has us doing some ruminating of our own, has us musing on our July theme: Beauty Is as Beauty Does.”(7:00 PM, Open Source Gallery)
🍿🏠New York Non-Fiction: “Get a closer look at the people and places that make New York the place we call home, through thick and thin. Escape the man-made horrors of Penn Station, explore one family’s history through the lens of baking, and clock in with an MTA worker—without having to deal with train delays. Join us for another nostalgic trip around the boroughs, and experience a portrait of chance encounters in the greatest city in the world.”(7:45 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery)
💋👠Dark Decadance @ Gemini & Scorpio: “DDD is a queer-forward goth dance celebration, inviting all participants to let go, dance and play in our luscious private loft. We embrace all genders and sexualities and levels of darkness. Consent and polite party behavior strictly enforced.”(10:00 PM, Gemini & Scorpio, $20)
🎶Celebrate Brooklyn! Watchhouse | Humbird: “Watchhouse, composed of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, produce poignant songs that “redefine roots music for a younger generation.” Joining them is Humbird, the mesmerizing project of singer-songwriter Siri Undlin, who seamlessly blends indie and traditional folk with poetic lyrics, lush harmonies and haunting melodies.”(7:30 PM, Prospect Park)
Saturday, 7/27
🛒Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket: “This community destination brings together a mix of shoppers from the nearby neighborhoods of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and beyond. Runners, dog-walkers, families, and food lovers all converge to buy from the huge array of farm fresh products, and to participate in the programming and cooking demonstrations that take place every Saturday all year long.”(8:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🐶🎨🌳Brooklyn Dog Sketching in the Park: Local sketch artist Kim Fonde will sketch your pup! “It’s such a pleasure to meet fellow Slopers, an upshot beyond that is we are almost always talking about how much we love the park, the good vibes are STRONG,” Fondu write. “I’ll be sketching inside the 9th Street entrance to the left. Can’t wait!” (10:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🌳Nature Exploration: Lake Appreciation: See Friday listing. (10:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🌳Pop-Up Audubon By Dog Beach: “Join Prospect Park Alliance by Dog Beach as we learn about Prospect Park’s Aquatic environment by examining our underwater visitors with magnifying glasses.
Play + Go 12–3 pm: Pop-Up Audubon Play and Go Kits feature a range of fun nature activities, games, puzzles, drawing exercises, find-me cards, and much more. Families and children can enjoy nature independently as they explore and learn more about the park.
Pond Water Sampling 12–3 pm: Did you know that an entire community of living insects, plants, and animals makes the Lullwater in Prospect Park their home? Get a closer view with one of our Alliance Naturalists.
Nature on the Go! 3–4 pm: Enjoy a nature walk along Brooklyn’s only Lake and help lend a hand to your park by removing litter along the way.”(12:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🏷Vintage Pop Up X East Village Vintage Collective: “Get ready for a fabulous vintage pop-up weekend! Join us on July 27th and 28th as our favorite vintage shop, East Village Vintage Collective, hosts special vendors in our courtyard. Discover unique, one-of-a-kind treasures, from great looks to quirky collectibles. Enjoy a lively atmosphere, great company, and exclusive finds that you won’t want to miss. Mark your calendars and come shop with us!”(12:00 PM, Leroy's Place)
🎨Weekend Art: Saturday Sketch Club Inspired By Paul Mccartney: “Draw inspiration from Paul McCartney’s photographs! At these all-ages, drop-in programs, held on select Saturdays, check out the exhibition Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm. Then, learn about drawing techniques and create your own sketches inspired by the works on view.”(1:00 PM, Brooklyn Museum)
📗Read With A Therapy Dog @ Central Library: “Our certified therapy dog Flash Gordon loves to be read to. Kids can make enormous strides in building self-esteem and confidence while acquiring a love of books by reading to a therapy dog. ”(2:00 PM, Central Library)
📗Adulting Is Hard: Graphic Novel Book Club: “This Month: Classic Graphic Novel Authors. Over the last 6mos we’ve touched on some classic series so we're using that as a jumping off point. Bring in a singular work or part of a series from a genre defining author. It could be an old fav or something new (to you)! Let’s go back to some GN basics! Stumped? Check out some of the suggested authors below:”(3:00 PM, Central Library)
Pasta Louise’s 4th Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: “We’re turning 4!! 🥳 Join us for our Annual Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt, where we hide 20 Pasta Louise bags between Allison’s house (the original stoop pasta) and the restaurant, each stuffed with a different prize! To redeem the prize, you have to post a photo of the bag (and you making a happy face?!) on IG and tag us @pastalouise. Plus we’re kicking off the Pasta Louise Crawl with freebies at all locations, and we’ll be doing awesome giveaways all day (free meal anyone?).” (4PM, Pasta Louise)
