Have an event you want to promote? E-mail nberke [at] sheepsheadbites.com

The 13th season of the “Music at Good Shepherd” chamber series will open to the public this Sunday evening, October 19, at Good Shepherd Church. Located at Avenue S and Brown Street in the Marine Park neighborhood. The 2008 schedule has nine performances, all starting at 6 p.m. and lasting little more than an hour. The first recital features a vocal quartet, Vocalise, with a program called “The Madrigal Mystery Tour.” More info after the jump.

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From the Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association:

Come to our October 7th meeting at the Baron DeKalb Knights of Columbus (3000 Emmons Avenue) for a special presentation on emergency preparedness from the Red Cross. The program is sponsored by Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein. All participants will receive a FREE disaster kit and other materials at the end of the presentation. Tell a friend!

Click here to view flyer.

(Photo by Ray Johnson)

What are those hundreds of nurses and military personnel doing embarking and disembarking at the Bay piers? Well, just because people dress in all white or in battle dress uniform doesn't mean they work in a hospital or serve in the military. So, just who are our theme-dressing visitors? Friends, they are our cruise-party whiner-uppers. No, I didn't say whino-uppers. Although, if any of you have seen our visitors upon disembarking, I would completely understand if that's what you thought I said.

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(Autographed concert program autographed
for Ray Johnson. Booyah!)

Thanks, Huey Lewis and the News, for making it so much fun to live in Sheepshead Bay. Your concert at the Asser Levy Park's Bandshell has really put the right kind of endcap on this season's concerts. It has left us waiting for next year - hoping that you'll make that trip way over from California, again - to keep our hearts of rock and roll still beatin'. Thanks, too, for bringing Paul Thorn out with you. Us, city folk, sure do need a little Southern soul from time to time. I was happy that a few early-to-bedders left before you had a chance to perform your encore, since it let me move up closer to the stage, where I could see from the great shape you're in why 'it's hip to be square'.

Too bad, though, that we weren't allowed to take pictures - well, not that it stopped some from trying. Hey, a few were even recording videos. Your encore set was excellent and almost a concert in itself. Best of all was when you, the only headline performer to do so this seaside season, came out after your meet and greets backstage, to say 'hi' to your fence-fans. One of them was me. It was so nice of you to reassure all the clamoring autograph seekers that you would give each one of us your John Hancock. Even though, you couldn't put my name on the program cover, you did bring your own permanent marker for the autograph -- I really appreciate that, since in the rush to get to you, noone in the crowd could seem to find a pen. I read that you were born in New York city, and your true born-in-New York spirit has shown through, last night. Please tell me that you, too, are from Sheepshead Bay. We were hoping, like Liza Minelli did when she finished her performance a couple of weeks ago, you would get the hankering for some Nathan's. So autographs in hand, my newfound seaside friends and I headed off for a nostalgic bite of the most famous hot dog. Unfortunately, we didn't see you there. Still, we were glad for everything you shared with us that evening. So thanks, again, and we'll be waiting to hear from you, Huey.

To all our readers, we encourage you to plan for the Annual Seaside Summer Concert Series for 2009, as long as this tradition is still in our own backyard. There was something eerily foreboding about the way that Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn's Borough President, was reminding us about what a treat this is for us. We certainly hope that our Seaside Concerts are not on the Coney Island Development chopping block.

On Tuesday, August 5, 2008, from 5 to 8 p.m., everyone is invited to the local crimefighters' open house. This fun and educational event, emphasizing 'country as community', takes place all over the United States on the same day as the National Night Out so that the entire country can take one huge collective bite out of crime and drugs. Facing crime is stressful and costly, so for one night, our community can relax and have some fun under the safe and watchful eye of our local law enforcement, right in their own backyard at Coney Island Ave and Ave W.

All costs for the event are being provided free by the 61st Precinct Community Council and Auxiliaries, the Law Enforcement Explorers, and the Police Officers of the 61st Precinct, with the support of area merchants and elected officials, but donations are encouraged--so, be sure that this will be the safest night to carry your checkbook with you.

(Photo courtesy of Coney Island History Project)

...carnival barking, that is.

We love to take a bite into a little nostalgia, especially when it involves our sister neighborhood, Coney Island. How many of you can remember the days of Coney Island when it was the newborn apple of the Big Apple’s eye? Well, with all of the controversy surrounding the fate of Sheepshead Bay’s very own backyard carnival, we all could do with a little reminiscing about its history. This Saturday, August 2, as The Coney Island History Project opens up its new exhibit, you will get just that kind of opportunity. On display will be photographs of Astroland since the Albert family gave it birth. Unlike the rides at Astroland, the exhibit is free – so a megaphone will not be needed to get the crowds in and we, here, at Sheepshead Bites don’t mind putting ahold on biting so that we can start barking this one out: [begin playing ‘Over the Waves’ on the old time Wurlitzer] “Step right up...come one and come all! Coney Island is Back – and Back to the Future!”

