SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

(Photo Courtesy of Kibbles via Flickr)

State Senator Marty Golden is hosting the First Annual Mid Summer Celebration on Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2. There will be rides, games, food, entertainment, and merchandise vendors, with proceeds from all sales to benefit the Marine Park Civic Association. Entrance to the event is free, and it kicks off at 11 a.m. on both days.

Mid Summer Celebration
Marine Park at Avenue U
August 1 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
August 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission: free
For vendor space or additional info, call (347) 517-0227

This week we’re changing it up from a single photo to a whole slideshow. Alissa Ambrose, a freelance photographer living in Brighton Beach, originally posted these on her blog, Brighton Beach Diaries. Asser-Levy/Seaside Park is currently embroiled in controversy, as BP Markowitz is pushing a plan to turn the itty-bitty bandshell into a full-featured ampitheatre. Residents are fighting to hold on to the area’s only bit of greenspace. Ambrose wrote about the controversy for CityLimits.org.

I was so young when they took me away from my first home. It was so long ago, I can’t even remember where I came from.

All of the identifying markers on my metal frame have been erased and worn off by hard labor, and the only thing left is a carved out W birthmark. My friends, Rubbermaid Mop Bucket & Wringer (nicknamed 31-quart), Mrs. Mop, Mobile Trashy, and PushBroom all say that the W means I once was a part of the Waldbaum’s family. I think that’s just the manufacturer’s branding.

This is not such a bad life, really. Mainly, because my friends are there for me. Sometimes they don’t really get me, though — because I was kidnapped and they were purchased specifically by the parks department. In a way, I feel like I don’t belong, but I try not to dwell on it for too long.

Life is rough out here in Dyker Beach Park, but it’s not so bad in the summer when Marty Golden works on getting elected again with these free concerts. Maybe the crowd might be better if they had to pay a couple dollars for entry. I should just be glad I’m not at Asser Levy — or even worse, wandering the streets alone in Sheepshead Bay. Rumor has it, that over there shopping carts are kidnapped from their homes, tied up to trees,  locked up behind bars, then just abandoned.

The other shopping cart here at Dyker — a real loner that guy is — told me, in a rare talkative moment, that he had put up such a ruckus when he was at Wingate Field that  they had to move him over to Prospect Park. The music they played there made him wild, so they brought him to Asser Levy where the summer concert crowd tamed him into submission.  He’s just a shell of a cart now and wouldn’t even allow himself to be photographed for the series.

Not me. I’m jumping at the opportunity to be featured here in the slight chance that maybe, just maybe, someone out there will recognize me after all these years — and I’ll be rolled outta here.  Being stationed at this park, meant there was always a toilet nearby. But after all these years I need to say “smell ya later!” to my life, here. I will be sad, though, to say goodbye to my lifelong chums. Oh, well, I guess I’ll have to steel myself up.

So, if anyone out there thinks they know my loved ones, please let them know where I’m at.

Imagine this: the open air, cool summer breezes, sun setting into darkness, great music, space to kick up my feet and dance, and a chairs to sit on for some rest. But it doesn’t end there, there was refreshment available for just a couple of dollars and parking for free!

Now, imagine, you have the venue practically to yourself and there is excellent music playing in the background. Who are you, some music executive on a palatial estate? Well, not exactly. Continue Reading »

Local baristas: start shaking in your cups. Big, bad corporate coffee is on its way to Sheepshead Bay.

Sure, we’ve known since last November that a Starbucks is moving in on Sheepshead Bay territory, but it wasn’t clear when. Well, the Seattle-based chain will be pushing its brand of coffee and pastries at Nostrand Avenue and Gravesend Neck Road sometime in December. The little building now under construction, pictured above, will only be part Starbucks. The java-brewer will take up the space on the far side from the corner, while the corner space will be another retail unit still to be decided.

We got up close and took a peek at the construction, and in the back of the building we can see what clearly is a drive-through lane (image at left). No word yet on whether you will also be able to walk in and order, but there doesn’t seem to be space for parking or seating. But hey, you’ll be so jazzed up on caffeine after getting your drink that it won’t matter!

If you think this is good news, then check out the coupon we’re telling people about on Facebook that gets Starbucks customers a free pastry with any coffee over $3.00. Sadly, it’s only good until 10:30 a.m. today, so be sure to Facebook us and print yours!

An elderly woman is in critical condition after a livery cab struck her on Nostrand Avenue between Avenue Z and Voorhies Avenue.

The 85-year-old woman was hit at 1:52 p.m. while crossing the street in front of 3909 Nostrand Avenue. She was taken to Kings County Hospital in critical condition. The hospital could not be reached for an update of her condition.

The black 2002 Lincoln Sedan was still seen on the median of Nostrand Avenue by 3:30 p.m., and the area was closed off with police tape. Contrary to earlier reports, the driver remained on the scene and no criminal activity is suspected.

This story was originally posted at 6:31 p.m. It contained innaccurate information about the driver and has now been updated. You can see the original post here: Continue Reading »

The patriotic owner of this lovely, large Victorian house with two house numbers and two American flags hanging on the front porch columns, posts an interesting warning to dissuade people from blocking his driveway.

The custom-made, carefully worded sign is directed to strangers and neighbors, as well. It says:
24 Hour Active Driveway
Do Not Block
Even For  A Minute
Even if you know me
Please respect the yellow line

How many of us wouldn’t just love to have a driveway and a Victorian home in the best neighborhood in Brooklyn. If you can’t have those things, one might think that the next best thing is a nice neighbor you know with both those things who might give you 59 seconds leeway.  But, as Dan Hartman sang about in his 1994 song, while it may be something you can dream about, don’t even thinkaboutit –  “not even for a minute”.