Saturday Night
💋👠Battle Of The Jacks: “This One Gives Brooklyn v. Astoria! A New Cast of Contestants Give Shows… One Will Score $100 Tip and Go to the Finale! Come Catch Shows, Cheer For Your Favorite & Help a Contestant Qualify for the Crown!”(9:00 PM, Sandy Jack's)
Sunday, 7/28
🛒Sunday Greenmarket At Bartel-Pritchard Square: “Expected This Week:
F & G Family Farm Vegetables from Orange County, NY
Greentopia Farm Mushrooms from Delaware County, NY
Haywoods Fresh Beef, pork, chicken, and eggs from Columbia County, NY
Nolasco's Farm Vegetables, Mexican specialty produce, herbs, and cut flowers from Warren County, NJ
Wave Hlll Breads baked goods from Fairfield County, CT
Williams Fruit Farm Orchard fruit from Ulster County, NY”(9:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🧶Brooklyn Pop-Up Market @ Brooklyn Museum: “Stop by our market to shop one-of-a-kind, handmade items from local artisans. This weekly event features more than 20 vendors offering artwork, jewelry, fashion, home and apothecary goods, and more.”(10:30 AM, Brooklyn Museum)
🍖🍛🌮🥙Smorgasburg: “Presented in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, is considered the “Woodstock of Eating.” The celebrated open-air food fair is back in Prospect Park for the 2024 season! Over 60 local businesses will gather on Breeze Hill, near the Lincoln Road entrance, to offer a range of food and drink every Sunday.” (11:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🏷Vintage Pop Up X East Village Vintage Collective: See Saturday listing. (12:00 PM, Leroy's Place)
🏠🎶DJ On The Porch: Songs Of Resistance And Joy! “Join Prospect Park Alliance and Shawne’ Lee for a musical tribute to the courage of her mother, Mama Joy Chatel, the activist and preservationist who saved 227 Abolitionist Place in downtown Brooklyn from destruction. Enjoy music on the Lefferts Historic House porch and hear Sister Shawne’ spin the songs that gave Chatel strength, happiness, peace of mind and soulful comfort.”(2:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🎶Summer Jazz: Patsy Grant @ Brooklyn Museum: “Stop by the Museum’s lobby for performances by some of the city’s best musicians. July’s concert features Patsy Grant, a soulful song interpreter cherished in the Brooklyn jazz world for her spirited performances. ”(2:00 PM, Brooklyn Museum)
🔥🤣Celebrity Memoir Book Club WIP: “Getting ready to take the live show all the way to Australia, join Claire Parker and Ashley Hamilton to test out new games and segments for the all-new Celebrity Memoir Book Club Live.”(7:30 PM, Union Hall, $11.55)
Monday, 7/29
🙋🏽🌳It's My Park Day: “Care for the park after busy weekends. All necessary tools will be provided for your volunteer experience. ”(10:00 AM, Prospect Park)
🔥🤣Malik Elassal: Work In Progress: “A night with Malik Elassal.”(7:30 PM, Union Hall, $15.64)
Tuesday, 7/30
🎸Jack And Friends Summer Concert Series: Rolie Polie Guacamole: “Brooklyn’s kindie titans Rolie Polie Guacamole, have been perfecting their show over the last decade scooping up several Parents’ Choice awards along the way. Their shows incorporate fun, fresh and smart lyrics in a style appealing to kids and adults alike. They encourage the audience to get up and moving with a high energy show that will rock your guac off! (4:00 PM, Park Slope Library)
💪Amp’D Interval Training With Chelsea Piers Fitness: “Join Chelsea Piers Fitness and Prospect Park Alliance to hit the grass and push your body to new limits in this high-intensity interval training class that combines bodyweight strength and cardio on the Prospect Park Long Meadow. ”(6:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🪴NYC's “Rat Academy” For Gardeners: “When it comes to rat control, there may not be shortcuts or magic bullets, but the right knowledge and tools can do a lot to address existing problems or prevent them in the first place. BBG is delighted to host an expert from the NYC Department of Health who will tailor the “Rat Academy” curriculum specifically to urban gardening issues. Street tree beds will be a focus. Bring your questions!”(6:00 PM, Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
🔥🍿The Baffler Presents: 'Mind Game' W/Intro @ Bam: “The DEA's Drug Fact Sheet warns that ketamine can take you to "K-Land," producing a "mellow & colorful" out-of-body experience. There's no ketamine in Masaaki Yuasa’s 2004 animated film, 'Mind Game,' and it's never mellow, but something in Yuasa's animation epitomizes K-Land, with its shifting, palsied perspectives, explosive colors, and drifting camera—its hero even floats out of his body at one point. The film’s giddy, grotesque kaleidoscope is as close as you'll come to Ketamine: The Motion Picture. The screening features a live introduction by writer Dan Piepenbring, who examines both the current ketamine vogue and the 19th-century fascination with nitrous and ether in his article 'K-Pop,' his contribution to The Baffler’s latest issue, 'Altered States.'”(7:00 PM, BAM)
