Red Hook Star - Revue 2nd Oct. Issue

The

Red Hook StarªRevue SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

THROUGH NOV. 1, 2012

FREE

RHI unveils Stop & Frisk study

K

by Drew Petrilli

hadijah Jones James says that “I’m not anti-police. I’m prounderstanding—pro-unity.”

Such was the general rhetorical atmosphere at the Red Hook Initiative’s (RHI) recent presentation on the topic of the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk policy in the community. The presentation took place at 7:30 pm on October 15.

Focusing more on community education vis-à-vis civil rights and Stop and Frisk procedure, the content of the presentation was decidedly not to bash the NYPD, specifically South Brooklyn 76th precinct, and instead to inform interested community members on how to share information and act appropriately to any sustained acts of harassment or brutality on the part of the 76th precinct’s shadier cops.

Captain Jack praised

James spoke highly of the 76th precinct’s former captain, John Lewis, citing his initiative to transport residents

of the Red Hook Houses, via van, to the 76th precinct building on Union Street for monthly community meetings. James believes that such initiatives break down the isolation between the residents at the Red Hook Houses and the police. Cops “need to have a relationship with the people they’re policing”, states Ms. James.

More than anything, the presentation at 767 Hicks Street was about advocacy and community empowerment. Before any information was presented, the audience was first instructed to rise, look at someone whom they hadn’t met before, and introduce themselves one on one.

This is not to say that the presentation was without what the RHI considers well-founded criticism (continued on page 5)

Holiday Wailing on Verona Street

GOWANUS TAKES A BIG STEP TOWARDS THE FUTURE

W

by George Fiala

ithout a dedicated community, the character of a neighborhood can be lost. In Gowanus, a caring group of leaders is making sure this does not happen. By taking advantage of a state program, plans are currently being created that will preserve and expand the Gowanus legacy as an industrial force.

The Gowanus Canal Corridor is an underutilized area lying between two highly gentrified neighborhoods, Park Slope and Carroll Gardens. Gowanus has defied gentrification because of both its geography and history.

Industry moved there in the 19th century to take advantage of the transportation that the canal offered. In the 1950’s, shipping was replaced by truck transport. The decline of Amercan manufacturing left the area with a large swath of empty buildings. In addition, the toxic residue of industrial activity remained at the bottom of the canal, making the area undesirable and unsafe. What originally made Gowanus a boomtown eventually caused its decline.

In 2003, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation created the Brownfield Opportunities Areas Program (BOA).

The state offered local municipalities funding for the creation of revitalization plans and strategies of existing brownfields by using funds made available from the federal Superfund/Brownfield legislation. A brownfield is a former manufacturing area affected by environmental contamination.

The Friends of Community Board 6 was formed in 2003 as an adjunct to Community Board 6 (CB6) to give assistance to an overworked and underfunded Zoning map for the Gowanus BOA district (shaded in community board. In 2005, they purple). C 2-4/R84, C 8-2 = Local Service Districts; filed an application to have the M1-2 = Light Manufacturing, High Performance; Gowanus corridor declared a M2-1 = Light Manufacturing, Medium Performance; BOA site. In 2011, approval was PARK = Parking; R6-B = General Residence District. (courtesy of Friends of CB6) granted and Friends received a $275,000 grant to prepare a strategic plan.

Last November a Request For Proposals (RFP) went out soliciting a consultant to provide a planning and economic analysis report. The Friends chose Starr Whitehouse, a planning consultant firm that was involved in the BQE trench improvement study in 2010. On Monday, October 15th, Steve Whitehouse, president of the firm, gave a (continued on page 3)

Also in This Issue: Halloween Calendar Local Fishing page 4

page 10 new original crossword puzzle page 11

PLUS LOTS MORE!

Added Value Harvest Fest page 7

The

Red Hook StarªRevue

OCTOBER 16 - 31 2012

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

VOLUME 3 NO.20

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23

Table of Contents

A Taste of Red Hook is taking place this evening from 6-9 pm. Red Hook Initiative’s annual fundraiser will be at Dustin Yellin’s gallery space, The Intercourse. For more info and tickets, visit www.rhicenter.org.

Happenings....................... 2 Music Review............ 15 Newsbriefs......................... 6 Restaurant Guide....... 16 Halloween........................ 10 Arts Calendar............. 18 Crossword....................... 11 Classifieds................. 19 Voter Info......................... 12 Sports....................... 20

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25

Brooklyn Museum will be hosting “In Conversation” with sociologist Karen E. Fields and historian Barbara J. Fields discuss their book Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life. the reading will take place at 7 pm.

STAFF

Kimberly G. Price.......................................Editor/Publisher George Fiala.......................................... Graphics/Publisher Alexandra Gillis..................................................... Reporter Drew Petrilli.......................................................... Reporter Vince Musacchia..................................................Cartoons Erik Penney...................................................... Restaurants Eric Ruff............................................................... Calendar Matt Graber...............................................Special Projects Sara Saldutti............................................Retail Advertising Howard Boynes................................Corporate Advertising

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27

Contributors

Mollie Dash, Rich Feloni, Mary Anne Massaro, Tom Martinez, Mary Ann Pietanza, Michael Racioppo

Member @RedHookStar

Happenings

www.facebook.com/ redhookstarrevue

718.624.5568 - Editorial & Advertising 917.652.9128 News Tips 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 editor@redhookstar.com

Star-Revue Community Calendar COMMUNITY BOARD 6: ALL MEETINGS AT 6:30 PM

Mon. Oct. 22 Environmental Protection/Permits and Licenses: Review of liquor license applications on behalf of Con Amor Cabaret, 18 Commerce Street, Major Otis LLC, 454 Van Brunt Street, and Peperoncino, 72 Fifth Avenue. Review of an unenclosed sidewalk cafe permit application for the Clover Club, 210 Smith Street. Cobble Hill Health Center, 380 Henry Street Wed. Oct. 24 Youth/Human Services/Education Committee Meeting: Presentation and discussion of the proposed homeless shelter at 165 West 9th Street. PS 58, 330 Smith Street Auditorium Thur. Oct. 25 Landmarks/Land Use Committee: Review of Certificate of Appropriateness applications for 364 Henry Street and The Montauk Club, 25 8th Avenue. Long Island College Hospital, Conference Room A, 339 Hicks Street.

Mon. Oct 29 Environmental Protection/Permits and Licenses: PS 58, 330 Smith Street Auditorium

OTHER MEETINGS

Wed. Oct. 24 Daniel Squadron will co-host a forum on pending legislation that would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. The forum will bring together transgender New Yorkers, law enforcement and public officials. 11:30 am - 1:30 pm. NY State Senate Hearing Room, 250 Broadway, 19th Floor, Manhattan.

The Art Lot will be having their first weekend of performance art from 12-5 pm. The lot is located on the southwest corner of Sackett and Columbia Streets.

Gowanus Canal Conservancy will be having their second weekend of Gowanus Girls Indie Design & Food Mart from 12-6 pm at Gowanus Grove on Carroll Street between Bond Street and the canal. Female designers and food makers will be selling their original creations at the market. Art activities are available for kids. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.

Puppetry Arts’ Annual Haunted Halloween Carnival is from 11am-4pm. The first 200 kids will get Trick or Treat bags. Free admission First Street Recreation Center of PS 372, 1st Street between 3rd/4th Streets.

Caits Meissner, artist-storyteller, teaches how to create outspoken collages about identity by drawing on the inspiration of Mickalene Thomas.

The Brooklyn Museum’s workshop, “Creative Art Making: Collage,” begins at 2 pm.

Join Friends of Summit Academy for a masquerade party from 9 pm-1 am.

Proceeds will benefit scholars of Summit Academy. For tickets or more info, visit www.sacsny.org or call (718) 875-1403.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31

Park Slope Civic Council’s Annual Children’s Halloween Parade will be held in the evening from 6:30-9 pm. They will assemble at 14th Street and 7th Avenue and end at the Old Stone House at Washington Park on 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets. Children of all ages - including the young-at-heart - are welcome to join in the largest children’s Halloween parade in the United States.

Halloween party at Brooklyn Crab begins at 4 pm. A costume contest for kids starts at 6:30 pm; costume contest for adults is at 10 pm. A haunted pumpkin patch mini golf course, trick-or-treating, drink specials and prizes for costumes will take place until the restaurant closes for business that evening. Brooklyn Crab is located at 24 Reed Street across from Fairway.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3

Celebrate the Brooklyn Museum’s Special Exhibition Jean-Michel Othoniel: My Way at Target First Saturday. The event is free and includes live music, shadow puppet performances, hands-on art and a collective origami art project. The evening begins at 5 pm.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Brooklyn Philharmonic continues their Downtown Brooklyn Series with From Importer to Exporter: Two Centuries of Music in Brooklyn. The chamber concert begins at 4 pm at the S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture in the Brooklyn Public Central Library at 10 Grand Army Plaza and is free and open to the public.

ONGOING

Carroll Gardens Library, on Clinton Street between Union and Sackett Streets, presents Story Time with Carol & Friends at 10 am every Saturday. Admission is free for children 2 - 4 years-old.

Retirement Planning & Investment strategies for Business Owners, 9 am at SBIDC, 241 41st Street, Brooklyn Mon. Oct. 29 Cobble Hill Association Fall General Meeting: Report on Healthcare. Speakers include Dr. John F. Williams, President, Downstate Medical Center and Tony Lewis, President and CEO, Cobble Hill Health Center. In addition the Cobble Hill Hero of the Year award will be presented to Dr. Edna A. Pytlak, MD. Time: 7:30 pm. Long Island College Hospital, Conference Room A, 339 Hicks Street.

Tues. Oct. 30 Gowanus Canal Conservancy Annual Members Meeting: Agenda includes election of new board members, updates on past years achievements, plans for 2013, and presentations on the Clean & Green, Green Infrastructure and Composting Gowanus projects. In addition, a new T-Shirt design will be shown. 6:30pm-9pm. Gowanus Studio Space 166 7th st (between 2nd & 3rd Aves) Wed. Oct. 31 The monthly meeting of the Red Hook Civic Council will not take place today because of the Halloween holiday.

Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012

Local group seeks to run Pier 11

by George Fiala

O

n Wednesday, October 3rd, an email from Monica Byrne, co-owner of Van Brunt’s home/made, was received by Red Hook business people and community leaders. They were invited to a meeting regarding EDC’s Request for Proposal (RFP) concerning the Pier 11 shed. The long shed overlooking Red Hook’s Atlantic Basin is currently rented to Phoenix Beverage, who has little use for it. Byrne would like to see a local group formed to control the shed and the adjacent waterfront.

The meeting was held on Tuesday the 9th. Five showed up: Adam Armstrong, a shore power advocate; Chris Hammett, General Manager of Falconworks; John McGettrick, head of the Red Hook Civic Association; Mary Dudine Kyle, co-owner of Van Brunt’s Dry Dock Wines + Spirits; and Byrne’s partner Leisah Swenson.

residential community involved in the future planning of the Red Hook waterfront. And they are determined to come up with a realistic option that will force EDC’s serious consideration. It was made clear that the only way the plan will succeed will be to attract an anchor commercial tenant. This tenant would provide the bulk of the monthly rent, in effect subsidizing part of the rent of the non-profits.

Letter of intent

A letter of intent was drafted and will be presented to the EDC on October 19th. A copy of this letter was circulated to a larger e-mail list which included the Star-Revue. It requests to opportunity for the Red Hook community to present its own vision of the future of its waterfront.

The letter states:

Shed 11 as seen from the Atlantic Basin (photo by Kimberly G. Price)

in San Francisco, and Granville Island in Vancouver. It recommends a board of directors consisting of local business owners, nonprofit managers, commercial and residential property owners, and long-term rental residents to over-

see the nonprofit entity.

Whitehouse went through a slideshow outlining their progress so far. The first part of the project he called “Inventory Analysis.” A database of every single land parcel in the area is being created, culling information from many existing sources and conducting fieldwork where the data is unavailable. This database will provide a valuable resource for future investors and developers, as well as uncovering strategic locations and infrastructure needs. “

As a roadmap to successful development, this study has great promise. The O’Connell Organization has shown that with proper planning and renovation of existing facilities, micro-industry can thrive. Red Hook has seen an influx of young entrepreneurs creating jobs in the affordable spaces that O’Connell has been able to provide. These spaces were underutilized for years.

With the addition of government incentives and a dynamic plan, Gowanus can look forward to healthy revitalization. The dedication of community leaders will assure that its historic past will not be erased.

A phone call and email to Byrne - including a list of questions and the time and place of the next meeting - was not returned as of press time.

