SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

This is what the Sheepshead Bites header looked like when we launched in May 2008. Yeah, it was that ugly.

Happy anniversary to us!

On Sunday, May 12, Sheepshead Bites marked the fifth anniversary of its first post, published on May 12, 2008.

The post was simply an “About Sheepshead Bites,” where I scribbled some of my ideas about why I started the site and what we’d be doing. And, although we’ve changed our about page several times and rewritten our mission ad nauseum, the core of what we do has not changed. Going back and reading this again for the first time in years, I can say, with pride, that we’ve stayed the course for five long years.

Many of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods still filled with genuine Brooklynites feature local characters and compelling, complex issues, but are going under-reported in both the established media and the nebulous Brooklyn blogroll. And while most of our neighbors sink further into either apathy or Monday morning quarterback-style governance, our communities are going on without us. They’re leaving their flair and character behind and moving forward in erratic, worrisome ways.

… Community meetings, development issues, local politics, interesting people, happenings and cool new places — these are just some of the topics the Bite will sink its teeth into. And what will set us apart from any other great blogs in the area is our humor and irreverence, blended in with the same passion and concern that comes from our colleagues.

While I originally intended to put together a long post – or even a series of posts to run throughout the day – filled with flashbacks, story highlights, reflections and more – I think something a little more simple is in order: a thank you.

Because of you, we’re at a great place, and heading towards something even greater.

For starters, our numbers speak for themselves.

We went from publishing a handful of stories a week to now averaging 125 stories a month – not to mention those we do on our sister-site, Bensonhurst Bean. Our readership has grown from two or three digits a day in our first few months to thousands – and often tens of thousands – a day, and more than 125,000 visits a month.

It’s even more impressive when seen over time. In the five years since launch, more than 1.5 million people have logged into Sheepshead Bites, devouring 6.5 million pages.

We’ve published just shy of 6,800 stories about you and your neighborhood, and accompanied them with countless photos and videos.

For our work, we’ve received praise. In 2010, The L Magazine named Sheepshead Bites the best local blog in Brooklyn and Manhattan. In 2011, CBS News editors picked us as their favorite source for local affairs coverage. And in 2012, I had the extraordinary honor of being included in the coveted City & State “40 Under 40″ movers and shakers list.

But our success isn’t just in the numbers or acclaim from legacy media. The greatest gratification of all is from what I hear from neighbors, community leaders and business owners in the streets – and they often reveal where we’ve helped the most.

Often I am stopped on the street, thanked for the work of my team on covering mega-stories like Superstorm Sandy, where we were the lone news outlet providing up-to-the-minute details about what our neighborhood was experiencing, and organized information to help your recovery. There was also the blizzard of 2010, when several feet of snow cut our neighborhood off from the rest of the city for as long as a week. While Mayor Bloomberg said all is well, our team, with help from the community, sounded the alarm and brought vital attention from larger media and city agencies into our corner of the borough.

Putting the spotlight on our neighborhood and getting us the attention we deserve is one of the areas in which we excel. We showed that in our coverage of the B4′s service cuts, and our advocacy to get it restored – which we did. We showed it when we made waves about construction on the B and Q line that would cause chaos for commuters – earning a promise from the city that work here would be done on-time – which it was, while similar projects elsewhere have been delayed. We showed it with our endless harping on garbage issues, which has helped spur the Department of Sanitation to make more pickups along commercial corridors. And then the traffic changes, street repairs, policing issues and on and on and on.

We show it every day, when our stories filter up to the city’s media and ensure our neighborhood is not forgotten in the larger narrative of New York City’s history.

It’s not just about making changes to the physical landscape or policy-making, either. When a stabbing or shooting happens, or a bad fire, or a madman like Maksim Gelman puts our neighborhood in lockdown, we’ve been there to explain it to our readers, give them up-to-the-minute information, and comfort them with a healthy dose of knowledge.

How many people panicked at the site of hundreds of police vehicles descending on Sheepshead Bay in February 2011, when Maksim Gelman began his murderous rampage through our streets? Although we could do no more than inform our readers, a little bit of knowledge went a long way to bringing peace of mind and a measure of security to our neighbors.

We’ve also advocated tirelessly for our small businesses, the backbone of any community. Whether it was being the watchdog that said the government should do more in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, or fighting to keep parking spaces when city agencies seek to gobble them up, Sheepshead Bites has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends in small business. And we’ve sought to develop events, like A Taste of Sheepshead Bay, that remind our community of the great treasures just feet from their doorsteps.

And all of this – all of it – is thanks to you and to my team. I am nothing but a maestro waving a baton. If it were not for my team – those who help me now, like Robert Fernandez, Erica Sherman and Willie Simpson, or in the past, like Ray Johnson and Laura Vladimirova or any of the many others – I would be a maestro without an orchestra.