🎶Celebrate Brooklyn! Thee Sacred Souls | La Lom: “Thee Sacred Souls weave musical tapestries that combine ’60s soul with ’70s R&B. LA LOM, The Los Angeles League of Musicians, blend the sounds of Cumbia Sonidera, 60’s soul ballads, and classic romantic boleros that emanate from radios, backyard parties and dance clubs of Los Angeles with the twang of Peruvian Chicha and Bakersfield Country.”(7:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🔥🤣Show Me To Me Rachel: “Rachel Coster does a half hour of amazing comedy with her incredible friends who also do amazing comedy.”(7:30 PM, Union Hall, $15.64)
Wednesday, 7/31
🌱The Flower Hour: Walk-In Cannabis Business Counseling From The Brooklyn Business Solutions Center: “Walk-in business advisement for entrepreneurs looking to navigate New York City's adult use cannabis industry, cannabinoid hemp, or medical cannabis fields.”(2:00 PM, Central Library)
💀Death Cafe @ Green-Wood: “The Death Cafe is a simple concept. Bring strangers together to discuss one of the great universal truths: death. With thousands of chapters in over 25 countries around the world, Death Cafes are informal gatherings that aim to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.””(6:15 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery)
🍿🌳Paramount+ Movie Nights: 'Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark': “The series will take place on Prospect Park’s Long Meadow for four consecutive Wednesdays starting July 26, and continues the longstanding summer movie series offered in Prospect Park for many years through the support of the Borough President.”(6:30 PM, Prospect Park)
🧶Craft-A-Long @ Old Stone House: “A monthly opportunity to learn, teach, connect, and share through stitches. Crocheters and knitters are completely welcome to gather, chat, snack, and discuss a variety of fiber and non-fiber subjects. New to crochet? You will be in a productive, fun space to learn the basics.”(6:30 PM, Old Stone House)
🔥🎤️The Moth Storyslam: “Prepare a five-minute story about being in the right place at the wrong time. Missed connections, unrealized potential, unsolicited oversharing. Running to the platform but still missing the last train. Mistakes, misfortunes, miscalculations. Scheduling mishaps that change life's course. Speak now or forever hold your peace!”(8:00 PM, The Bell House, $19.5)
Thursday, 8/1
💻Motion Graphics With After Effects: “Adobe After Effects is the industry standard for creating dynamic motion graphics and video effects compositing. This course covers the basics of the After Effects interface, text and layer animation, chroma-keying, video effects, keyframing, compositing, and outputting to Premiere.”(10:00 AM, Central Library)
🌳Nature Exploration: Wildlife Appreciation: “Join Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs on Thursdays and Fridays at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation.”(12:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🪦Artist's Reception: Exit Strategy: “This new installation by Tendler, the Cemetery’s 2023-2024 artist in residence, interrogates the complex relationship between grief and personal identity. He creates an immersive environment that meditates on the ways we attach ourselves to memories and physical objects, and the possibilities for letting them go. Layering music, text, visuals, and found objects, this semi-autobiographical work includes notes, voice memos, and personal objects sourced from the local Green-Wood community.”(6:00 PM, Green-Wood Cemetery)
🎶Keenyn Omari & Cleo Reed @ Brooklyn Conservatory Of Music: “Before genre-bending innovators Keenyn Omari & Cleo Reed take the main stage at 6:30 pm, we’ll also be hosting a special open Woodwind Jam in BKCM’s back garden at 5:30 pm, featuring Keenyn Omari and BKCM faculty member Cleave Guyton! BKCM parents and students of all ages and levels are invited to join these fantastic wind players in the garden to play through some fun tunes. Bring yourself and your instrument – we’ll have copies of music for everyone.”(6:30 PM, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music)
🧘🏽Prospect Park Yoga With Brooklyn Flow: “Brooklyn Flow, Prospect Park Alliance and NewYork-Presbyterian present free, outdoor yoga on the Long Meadow. Brooklyn’s finest yoga teachers from different studios around the park lead free, outdoor group yoga classes in a low-pressure, beautiful environment.”(7:00 PM, Prospect Park)
🕺Dance Heginbotham's You Look Like A Fun Guy: “An outdoor performance event inspired by John Cage’s interest in mycology and his methods of composing music. With live rebroadcasting and heightening the natural sonic environment, Omar Zubair’s audio installation plays with the audience’s perception of reality. Audiences will be transported from dusk to an illuminated spatial installation.”(7:45 PM, Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
Did we miss an event? Are you doing a stoop sale? Put in the comments!