“We envision the Shed at Pier 11’s future as a multi-purpose interdisciplinary The press was not invited to this meet- creative space that positively interacts ing. However, the Star-Revue learned with the industries existing in the Atthat McGettrick discussed the example lantic Basin, the burgeoning array of of Westchester’s Rye Beach. A nonprof- businesses lining Van Brunt St., and Gowanus economic development plan in progress it organization, Sustainable Playground, most importantly, all residents of the (continued from page 1) was created specifically to revitalize Red Hook Community. Proper develthe under-utilized failing complex. The opment would assure the creation of progress report at the monthly CB6 Eco- and easier access to the canal. This will concerned neighborhood residents of numerous jobs through the continued nomic/Waterfront/Community Develop- make Gowanus a more welcoming space, Sustainable Playground aim to main- influx of tax revenue-producing busi- ment and Housing Committee meeting. attracting appropriate development and tain the historical context of Playland, nesses to (one of) the largest under- CB6 District Manager, Craig Hammer- will more fully integrate the corridor opened in 1928. They will also make it developed waterfront parcel(s) just a man began the presentation. He explained with the surrounding neighborhoods. profitable for Westchester County - the 10-minute boat ride away from down- that the BOA encompasses the planned The Star-Revue asked Hammerman land owner - and provide benefits to the town Manhattan.” economic development of the area. This how this will spur economic growth. He community as well as commercial ten- The letter goes on to suggest busi- is not a green program. The EPA is re- stated that the study and the BOA desants. ness incubators and performance and sponsible for the environmental remedia- ignation has the ownership of the commeeting spaces as possible tenants. tion of the Gowanus Canal. There is no munity board, who has a vested interest Group means business Kyle told the Star-Revue that this was Enhanced ferry service could improve need to worry about rezoning, as the City in follow through. He called this an “aca no-nonsense meeting. Participants are transportation options to Red Hook. seems committed to maintain the exist- tionable program.” determined to get an RFP filed. They It compares the potential of this space ing zoning. Much of the designated area SBIDC Deputy Director, Elizabeth Demeare determined to have the business and with Chelsea Piers, Fort Mason Center is zoned industrial and light manufactur- triou, explained that simply achieving the ing. The Gowanus BOA’s main goal is to BOA designation provides invaluable asmaintain and expand the manufacturing sistance in the form of liability relief and base, which will add jobs and provide op- tax credits. Tax credits are provided in portunities for new businesses. four areas; cleanup, redevelopment, real SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER He also stressed that the strategic plan property taxes and for the purchase of enof this report will include the wishes of vironmental insurance. business owners as well as the residents Whitehouse stressed the following mawho live in part of the district. Many jor objectives: Gowanus community groups are in• To identify which strategic sites to volved, such as the Gowanus Alliance, address first; Gowanus Canal Conservancy, FROGG, • To foster participation by both the Gowanus Houses Tenants Association private and public sector; and the Fifth Avenue Committee. The consultant team, in addition to Starr • To find potential funding for the development of the strategic sites; Whitehouse, includes the Pratt Center for Community Development and the • To maintain continuity of existing businesses in considering redevelSouthwest Brooklyn Industrial Development strategies. opment Corporation (SBIDC).

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Whitehouse called the second part the “Urban Design Analysis.” This will consist of recommendations for infrastructure improvements, incorporating new green technologies, streetscape enhancements,

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Through November 1, 2012 Page 3

Caveat Emptor but local angler says some are OK

I

n the last few years, a great distinction has been made between the water in the Gowanus Canal and that of any other water. A long list of contaminants has been found, studied and reported, giving a warning to all those in the area. Some locals have steered very clear of the canal and any potential health risks that could come

Sludge from the Columbia St. Pier collects on a piece of bait that has been picked apart by crabs. (photo by Gillis)

their way; others splash around with the idea of where the cut off is for contaminated water and what to do about it. Organizations like the Gowanus Dredgers and the Red Hook Boaters have their water sports near the piers of the Upper Bay and for the dredgers, in the Gowanus itself. For some, The Columbia Street Pier falls into one of these Gowanus to Upper Bay middle grounds for water contact - and also for fishing.

Standing and looking over the depths of the Columbia Street Pier, one gazes upon blue ocean sprawling out into a horizon of less polluted water. One may get lost in the idea of a vast Atlantic teeming with life, but with what is known to be toxic sludge running through the canal a few blocks away, reality snaps back and an assessment must be made.

Along with the Gowanus being declared a Superfund site, the EPA has been making clear their stance on fishing in the canal. Signage is spread out on most overpasses through the Gowanus area.

PUBLIC MEETING TO BE HELD ABOUT WEST 9TH STREET SHELTER

by George Fiala In the last issue of the Star-Revue, we reported that a homeless shelter was proposed for 165 West 9th Street, between Hamilton Avenue and Court Street. The information came from the office of Community Board 6 (CB6) District Manager, Craig Hammerman.

This information has resulted in much consternation from residents of Carroll Gardens, who fear possibly dangerous men invading their streets. Longtime community activist, Buddy Scotto was quoted in a NY Times article on October 17th as saying, “to jam 170 homeless men into this neighborhood is a numbskull idea.”

Under the auspices of the community board, a neighborhood meeting regarding this proposal is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Wednesday, October 24th. The meeting will take place in the PS 58

Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue

by Alexandra Gillis

But where the signs stop, a gray area appears for a small group of fisherman in South Brooklyn.

In September I spent a day accompanying local resident and Bait & Tackle bartender Robby Giardano on a day of fishing. Upon meeting Robby, I pulled into one of the parking spaces at the start of the pier and saw him pushing a small square cart with fishing rods hanging out of the top in every direction.

After walking to the end of the pier, we stopped and unpacked the gear. Robby set up ambitiously with all four rods cast sitting by themselves - waiting for fish.

Robby explained that when it came to learning to fish, it was an innate gift and something that he taught himself. He said, “some guy had an extra fishing rod, so I picked it up. He was catching snapper blues; the next thing you know I was catching them. It was second nature to me.” This gift, he said, was great fishing, reincarnate, “It passed on from my Sicilian heritage down the road somewhere. There was an old man by the sea who loved be-

Robby aboard the Clipper City with his fishing pole in tow (photo by Price)

“I knew what I could expect from fishing; it’s always been there for me.”

When he operated the water taxies in Red Hook, he said it killed him to be on the water and not have a fishing rod.

On a boat or on the pier, the waters of the Upper Bay are less than ideal circumstances, but as Robby says, “this is what New York has to offer for me right now.” And working with what you’ve got seems to be important for Robby as a well rounded fisherman. He says that it’s “important as a fisherman to be adaptable and not be afraid to do different water.”

When the fish goes Robby G. with different sized fish used for bait (photo by Gillis) from being caught to consumed how ing out on the ocean, fished his ass off his safe is it? EPA’s Brian Carr explains whole life that resurfaced in me.” that in reference to standards set by After moving from New York to Florida the Department of Health (DOH), the and back, Robby got an Associate’s de- Gowanus is twice as polluted as the Upgree in Fisheries and Marine Technol- per Bay. The DOH explains that due to ogy. And so it went for Robby perusing high levels of PCBs and dioxin in the fishing from every aspect. He explained, fish, women under 50 and children are

auditorium at 330 Smith Street. Hammerman has invited Housing Solutions - the social service agency planning to open the shelter - and representatives from NYC’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to attend. This meeting is open to the public.

CB6 has learned that 165 West 9th is planned as an “overflow facility.” Men will be placed there when the number of homeless exceeds the city’s normal supply of beds. Housing Solutions has informed the community board that no mentally ill or substance abuse patients will be referred to this facility. To address the fears that homeless men will be walking the streets of Carroll Gardens, the residents will have a strict curfew of 10 pm. Spaces will be created within the building for social activities.

All meals will be served within the facility. Security guards and cameras will be working around the clock to ensure safety. A Community Advisory board will also be set up to address neighborhood concerns.

According to a letter sent out from the

advised to eat absolutely no fish that comes from the Upper Bay, Rivers, and Kills. For an adult male like Robby an Upper Bay Atlantic needlefish, bluefish, rainbow smelt, striped bass, white perch, carp, or goldfish could only be consumed once a month. For an area so close to the Gowanus Canal, the consumption would be half of that, or more likely none at all.

Robby makes these decisions for himself when judging the fish. “I don’t have a laboratory at home; all I have to do is look at it.” And Robby has seen some bad fish. He described that near Battery Park and in Red Hook, he’d see fish with ulcers or fish that were white and lifeless being pulled out of the water with no fight in them. Robby said some of these fish just aren’t breathing. “It would be like, being born and having a cigar instantly stuck in your mouth.”

For him and his fellow fishermen, if there is no sign and no law, for now he’s going to keep fishing. He explains, “fisherman are very particular about what they do and how they do it. Telling a fisherman where he can and cannot fish is very difficult unless you’re the game warden.”

District Manager’s office, the shelter could open as soon as November 4th because by law, emergency facilities are allowed to open 30 days after notifying the local community board. The original letter advising Housing Solution’s intention was faxed to CB6 on October 4th.

A letter from local politicians - including Brad Lander, Daniel Squadron and Joan Millman - was sent to the head of the NYC Department of Homeless Services on October 16th. The letter raised concerns as the number of proposed beds, the legality of the Certificate of Occupancy, lack of permits for ongoing construction work, plans for security and social services, and a conflict of interest between the owner of the building and Housing Solutions, USA. A neighborhood petition prepared by Victoria Malkin, PhD., makes the following points: “The proposed Shelter is in a ten unit condo building that has remained vacant or partially occupied since its construction due to its poor quality of

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construction and other problems. It is located in a residential neighborhood of mostly two to three story houses.

The neighborhood is a family area with small locally owned and run businesses.

We prize diversity of all sorts. But why would this building not be allocated to homeless families with children who could benefit from the excellent public school for example? How did the number of 170 come to be allocated to a building that has ten units.”

It is expected that the upcoming meeting will be a lively affair, with local politicians as well as residents attending.

Through November 1, 2012

STOP & FRISK STUDY (Continued from page 1)

of the 76th precinct’s tactics regarding Stop and Frisk. Such criticism was indeed the driving force of the presentation. The main objective of the talk was to release the findings of a recent survey conducted by community activists at RHI. Tony Schloss, Media Programs Coordinator at RHI, told the Star-Revue that the though the survey program was carried out by community volunteers, not necessarily professionals, it still produced “[numbers] we feel confident about.” The numbers were presented at the event as statistics; the statistics were indicative of the kind of criticism the RHI feels is fair to level at South Brooklyn’s 76th Precinct.

According to sources at RHI, a total of 761 surveys were taken by community advocates. The sources of the surveys resided primarily in the Red Hook Houses, with some surveys taken of community members along Van Brunt Street. Of the 761 people surveyed, 53% reported being stopped by the Police in the last three years. Of the citizens reporting being stopped, 55% were black, 57% were Latino, and 29% white. The rhetoric displayed at the presentation reflected the statistics.

“This is a campaign about bias and discrimination,” stated Anna Ortega, Director of Health Programs at RHI and one of the presenters at the event.

The “campaign” she referred to was both the NYPD’s Stop and Frisk policy and the RHI’s campaign to combat discrimination and empower the commu-

nity when faced with harassment.

She continued by stating that Stop and Frisk tactics by the 76th precinct are “disproportionately occurring to blacks and Latinos.” If the survey and the presentation of its findings were carried out by non-professionals, then it is striking how similar the findings were to another recent survey and report by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) professionals in their field, regarding Stop and Frisk citywide. The survey was conducted in 2011 and corroborates the findings of RHI. According to the official NYCLU report, of all reported instances of Stop and Frisk (502’s in NYPD jargon), city-wide, 52.9% of suspects were black New Yorkers, 33.7% were Latino, with only 9.3% being white and the remaining percentage being New Yorkers of other racial or ethnic minority groups.

Carrying ID’s a problem

When asked how a regular police encounter can turn into a Stop and Frisk procedure - a “502” - Khadijah Jones James states that a major factor for Red Hook youth is a lack of proper identification. “What’s an ID cost? 10 dollars? 12 dollars? You’ve got some people around here that can’t afford that.” If not for monetary expense, then perhaps the DMV’s limited hours and being relegated to paralleling work and school schedules may explain why so many youth are without this identification. James states regarding ID-less youth, that “They’ve got their welfare cards, their school ID’s however, “nothing with their address on it.” That is how a normal police encounter turns into a Stop and Frisk procedure,

Attendees filled RHI’s meeting room to hear about the stop and frisk study (photo by Petrilli)

according to James.

When stopped by police, any citizen in Red Hook or anywhere else in the five boroughs is required to present identification to an officer stating their name and most importantly, according to James, their address. Without an address, a youth in Red Hook could potentially be arrested for loitering or trespassing, hypothetically in front of their own place of residence. How else would one prove to an officer who they are and where they live? “These kids are afraid to go out at night,” states Ms. James, for fear of their lack of documentation.

When Tony Schloss spoke to the StarRevue regarding the presentation and on Stop and Frisk in the neighborhood in general, he did not speak of victimization on behalf of the community, but rather empowerment.

One proactive response to what the RHI considers a discriminatory policy is the development and introduction of what the Initiative has dubbed the

“Stop and Frisk app.” This app is to be part of a greater initiative by the RHI called “RHI wi-fi, a community wi-fi network”, according to Schloss.

