F Train Summer Closures, Plan Your July 4th with Fireworks & Festivities, Queer Art at Nail Salon Gallery
by Park Slope Living
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Welcome to Park Slope Living’s weekly newsletter, Park Slope Pulse. We spend hours curating the most important news and events each week ✨ for free ✨ to save you time sifting through listings and articles - and you’ll get to know more about a fellow neighbor! Park Slope Pulse gives you the first insights to make plans or start conversations.
We are taking a break over July 4th for vacation until July 12, and so we’ve shared more events until our next free edition on July 18 (also stay tuned for a new member joining the team!).
Here’s what’s happening this week:
For the first time in 10 years, Macy’s 2024 July 4 fireworks will not be visible from Brooklyn as it will launch from the Hudson River. To plan your July 4th in Brooklyn, read on in our Top Picks section below.
The F Train is shutting down for 8 weeks in Brooklyn during the Summer: “The closures will begin on the weekend of Friday, July 5 until Monday, July 8. The train will then run regularly for the rest of July before getting suspended again on the weekend of August 9 and during every subsequent weekend after that until September 3. The only weekend in August that the train will not be suspended will be the weekend of August 30.” [TimeOut]
Openings: Unoriginal Noodle is opening around the next 2 weeks - stay tuned on @parkslopeliving for updates as I’ll be trying some of their “tasty noodz” this week 🤫. 3 Cats Pet Store is now also open.
Also Noteworthy: On the “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last Thursday, Jeremy Allen White gave a shoutout to his drama teacher at Park Slope school M.S. 51 - John P. McEneny - who inspired him to take up acting! [Instagram] John also founded Piper Theatre Productions and this Friday they have a special free community performance of Piper Theatre Presents: Alice In Chaos at the Old Stone House!
— Viv
Special Feature: The Community's Flooring Specialist
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They specialize in wide plank Engineered European White Oak, luxury vinyl, waterproof laminate and solid flooring.
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Floorika is located at 558 4th Ave, Brooklyn
[To get featured here, email info@parkslopeliving for more info]
Our Top Picks
Gay As It Gets @ Nails Salon Gallery (563A 5th Ave, Brooklyn): Don’t miss out on the remaining days of this queer art exhibition with 24 artists on view, on until the end of June. The exhibition is located at a former nail salon that has been transformed into an art gallery!
I was unable to find out the opening hours of the gallery, so you’ll need to try your luck if you’re around 15th St & 5th Ave! From Billy Merrell, local artist and co-director of the gallery: “Why doesn’t Nails Salon have a web page or its own instagram account? It’s not because we’re lazy, I promise! We’re simply striking a more ephemeral and in-person path, one more authentic to Norris and me.” FREE
Tickets are on sale to the public for BAM Next Wave 2024 performances (dance, theatre, poetry, music) starting today 1pm! The season runs from Sep 17, 2024 - Jan 19, 2025.
“Next Wave 2024 & Emerging Visions plunges into a spectrum of past, present, and in-progress works that perfectly capture the here-and-now.” [Tickets]
Thursday (Today)
Dyke Axe Throwing @ Kick Axe Brooklyn 6:30 PM: Dyke Beer is throwing up their annual pride event with @dykebeer specials and instructors teaching how to throw! [Tickets]
Friday
Piper Theatre Presents: Alice In Chaos @ Old Stone House 4pm: “Embark on a journey into a surreal dimension where the lines between reality and imagination dissolve. In this mesmerizing play, night nurse Alice navigates a memory ward in search of her vanished patient, Rabbit, surrounded by a cast of enigmatic characters – the Duchess, Mad Hatter, March Hare, and the Red Queen.” Free Community Performance - RSVP here
Dreamland Roller Disco @ Prospect Park, 7 PM: Dreamland Roller Rink is an immersive roller disco experience that transports guest into a magical Dreamland filled with glitter, rad retro vibes, rainbows, unicorns and spinning disco balls. Every Friday until Oct 25! [Tickets]
Saturday
Lesbian Herstory Archives 50th Anniversary Merch Sale @ Lesbian Herstory Archives, 10am: “We will be offering limited edition, screen-printed 50th anniversary merch in exchange for donation on t-shirts, tote bags, bandanas, stickers, and buttons.” FREE Entry
Fishbone | Son Rompe Pera @ BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, 6:30 PM: “A legendary force born out of the Los Angeles punk rock scene, Fishbone brings unparalleled energy to BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!’s first foray into punk. Our electrifying opener, Son Rompe Pera, infuses traditional marimba music with garage-punk fervor resulting in a magical Brooklyn night that will captivate both your ears and imagination.” RSVP for FREE
Wednesday
Paramount+ Free Movie Night: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider @ Prospect Park’s Long Meadow, 6 PM: The Paramount+ Movie Night Series’ Prospect Park continues with a showing of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider! The series will be taking place on 3 more consecutive Wednesdays at the North end of Long Meadow (including School of Rock on July 10, Clueless on July 18). The showings will begin shortly after sundown. Attendees with RSVP will receive free popcorn while supplies last! FREE. RSVP and event details here.
