Ah, what to do, what to do…the weekend's coming. Let's see, Park(ing) Day on Friday, Move About Myrtle on Sunday (check out many more merchant activities there!). Here are additional specials to add to the calendar: today thru Sunday.

Gnarly Vines. You'll catch Gnarly Vines on Park(ing) Day, but they've got some other things brewing too, always, actually. Sake tasting on Friday from 6p-9p: Hoyo, Genji 'Shining Prince' Tokubetsu Junmai Sake, Hoyo, Kura no Hana 'Fair Maiden' Junmai Daiginjo Sake and Miyasaka Yamahai 50 Nama 'Last Ride Home' Specialty Sake. Featured sakes are 15% off during the tasting. Ongoing sales: 15% Off all Kosher Wines, now thru Sept. 18th. Also, 20% off all still roses. 718.797.3183

Jive Turkey opens the “Turkey Yard,” (that's what they call their backyard space) in order to cook up and serve up authentic jerk chicken, fresh off the grill. This offer is good EVERY Sunday in September. Yummmmmm. 718.797.1688

Karen's Body Beautiful Have you had a chance to check out the new spa at Karen's yet? If not, uhhhhh…pourquoi? Well, here's a lovely special just for you: 50% off waxing with a pedi on Sundays. Are you thinking what we're thinking???? Yep, thought so–see you there! 718.797.4808

Karrot Health Food: the beer is in at Karrot. Remember? Karrot now carries high-end imported craft beer, such as La Fin Du Monde, Triple Karmeliet and the Hulk, a natural-ingredient brew. Code phrase for a 20% discount on $30 worth of groceries (which has to include beer) this Saturday, 9/18 between 3p and closing. Look Radhames right in the eye and ask him: “when is the medicinal marijuana coming in?” Go ahead, you can say it–just think, '20% discount.' 718.522.9753

Root Stock & Quade: Teeny Tiny Worlds Hand Made at Root Stock & Quade! DIY workshop today, September 16th, 6p-8p. Create beautiful scenes within apothecary jars, using mosses, tiny plants and/or other wonderful elements. Only $50 for materials to make your own world. You like the sound of that, don't you? Your own world. Root Stock & Quade, 471 myrtle avenue, 718.832.1888. Call or stop by the shop to reserve your spot OR order the class online via www.rootstockquade.com 718.230.8081

The Case of the Curious Pedestrian, brought to you by our own curator-in-residence, Christina Vassallo, comes to Move About Myrtle this weekend! This is a one-day exhibition of performance art and ephemeral installations that focuses on choreography of pedestrians, the nooks & crannies of commercial spaces, and the unspoken history of sidewalks. These playful gestures will turn Myrtle Avenue into a cabinet of curiosities! We know you're “curious” to learn more, so here's what you can expect/search for/uncover/happen upon this Sunday:

Artworks
– Ranjit Bhatnagars City Birds is comprised of three sound sculptures made of vintage toy instruments that were modifed to chirp the calls of local song birds (@ Mr. Coco, Green in BKLYN, and Clinton Express Deli).

– Part scavenger hunt and part interactive detective story, Veronica Doughertys The Story of Johnny X shows participants how someone can disappear in a city. Briefings are conducted at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30pm, on the corner of Hall & Myrtle, where participants will receive a series of clues to solve the mystery of what happened to Johnny X.

– Angela Fans Happy Benhadi Costume Party is a whimsical addition to a common city street scene: fresh fruits and vegetables for sale on the sidewalk (@Benhadi Supermarket).

– Jonny Farrows video Pizza is Art celebrates the longstanding tradition of the Brooklyn pizzeria. Shot in the artists local pizza parlor, the footage was looped, reversed, processed, and folded back on itself, much like the process of kneading dough (@Liberty Pizza).

– Kathryne Halls sculpture Aberrant Drain transforms the view at Clinton & Myrtle, twisting the horizon into urban mirage. Sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council.

– Join licensed tour guide and 4th generation Myrtle Avenue resident Jonah Levy on his Moitel Avenue Tour to discover the vast hidden history of the Myrtle Ave you might not know. FREE 30-minute tours are conducted at 1, 2, 3 & 4 pm, and start at the corner of Hall & Myrtle on a first-come, first-served basis.

– Each element in Lili Maya & James Rouvelles Surface-active agent will subtly react to the heat, light, humidity, and vibrations caused by the patrons and employees of 3 Stars Laundromat.

– Playlab scoured Craigslists free listings to build a pedestrian lounge in the street. They archived each piece of furniture in their Craigshouse installation online here. Visitors to the exhibition are welcome to take home a piece of furniture if they agree to submit a photo of the item in its new home (@Home and U).