The wireless internet connection will also provide useful services such as schedules for buses specifically going to and leaving the Red Hook Houses and surrounding areas. The Stop and Frisk app will consist of a survey like form to be filled out after a 502 takes place between a community member and a police officer. The app’s survey is meant to document when the stop occurred, where, and details such as the use of force, etc. All information will be recorded and posted on the app’s website for reference. Eventually, the RHI hopes to develop and release an interactive map add-on to the app, visually representing points where a Stop and Frisk event occurred in the neighborhood.

According to the RHI, all in the name of community advocacy and empowerment.

Bioswales to be tested at Gowanus Canal

“P

ark Slope has been flushing its sewage downhill for a century and a half” states Vice Chairman of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC), John Muir.

It is his and the GCC’s opinion that the main problem for the water quality in the Gowanus Canal is untreated sewage. According to Muir - also a veteran environmental activist of 35 years - the city’s sewer and sewage treatment infrastructure is mainly equipped for dry weather. The treatment plants shut down after receiving a certain amount of rain. After the treatment plants shut down, untreated sewage and wastewater is washed into the Gowanus canal called “combined sewer overflows.”

The Vice Chairman claims that the city’s solution is not only conventional, but costly and almost as important, unsightly. “They build enormous projects of gray infrastructure - huge sewage treatment plants.” He states that the city wishes to provide mechanical solutions, “pumping solutions” with such approaches costing billions of dollars, “with a B,” states Muir.

The GCC believes solving the problem of untreated sewage with such infrastructure does not get to the root of the matter. If the sewers collect too much rainwater, they cease to be effective. If the GCC could come up with a way to keep rainwater out of sewers, the city could save the billions in cost while

Red Hook Star-Revue

by Alexandra Gillis

combating the greatest threat to the water quality in the Gowanus Canal.

Such is the aim of the 6th Street Green Corridor, an innovative and possibly revolutionary water treatment aid. The corridor, according to the GCC website, will be a series of “bioswales…5 feet wide and 20 feet long.” These bioswales - or rain gardens - will consist of soil and will be “filled with plants scientifically chosen to be very water thirsty,” such as milk and butterfly weed. The water is then disposed of through a process called evapo-transpiration, where it is absorbed through the roots and evaporated through the plant.

“We are utilizing that natural process” states Muir when approaching the challenge of keeping rainwater out of sewer systems. The bioswales are set to be placed along 6th Street, from 2nd to 4th Avenues and ending at approximately 5th Street. This small area is the testing ground for what Muir and the GCC hope to be a much broader program to deal with the problem of wastewater and combined sewer overflows in the area. This is the first project of its kind for South Brooklyn.

In order to test and measure this infant program’s effectiveness, each rain garden will be equipped with a measuring device to track how much rainwater each garden holds before reaching saturation, according to sources in the GCC. The information will be monitored by the GCC, sent to the city for review and then released to the public.

If it is demonstratively effective, the bioswale method might just catch on with the city, especially with its attractive price tag.

The city itself awarded the GCC roughly $600,000. Congresswoman, Nydia Valezquez also allocated about $300,000. Smaller amounts have been appropriated by City Council members Sara Gonzalez, Brad Lander and Steve Levin, bringing the total funding for the project to just under one million dollars, compared to the billions claimed

by Muir that the “pumping solutions” would incur. He considers this amount adequate, with only minor concessions

“If the GCC could come up with a way to keep rainwater out of sewers, the city could save the billions in cost while combating

the

greatest

threat to the water quality in the Gowanus Canal.” made by the GCC. They are set to break ground on the project this winter.

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Through November 1, 2012 Page 5

Farmacy, 513 Henry Street.

Star-Revue

News Briefs

Taste of Red Hook

The Red Hook Initiative hosts “A Taste of Red Hook” on Tuesday, October 23rd from 6-9 pm at The Intercourse.

Over forty local restaurants and food purveyors will present samples of their signature dishes; local breweries and wineries will be providing refreshments.

Musicians will be performing throughout the event.

The O’Connell Organization is a sponsor of “A Taste of Red Hook.” Among the participants are Caselnova, Dry Dock Wines and Spirits, The Good Fork, IKEA, Mazzat, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Rocky Sullivan’s and Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies.

Psychic Excavation

The Brooklyn Philharmonic announces auditions for the Brooklyn Phil Youth Orchestra. String auditions take place October 28th from noon - 3 pm at the Brooklyn Phil office, 20 Jay Street, Suite M16. For more information and to schedule an audition call 718 488-5700.

The Philharmonic will be presenting a free Chamber Concert at the Central Library, Grand Army Plaza on November 4th at 4 pm. From Importer to Exporter: Two Centuries of Music in Brooklyn features violinist Deborah Buck with piano accompaniment by Molly Morkoski. The program features music by Gershim, Kreisler, Wienawski and Corgliano, chosen after researching archival reviews of Brooklyn per-

formances in the pages of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Commentary will be given by music historian Maurice Edwards, author of How Music Grew in Brooklyn.

Youth Theater Workshop with DTE Dance Theater Etcetera is launching the 4th year of their In Transition Theater program for students and young adults ages 15-21. The twelve session workshop series runs through December 5th on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Classes are at the Dance Theatre Etcetera studio in the Fairway Building.

Participants will receive rigorous preprofessional training as they create an original piece of Hip Hop theater. Application instructions are on the Dance Theater Etcetera website or by emailing patrick@dtetc.org.

Organic turkeys are from New Jersey’s Di Paola Turkey farm. Vegetables come from Rogowski Farm of Pine Island, NY. “We did the Pop Up CSA last year for the first time and it was a great hit,” said Local Roots director Wen-Jay Ying.

“This year we are expanding our share options by adding cheese, baked goods, caramel corn and hot honey to our menu of locally made items. “ Orders are being accepted until Friday, October 26th on their website www.localrootsnyc.org

Brownstone bought

After a month on the market, a contract has been signed for the sale of a townhouse at 356 Sackett Street. The ten room residence is located between Court and Smith Streets. The sale price is believed to be the asking price of over $4 million. The 22-foot brownstone includes six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a private backyard and patio garden.

The building was purchased six years ago by the current owners for a little over $2 million.

Patchwork art

Fresh produce from the Warren Street Pop-up Turkey and Yams Fresh

Local Roots NYC is offering the chance to fill your Thanksgiving table with locally grown food. Fresh produce from local farms can be delivered or picked up in Brooklyn at 61 Local, 61 Bergen Street in Boerum Hill, and Brooklyn

Performance art is coming to the corner of Columbia and Sackett Streets on Saturday, October 27th. The Art Lot will be presenting original works.

In conjunction with the performance pieces, the lot is exhibiting Psychic Excavation. This consists of large scale mult-layered paintings depicting historic scenes from the Brooklyn waterfront.

They are painted on paper and hung on the brick wall adjacent to the lot. As the paintings become weather-beaten, the artist, Jessica Cannon, will be patching them. During the three months of the exhibition, the original artwork will be completely covered with the patches,

transforming the work. Psychic Excavation opened on September 15th and runs through December 15th.

November and December at BM

The Brooklyn Museum has released their event schedule for November and December. Among these events are a Children’s Book Fair, music by New Orleans trumpeter Christian Scott, performances by jazz bassist and composer Linda Oh, and concerts from the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra. Readings by Eleanor Antin - author of Conversations with Stalin and talks featuring photographer Carrie Mae Weems and artist Harmony Hubbard, fill out the schedule.

The museum is preparing a s h o w that will open in January, called Life, Death and Transformation in the Americas. The exhibition features indig- e n o u s art from North and South America, and will be taken from the museum’s permanent collection. The theme of transformation connects with the religious beliefs and social practices of America’s natives. Life, death, fertility and spiritual transformation will be seen through the eyes of the art left behind.

This show will open January 18, 2013.

Send them your picture!

Brooklyn Tourism is holding a photography competition. Entrants are asked to submit a photographs that capture the essence of Brooklyn. Five winning photographs will create a new set of Brooklyn Tourism postcards. In addition, the top three winners will receive gift certificates from Willoughby’s Camera Emporium. To enter, visit http:// www.visitbrooklyn.org/Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908

We are across from Coffey Park (718) 923-9880

Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012

A perfect fall day for The Red Hook Harvest Festival photos and story by George Fiala

T

he Star-Revue took a leisurely walk through Red Hook last Saturday and ended up at the Red Hook Community Farm’s annual Harvest Festival. As in years past, we encountered a pumpkin field for the kids, where busy parents were taking pictures of their children picking out pumpkins.

We walked over to where we thought we saw a horse, and it turned out to be two llamas. Leisah Swenson from home/made was supplying soup and coffee and other delicacies. A stage was set up where children were dancing. Later, a hip hop band played.

Fort Defiance and The Good Fork also had booths. We learned about organic farming and eating from some of the other booths. The festival was surrounded by the farm, where we could still see beans and squash and lettuce growing right here in Brooklyn. The blue and yellow of IKEA was in the background.

Added Value presented Red Hook Community Farm’s eighth annual Harvest Festival. The farmer’s market is open every Saturday through the summer and early autumn. October 29th will be the last one for the year.

Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012 Page 7

Gowanus project passes CB6 board approval

by Alexandra Gillis

A

new development by The Lightstone Group was conditionally approved

by Community Board 6 (CB6) on Wednesday, October 10th.

The development would consist of forrent apartments in three towers, one 12 story, one 8 story and one 6 story on Bond Street along the Gowanus Canal.

This approval followed many meetings and denied motions by CB6.

The Lightstone Group proclaims itself as “one of the largest and most successful privately held real estate companies in the United States.” Their online business overview shines light on their intentions for projects like Bond Street

“One

board

explained

that

member she

did

not support the project because

the

Lightstone

Group was ‘undercutting the wages of workers.’

She said that what the Lightstone Group claimed to be doing was taking bids from all sides, ‘but those of us who are in the industry know that really is just false promises.’ ” and others they invest in. They say, “we seek undervalued properties and thoroughly evaluate the risks and rewards associated with each investment.”

Undervalued seems to be the operative word here, with the Gowanus rezoned and declared a superfund site since any previous projects have been proposed.

This development follows a project by the Toll Brothers who set out to build a similar structure but later dropped it along with their $5 million dollar down payment and contract negotiations.

Packed house The CB6 meeting had a full house; all were ready to speak their opinions of

the Lightstone Group project. By the start of the meeting, many locals eager to attend were left in the hallway with nowhere to sit or stand in the room.

The heavy attendance for the Lightstone Group project is due to environmental concerns, as well as concerns for maintaining a balance in infrastructure.

The motion that the committee began the meeting with was not an approval, but to table the project until it met their requirements. These included conducting a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement which would increase affordable housing for 30% of the units, reducing the height of the towers and following CB6’s responsible development policy.

Support in tabling the project seemed to go hand in hand with the community and board member issues with potential negative impacts this project could bring. Issues with infrastructure were brought up during the meeting. Because the area around the canal being rezoned as residential, the sudden interest in large housing developments raises concerns. A sudden increase in populace means an increased pressure on sanitation, sewage, schools, traffic, transit, fire department and police. As one board member explained, “we’re trying to vote on something and pretend like it doesn’t mean more than it does.”

Concern was also raised because the The Lightstone Group could not guarantee that they would choose a union labor force. One board member explained that she did not support the project because the Lightstone Group was “undercutting the wages of workers.” She said that what the Lightstone Group claimed to be doing was taking bids from all sides, “but those of us who are in the industry know that really is just false promises.” She also reminded the board that while Lightstone hasn’t been able to make a commitment for their labor force, “Toll Brothers made that commitment, and they were building 50% less units than Lightstone.”

Artist rendering shows how Lightstone plans the streetscape.

about the project, “they have said that nothing that Lightstone proposes to do will have a negative impact on their ability to clean up the canal.”

Board members also stated their concerns in tabling the motion. Some doubted the board’s ability to influence the start of a new Environmental Impact Statement. A few board members explained that in light of having the area rezoned, they felt that going through with this deal instead of tabling it could be better than other proposals that would come along. One board member said, “this plot of land has been rezoned, if we don’t approve this, another group can come in and build a project, and this seems like a pretty good deal.”

So the motion to table to project was denied and the community board went on late into the night coming up with ideas on how to carry forward with this

project. The final consensus seemed to be that the project was going to be beneficial, or at least a better option than others. One board member spoke to its positive qualities. “They’re offering without any financial help - more affordable housing than was offered before.”

Another board member stated, “our community is desperately short on new, modern, accessible rental housing.”

So the final motion came to pass as follows: “Conditional approval of the minor modifications to the Lightstone Project with the condition that they follow CB6’s responsible development policy, and that we strongly urge DCP [Department of City Planning] to do a full scale study of rezoning the Gowanus Canal.” Concerns aside, we can now expect the towers to come up on what appears to be New York’s most up-andcoming Superfund site.

A host of concerns raised Although many community members seemed to have rallied together to express environmental concerns, CB6 wanted to make it clear on where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stood in regards to this project.

One board member said that when it comes to what the EPA has shared

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The executive board listens to the proceedings. (Petrilli photo)

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

Brooklyn, NY 11231 718 624-5568 www.selectmail.com george@selectmail.com www.RedHookStar.com

Through November 1, 2012

Red Hook Star-Revue

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The

Red Hook StarªRevue

Guide to Halloween 2012 HALLOWEEN FUN FACTS

1. Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.