And if it were not for the community contributors and tipsters and business owners and neighbors and community leaders whose daily prattlings form the notes of the indefatigable melody of life and living in Sheepshead Bay, I’d be a maestro with no song to play.

So thank you. The last five years have been enormously fulfilling. You inspire me every single day, and your support, acknowledgement and enthusiasm remain the fuel which drives us.

We don’t know what the future holds. It is a difficult present for all in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. But, regardless of what it holds, the last five years of this hobby-turned-obsession is but a prologue. We look forward to your support as we  march forward, into whatever dark corners, natural calamities and manmade mayhem is in store for our community, shining a light where it is needed, and celebrating that which is already bright.

Once more, thank you.

Your humble editor,
Ned Berke

Wow, talk about a survivor. Jimmy’s Famous Heros located at 1786 Sheepshead Bay Road (between Emmons Avenue and Shore Parkway) is celebrating its 75th anniversary all month long.

Opened on February 1, 1938, Jimmy’s has survived the Great Depression, World War II, the massive inflation and oil embargoes of the  1970′s and the Great Recession of our time. Bowed, but not defeated by Superstorm Sandy, Victor Spadaro and his crew turn out some of the best sandwiches in Brooklyn.

So, what do they do to celebrate? They bake a cake. Not just a cake, but a cake that looks just like one of Jimmy’s famous heros, Nicole Bochen created this life size replica of a ham and cheese hero. Of course, it’s with the works!

Congratulations Jimmy’s. Here’s to another 75 years of serving the Bay.

Source: gbfd.net

In 1922, after a fire destroyed a house in Gerritsen Beach, residents came together to form the Gerrittsen Beach Fire Department, the only all-volunteer fire department in Brooklyn.

The GBFD is celebrating its 90th anniversary with a journal compiling photos and stories of the “Vollies” throughout the years. From their press release:

Everybody who has ever lived in Gerrittsen Beach has seen the Vollies in action whether it be a summer brush fire, investigating odors, operating at a car accident or even in your own house treating your family or plugging a broken pipe. In order to make this journal a success we need to hear your stories. Please share any photos or personal stories you may have with us so we can document the past ninety years of Brooklyn’s only Volunteer Fire Department.

The journals will be available at the 90th Anniversary Dinner on October 20 at AOH Hall 2750 Gerritsen Avenue.

The Vollies are also encouraging local businesses to take out ads in the journal to help its funding.

Please send any photos, stories, ad inquiries or questions to Pat Klein at journal@gbfd.net or call 718-332-9292 and leave a message with the dispatcher on duty.

Before there was Balducci’s, before there was the Chelsea Market, and even before there was Whole Foods – there was The Orchard and its owner Daniel Spitz, pioneer of the gourmet fruit and vegetable movement in New York City.

Established in 1957, The Orchard and its owners were the first to fly pineapples from Hawaii to New York City. They were even the ones to provide pineapples for the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter.

Daniel Spitz, the owner of The Orchard at 1367 Coney Island Avenue in Midwood, got some recognition on Thursday for his years of work and entrepreneurial spirit. He opened the store with only $500 in his hand, which he had earned previously from working on the streets as a local delivery man. Now at 84 years old and after 55 years in the fruit business, he was honored for his achievement and his rise from rags to riches.

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A makeshift memorial at the murder scene of Yelena Bulchenko and her mother.

One year ago today, February 11, Sheepshead Bay residents woke up to the news that a brutal murder had happened on Emmons Avenue and East 27th Street. All that was known was a 54-year-old man was stabbed to death, and a 20-something-year-old man was seen driving away from the location.

We now know that this was just the first incident in the 28-hour murderous rampage of Maksim Gelman.

Gelman dodged police for more than 11 hours after that first killing. In that time, he went to the home of Yelena Bulchenko, who he had supposedly become obsessed with, killed her mother and set up camp until Yelena came home. He then stabbed her to death, bringing the death count to three.

He led police on a 17-hour chase, resurfacing occasionally to stab, maim and carjack anyone who got in his way. It wasn’t until the next morning – 28 hours after the first murder – that he was captured in Manhattan. We spent the day cobbling together news sources, roaming the streets, talking to police officers and documenting the NYPD’s Level 1 Mobilization that brought a seemingly endless parade of police cars from across the city into our neighborhood.

Despite indicating insanity with rambling conspiracy-laden statements, Gelman pleaded guilty in November to murdering four people and wounding four others. His story, hopefully, came to an end less than a month ago, when he was sentenced to 200 years in prison.