Where: The Coney Island History Project's Exhibition Center under the Cyclone Roller Coaster, 1000 Surf Avenue, just east of 10th St.
Phone: (718) 266-0012
Web: www.coneyislandhistory.org
E-mail: info@coneyislandhistory.org

When: Saturday, August 2 - Monday, September 1
Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1pm - 6pm
Open Labor Day (Mon, 9/1)

After you pack those kiddies off to school, you can hop aboard a private yacht sailing from Sheepshead Bay for a four-hour dance-to-the-Beatles-cruise on September 14. Mike Naimoli, the Ringo Starr of the Beatles cover band Yesterday and Today, has assured me that this will be a great trip sailing open-top (weather-permitting) under the sky with Verrazano diamonds (okay, okay, the energy-saving light-emitting diode bulbs). Mike was too humble to be called the manager of the band, but did say that he and the team are putting together a couple of great sets with plenty of time to take special requests from those of you who remember falling in love "before this dance is through." Can someone get all those lickin' and suckin' young kids these days to try to understand that there's nothing else they would rather do than dance? Who needs to kiss and hold each other tight? Aaah, love - Fab Four style.

This is a rare opportunity for us oldies-fans to get to hear their favorite Beatles songs. If you avoid going out for dinner now that you're 64 and your loved one is still willing to feed you, ask them to pack a basket of goodies, because - now, get this - you can bring your own food onto the boat! These guys are not saying "now give me money" with the low ticket cost of $40, but they are into spreading the Beatles message of peace of love - just in case the the boat doesn't cruise onto the Hudson, they promise not to sail off with your money.

By the way, can someone please tell me which one of the Beatles songs one can dance to? I'm sure it must be possible, just that I don't remember it exactly that way.

DETAILS:
September 14
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Emmons Ave. & East 21 St. Pier 10
$40 per person - group discounts available - Paypal accepted
For advance reservations, please call 917.882.7979 or 917.763.8140
Amberjack V website
Yesterday and Today's website

How's that for catchy headlines? (Probably not very good.) Now here's a pic!

And some info:

Grillin' On The Bay
New York City's Original Barbecue Contest

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Open to the Public - Free Admission

St. Mark School
Corner of East 18th Street and Avenue Z
Brooklyn, New York

New England Barbecue Society
Sanctioned Grilling Contest
Chicken Breast, Fish, Pork and Chef's Choice

And, just to show that I can do reporting, here's some MORE info I got from the event's organizer, Robert Fernandez:

The competitors will start arriving at 6:00 and the first food turn-in will be noon. The public is welcome anytime, but we plan on selling food from about 10:00 am on. We’ll have pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. Beer will be sold by butternuts ale. The event has been running for 3 years and is sanctioned by the New England BBQ Society. It has always been a fund raiser for St. Mark School. If you want more info, please check out the website, http://whitetrashbbq.blogspot.com.

That's Robert's website. If you want the event's, click here.

Ta-da! A blog post!

Even though I was born and raised a stone's throw away from the Bay's water, I was never a boat person. I never sailed, never went on ocean fishing trips and certainly wasn't a dinner cruise kind of guy. If I was in the water, it was either a pool or a bathtub. But lately I've been trying to change that, and so when I saw a Craigslist posting from the Miramar Yacht Club (link doesn't work in Firefox) advertising a one-day "Learn to Sail" class, I saw it as an awesome and affordable opportunity.

The class fee is $25 per person and covers class materials, refreshments and a free sail on the water. It takes place Friday, June 6th, at 8:00 p.m. at the clubhouse at 3050 Emmons Avenue, between Lake Avenue and Haring Street.

The class will cover:

Sailing nomenclature, parts of a sail, apparent wind, Bernoulli Principle, points of sail, luffing, sail trim, slowing and stopping a sailboat, sailing after stopping, tacking, jibing, general rules of the road, red-right-return, anchoring, docking and a few knots.

Just a note: the free sail does not take place the night of the class. Mine is scheduled for June 21st, but I'm not sure if that's just me or everyone from the class.

For more info, call (718) 769-3548 or email sail@miramaryc.com.

Sheepshead Bay/Plumb Beach Civic Association has planned a meeting for Tuesday, June 3. The meeting is at 7:30 p.m. at the Baron DeKalb K of C building at 3000 Emmons Ave. Among the topics on the agenda is the possible development around the Best Western, the Breakers' blockage of the waterfront, and the threats to the fishing fleet. Which makes us ask, are you getting your ideas from our site, SBPB?

View the flyer here (pdf).