2. The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.”

3. An intense and persistent fear of Halloween is called Samhnainophobia.

4. The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl’s call meant someone was about to die.

5. The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with a 836 pound pumpkin.

6. Stephen Clarke holds the record for the world’s fastest pumpkin carving time: 24.03 seconds, smashing his previous record of 54.72 seconds.

7. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance and, along with brown and gold, stands for the harvest and autumn. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder that Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.

8. Scarecrows, a popular Halloween fixture, symbolize the ancient agricultural roots of the holiday.

9. Halloween has variously been called All Hallows’ Eve, Witches Night, Lamswool, Snap-Apple Night, Samhaim, and Summer’s End. 10. Harry Houdini (1874-1926) died in 1926 on Halloween night as a result of appendicitis brought on by three stomach punches.

11. During the pre-Halloween celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the long, hard winter. Often Druid priests would throw the bones of cattle into the flames and, hence, “bone fire” became “bonfire.”

12. Halloween is thought to have originated around 4000 B.C., which means Halloween has been around for over 6,000 years.

13. In 1970, a five-year-old boy Kevin Toston allegedly ate Halloween candy laced with heroin. Investigators later discovered the heroin belonged to the boy’s uncle and was not intended for a Halloween candy.

14. In 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Bryan died of cyanide poisoning after eating Halloween candy. Investigators later learned that his father had taken out a $20,000 life insurance policy on each of his children and that he had poisoned his own son and also attempted to poison his daughter.

15. The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.

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HALLOWEEN AROUND THE WORLD

Mexico celebrates the Days of the Dead (Días de los Muertos) on the Christian holidays All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) instead of Halloween. The townspeople dress up like ghouls and parade down the street.

According to Irish legend, Jack O’Lanterns are named after a stingy man named Jack. Because he tricked the devil several times, Jack was forbidden entrance into both Heaven and Hell. He was condemned to wander the Earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from their paths.

Scottish girls believed they could see images of their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of the fire on Halloween. Other girls believed they would see their boyfriend’s faces if they looked into mirrors while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween.

Teng Chieh or the Lantern Festival is one Halloween festival in China.

Lanterns shaped like dragons and other animals are hung around houses and streets to help guide the spirits back to their earthly homes. To honor their deceased loved ones, family members leave food and water by the portraits of their ancestors.

Halloween celebrations in Hong Kong are known as Yue Lan or the “Festival of the Hungry Ghosts” during which fires are lit and food and gifts are offered to placate potentially angry ghosts who might be looking for revenge.

Boston, Massachusetts, holds the record for the most Jack O’Lanterns lit at once (30,128).

The Village Halloween parade in New York City is the largest Halloween parade in the United States. The parade includes 50,000 participants and draws over 2 million spectators.

In many countries, including France and Australia, Halloween is seen as an unwanted and overly commercial American influence.

HALLOWEEN CALENDAR

Saturday, October 27th 1st Annual Halloween Monster Mash at Sugar Shop

Visit one of our favorite Brooklyn sweet shops for not just treats but tricks too: face painting from 3:00 – 6:00pm, Cotton Candy, Costume Contest, Glitter, Tattoos, Make Your Own Trick or Treat Bag, Candy Lego, Make a Candy Bracelet, Ghoulish Guessing Game, Make a Lollipop Ghost and Halloween Coloring Pages. 254 Baltic Street between Court and Clinton in Cobble Hill. FREE for all.

11am-7pm. Contact Jen@sugarshopbrooklyn.com for more information.

Carroll Park Annual Halloween Kids Parade

Event participants will step out of Carroll Park and make their way up Smith Street and back down Carroll Street in the annual Carroll Park Halloween Parade. Don’t miss out on all the fun. There will be FREE noise makers for the first 200 children.

Gather at 11:30 am in the park and at 12 pm the parade will begin.

30th Annual Halloween Haunted Walk and Carnival at Prospect Park

Lurking high on Lookout Hill are zombies, wolf men, headless horsemen, good and bad witches, and other creepy characters. Visitors brave enough to experience this harrowing hike should head to Lookout Hill. The Halloween Haunted Walk is suitable for young children accompanied by parents/ guardians or older siblings. There’s also a carnival on the Nethermead featuring all kinds of fun, games, and seasonal treats. Enter at Prospect Park Southwest and 16th Street. FREE for all. Contact: (718) 965-8999. 12-3 pm

Ghouls and Gourds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Get ready for the wackiest costume parade and drum circle ever! Guests can move and groove and show off their costumes at Ghouls and Gourds.

There will be colossal puppets, a flamingo croquet, a mustache booth, Waltzing Woodland Creatures, Victorian Toy Parlor, Stilt Dancing, Furry Ragtime Band, a Flying Flea Circus and a pretend petting zoo. 150 Eastern Parkway. Cost: $15/adults; $10/ children; FREE/children 12 and under12-6 pm

City Stomp Live: Halloween Edition at Littlefield

Halloween Edition Costumes are encouraged, as is dancing to Halloween favorites performed by the Brooklyn-based band. Also on the play list are rock versions of children’s classic melodies and songs that celebrate the sights and sounds of New York City. 622 Degraw Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues. Advance tickets recommended. Tickets are $8 for individuals aged 2 and older, or $10 at the door. Family tickets are $30 for a family of four and are sold in advance only. 3 pm. To order tickets, visit http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/event/164219/.

Halloween Karaoke Party at Carroll Park

Party with friends and neighbors in front of the Robert Acito Park House and sing some of your favorites. You won’t get hoarse since there will be plenty of hot cider on hand. Suggested donation of $1/song to benefit Friends of Carroll Park. 6-9 pm

Monster Mash Dance Party at The Moxie Spot

Come eat, drink, dress up and dance! Get ready for Halloween: Free Trick-or-treat bags to decorate (this year they’re purple and orange!) Treats for kids. 81 Atlantic Avenue. 6-8 pm. Ages 2 –15. Contact: 718.923.9710.

All Hallows Eve Bash!

Get your best costumes out and get ready for some Halloween adult fun! The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and BBPC Junior Committee are pleased to announce our third annual All Hallows Eve Bash fundraiser! Ticket price includes an open bar, awesome music and dancing, and costume contests – and you’ll be supporting the free programming they provide all year long! 360 Furman Street. Adults only. Cost: $75/person. 8pm-12 am.

Sunday, October 28th Neighborhood Swap and Bop at BAX Brooklyn Arts Exchange

BAX is hosting their Halloween Swap and Bop including a gear and clothing swap for Maternity through age 6. Anything left will be donated to Little Essentials. Please drop-off 10/9 – 10/26 during Birth Day Presence business hours or on 10/28 at BAX. MIL’S TRILLS performs local kids’ favorite Amelia and her ukelele, plus band! Premier your Halloween costume – contest for the kids. Healthy food by THE REAL MEAL Portraits of your child by Lara Robby Photography. RAFFLES including the “Everything You Need for a Baby” grand prize, Joovy Stroller, $100 certificate to Bump Brooklyn.421 5th Avenue, Brooklyn. 10 am-12 pm.

Halloween at Lefferts Historic House at Prospect Park

Come hear scary stories from the past, form a circle and listen to master storyteller Tammy Hall keep the tradition of scary stories alive with “The Legend of Pope’s Lane,” “The Domine’s Ride,” and more.

Lefferts Historic House. Cost: $3/adults; FREE/children. 2-4 pm.

Kid’s Halloween Party and Benefit at Ceol Pub

There will be lots of activities for your enjoyment.

Face painting, games and crafts by Cheeky Monkey Party, the musical guest Pete Singing of the Hootenanny Art House, a light lunch, and Halloween-inspired baked goods. Parents, there will a full bar where you can purchase drinks from! 191 Smith Street, Brooklyn. Ages 4 –12. No strollers.

Cost: $10/child. FREE/adults. 2-5 pm. Contact: 347.643.9911. RSVP to channon at ceolpub.com no later than October 24.

Wednesday, October 31st Jam on DUMBO’s Halloween Concert

Attention all ghosts, ghouls, princesses, pirates and cute baby pumpkins: the super fun Rockdoves will take the stage from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. There will be a costume contest for the kids. Superfine will also offer a full dinner menu after the show. 126 Front Street. Suggested donation: $10/family, although no one will be turned away.

(Fun Facts courtesy of RandomHistory.com)

Page 10 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012

Images of Red Hook a visual narrative by Tom Rupulo Since 1974 the sidewalks ringing the soccer fields near Clinton and Bay streets have been a good spot to sample authentic Latin street cuisine. every Saturday and Sunday from April to October a dozen or so vendors from Mexico and central and south America serve a variety of tasty, inexpensive snacks like huaraches, tacos, pupusas, and ceviche.

Photo and text from the book IMAGES OF RED HOOK by Thomas Rupolo, published October 2012. These excerpts appear exclusively in the pages of The Red Hook Star-Revue. This is part one of a series.

YOUR AD COULD BE RIGHT HERE! Find out how by calling

SARA SALDUTTI (718) 624-5568 or emailing her at Sara@RedHookStar.com See your standing in the neighborhood instantly move up a notch as your friends and neighbors see you in print right here in their favorite newspaper!

The

Red Hook StarªRevue Member

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66. Thin American coins 67. Pitcher 68. Greeting of yore.

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Lady’s love They can be green or black Grown-up boys Turkish brandy

5. Warnings 6. Lon Chaney role, with “wolf” 7. Cellphone carrier 8. Revolutionary Cuban doctor 9. Sally takes one at the stable 10. Ticklish Muppet 11. “Do ____ ____not” - Yoda 12. The cat did this to the milk 14. Architectural curve 16. Sound of woe 20. Unberarable noise 25. Born name 26. Waters again 27. Kind of kick 28. On a gamble 29. Cut 30. Voting rulers 31. Arthur of tennis

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32. Fairy tale opener, with once 34. By any other name 35. Anger 37. Indian state 42. Brazilian city famous for beaches 47. Traveling health workers group 49. He writes for the RHSR 51. Nasty face 52. Sushi catcher 53. More unusual 54. Bridal lane 55. This, in Spain 56. Plant flowers here 57. Lyric poem 59. One who wears a white hat 62. The Big football conference 63. Defunct speedy plane (abbr) 65. Employ

Through November 1, 2012 Page 11

Election 2012 NEW VOTING MACHINES In compliance with federal and state law, New York City voters now vote using a paper ballot. They mark their choices on a paper ballot using a pen or ballot marking device, and insert their marked ballot into a scanner. The scanner then tabulates the votes after the polls close on Election Day. This poll site voting system provides a verifiable paper record and allows all voters, including voters with disabilities, to vote privately and independently at their poll site.

The ES&S DS200 Ballot Scanner system is a portable electronic voting system that uses an optical scanner to read marked paper ballots and tally the results. This system allows for paper ballots to be immediately tabulated at your polling site. The DS200 also notifies you of any voting errors. You will be able to immediately correct these errors to ensure that your vote counts.

GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 6, 2012

You can get an Absentee Ballot Application by:

WHAT TO BRING TO THE POLLING SITE Every state is slightly different in its Election Day ID requirements. In all

cases,you should bring a driver’s license with you just to be on the safe side. (Again, if you don’t have a driver’s license, just contact your local election official listed in the phone book or online to check on other acceptable forms of ID.) Some states require you to bring a voter ID with you. Your voter ID card will come to you in the mail after you register to vote. In addition to your voter ID you will receive information telling you where your polling place is and what you need to bring with you on Election Day. Also, if you marked your Sample Ballot make sure to bring it with you! It will not only help you remember who and what you want to vote for, but it will save you a ton of time in the voting booth.

FOR STATE-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS Contact the NY Secretary of State: Hon. Cesar Perales, One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12231, hwilbard@dos.state. ny.us, (518) 486-9844, (518) 4744765, http://www.dos.ny.gov VOTER INFO HOTLINE: 1-800-367-8683

•

Download the Absentee Ballot Application Form • Call the Phone Bank and we’ll send you a postage-paid Absentee Ballot Application form in the mail.

• Visit one of our Offices in person ABSENTEE VOTING Fill out the Absentee Ballot ApplicaRegistered voters who cannot make tion completely using only a pen with it to the polls on Election Day be- blue or black ink. cause of occupation, business, studies, travel, imprisonment (other than Either bring in person or mail (DO a convicted felon), illness, disability NOT FAX) the Absentee Ballot Apand hospitalization or resident in a plication to your Board of Election long term care facility, may vote by borough office. absentee ballot.

To be counted, an absentee balThere are two options for New York lot must be postmarked by the day City voters wishing to cast absen- before Election Day and must reach tee ballots: voting in person at your the Board of Elections no more than Board of Elections office in your bor- seven(7) days after the election. ough or by mail.

On Election Days, polling places are open 6AM to 9PM

In-Person Absentee Voting: Absentee voting in person begins as soon as the ballots are available (at least 32 days before an election) and ends on Election Day. In person absentee voting is conducted at the Board of Elections’ Borough Offices from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, on the weekend before the election and until 9 pm on Election Day.