– Risa Punos Look Here stereograms contain 3-D images hidden within 2-D patterns. Installed on storefronts along Myrtle Ave, each layer offers an opportunity for viewers to stop and stare (@Myrtle Glass, Karrot and Bechamel).

– Hunt for dollar bills in Sal Randolphs $1 Near Something Red. Look for red bicycles, fire boxes, fences, t-shirts, even apples, and you may discover a specially rolled dollar with a printed message enclosed. Try attracting dollars to you by putting out something red, or take the opportunity to leave some of your own money for others to find.

Sounds like fun, right? Pick up a map at the MARP table this Sunday, or download one here
photo: Sal Randolph, “$1 Near Something Red”

Farming Concrete is a volunteer, citizen science project to measure how much food is grown in New York Citys community gardens. Using the mapping tools provided by Farming Concrete one of our FRESH Teens in the Myrtle Eats Fresh program will label what is growing in each food plot and measure the plot dimensions in order to gauge the gardeners food production.

The project aims to, “enhance the perceived value and legitimacy of community gardens as a public land use in New York City and give the gardens a defined place in the fabric of the urban food system”. Furthermore, the project has the potential to “open the gate to making connections between surplus food production and local soup kitchens, food pantries, or schools, bringing more fresh food options into NYC communities!

We are honored to be a part of this initiative. To get your community garden on the map visit: farmingconcrete.com.

Here's to being healthy! If you've been thinking about a healthier lifestyle, Move About Myrtle can get you jump-started! If you're already on the healthy tip, then you'll love what we have store for this Sunday. Check it out!

Veggiecate yourself!

Lisa Suriano, founder and creator of the Veggiecation Program, will conduct a cooking demonstration targeting elementary school age kids, and on the menu is Teriyaki Snap Peas and Carrots – yum! Kids will be invited to sample Veggiecation's culinary creation and cast a vote on how they liked the recipe in the Veggiecation Ballot Boxes. Empowering children to express their opinion is an integral part of the Veggiecation philosophy and method. Veggiecation Character Coloring Pages and crayons will be given out to all participants, and parents will be able to pick up a copy of Veggiecation's Top Five Tips to Grow the Love of Vegetables At Home. Fun stuff for the whole family! (1pm-4pm between Vanderbilt and Clinton)

Community Chef Cooking Demos

Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chef Dumeha will be cooking up tasty recipes that are healthy and affordable for you to sample. Visit her from and learn some new techniques to bring back to your own kitchen! (1pm to 3pm between Vanderbilt and Clinton)

Green in BKLYN makes Move about Myrtle green!

Green in BKLYN brings some green spirit to Move About Myrtle with a fantastic calendar of events! Bring out your old umbrella this Sunday and learn how to make a bag from it  how cool is that? (Drop off your old umbrellas throughout the week if youre just looking to get rid of those broken ones!) Heres the full schedule of events that will take place right outside the store (between Clinton and Waverly):
12-2pm Making Bags from Umbrellas with Catherine Charlot of HIMANE
2-4pm Vokashi Composting
with Vandra Thorburn
4:30-6pm Yolele! Book Signing with chef Pierre Thiam including tasty Somali treats!
TEASER: Next week at Green in BKLYN & e-waste recycling and world-renowned dog artist Tillamook Cheddar!

Shape Up New York

Shape Up New York, a FREE family fitness program offered at parks sites, community centers, housing sites and events around New York City, helps us get fit right here on Myrtle! Fitness classes are open to all ages  no experience necessary, but wear comfortable clothes and a healthy attitude! The program is sponsored jointly by the City's Health and Parks Departments.(2pm-4pm between Clermont and Vanderbilt)

We were thrilled to celebrate our exciting new Food Access Initiative, Myrtle Eats Fresh, with community members, supporters and elected officials this week. Held at the
Myrtle Avenue Farm Stand, which kicked off in July, the event provided an opportunity for project supporters to meet gardeners, community chefs and farm stand staff who have been working with us to make positive changes in the community around access to fresh and affordable produce. Guests included New York Community Trust and Brooklyn Community Foundation, Assemblymen Lentol and Jeffries, as well as representatives from Congressman Towns and Borough Prez Markowitz offices.

The Myrtle Eats Fresh initiative includes a number of projects that engage community members in activities to improve access to healthy, affordable food on Myrtle Avenue, and in the surrounding neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Last fall, MARP received a three-year grant through the Community Experience Partnership (CEP) to support and expand its Food Access Initiative. The CEP, a national initiative, aims to support projects that specifically engage the talents and energy of older adults for the benefit of their communities. In New York City, The Atlantic Philanthropies is partnering with the New York Community Trust and United Neighborhood Houses of New York (UNH) to develop new program models that engage older adults to increase access to healthy food in low-income communities, and MARP is one of three grantees, which also include Isabella Geriatric Center and East New York Farms!.

