It’s My Park Day At Owl’s Head Park One Week From Saturday

By on October 9, 2012  Parks
Oct 092012
 

Image source: Violette79 via Flickr.

Just a reminder for anyone looking to participate in It’s My Park Day at Owl’s Head Park on October 20.

By signing up with the Shore Road Parks Conservancy, you’ll help give organizers an idea of how many people are showing up, which goes a long way in making sure they’re prepared to assist volunteers.

It’s My Park Day is a time when thousands of residents all over New York City spend a few fun, productive hours with their neighbors helping out at their local parks.

The Shore Road Parks Conservancy is sending out the call for volunteers to assist in beautifying our parks during the autumn installment of It’s My Park Day on Saturday, October 20.

The conservancy is also welcoming donations to help in the purchase of “[plant] bulbs, tools, and other supplies” useful in the war against weeds, wear & tear, and vandals.

If you’d like to lend a helping hand, here’s how it works:

  1. Send your contact info to info@shoreroadparks.org, and/or your donations to www.shoreroadparks.org/signup.html.
  2. The Shore Road Parks Conservancy sends you updates for sign-in locations and hours as the day draws nearer.
  3. You show up and have fun [No experience necessary]!

And if you’re a member of a volunteer group or an organization that’s interested in sponsoring the event, that’s awesome! Please send your group’s contact information to info@shoreroadparks.org.

This event is currently being sponsored by the City Parks Foundation, and Foodtown.

Help Out A Bay Ridge Park This October 20 For “It’s My Park Day”

By on September 11, 2012  Parks
Sep 112012
 

Image source: Violette79 via Flickr.

It’s My Park Day is a time when thousands of residents all over New York City spend a few fun, productive hours with their neighbors helping out at their local parks.

The Shore Road Parks Conservancy is sending out the call for volunteers to assist in beautifying our parks during the autumn installment of It’s My Park Day on Saturday, October 20.

The conservancy is also welcoming donations to help in the purchase of “[plant] bulbs, tools, and other supplies” useful in the war against weeds, wear & tear, and vandals.

If you’d like to lend a helping hand, here’s how it works:

  1. Send your contact info to info@shoreroadparks.org, and/or your donations to www.shoreroadparks.org/signup.html.
  2. The Shore Road Parks Conservancy sends you updates for sign-in locations and hours as the day draws nearer.
  3. You show up and have fun [No experience necessary]!

And if you’re a member of a volunteer group, or an organization that’s interested in sponsoring the event, that’s awesome! Please send your group’s contact information to info@shoreroadparks.org.

This event is currently being sponsored by the City Parks Foundation, and Foodtown.

Foodtown Goes Loco For Locavores

By on July 19, 2012  Business, Food & Drink
Jul 192012
 

Image source: Wikipedia Commons.

While the current artisinal, locavore food craze has businesses everywhere attempting to cash in on the name Brooklyn, Foodtown [9105-27 3rd Avenue] proves itself an old hand at putting aside shelf space for products made in the County of Kings, according to Simone Weichselbaum in a cruelty-free, locally-sourced article for the Daily News.

The grocery store has been stocking locally-made products for decades – In the case of one Brooklyn business profiled, De An’s Pork Products [899 4th Ave], since at least 1990.

“It is not easy to get your products into large chains, but we have to give people the benefit of the doubt and help them,” Foodtown chain co-owner Noah Katz told the News. “We don’t say no to any local vendor. We put them on the shelf and let the customer decide.” Continue reading »

The Food Issue: Food carts, Food City, Foodtown, and Anopoli Ice Cream

By on March 8, 2012  Food & Drink
Mar 082012
 

Call To Regulate Food Trucks In Brooklyn: MyFoxNY.com

There’s been a lot of coverage of Bay Ridge eateries and grocery stores in the newspapers, broadcast media, and blogs lately. And I was already hungry to begin with. Now I could eat an entire food cart.

  • Or could I? Fox 5, Bay Ridge Journal, and others have reported on an effort by Councilman Vincent Gentile to add additional restrictions to the placement of New York City food carts. Fox 5, in particular, gave some airtime to Community Board 10 chairperson Joanne Seminara and Brooklyn Bagels (8624 5th Avenue) owner Mike Boutros to discuss the difficulties faced by brick-and-mortar stores and the perceived unfair advantages that allow food carts to undercut them on pricing. Aside from the arguments you’ve probably heard before (i.e. the rent that brick-and-mortars need to pay), they highlighted the special case posed by the Business Improvement District that Brooklyn Bagels is in. Stores in the BID have to pay a premium on top of their regular taxes which food cart vendors don’t pay, and they’re not allowed to place anything outside of their store, a restriction that doesn’t apply to food carts. It’s worth the seven minutes to watch if you’ve got it. Continue reading »