POLLING SITES You can find your poll site location by: Searching the online poll site address locator: http://gis.nyc.gov/ vote/ps/index.htm Calling the voter Phone Bank at 1-866-VOTE-NYC The NYC Board of Elections Poll Sites app helps you find your poll site for upcoming elections quickly and easily. The app can be used to:

By-Mail Absentee Voting: In order to vote by Absentee Ballot, • Find Your Poll Site Location and you must request an Absentee BalUpcoming Election Date lot Application.

• View Sample Ballots Mail absentee ballot requests must • Map Directions to Your Poll Site include the following information: • Stay Updated With Alerts from Name the Board of Elections Address on voter registration Mailing address (if different) Supported languages include EngReason for voting absentee lish, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Signature Bengali.

Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012

1969 Mets World Series win revitalized Red Hook

by Mary Ann Pietanza

I

n my male dominated family I am constantly surrounded by sports in one form or another. But the only member who cherishes sports memorabilia is my son, John. From the time he was a small kid, he had me or his father driving him around town to get his most prized jerseys, balls, hats and photographs signed by their perspective, designated players. He identifies himself with these treasures. Being the old soul that he is, he romanticizes about the old “greats” that were before his time and wishes he could have been around to see firsthand like the New York Islanders four-year sweep of the Stanley Cup from 1980 through 1983 or the first time the Americans beat the Russians in hockey during the Winter Olympics of 1980, and of course, the year that the New York Mets - just eight years young - won the 1969 World Series defeating Baltimore in five games against all odds. He’s fascinated by these history-making events and is fortunately blessed with modern-day television’s sportschannel frenzy where he can catch some of these miracle wins when they are aired from time to time in their entirety.

He eagerly invites me to watch them with him and asks me a million questions, vicariously trying to recapture the living moments of victory through my memories. Of course, his father does a better job with the sporting play-by-play details, but he’s always been impressed - or maybe a better word might be....shocked - that I viewed these games as a young girl

and eventually as a mother. I even knew many of the players’ names from particular teams.

So, much like the book, Knots on a Counting Rope, where the native Indian boy asks his grandfather to tell him the story of when he was born just one more time, to visually imagine the magic of his birth, John asks to hear yet again what it was like on the days of these famous victories.

When he asks about the ‘69 Mets victory, he brings me back to a Red Hook that was sadly withering away. The Brooklyn Dodgers were gone in 1958 taking with it the thrill of riding the trolley to Ebbets Field; the Beatles joyously came upon us like a wave in ‘64, but the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened that same year driving hundreds of families to Staten Island causing its own wave of exodus from Red Hook. The BQE rose out of the ground and cut us off from the rest of our neighbors across the highway. Then,

ows of unwanted change. Red Hook streets bred challenge to cope, and nothing exciting had happened since the Beatles to lift our spirits and make living there bearable. Then came 1969 and the Mets. Now, if someone were to consider the scope of the Miracle Mets’ win in October of 1969, one would have to understand that the Mets ‘69 win was in addition to all the sporting events that collectively and miraculously occurred that year. The Mets were the topping on the cake.

It all started back in January of 1969 when Joe Namath brought the New York Jets to victory in the NFL Super Bowl defeating the mighty Baltimore Colts.

On April 2nd of the 1969-70 season, the NY Knicks kicked butt and won the NBA Championship against the Baltimore Bullets. Though they didn’t advance to the finals, that same spring even the New York Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On October 16th 1969, the New York Mets, who had never placed more than ninth place in their division, beat the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series.

Many say it never should have happened. WHATEVER! FiRed Hook native, Andrew (aka An- nally, for us, it was the reawakgel) and his nephew, John Andrew ening of Red Hook! Oh my (aka Duce), Mets fans.

God, I think even Yankee fans containerization reared its ugly couldn’t be prouder of the Mets head with its unsightly cranes that year. Everyone got caught towering over us from behind up in the series. We were all the Battery Tunnel, leaving a glued to our televisions. The ghostly path of joblessness be- first two games were aired in hind, while crime crept its way black and white, but the last very stealthily alongside the three were aired in color. Many rise of drugs onto our streets. It of us still had black and white was an existence that height- television sets because back ened our senses in the shad- then we waited until the old

Pandemonium ensued as the Mets retired the final Oriole for their 1969 World Series victory.

one died before we got a new one. My brother remembers that my father bought those plastic “color screens” that were placed over our black and white screen to make it appear as if it were color.

The excitement rippled throughout the streets during each game in the series. My brother and his friends were fans of Donn Clendenon and Ed Kranepool. He told me that in 1964 when Yogi Berra was fired from the Yankees, a lot of the kids in the neighborhood decided to become Mets fans when Berra became their coach. “We took a chance,” he said, “and it paid off.” The city that never sleeps killed Baltimore that year and it started a long, drawn out grudge toward New York. And why not? It was a bit humiliating to think that all the Baltimore teams lost their championship games to New York City, most especially, the Mets.

I myself recall celebrating with my girlfriends. I was a freshman in high school, my sister was a sophomore; we couldn’t even concentrate on school.

When they won the final game, we jumped for joy, squealing as young girls do. But the real thrill was among the guys. My friends recall people banging pots outside their windows and doors, much like we used to do on New Year’s Eve. And, of course, there couldn’t be a victory without drivers honking their horns, especially along Court Street that year.

Ahhh, the Mets ‘69 victory - it was a wonderful, welcoming distraction for Red Hook and gave us a spark of inspiration that led us into the next decade with some promise of hope for our future. As for my son, John, he got to experience his own history in the making when we found ourselves on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn the day that the Italians won the World Cup in 2006!

Star-Revue publishers leave the Hook once in a while

K

imberly Gail Price and George Fiala, publishers of The Red Hook Star-Revue, took a halfweekend off from their loyal devotion to this neck of the woods to pursue a seasonal tradition of apple picking in the Hudson Valley. They visited the Minard and Dolan farms in New Paltz with a side trip at midnight to Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, NY. In addition to apples and pumpkins, they brought back these photos to share with our readers.

Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012 Page 13

Continuing Feature:

Mollie Dash Interviews: This issue we conclude Mollie’s interview with furniture maker Manny Flaherty.

Mollie Dash: What have been your inspirations for the type of things you design?

Manny Flaherty: In terms of the people I would like to be selling to, it’s more of my demographic, where some people have good paying jobs and they have a bit of money.

They’re graduating from the IKEA furniture that they’ve had since college or have been taking from apartment to apartment. Or some thrift store stuff that they weren’t in love with but was a good price and it fit in the spot. Some of them are buying apartments, a lot of them are starting families. And they’re thinking about the dining table that their family is going to be eating around. And then we’re working with specific areas in New York City, where even my friends who do have money to buy an apartment and new furniture often don’t have the space to have those big dining tables that they one day want to have, like a big farm table.

So in terms of practicality I’m trying to design within the confines of the fact that there’s limited space in New York City. So in a living room you get in that sofa or couch, and there might not be that much space between the couch and where the TV is going. And with flat-screen TV’s you get to open up the space a lot more which is great, but there might not be enough room for a full-sized coffee table. So I’m working on designs that are a little more narrow, while still giving you the function of a coffee table, but will allow you to have some space to walk by.

And as far as style, I would say there came to be a revival of that Nakashima-style dining table with the live edge of the tree, the natural edge, like a big cross section of the tree.

They’re always beautiful and they’re fun to make and they look great. I remember a lot of people seeing them, and thinking like one day they’d be able to afford it, or one day they’d have the space for it. I was thinking that you could have that aesthetic now, trying to downsize it to make it more accessible and more affordable. To use that aesthetic more like an accent, not the centerpiece of the room, by making end tables and coffee tables. And even the practicality of one of those gorgeous dining tables, if you’re going to start a family around it and you’re going to have kids, they’re going to bang up the table. For a dining table I want to make something more practical, like farmstyle. So when you’re looking at it in twenty years you can see the marks where it’s all beat up. And it’s like, “oh, that’s where little Timmy decided to bang his fork against the table.”

Not where it’s like, “somebody f----up my $10,000 dining table.” I feel like that’s what people are signing up for when they get one of those.

They don’t wear so well. They’re

Page 14 Red Hook Star-Revue

like nice, big conversation pieces.

Whereas if you have that design as an end table, that’s something you can be a little more careful with. But a dining table should be used.

MD: There is a piece of yours I saw a photo of, that I thought was really interesting- it looks like a picnic table.

MF: As far as aesthetic in terms of style and design, I tend to like the simplicity and utilitarian concept of Shaker furniture where there are not too many frills. Just very stripped down to the basics. And then a lot of my pieces are kind of a nod to Danish Modern, mid-century furniture.

Any type of decorative element they used had just a soft, subtle touch, but really brought the piece alive. It made it stand out with minimal decoration.

MD: Wasn’t that also to do with the woods themselves they used, like they brought out the beauty in the wood sort of warm tones?

MF: A lot of Danish modern stuff is veneer, because in terms of what was the newer technology at the time, to be able to use plywood for example. They’ll use a core of cheaper wood and then a veneer rosewood or something. These days when people hear veneer they probably think of IKEA, but it can be done well and there are some things you can do with it that you can’t do with solid wood. Certain designs with solid wood, because it’s constantly moving, you could try to make it out of solid wood, but over ten years of going through a summer/winter cycle it will start falling apart. So veneer is sometimes the only thing you can do. They used a lot of rosewood or teak and I try to stick to just the domestic woods, and even local to what grows in the northeast.

There’s black walnut, cherry, maple, ash, sometimes we get pine from buildings in New York that are being taking down. And I try to shy away from any of the tropical woods. I feel like whatever purpose - unless it’s for outdoor furniture where teak or ipe is necessary whatever purpose mahogany has for indoor furniture, you can achieve that same quality of grain, or whether you want a dark color or a light color, you can get that from the local woods.

MD: You go and choose the woods in New York and Vermont?

MF: There’s a lumber yard in the Bronx- they’re pretty good. And also when I visit friends in Vermont and upstate New York, I look on Craigslist or I’ll ask around. There’s always someone where a tree came down in their yard, and it’s great when I know exactly where the tree is from. And my friends upstate, in Argyle, they have a farm, and they have a bunch of cherry and maple that is from their property. It’s all upstairs in their barn.

MD: The small pine table that you’re

Manny Flaherty is a wood specialist. (photo by Dash)

working on, you had mentioned that the legs came from the public schools.

MF: Yeah, that particular wood was from when I was working with my dad because we rip up the floors and have to replace whatever is rotted or [has] fallen apart. So when we’re ripping them out, there are not too many big pieces that are usable, but I can get some maybe four feet in length, and they’re real, sort of the old school two by fours that are exactly two inches by four inches. I think now if you go to Home Depot, a two by four is actually one and half by three and a half.

MD: They shrunk a two by four?

Doesn’t that throw everything off?

MF: It’s just now that if you buy a two by four, it’s understood that that’s what you’re getting. After I mill down what I get, I can usually get the equivalent of modern two by fours in four-foot lengths. We have to chop it up since some sections are rotted out. So yeah, I’m making a table base out of some of that wood, with a pine slab on top. The client has a place up in Vermont and the piece of pine is from their property. It’s going to be a small, four-seater table.

MD: Would you like to mention what else you’re working on?

MF: I’m making a hallway bench from some cherry that I got from my friends’ place in Argyle. It has a live edge. It’s sort of a narrow table for a hallway in the Upper West Side. You know, everything has to be tight and fit just right. It’s like a ten inch deep shelf where you put your shoes in the hallway. And a vintage store in the East Village called Grey Era. There are some cubbies I’m working on, and it’s all made of barn wood.

There’s another guy I can get some reclaimed wood from and he actually goes and gets it himself. So I got a bunch of stuff that came from a barn in Maine. It’s barn siding. I made this jewelry display case for them and now I’m making something to display shoes.

MD: It makes you wonder historicallynow so many people are making things from barns like how in the future will people look at it? Like I wonder how much of that will be understood, that the wood’s coming from an earlier era.

MF: It’s not a new idea. Houses a hundred years ago were made from

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the wood from the house that came down in the same spot that was a hundred years old. It’s not a new concept, it’s just now there’s a little more attention to it. And in the city, it’s sort of a marketing point. Like ten years ago, a lot of things that just seemed practical and made a lot of sense, all of a sudden became buzz words and trendy. It’s the kind of things that artists do because it’s what they can afford or what is available to them. Even at Uhuru, we used to go dumpster diving, not because we had some commitment to sustainability, but because we were broke. One of the things I’m struggling with is how to market myself because I’m hesitant to use buzzwords like “sustainable design” or “Brooklyn Made.” Because if we treat them special, then they’ll never be normal. Or even local food. It makes sense. It shouldn’t be a trend. If it’s a trend then it’s fleeting and it won’t last. And if we treat it like it’s special then it will never become the norm.

MD: People always look for the next thing.

MF: So right now when people ask if it’s sustainable, I want to be like, “well, of course.” Of course it’s environmentally responsible because otherwise it would be irresponsible.

I don’t see where I need to market that. I feel like people mark themselves they tag themselves like “congratulations, you’re not an a--hole.”