Keep dreaming East 22nd Street neighbors.

Scaffolding and construction barriers at the new building being erected at 2979 Ocean Avenue at Avenue Z are expected to be removed this week, as the edifice nears completion.

The three-story mixed-use property will include five retail units on the first floor, and eight apartments on the two top floors. It previously was occupied by the John J. Healey Funeral Home, which served the area for several decades. According to a superintendent at the site, no units have been rented yet. There also appears to be several weeks worth of work to be done inside the building before it is complete.

ZHL Group is the contractor on the site and Maximillion Realty is overseeing the commercial rentals.

If you’re reading this, then you can already see that Sheepshead Bites has a new look, and we hope you’re as pumped up about it as we are. Bold, elegant and classy – we call it bolelegassy – our new digs reflect where we plan to go in the coming months. The new site, based on different software, has a slew of new features. Check out that map to the right! And the twitter updates on the top! Oh, and what’s that? E-mail updates? Facebook profile? Less categories and the ability to browse by popular tabs?! Oh, my!

That’s right. This new look is about you. On one level it’s about connecting with you in new ways. Twitter updates will allow you to get fresh information by text message, and Facebook lets us learn more about who you are; daily e-mail updates give you the opportunity to read us in your inbox at your own pace.

On another level, it’s also about new means of navigating the site. Just like the old site, you can still browse our posts in chronological order with the latest news first. But we’ve added the flashy map so you can see where the news is happening, and click the markers to see the stuff we’re reporting on near your house, your workplace – heck, anywhere in the bay. And don’t forget the categories and tags. By reducing the categories we’ve made the sidebar easier to view the news that interests you. Meanwhile, the list of popular tags is automatically generated by the number of posts using those terms and the number of people reading them. So you can see exactly what topics are hot on our site as voted by other readers’ clicks. How cool is that?

Also, don’t miss the new features at the end of every post. Using the “Share This” button you can e-mail articles to friends and family, or post it to your favorite social bookmarking sites like Digg and Technorati. And “Print This” has added a printer-friendly functionality, allowing you to bring our digital bytes into real-world bits for the decidedly analog people you know.

But what about the fish? We know; we miss him, too. Unfortunately our mascot and namesake, the sheepshead fish that always appeared on the top of the site, is on hiatus until we can find the right designer for the job. We wouldn’t want you seeing old Sheepy before he’s ready for his closeup, but we promise we’re working on bringing him back as soon as possible.

He’s not the only thing coming soon. Over the next few weeks we’ll be rolling out even more features. We would hate to ruin the surprise, but we’ll just say this – they’ll all serve to help you interact in more meaningful and effective ways with us and each other. Afterall, getting to know our neighbors and cultivating a deeper, real-life community is what this site is all about.

One last word before we sign off: the site may still have a few kinks in it. Because of a sudden technical glitch in our old platform, we were forced to roll out our latest version sooner than intended. Therefore, as we go along we’ll be making little improvements here and there to both the design and functionality. (That includes a speed-boost, so we apologize if things are running a little slower than what you’re used to.) We could really use your help in this effort. If you encounter any problems or notice anything that doesn’t look quite right, be sure to use the contact button on the top – or my e-mail on the right – and let us know. We’ve been looking at this site for months, so your fresh eyes are our best weapon in the fight against boo-boos.

Sheepshead Bites: great new look, same great content!

Juan Reyes, of Avenue U, has been arrested and charged with murder of a 13-year-old boy with a screwdriver. We first told you about the shocking incident on Thursday, and it’s good to see it has come to an end.

The murder happened Wednesday night on East 15th street and Avenue X following a dispute at a local park. The arrest was made Thursday. NY Times has a rather grisly account of events:

Mr. Reyes and two of his friends had argued with Miguel at a park earlier Wednesday, the police said. Mr. Reyes and Miguel, who both lived nearby, had also argued two days earlier, the police said; they did not indicate the nature of the dispute.

As Miguel left the park Wednesday with a friend, they walked up East 15th Street toward Miguel’s house, looking back over their shoulders, said Gail Hooks, 56, a neighbor who witnessed the attack.

A stocky, bare-chested man on a bicycle began chasing the boys, shouting angrily in Spanish, Ms. Hooks said. He skidded to a stop, blocking their path, and leaped off his bicycle. He grabbed Miguel’s white T-shirt and began to pummel his back, she said.

Ms. Hooks and her companion, Vernon Wade, 61, said they initially thought that the bicyclist was punching Miguel. By the time Mr. Wade realized there was a long screwdriver in the attacker’s hand, he said, it was too late.

“It just happened so fast,” Mr. Wade said. “We thought it was just kids fighting. We got ready to holler, and then it was over.”

The attacker jumped on his bike and headed back toward the park, and blood became visible on Miguel’s shirt.

“The last thing he shouted was, ‘What are you going to do now?’ ” Mr. Wade said of the attacker.

Mauricio Bermudez, 39, stepped out of his house just as the attacker fled. He rushed to Miguel, pulling out his cellphone to call the police.

“No police, no police,” Miguel said to him. “They were chasing us. They stabbed me. I have to go.”

Miguel walked half a block before he collapsed and was taken to the hospital.