We know that many of our readers knew Gelman or his victims. We attempted to reach out to some for a feature to mark the occasion, exploring how his violent, twisted saga had transformed this last, tragic year for them. Each and every one declined to be quoted, a decision we understand and respect.

We offer this space to those and others in the community to reflect on the bloodshed, remember those they’ve lost, and reveal how this violence has transformed their lives.

Today, one year after Maksim Gelman condemned himself through his sick deeds, the thoughts and prayers of those of us at Sheepshead Bites remain with Gelman’s victims and their families.

Jay Stern and Lloyd Lederman were in high spirits yesterday, as throngs of people packed into the 2718 Avenue U storefront to celebrate the kosher-style deli’s 18th anniversary. Not to miss a food celebration, Borough President Marty Markowitz stopped by to issue a proclamation honoring the Brooklyn deli. Sure, he was accompanied by representatives from Congressman Anthony Weiner, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein and Councilman Michael Nelson – all with their own certificates and proclamations – but the real draw were the $1 hot dogs being sold by the front of the shop.

Markowitz & Co. palled around for the better part of an hour, while the beaming owners of Jay and Lloyd’s Kosher Deli bounced about, shaking hands and cracking wise. The only hitch of the day was the unforgivable sin committed by the beep, when he dropped the first hot dog handed to him.

Even seniors from the Crown Nursing & Rehab Center made an outing, perching themselves in front of the establishment to enjoy the nice weather with their processed meats.

Our only wish? Congressman Weiner himself should’ve stopped by. The opportunity for more of Weiner’s weiner jokes was just too good.

Sheepshead Bites wishes the establishment a happy anniversary, and hopes to see many more.

View the photo gallery and read Markowitz’s proclamation.

Source: lostnewyorkcity.blogspot.com

L’Chaim!

Sheepshead Bay’s darling den of deli delights — Jay and Lloyd’s Kosher Deli — will be honored today for its 18 years of providing top notch kosher-style cuisine by the Gourmand-In-Chief himself, Borough President Marty Markowitz. The beep will present a proclamation to owners Jay Stern and Lloyd Lederman at 1:00 p.m.  in commemoration of the restaurant’s anniversary, proclaiming April 11, 2011 “Jay and Lloyd’s Deli 18th Anniversary Celebration Day.”

To celebrate, we’re told the establishment will be selling hot dogs for $1.00 today, with a limit of two per customer. We know where we’re getting lunch!

The restaurant, recently re-opened after being shuttered for repairs, has been at its 2718 Avenue U location since 1993, “not exactly a short time in New York restaurant years,” according to Lost City blogger Brooks of Sheffield, who visited the restaurant in February and avowed that, even though the pastrami is supposed to be their specialty, the hot dog he ordered instead “hit the spot.”

Noting that Jay and Lloyd were “friends since childhood who did everything together,” and even met their wives, who were one-time customers at the deli, the proclamation stated that “it was only natural that Lloyd, coming from a third generation deli family, would partner with his best friend [Jay] with them becoming true connoisseurs of corn beef, knishes, and their celebrated pastrami, among many other delicacies.”

Forget the parties. Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this Thursday with a symposium on civic activism, not back-patting and balloons.

The group is cobbling together one of the largest and most influential forums on grassroots affairs that Southern Brooklyn has ever seen organized by a civic group. It will feature two panels – one on challenges to grassroots activism, the other on local media – packed with 10 members of Brooklyn’s journalism, academic, activism, and non-profit worlds.

“Obviously, a public affairs forum of this scope is unusual and ambitious for a neighborhood civic group to put together,” said Ed Jaworski, president of MMHCA. “But, we wanted to try to do something of wide significance, since civic activism and community journalism are vital to the life of a community and voices being heard. We hope this is an opportunity to learn about and prepare for upcoming challenges, even seeing apparent small, local issues as part of bigger pictures.”

There’s no shortage of notables to fill the panels, either. Norman Siegel, former director of the NY Civil Liberties Union; Erik Engquist, the politics editor of Crain’s NY Business; Mary Ann Giordano, the deputy metro editor of the NY Times; and Gersh Kuntzman of the Brooklyn Paper/Courier-Life are just some of those that will be discussing issues at the heart of local activism and media.

In our humble opinion, this is a must-attend event for all in the area. We believe that many civic groups and concerned residents across the city are losing their effectiveness as the tools for grassroots activism evolves. MMHCA’s event is a spectacular initiative to help educate residents on giving voice to local issues and learning to organize effectively in a new era of communication.

For many, attending this symposium may be a first step to reforming New York City’s top-down government into a grassroots-driven network of local communities.

View event details, the planned agenda and a list of panelists.