We shouldn’t be rewarding people for that. It should just be the nor MD: Well maybe the more people that do it, the more normal it will be.

MF: I’m hoping, but for right now it seems like the more people that do it, they find loopholes to lower the standard of what sustainable means. Where you’re using 90% reclaimed materials and you can call it “reclaimed materials” and all of a sudden it’s like “what can we get away with?” Or if it’s just 50% reclaimed materials?

MD: How do you find your clients?

MF: So far I’ve been fortunate in that it’s been word of mouth. At first it was just family and friends, which had led to some private, residential pieces but then some of them have been restaurants. I did the tabletops at Iris Cafe in Brooklyn Heights. (continued on next page)

Through November 1, 2012

Music: T

he Way Station, a friendly Prospect Heights music bar, turned into a bustling honkytonk venue on Friday, October 11, with the progressive country sounds of the Boot Heel Drag, playing both country classics and original music.

The Boot Heel Drag is a four piece band formed by singer Abby Hollander last December. She and her drummer Zachary Bruce live in the neighborhood, making The Way Station their home base.

Friday night crowds packed both rooms.

For two sets, whoops and hollers filled the bar as The Boot Heel Drag turned sophisticated Brooklynites into happy backwoods people for a night.

Abby Hollander is the 27 year-old daughter of Woodstock bluegrass musicians. Her father, Brian Hollander is still active, playing in a band with legendary banjo picker Bill Keith. Abby’s older brother, Jonah is a professional banjo picker who tours the country playing music.

Abby’s singing style is reminiscent of both Patsy Cline and Lucinda Williams. She is armed with both talent and connections’ it is not surprising that she has been able to put together a solid sound with some of the best NYC bluegrass musicians. The experience of hearing these talented musicians at an intimate venue is a special treat.

Abby began her singing career as a jazz artist. She attended SUNY New Paltz and majored in theater, starring in such plays as O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape. While in college she put together a jazz trio that performed all around the Hudson Valley. She never forgot her roots and would sit in with bluegrass and country bands at local venues such as the Rosendale Cafe.

Four years ago Hollander moved to

The Boot Heel Drag,from Woodstock to Brooklyn

by George Fiala

Austin, Texas, a music town famous for the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. Antone’s , The Armadillo and The Cactus Cafe are three legendary clubs that fostered the careers of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin, Doug Sahm and Townes Van Zandt - among hundreds of others.

She took a job as a second grade teacher. At the same time, she immersed herself in the alternative-country music scene. The Dust Bowl Dreamers, a four piece group reminiscent of The Band, featured Abby on vocals and various string instruments and quickly became a mainstay of Austin clubs.

Abby moved back to Brooklyn last year and formed The Boot Heel Drag, bringing together some of NYC’s top musicians.

The name of the band was taken from a Bob Wills instrumental, which the band is currently in the process of learning.

Michael Pasternak - on electric lead guitar and mandolin - is a veteran of many excellent bands. He plays mandolin for Astrograss, a high energy NYC bluegrass band. With Astrograss, Pasternak has performed at many top venues including Joe’s Pub, BB Kings, and the Mercury Lounge, as well as some of the great bluegrass festivals, including Merlefest in North Carolina, and SXSW. Roger Paul Mason - bassist and vocals - is better known as producer of Holger, Single Parents, Dirty Projectors’ drummer Brian Mcomber, and Golden Globe/Oscar winning songwriter Keith Carradine.

He runs a recording studio in Bushwick where the Boot Heel Drag records. However, his first career was painting large scale murals. He graduated from The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he studied illustration. In 2004, he changed careers and began touring regularly with a number of well-known Indy bands including Hector On Stilts.

The Boot Heel Drag entertained a lively Prospect Heights crowd. (photo by Fiala)

His most recent production is with the singer/songwriter “Bitch,” who has toured with the great Ani DiFranco.

Drummer, Zachary Bruce divides his time between the Drag and the hit Bluegrass/Americana band Dixie Beeliners. The band practices regularly in his basement. Asked about the future of The Boot Heel Drag, he looked defi-

antly at this reporter and said that their goal was to write cutting edge country music that will make America sit up and take notice.

The Way Station is at 683 Washington Avenue, and will be hosting The Boot Heel Drag again after the new year. Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thebootheeldrag for future gigs.

Mollie Dash interview (continued from previous page)

MD: Because they expanded?

MF: They were a café and they sold breakfast/lunch, and they wanted to start serving dinner. They wanted to change their atmosphere and make it a little more like a restaurant. They put a new bar in and souped up the kitchen a bit, so they wanted some new table tops. They got some nicer table bases. I made them out of reclaimed southern pine. Through that, people see it and they ask, so it’s still sort of word of mouth. I have some friends helping me with the website. And I’m exchanging some work with them. I have a friend who builds websites and I build furniture.

So I’ll make him a desk and we’ll barter our services. But I’m still not quite represented online as well as I should be. And that’s the next step.

I haven’t done much marketing at all really. Which is kind of hopeful, because if I’m getting this work and I’m able to stay alive without it, I’m just thinking one day when I actually get time to do it then, or if I get some help… And that’s the thing in terms of hiring. I think the first person I hire, I’ll need some help in the shop, because often I get bogged down. And if I hire a second person they will be doing more computer stuff because that’s what I’m not good at.

References: Mi Mesita Design: www.mimesita.com Shaker furniture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaker_furniture

Red Hook Star-Revue

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Through November 1, 2012 Page 15

TIPS FOR A HAPPY SAFE NIGHT OF GHOULS AND GOBLINS, TRICKS AND TREATS. (Courtesy of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner Community Affairs)

1. Go trick-or-treating with your friends.

2. Stay out of buildings, homes and elevators when you are alone.

3. Stay out of strangers’ homes and cars, even if they offer you candy.

4. Let your parents look at all candy and treats before you eat any.

5. If you go out at night, wear bright colored clothing or carry a flashlight.

6. Only go trick-or-treating in your own neighborhood; stay close to home.

7. If your mask blocks your vision, take it off before you cross any streets.

8. Walk on the sidewalk. Stay out of the streets, except when crossing.

9. If you are out trick-or-treating with your younger siblings, stay with them. Help them cross the street.

10. Remember to always cross the street at the corner and wait for the light.

Respect other people’s property.

Have fun! Enjoy!

Star-Revue

Guide to area restaurants

Red Hook BAKED 359 Van Brunt St., (718)222-0345.

THE BROOKLYN ICE HOUSE 318 Van Brunt St., (718) 222-1865.

BOTANICA 220 Conover St (at Coffey St), (347) 225-0147.

DEFONTE’S SANDWICH SHOP 379 Columbia St., (718) 855-6982.

DIEGO’S RESTAURANT 116 Sullivan St., (718) 625-1616.

F&M BAGELS 383 Van Brunt St., (718) 855-2623.

FORT DEFIANCE 365 Van Brunt St., (347) 453-6672.

THE GOOD FORK 391 Van Brunt St., (718) 643-6636.

HOME/MADE 293 Van Brunt St., (347) 223-4135.

HOPE & ANCHOR 347 Van Brunt St., (718) 237-0276.

IKEA One Beard St., (718) 246-4532.

JOHN & FRANKS, 367 Columbia Street, (718) 797-4467 KEVIN’S 277 Van Brunt St., (718) 5968335.

MARK’S PIZZA 326 Van Brunt St., (718) 624-0690.

NEW LIN’S GARDEN RESTAURANT 590 Clinton Street, (718) 399-1166 RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND 284 Van Brunt St., (646) 326-7650.

ROCKY SULLIVAN’S 34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050.

STEVE’S AUTHENTIC KEY LIME PIE, 204 Van Dyke St, (718) 852-6018 SUNNY’S BAR IN RED HOOK, 253 Conover Street, (718) 625-8211

Columbia Waterfront District

ALMA 187 Columbia St., (718) 643-5400.

BAGEL BOY CAFE 75 Hamilton Avenext to Chase, (718) 855-0500.

CALEXICO CARNE ASADA Union St., (718) 488-8226.

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CASA DI CAMPAGNA 117 Columbia Street (718) 237-4300.

CASELNOVA 214 Columbia St., (718) 522-7500.

FERNANDO’S FOCACCERIA RESTAURANT 151 Union St., (718)855-1545.

HOUSE OF PIZZA & CALZONES 132 Union St., (718) 624-9107.

JAKE’S BAR-B-QUE RESTAURANT 189 Columbia St., (718) 522-4531.

KOTOBUKI BISTRO 192 Columbia St., (718) 246-7980.

LILLA CAFE 126 Union St., (718) 8555700.

MAZZAT 208 Columbia St., (718) 8521652.

PETITE CREVETTE 144 Union St., (718) 855-2632.

SOUL SPOT 302 Atlantic Ave 718 5969933

TEEDA THAI CUISINE 218 Columbia St., (718) 643-2737.

SAVOIA, 277 Smith Street, 718-797-2727

Carroll Gardens/ Cobble Hill

ABILENE, 442 Court Street, 718-5226900, ANGRY WADES, 222 Smith Street, (718) 488-7253 BACCHUS, 409 Atlantic, (718) 852-1572 BAR BRUNO, 520 Henry St., 347-7630850, BAGELS BY THE PARK, 323 Smith Street, (718) 246-1321 BAR GREAT HARRY, 280 Smith Street (718) 222-1103 BOMBAY DREAM, 257 Smith Street (718) 237-6490 BOURGEOIS PIG, 387 Court Street, (718) 858-5483 BROOKLYN BREAD CAFE, 436 Court Street (718) 403-0234 BUDDY’S BURRITO & TACO BAR, 260 Court Street, 718-488-8695, BUTTERMILK CHANNEL, 524 Court Street (718) 852-8490 CASA ROSA, 384 Court Street, 718-7971907 CHESTNUT, 271 Smith St., (718) 2430049 COBBLE GRILL, 212 Degraw Street, (718) 422-0099

Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue

COBBLE HILL COFFEE SHOP, 314 Court Street, (718) 852-1162 CODY’S ALE HOUSE GRILL, 154 Court Street, 718-852,6115 COURT STREET GROCERS, 485 Court Street, (718) 722-7229 CRAVE, 570 Henry Street, (718) 643-0361 CUBANA CAFE, 272 Smith Street (718) 718-858-3980 DOWNTOWN BAR & GRILL, 160 Court street, 718-625-2835 DUBUQUE, 548 Court Street, (718) 5963248 EM THAI KITCHEN, 278 Smith Street, (718) 834-0511 ENOTICA ON COURT, 347 Court Street, (718) 243-1000 F LINE BAGELS, 476 Smith Street (718) 422-0001 FIVE GUYS, 266 Court St., 347-799-2902 FRAGOLE, 394 Court Street, (718) 6227133 FRANCESCO’S RESTAURANT, 531 Henry Street, (718) 834-0863 FRANK’S LUNCHEONETTE, 365 Smith Street, (718) 875-5449 GHANG, 229 Court Street, 718-875-1369 GOWANUS YACHT CLUB, 323 Smith Street, (718) 246-132,Closed til spring HANA CAFE, 235 Smith Street, (718) 643-1963 LE PETITE CAFE, 502 Court street, 718596-7060 LING LING YOUNG, 508 Henry Street, (718) 260-9095 MARCO POLO RISTORANTE, 345 Court Street, 718 852-5015 MAMA MARIA’S RESTAURANT, 307 Court Street, (718) 246-2601 MEZCALS Restaurant, 522 Court Street, 718-783-3276 NATURES GRILL, 138 Court street, 718852,5100, NINE-D, 462 Court Street, 718-488-8998, OAXACA TACOS, 251 Smith Street (718) 222-1122 OSACA RESTAURANT, 272 Court Street (718) 643-0055 P J HANLEYS, 449 Court St, 718- 843-8223 PALO CORTADO, 520 Court St, 718407-0047 PRIME MEATS, 465 Court Street, 718254-0327 or 0345, PALMYRA, 316 Court street, 718-7971110 RED ROSE RESTAURANT, 315 Smith Street, (718) 625-0963 SALS PIZZA, 305 Court Street, (718) 852-6890 SAM’S RESTAURANT, 238 Court Street, 718-596-3458

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SEERSUCKER RESTAURANT, 329 Smith Street, (718) 422-0444 SMITH & VINE, 268 Smith Street (718) 243-2864 SOUTH BROOKLYN PIZZA, 451 Court Street, 718 852-6018 STINKY BROOKLYN, 261 Smith Street, 718 522-7425 SWEET MELISSA, 276 Court Street, (718) 855-3410 TRIPOLI, 156 Atlantic Ave, 718 596-5800 VINNY’S OF CARROLL GARDENS, 295 Smith Street, 718 875-5600 VINNY’S PIZZERIA, 455 Court Street, 718 596-9342 VINO Y TAPAS, 520 Court Street, 718407-0047 ZAYTOONS, 283 Smith Street, 718 875-1880

Gowanus MICHAEL AND PINGS, 437 Third Avenue, (718) 788-0017 COTTA BENE PIZZA, 291 3rd Ave, 718 722-7200 LITTLENECKS, 288 3rd Ave., (718) 522-1921 CANAL BAR, 270 3rd Ave, (718) 2460011

Through November 1, 2012

Food: D

ie Koelner Bier Halle is an odd Germanic collage. Its officially a typical German beer hall in the style of Cologne, the ancient industrial city on the Rhine. But here on an otherwise quiet side street on the western fringes of Park Slope, it’s really a mash up of old and new, German and American, authentic and fake. But really it is a place to drink lots of beer and revel in the novelty of huge mugs and European trompe l’oeil.

