Sheepshead Bay Road Holiday Season December 2009
If your answer was “light” you were only partially right. If you said, “There are no holiday decorations hanging above”, you get first prize.
The picture was taken during the height of the Christmas and Hannukah season (yesterday), but you would never know it based on the lack of festive decor.
This year, the Bay Improvement Group was unable to drum up enough support for the festive hangings. There were not enough business owners in Sheepshead Bay who wanted to participate, so the decorations could not be hung. It’s not known if the reasons for opting out involved prohibitive costs, cultural differences, or just general bah-humbugness.
One city bus driver, who has routes in North Brooklyn and Southern Brooklyn, told us that he drives through many shopping districts, and he noticed that nearly all of them have festive decorations hanging above the main thoroughfare. Kings Highway has hanging decorations with a lit menorah. Church Avenue has snowflake decor (see below). Even Brighton Beach, with the subway lumbering overhead, managed to look festive with seasonal decor. He was curious to know why Sheepshead Bay and Avenue U business owners decided to opt out.
So, why did Sheepshead Bay Road and Ave U business owners choose to keep the streets so dark this holiday season? (And don’t say it’s dark, because I’m a bad photographer.)
Church Avenue & Coney Island Avenue - Holiday Decor
UPDATE as of December 19, 2009: Due to inclement weather, this event has been postponed to January 3, 2010.
The Bay Improvement Group (B.I.G.) is inviting you to a special toy drive and concert. The concert is free, but entry requires your donation of a new toy. The toys will be categorized and wrapped, then sent to needy and terminally ill children in the local area. All are welcome.
Here are the details (see flyer above):
Sunday, December 20, 2009 from 5-7
19th Annual Holiday Caroling & Toy Drive
St. Mark’s Roman Catholic School Auditorium
2602 East 19 Street
Enter on East 18 Street and Avenue Z
Your kids can have a little fun at the library that doesn’t involve books. This Thursday, December 17, 2009, there will be an arts and crafts session at the Homecrest branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
Here are the details as we received them from the Media-Newswire:
Holiday Arts & Crafts for Kids
Brooklyn Public Library’s Homecrest branch, 2525 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn. Thursday, December 17, 4:00 PM. FREE
Call the library, which is located between Gravesend Neck Road and Avenue V, for details: (718) 382-5924
One Muslim family in Sheepshead Bay has posted a festive sign wishing us all a Happy Eid. So, we would like to extend this Eid Mubarak message to our readers.
Those of you who forgot to move the car in time for the today’s alternate side of the street parking, but were pleasantly surprised to find that you didn’t get a ticket — you have this Islamic holiday to thank!
You can check the dates and specifics for Eid al-Adha and other holidays at About.com.
Applebee’s is honoring veterans and active duty military for Veterans Day by offering them a free lunch or dinner.
The Applebee’s website has pictures of the free meals available to those who show any of the following as proof of military service:
• U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card
• U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card
• Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)
• Veterans Organization Card (i.e., American Legion and VFW)
• Photograph in uniform
• Wearing uniform
• DD214
• Citation or Commendation
The Sheepshead Bay Applebee’s is located at 2505 Emmons Avenue (near Bedford Avenue). Call the restaurant directly at (718) 769-4889, if you have any questions about the deal.