With the CEP grant, MARP welcomed Kassy Nystrom to our team, formerly of GrowNYC, to manage and expand our food access programs, which started with seed funding from Brooklyn Community Foundation in 2008 with the founding of the Fort Greene CSA, and grew to include the creation of the Ingersoll Garden of Eden in 2009. Myrtle Eats Fresh has expanded that community garden, built in collaboration with Ingersoll residents, and will start new gardens at both Whitman and Farragut in the upcoming seasons. Other Myrtle Eats Fresh projects include the Myrtle Farm Stand, which takes place every Thursday in front of the Ingersoll Community Center (177 Myrtle Avenue) from 3:30pm – 6:30pm fthrough October 28th and is staffed by three youth and two elders from the neighborhood. MARP also launched a Community Chef program, where several residents who have a passion for healthy cooking were trained as certified Community Chefs and now conduct cooking demonstrations at neighborhood events. In fall 2010, MARP will begin the process of forming a neighborhood Healthy Food Task Force, bringing together representatives from interested organizations and other groups to help synergize efforts around improving food access in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

As part of our growing public art program, we happily announce that Myrtle Avenue now has its very own Curator-in-Residence  Christina Vassallo of Random Number ! For the next year, Christina will help to bring temporary public art projects (both sculpture and installation) to Myrtle Avenue. Welcome to Myrtle, Christina!

Christina specializes in projects that engage the public in unique ways, and her first project for Myrtle is a fantastic example of this approach! The Case of the Curious Pedestrian, which coincides with Move About Myrtle on September 19th, is a one-day exhibition that highlights the overlooked details of the commercial corridor. Artists will take to the street with social interactions and artistic interventions, in an effort to reconnect passersby with the things that often go unnoticed. Visitors will find hidden installations all along Myrtle Avenue, and these playful gestures will turn Myrtle Avenue into a cabinet of curiosities. We know you want more  stay tuned for complete details soon! Move About Myrtle takes place on Myrtle between Clermont and Hall every Sunday in September from noon  6pm. Check back for a full event schedule in a few weeks!

Thank you to The Local for coming to the Farm Stand last week! This article helps greatly in the movement towards getting more fresh and affordable food to all!

Fort Greene Park voted one of the top parks for public art viewing by TimeOut Magazine. In an article in the mag last week, 'Five Best Parks for Viewing Public Art', Fort Greene is listed along with City Hall Park and Battery Park City.

The article highlights the current Myrtle Bird Town exhibit, which consists of more than 50 birdhouses made from salvaged materials, created by artists, Jennifer Wong and Daniel Goers.

BirdTown can be viewed at the NW entrance to Fort Greene Park (Myrtle and St. Edwards) as well as the Carlton Triangle (Myrtle and Carlton)now through December. Check out the artists' website for additional information: www.myrtleavenuebirdtown.com.

What a joy to stop by the upright piano located at the Belgian-blocked plaza at Washington Park and Myrtle and catch neighborhood residents stopping in to play a diddy or two. It's all in good fun, so whether you're a trained pianist or not–hey, just hit a key or two as an ode to our fair neighborhood.

Only 6 days left to stop in and play! The piano will be gone by Monday, July 5th.

The pianos are part of Play Me, Im Yours, a public art project created by Sing for Hope. 60 pianos are installed in parks and public places througout NYC, including two in Fort Greene Park–one on Myrtle and Washington Park, the other up the hill at the north oval, just opposite the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.

(pic: Dave Polazzo, Parlor Jazz
who rode by on his bike, stopped and played awhile)

Okay, so some people take years of “indoor” training before making their public debuts. Sing for Hope spins that notion on its head by bringing 60 pianos to parks and public spaces of New York City–TWO of them in Fort Greene Park! One piano is at the Myrtle entrance to the Fort Greene Park (see picture above) and another just up the hill at the north oval, just opposite the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument.

Sing for Hope takes music to the streets with Play Me, Im Yours, a public art project. The piano will be open and available for anyone to sit and play, now thru Monday, July 5th.

Stop by, play!

WALK NYC is a FREE program that encourages New Yorkers of all ages to get fit while enjoying the outdoors. Thirty (30) park locations throughout the city will be staffed with trained walking instructors to lead walks May thru October. Fort Greene Park walks are Saturdays, 10a to 11a.