I missed the official Oktoberfest celebrations that Die Koelner had. For the uninitiated, Oktoberfest is largely an event that happens in late September, much in the same way that what most people think of as “the sixties” actually happened in the seventies. A video from their Oktoberfest party posted on the restaurant’s website shows lederhosen-clad workers pouring beer from kegs into souvenir bier steins as fast as it would flow for a mostly young nouveauBrooklyn crowd, many of whom were otherwise occupied with their iPhones and fantasy football teams.

My visit was after this, on a much more ordinary weekend when the crowds were smaller and less “frat-house.” The room felt a bit more like a generic daytime drinking sports bar than a destination for typical German gemutlichkeit.

The room has a massively high ceiling.

On a warm day, the stable doors in front are swung wide open giving the room an airy quality. The unfinished industrial design makes it all feel like you’re hanging out in an airplane hanger or a giant mechanic’s garage. Instead of Pennzoil signs on the walls, there are German flags and beer adverts. Inside all of this, a little wooden Potemkin village is complete with picnic tables and a hut that houses the bathrooms. It’s like the Smurf Village down below, and some kind of Philip K. Dick dystopian brutal wasteland above, complete with

Key to beer hall is the bier

by Erik Penney

European industrial techno music and a room-dominating projection TV screen set 30 feet above it all.

This is Park Slope. So on the afternoon I went, I should not have been surprised to see that a kiddie birthday party had taken over several tables in the front. The floors and tables were littered with crayons and cupcakes. A tangled traffic-jam of strollers blocked a portion of the exit.

Beer is the key

All of this incongruity must be easier to deal with after a beer and serious credit must be given to Die Koelner for their beer menu. What they did not try to do is put a list of usual American draft suspects up there with a couple of the German mega-brews that everyone knows.

That surely would have been too much fakery and might have ended this review before it even got started. What they did instead is curate an unusual, highly authentic and regional list of Rhineland beers, most of which I had never even heard of. According to the website, many are simply not available outside Germany. This forces the waitresses and bartenders to recommend beers that “taste like Stella” or are “kinda like Hoegaarden,” but in reality do a lot for the bar’s bier-hall cred.

I had the Maisel’s Weissbier first. This is a lighter, fruity, Bavarian-style wheat beer. The first sip from the tall, slender, beautiful glass instantly brought back memories of the summer in college I spent in a small southern German town called Rosenheim, where beer like this cost a couple Deutschemarks and was served in every pub, restaurant and café.

It is so regionally perfect, so emblematic of a people and a period in my life that I remember so fondly. It was perfumy, fruity and delicious. If only they would turn the volume down on the Rammstein that was blasting through the speakers I would really be enjoying myself.

The group at the table behind me had

one of those giant boots filled with beer in front of them. They were passing it among themselves as if it were some kind of fraternity chug-off. I asked my waitress about this and she said that for $34 you can get a boot like that filled with 3 liters of beer. We agreed that this was more novelty than anything else, as the last pint or so inevitably becomes a warm slurry of beery backwash. Real echte Germans drink beer from one liter mass sized mugs, which for Germans anyway, seems to be the perfect size to finish while the contents are still cold and fresh.

Pretty much bar food

The menu at Die Koelner consists mostly of what I would call German bar food.

It’s cheap and most of it is at least decent. But my suggestion is not to go to Die Koelner as a foodie dinner destination. This is stomach-lining food heavy on fat and salt, designed to fortify someone enough to drink more beer. I had a currywurst, as common in Berlin as the dirty-water dawg is here in New York, a delicious, perfectly grilled bratwurst on an unfortunately stale roll served with a side of curry mustard and sauerkraut. All the food comes on paper plates and trays, which clearly seems to be the result of a trade-off between elegant service and the boot-sized beers they serve (boot wins.)

The spaetzle with speck, (speck is a kind of German cured ham similar to pancetta), was rather indifferent and even dry.

These taste best when they are used as a canvas for sopping meat gravy or at the very least when they come tossed with lots of butter. Mine seemed right from the boil with a handful of chunks of ham tossed in, served in a paper French fry boat. Sad. I love spaetzle, but this was a failure.

The bauernwurst is a smoked sausage, similar in style to a Kielbasa. Like the bratwurst I had there this was terrific, but again, slung at you on a paper plate with a plastic shot glass of mustard. The

food doesn’t get much more ambitious than this. There is no sauerbraten, no schnitzel to be found, nor even the grand-daddy of them all, the magnificent SchweineHax’e - the regal, crackling pork shank of Bavaria.

The emphasis here is on the beer. For that, Die Koelner hits a home run. If you like German beer, this is one of the best places that I am aware of to sample an interesting list of names that aren’t found elsewhere. The food is passable, but the food is not the point. The sheer size of the room seems to suggest that coming with a large group is advisable.

So if what you’re after is an interesting list of regional German beers served in giant mugs, this is the place. This is not the German “Per Se.” The German version of Thomas Keller is not working on your 11-course tasting menu in the kitchen. This is more like the German ESPN Zone but with better beer. For a brisk fall day it makes for a good place to spend a few hours.

Die Koelner Bier Halle, 84 St. Marks Place (between 4th and 5th Avenue) www.thekbh.com Recommendations: warm pretzel; stick to the sausages, served either on a roll or as a platter with fries; work your way through their list of beers with the help of your server

Hours: Noon to 10:30 pm Tues.to Thurs.Noon to 11pm Friday.4pm to 11pm Saturday & 4pm to 10:30pm Sunday.

Red Hook Star-Revue

www.RedHookStar.com

Through November 1, 2012 Page 17

Art & Community Calendar If you have an event you would like listed in the Red Hook Star-Revue calendar, please email redhookstarcalendar@ gmail.com.

CHILDREN

Bethel Baptist Day Care Center 242 Hoyt St. (718) 834-9292 ACD funded Early Childhood Education Programs, Family Services, and Day Care Services for the Gowanus Community. Call for more info.

Kentler International Drawing Space—353 Van Brunt St. (718) 8752098, kentlergallery.org FREE Weekend Art Workshops for Families. Ages 4 & up.

Every 1st & 3rd Sat. Noon-1:30pm register in advance: sallie@kentlergallery.org Who’s On First? 46 1st Place, Clinton/ Henry (718) 243-1432 whosonfirstkids. com A nurturing and supportive environment focusing on self esteem, problem solving, socialization, conflict resolution and free expression through art, music and creative movement. For children “from birth to 7 yrs.

CHURCH/ SYNAGOGUE

Kane St. Synagogue 236 Kane St. (718) 875-1530 kanestreet.org Torah Study every 2nd Shabbat of the Month 11am-Noon. Every Fri. &/or Tues.

St. Stephen’s R.C. 108 Carroll St. (718) 596-7750 delvecchiorc.com & brooklyncatholic.blogspot.com Every Wed. 6:30pm Choir rehearsal, if interested contact jlake@delvechiorc.com or evelyntroester@gmx.net Visitation of Our Blessed Virgin Mary R.C. 98 Richards @Verona (718) 6241572 Every Thurs. 6pm Choir Practice w/ Emiliana In-Home Blessings and Masses, by appointment. Languages available: English, Spanish, Italian, German. Contact: Lori Burkhard at (917) 971-5522.

CLASSES/ WORKSHOPS

Brooklyn Collective Gallery 212 Columbia St. (Union/Sackett) (718) 5966231 brooklyncollective.com. Gallery Hours: Thur.- Sun. 11am-8pm, Over 40 Artists on Exhibit through October.

Carroll Gardens Association 201 Columbia St. Sackett/Degraw (718) 2439301 carrollgardensassociation.com Wed. 10/24 6-7:30pm Job Readiness Workshop. Free. Through 10/31 Shop & Dine Columbia Waterfront Art Contest.

The Gowanus Studio Space 166 7th Street (347) 948-5753 www.gowanusstudio.org Sat. 10/20 Noon-4:30pm Relief Textile Printing w/Julia Samuels $40 members, $95 non-members.

Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center 540 President St., 3rd/4th Ave. (347) 422-0337 ger-nis.com Sun. 10/28 11am-2pm Brunch w/the In-laws $50 Mon 10/29 6:30-9pm Advanced Herbal Soup Stocks $50.

The Intercourse 159 Pioneer St. (718) 596-3000 theintercourse.org Wed. 10/3, 10/10 7-9pm From Tesla to the Transistor: An Intro to Electronic Circuits $75 + $30 materials fee. Sat. 10/27 11am-1pm Kimchee 101 $40. Sun. 10/28 Noon3pm Variety Meats: Cooking the Odd Cuts $75.

Jalopy Theatre and School of Music 315 Columbia St. (718) 395-3214, jalopy. biz Sun. 10/21, 10/28 $10 one class, $15 both. Pre Registration Required. 1pm 2 week Sugar Skull Wrkshp for Kids 3pm Guitar According to Steve James $35.

3pm 2week Sugar Skull Wrkshop for Adults, same.

Red Hook Boaters info@redhookboaters.org. Summer Kayaking Program.

Every Sun. 9/2-11/1 1-6pm @ Valentino Pier/Park Everything you need will be provided. Dress To Get Wet! FREE!

Galleries

440 Gallery 440 6th Ave. (Park Slope) (718) 499-3844 440gallery.com Gallery Hrs. Thu., Fri. 4-7pm, Sat. 11am-7pm, or by appointment. 10/18-11/24 Richard Eagan-Art of the Coney Island Hysterical Society.

Brooklyn Collective Gallery 212 Columbia St. (Union/Sackett) (718) 5966231 brooklyncollective.com Gallery hrs.

Thur. - Sun 1pm-8pm through 10/31 New

Page 18 Red Hook Star-Revue

Collections of Local Artists FREE. The Invisible Dog 51 Bergen St. (347) 560-3641 theinvisibledog.org Through Sat. 11/3 Shaboyden by Steven & Will.

Ladd: Sculpture. Fri. 10/19, Sat 10/20 Walls & Bridges: Perfromance. Fri. 10/1`9-21 I contain Multitudes: Perfromance, Frui 10/19 6:30pm Pre mix: A mixologist Shares His Perfect Pours w/ Eben Freeman. 7:30pm I contain Multitudes FREE resevations required. Sat. 10/20 7:30pm France-America Match: From Stereotype to Reality.Free, resevations required. 10pm Nola Cherie Free, resevation required.

Look North Inuit Art Gallery—275 Conover St. Suite 4E, (347) 721-3995, looknorthny.com Polar Light: Greenland.

The Greenland photography of Rena Bass Forman and the Greenland drawings of Zaria Forman. A climate change awareness exhibition held in conjunction with Al Gore’s “The Climate Project”.

Sunny’s Bar Backroom 253 Conover St. (Beard/Reed St.) (718) 625-8211 sunnysredhook.com & Sunny’s Bar on facebook. Open Wed, Fri, and Sat 8pm-4am.

MUSEUMS

Micro Museum 123 Smith St., Pacific/ Dean (718) 797-3116 micromuseum. com Through 12/20/13 Every Sat. 127pm Above & Beyond: A 3yr. retrospective of the art of William & Kathleen Laziza $2 donation. Every Sat. through 3/2/13 12-7pm Lucky 7’s, 8’s, 9’s $2 donation. Say “I like Red Hook Star Revue” and get a free gift bag!

The Waterfront Museum Lehigh Valley Barge No.79, 290 Conover Street. (718) 624-4719 ext. 11 www.waterfrontmuseum.org. Free boat tours & open hours all through the year. Thursdays 4 - 8 pm and Saturdays 1 - 5 pm. Juggling For Fun Wkshp. Call (718) 624-4719 x.11 David Sharps.Through 10/27Life on the Water: Oil paintings by Odd Andersen.

MUSIC

Bait & Tackle 320 Van Brunt Street (718) 451-4665 redhookbaitandtackle. com No Cover. Unless otherwise noted, everything starts @ 9pm. Fri. 10/19 John Caban’s Galvanizer. Sat. 10/20 9pm Edmund II. Sun 10/21 Muse & Eye. Fri. 10/26 Trevor McSpadden. Sat. 10/27 Sullied Accolades.

Hope & Anchor 347 Van Brunt St.(718) 237-0276. Every Wed. 7pm, Jazz Jam w/The H & A House Band! Every Thurs. through Sat. from 9pm-1am Karaoke.

The Star Theater Electric Jam 101 Union St., (Columbia / Van Brunt )Every Thur. Night 8pm Hard rock, Jazz, Blues.

Full Back Line. Refreshments provided.

Donations accepted.

Sunny’s Bar 253 Conover St. (Beard/ Reed St.) (718) 625-8211 sunnysredhook.com & Sunny’s Bar on Facebook.