Thursday, July 4
2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest @ Coney Island, 11 AM: The 100+ year tradition at the iconic Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island is back! The event will take place on Thursday, July 4, 2024, from 11am to 1pm at 1310 Surf Avenue. FREE
8th Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on Coney Island @ Steeplechase Park, 9:45 PM : For the first time in 10 years, Macy’s 2024 July 4 fireworks will launch from the Hudson River and will not be visible from Brooklyn. You can check out the fireworks at Coney Island instead, and go to the hot dog eating contest & boardwalk beforehand! You can see the fireworks from anywhere on the boardwalk, and taking public transportation to Stillwell Ave is recommended. FREE
Fourth of July Holiday @ Prospect Park 12-5 PM: A day of fun nature activities for all ages is planned by Prospect Park Alliance including Butterfly Watch, and learning activities about animals and nature around us. Enjoy a Carousel Ride while you’re there! FREE
Saturday July 6
BRIC Film Night: Do The Right Thing @ Prospect Park - Lena Horne Bandshell, 6:30 PM: Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the quintessential Brooklyn tale, featuring Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy “Do or Die” neighborhood and Public Enemy’s anthem-turned-battlecry “Fight the Power”. Before the screening, be sure to join for a panel featuring special guests.
Saturday July 13
Outdoor Yoga on the Stoop @ Brooklyn Museum, 10 AM: “Meet us on the plaza steps for a morning of yoga and meditation, open to all levels and led by local instructors.” Tickets are $20 and include entry to the museum. Member tickets are $10.
Sprinkler Saturday @ Vanderbilt Open Streets, 2 PM: Join the fun on Vanderbilt Open Streets (Vanderbilt Ave & Dean Street, in front of Van Leeuwen) as they open up the fire hydrant (legally)! There will be inflatable pools, waterbuckets, and reusable water balloons. FREE
Global Climbing Day @ Movement Gowanus, All Day: “We’re teaming up with The North Face to offer FREE climbing + FREE rental gear all day long at ALL Movement locations for Global Climbing Day on Saturday, July 13!” FREE
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 | Lollise | Rich Medina | IAM LOVE @ BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, 6 PM: “Seun Kuti, son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, continues his father’s political and musical legacy as the leader of his father’s former band Egypt 80. Lollise, a bold Afro-futurist pop artist from Botswana, will transport us through real and imagined worlds with her rich, multidimensional sound. Rich Medina, a dynamo DJ and sonic storyteller, mesmerizes audiences with his unique musical palette. Also celebrate the life and legacy of Brooklyn’s beloved Ibrahim Abdul-Matin at the IAM LOVE gathering.” FREE
Thursday & Friday July 18-19
A Night at Niblo’s Garden @ Green-Wood, 7 PM: “Green-Wood’s ever-popular Victorian extravaganza is back! Enjoy an enchanted evening of nineteenth-century showmanship—fire eaters, musicians, contortionists, dancers, and lots of surprises from Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.” [Tickets]
Check out the comments for anything we’ve missed!
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Q&A: Olivia Newsome
Our Q&A this week is with Olivia Newsome, Caretaker at the Herstory Lesbian Archives!
Can you describe what your role as the live in caretaker of the archive entails?
I’m new. I’m also speaking on behalf of myself! Being the caretaker, in simple terms, means that you take care of the building. It’s a position I started with great respect for the caretakers that came before me. LHA is the cornerstone of Lesbian history; a physical devotion to Lesbian material culture I plan on dedicating my life to. I believe being the caretaker reflects some of the core tenets of LHA, specifically caring for and preserving Lesbian livelihood for future generations. The caretaker is the steward not only for Our shared legacy, but for the building which is the physical embodiment of Our dream.
What initially sparked your interest in archival history and led you to volunteer at the Lesbian Herstory Archives?
First, I was a classicist and an archaeologist. I loved working with material culture. I felt like a detective undercovering histories both literally and figuratively. But I also felt that these histories were so separated; devoid from contemporary lives. So, I then wanted to be a History teacher, but then I missed engaging with material culture. So I became an archivist which meant I could do both. Growing up, Black history did not feel like my history; often taught disjointedly focusing heavily on pain and suffering. I want to expand to teach others, anyone interested in marginalized history, by intentionally adding descriptions and surfacing collections that construct stories of resilience, personhood, and culture. Now I work with the special collections archiving personal and organizational lesbian histories.
I applied to volunteer at the Lesbian Herstory Archives, as a Black Lesbian myself, with the hopes of giving back to a community that has given so much to me.
Can you describe the significance of archival preservation, specifically as it relates to lesbian history?
Lesbians can face a dual erasure. Firstly from heteropatriarchal history making events they exclude those of us who are not cishet white men, and even from larger queer histories. This leads to people writing our stories about us, without us. The act of lesbians preserving our own histories, telling our own stories, is a radical act!
How can people in the community support the work of The Archives, even if they’re unable to volunteer?
Donate money! Support our events! Buy our merch! Spread the word and let people know, especially other Lesbians, that they have a home here at the archives.
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