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, live local roots music. Every Sat. 10pm Bluegrass/Folk Country Jam. Union Hall 702 Union Street @5th Ave (718) 638-4400 unionhallny.com Every Sun. 7:30pm Pretty Good Friends. Comedy host by Eugene Mirman $7. Every Fri. Midnight Karaoke Killed The Cat FREE. Every Sat. 11pm CRAZY $INCE DA 90$ FREE.

The

TASTINGS

Botanica—220 Conover St (@ Coffey St) 347-225-0147. New cocktails, specialty liquors & Exotic Chocolates featuring Cacao Prieto Chocolate. Sat-Sun: Afternoon cocktails. Now Open!!

Dry Dock Wine & Spirits 424 Van Brunt St. (718) 852-3625 drydockny.com ALL TASTINGS ARE FREE! fRI. 1019 5:308:30pm Hendricks Gin. Sat. 10/20 4-7pm All Hail The Red White & Green. Sun 10/21 3-6pm Hooker’s Choice. Fri. 10/26 5:30-8:30pm Haus Alpenz: Importer’s Pre-view. Sat. 10/27 4-7pm PM Spirits.

Sun. 10/28 Hooker’s Choice MikNik Lounge 200 Columbia St. (917) 770-1984 ‘Rebel! Rebel!’ (Gay Night) every First & Third Thurs. 9pm - 2am Cheap Beer, $6 well drinks, friendly crowd.

WALKING TOURS

61 Local 61 Bergen St. (Boerum / Smith ) (347) 763-6624 61local.com A Tour grows in Brooklyn 1212 64th St.(212) 209-3370 brooklynwalkingtour.com A historical walking tour of Brownstone Brooklyn featuring the childhood home of Al Capone, the history of the Williamsburg Bank, and the Revolutionary War battle site The Old Stone House. Real Brooklyn Pizza Lunch included. Daily 10am-1pm, $40 Urban Oyster (347) 618-TOUR (8687) urbanoyster.com Every Sat.Noon-3:30, Brewed in Brooklyn Tour (Williamsburg) $60 Adv. sales only. Every Sat. Brewing, Bottling, & bootlegging in historic Williamsburg. Samples, pizza and fresh lager lunch included. $65, adv. sales only.

Every Sat. & Sun Navy Yard Full Tour 2:30-4:30pm.$30, adv sales only.

Red Hook StarªRevue

Dear Readers, The Red Hook Star-Revue is your newspaper.

Our mission is to provide Red Hook and its adjacent communities with the news that is needed for a community to understand the world immediately around us. An informed populace can’t be fooled.

Our pages are open to you. We invite and encourage letters, opinions, suggestions and even rotten tomatoes.

You can reach us easily enough by email, phone and snail mail.

Email: editor@redhookstar.com Phone: (718) 624-5568 Mail: Red Hook Star-Revue, 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 We work through the nights often to find as many events to list in our calendars as possible. You can help us be letting us know of your event. Calendar listings are a free public service.

Issue Project Room 110 Livingston St. (718) 451-4665 issueproject room.org Sat. 10\20 6pm Raha Raissnia & Aki Onda @ The Emily Harvey Foundation , 537 B’way, 2nd fl. Fri 10/26 8pm MATA Interval: Owen Weaver @ ACtors Fund, 160 Schemerhorn St. Sat 10/27 3pm Lubomyr Melnyk @ First Unitarian Congregational Society, 116 Pierrepont St. Wed 10/31 6:30pm Sergei Tcherepnin: Massage Performance

Our pages are also for sale. We accept display and classified advertising. We offer tremendous value. We circulate 16,000 issues a month, and our papers are eagerly snatched up. Just ask the driver who delivers the papers to over 100 locations, (he is also the co-publisher.) You may want to buy a box ad for your store, a display classified for your service, or a line classified to advertise a job opening or flea market.

Jalopy Theatre & School of Music 315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214 jalopy. biz. Every Wed. 9pm Roots & Ruckus w/Feral Foster FREE. Sat. 9pm Matt Munisteri. J/ Walker Hawkes $10. SUn, 10/21 8 & 9pm Steve James $10 each show. Thu 10/25 9pm Paper Swan Presents: $5. Fri. 10/26 8pm Old Timey, The Living Tradition $10. Sat 10/27 9pm Zombie Cash, Dirty Rat Bastard Revue $10. Sun 10/28 2:30pm Rolie Polie Guacamole: KIDS HALLOWEEN SHOW & COSTUME PARTY $10 single, $35 family. 8pm Blue Plate Special, The Birdhive Boys $10. HALLOWEEN NIGHT ROOTS & RUCKUS - FREE.Karaoke w/ Amethyst and the beautiful Andy at the bar. every Fri. & Sat. 10pm. Every Wed. after. 8pm - Midnight. The raucous musical concoctions of The Red Hook Irregulars. All Acoustic. Guest Players invited.

Publishing the Red Hook Star-Revue is a labor of love. We know that an informed citizenry is the first defense against prejudice, injustice and fighting vested interests. We sincerely appreciate your loyalty in reading our paper and pledge to do the best we can for many years to come. Without readers we are talking to ourselves.

Sincerely, George Fiala & Kimberly Gail Price co-publishers

Rocky Sullivan’s—34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. No Cover Every Mon, Tues, Wed 8pm Live Irish Music Every Last Wed 8pm Readings By Authors.Every. Thurs. 9pm Rocky’s World Famous Pub Quiz. Every Mon The Star Theater Acoustic Jam & Hootenanny 101 Union St. ( Columbia / Van Brunt) (718) 624-5568 Every Monday Night 8pm. C&W to Jazz (with a healthy dose of Blues in the middle). Bring your Axe & Your Favorite Beverage!

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Through November 1, 2012

Here’s My Card

Introducing Business Card Classifieds. Your card categorized as below. The Star-Revue is read by over 10,000 individuals in zip code 11231 every two weeks, as it is the leading source of community news. We offer highly affordable rates - contact Sara Saldutti at 718.624.5568 or Sara@redhookstar.com to get your card in our next issue.

Your Cost: 2 months $400; 4 months $750; 6 months $1000; one year $1750.

Take an extra 5% off if paid all in advance. We take all charge cards.

MOVERS

FOR SALE “Large oil painting A contemporary work of approximately 6 by 8 feet.It is painted in a loose expressionistic style.The image is of a seahorse” with other images of sea life around it. The artist used complementary colors of blue and red.The painting is livey, colorful and joyful. $1,000.00 or best offer.

Vall Sr. Rosanna at Visitation Church 718 624-1572

CAR SERVICE

LEASING

Put Your Ad Right Here by Calling Sara at

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FRAMING

Star-Revue Classifieds HELP WANTED Freelance Writers: The Red Hook Star-Revue is looking for freelance writers for both the arts and news sections.We want to buttress our news as well as local theater and arts coverage.Email Kimberly @ redhookstar.com Outside Salesperson: The Red Hook Star-Revue seeks an ambitious person who likes to walk, talk and make friends in the neighborhood to sell display advertising.Commission to start - work around your hours, no pressure.Call 718 624-5568 and speak to Kimberly or George.

Hair Dresser with Following.Licensed hairdresser needed for huge opportunity in very modern and elegant Van Brunt Street Salon.Opposite PS 15.Call Nayda at 718 935-0596 for more details.

Day or afternoon grill man new diner on Columbia Street seeks a grill man with diner experience.Please call 718 855-1400.Columbia Street Diner.

Movers

COOL HAND MOVERS Friendly local guys that can relocate your life, or just shlep your new couch from Ikea.We’ll show up on time, in a truck or van if necessary, and basically kick ass -- you might even have a good time! Call for a free estimate at (917) 584-0334 or email at coolhandmovers@gmail.com Customer reviews on YELP.COM

Space Available

Warehousing and office space available in Brooklyn, Sunset park area, anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000 sq.ft @ $8.00 per sq.foot.Please call Frank Monday through Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm at 718260-9440 or 718-797-4000.

No job too big or too small

Toilets, Boilers, Heating, Faucets, Hot Water Heaters, Pool Heaters.

B & D HEATING 507 Court Street 718 625-1396

The Red Hook Star-Revue publishes twice a month - classified advertising is one of the best and least expensive ways to get your message across.Special yearly contracts available for service businesses such as plumbers, electricians for as little as $500 annually.Email Sara@redhookstar.com or call (718) 624-5568

BUILDING CORP.

Serving Red Hook for over 25 years

Specializing in Construction and Historic Preservation • New construction • Renovations, additions and extensions • Masonry specialist • Concrete floors/radiant heated • Concrete/bluestone sidewalk repair • Flue linings, chimneys and fireplaces • Demolition and waste removal • Violation removals • Landmark Preservation contractor

Jim & Debbie Buscarello PHONE: (718) 852-5364 Fax: (347) 935-1263 www.jabusbuildingcorp.com jabusbuildingcorp@gmail.com HIC License #0883902 Trade Waste License #1135

Licensed Electrical Contractors Commercial • Residential • Industrial Free Estimates

Violations Removed All Types of Wiring Emergency Service EMERGENCY SERVICE 137 King Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Fax: (718) 935-0887

Vito Liotine (718) 625-1995 (718) 625-0867 aliotine@aol.com

101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 advertising@redhookstar.com Red Hook Star-Revue

JABUS

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718 624-5568 www.RedHookStar.com Through November 1, 2012 Page 19

Red Hook StarªRevue Clipper City’s last sail of the season story and photos by Kimberly Gail Price

O

n Thursday October 18th, the Clipper City sailed her last voyage of the season around the New York Harbor. At 5:30 pm, the topsail schooner made one final departure from Red Hook’s Pier 12. She sailed out of the Atlantic Basin into lightly choppy waters while more than 40 passengers gaffed at the beautiful skyline and sights around Red Hook, Governor’s Island, lower Manhattan and Staten Island.

The Clipper City measures 158 feet long and 120 feet tall and can comfortably sail up to 150 passengers - more than any other in the United States. The tall ship is the newest and biggest addition to Manhattan by Sail’s addition. She also boasts ample seating, a full bar and a raised quarter back deck for passengers to view the harbor.

The ship was originally built in 1854 in Manitowac, Wisconsin. the city quickly became known as “Clipper City” for its growing reputation in ship building. The schooner was decommissioned in 1890.

Using plans purchased from the Smithsonian Institute, naval architects, DeJong & Lebet rebuilt her in 1984. Clipper City operated for 20 years as a charter vessel out of Baltimore, Maryland. After falling into disrepair, Manhattan by Sail gave her an extensive overhaul. From late April until mid October, she sails daily from Pier 17 on the South Street Seaport.

VERONA STICKBALL TEAM GOES UNDEFEATED

the plans for Clipper City are still on display at the Smithsonian. A replica crosssection is also on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.

by Sal Meglio

This photo was taken about 80 years ago. It shows the Verona Street stickball team. At the time there were only two teams playing stickball in the Erie Basin League of Red Hook. The other team was called the Sewing Circles.

[The Sewing Circles] consisted of much older players than the Verona’s. They were much older, 19-20 year olds. A few of them were holding down jobs; some were in college.

We played against each other, weather permitting, every Sunday on our turf - Verona Street between Imlay and Van Brunt.

Occasionally play was stopped to allow the Hamilton Avenue trolley [to] pass along Van Brunt Street. At that time the trolley and one car parked on Verona Street. [It] was the only traffic holding up the game. (The car was owned by someone in the bar on the corner -named Otto’s Bar - and he would generously move it so we could play.)

The people living in the area attended and enjoying watching.

To us, the Verona’s, it was more of a game - it was a must win game.

The game was played for the 5 cents a man going to the winning team. We won every game.

The picture shows the team as it was in 1932.

Bottom left to right - Abraham Galate - AKA Beno; James Bradley - AKA Chick; Dominick Meglio - AKA Domo; Albert Chechilo - AKA Abe and Knobby At the Rear - Harry McCloud - our visiting home run hitter; Nicholas Natale - our best outfielder; James LaTerra - AKA Jimmy the Greek; Anthony Celefacto - AKA Geal; Carmine Christiano - AKA Carmine One other player not shown in the picture because he joined the team later was Mathew Serrapica, AKA Sarkey

The crew

Raising the sails

We set sail under clouded skies. As the evening progressed, voyagers watched the sun sink behind the cloudy horizon as the surrounding skylines came to life with light. Bartenders poured drinks generously.

The crew commandeered us safely to new sights. From pier to sea and back to terra firma, pride lit their eyes. though there is much work to be done aboard the ship in the coming winter months, one could see just how much they will miss the wind in the City Clipper’s sails.

The view

Bartender, Tim

Extra tidbit: Dominick Meglio AKA Domo, was the first from Erie Basin to hit the Lotto. The Selective Service Lotto enacted prior to World War II. He was drafted in January of 1941 to serve one year, and was discharged on my birthday, 11-14-18, in 1945.

He served [for] almost five years.

The passengers await their sail

101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 advertising@redhookstar.com Page 20 Red Hook Star-Revue

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The aftermath (Fiala photo)

718 624-5568 www.RedHookStar.com Through November 1, 2012