Members of the 61st Precinct Community Council and Captain John Chell pose with NYFK Sport Center’s Chinese dragons, which danced during the event.

The officers, auxiliary force, leaders and community council of the NYPD’s 61st Precinct celebrated another stellar Night Out Against Crime, with hundreds of children and their parents taking to the precinct’s lot and adjacent street to celebrate a safe community.

With a heated election year, there were tons of local elected officials and candidates on hand, hobnobbing with neighbors while their children ate free burgers, danced to the DJ, were dazzled by a musician, and took home their own personalized airbrushed t-shirts.

It was the 30th year of the event, and the 61st Precinct is known to throw one of the most extravagant affairs of all the Brooklyn precincts. The event is celebrated in more than 15,000 communities across all 50 states, representing the communities reclaiming their streets from violence and crime.

While there was a lot to love about this year’s event – did you see the dragons?! – my favorite part was the impromptu performance by 3-year-old Jordan Wong, who burst out in dance to Gangnam Style and drew a large audience. We caught most of it on video, below, and Jordan was eager to do it for the crowd again, a not-so-uncommon occurrence according to his father Kuey.

“He’ll do it again. He’ll do it any time. He’s crazy about it,” Wong said about his son. The Wongs live in Bensonhurst and came along with NYFK Sport Center, a group based on 20th Avenue, which performed during the Night Out.

See the awesome video of Jordan dancing, and our photos from the event.

Click to enlarge

(CORRECTION: The flier above has the incorrect time. The event is actually from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.)

The 61st Precinct invites everyone in the community to attend its “30th Annual National Night Out Against Crime,” a family-friendly get-together with delicious food, giant inflatable amusements, music and entertainment.

The gathering, whose purpose is to show criminals that the streets belong to the people, will be held August 6, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. behind the precinct’s stationhouse, 2575 Coney Island Avenue.

This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, local elected officials and community leaders, and enjoy some evening fun.

The event is free and open to all ages. For more, call (718) 627-6847. Also, don’t miss all of our coverage from previous years’ events.

Israel got some love on Nostrand Avenue last Sunday, and nearly 5,000 neighbors and children partied in the streets in honor of the Jewish nation.

It was another successful year for Kings Bay Y’s Annual Israel on Nostrand Avenue Celebration, a joyous festival celebrating all things “Land of Milk and Honey,” which took place in front of the institution’s headquarters at 3495 Nostrand Avenue.

Featuring rides and entertainment, a petting zoo, arts & crafts, live musical, magical and dance performances and booths from community organizations and local artists, the Israel on Nostrand event is one of Sheepshead Bay’s largest street festivals, and never fails to draw a tremendous, energetic crowd.

Check out the photos of the event, generously provided by our friends at the Kings Bay Y and photographer Ken Brown.

Kings Bay Y’s Israel on Nostrand Celebration 2013 photo gallery.

A photo from the 2011 Israel on Nostrand Festival

Our friends from the Kings Bay YM-YWHA are once again readying themselves to bring us their Annual Israel on Nostrand Avenue Celebration, a joyous festival celebrating all things “Land of Milk and Honey,” June 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in front of the Kings Bay Y, 3495 Nostrand Avenue between Avenue U and Avenue V.

According to the Kings Bay Y, the celebration, which annually attracts thousands of people, is “the largest event celebrating Israel in Brooklyn.” Attendees will get to enjoy live entertainment, vendors, delicious food, free giveaways and raffles. There will also be bouncy carnival rides for the kiddies, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, and lots more.

The Annual Israel on Nostrand Avenue Celebration is free and open to the public. To learn more, contact Alina at (718) 648-7703 extension 224,  email at [email protected] or go towww.kingsbayy.org.

Sheepshead Bites will have a table at this event, so come by and meet the team!

The Sheepshead Bay / Plumb Beach Civic Association held its annual Memorial Day and Armed Forces Day Parade on Saturday, drawing scores of neighbors to watch antique automobiles, local veterans and school kids honor the men and women of the nation’s armed forces.

Like other Memorial Day observances, the event remembers the local heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice serving and protecting our nation. But SBPB Civic’s event falls on Armed Forces Day, a lesser known holiday to honor Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches, making the parade an opportunity to honor those past and present.

A battalion of vehicles from the Baron DeKalb Knights on Bikes and the Antique Automobile Association of Brooklyn led the procession down Emmons Avenue, from Ocean Avenue to the veteran’s memorial at Brown Street. They were followed by the Fort Hamilton High School Junior ROTC and the Bishop Kearney High School band, along with the NYPD Auxiliary Ceremonial Marching Unit and the Marine Corps League Color Guard, among others.

The procession stopped just before Driscoll Tucker Park at East 27th Street, where taps was performed and ceremonial flags flown, while SBPB Civic President Kathy Flynn tossed flowers in the water to honor the fallen.

The event honored several living local veterans who served in conflicts as far back as World War II. Six local students were also recognized for writing award-winning essays and art pieces about Memorial Day.

View the photo gallery.

Photo by Joe Comperiati

 Nearly 2,000 kids and their caretakers swarmed the Kings Bay YM-YWHA (3495 Nostrand Avenue) on Sunday, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim with costumes and other revelry.

According to the organizers, the annual Purim Carnival is the largest Purim celebration in the area, and this year’s appeared to have an even better turnout that years prior.

Kids of all ages gathered to sing, dance and celebrate the holiday, which commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from the ancient Persian empire. To kids, it’s primarily known as “Jewish Halloween,” when revelers of all ages don masks and costumes, attend parties, and treat themselves to sweets.

The party also featured rides, sand art, face painting and Purim-themed arts and crafts, pairs with free hamentashen cookies and entertainment. It was attended by Manhattan borough president and candidate for the comptroller’s office, Scott Stringer, along with Assemblyman Alan Maisel and Councilman Lew Fidler.

Check out the photos after the jump.

“Thanks for coming!”

More than 325 people came out for this year’s A Taste of Sheepshead Bay on October 11 to sample approximately 80 different foodstuffs of 20 establishments, representing most of the world’s continents.

There was the event sponsor, Il Fornetto, bringing high-class selections like Pollo Farcito, a chicken breast stuffed with asparagus, red bell pepper and Swiss cheese in Madera wine sauce, and other dishes. And Nargis, returning with their outstanding samsas and bringing a newcomer tongue salad. Our first-time vendors, Cevabdzinica Sarajevo II, T & D Bakery, Sushi Mikasa, Anatolian Gyro and Chayhana Salom all put on an extraordinary show, and, like our returning participants, appeared to be seasoned veterans of such tasting events.

Thanks to all of them, and the other great establishments that were there: Anthony’s Place, Arbuz, Bassett Caterers, Chop Stix, Jimmy’s Famous Heros, JoMart Chocolates, KBCC Culinary, Maria’s Ristorante Italiano, Masal Cafe, New Cats Cafe, Tête-à-Tête, Turkish Cultural Center and Wheeler’s Restaurant.

I could go on about how much I love the food at all these places, and what a great show they put on Thursday, but this post would go on far too long.

Thanks, too, to Richard Stockley and the Knights of Columbus – Baron DeKalb, who made great hosts once again, and really impressed this former waiter with their exemplary service and quick cleanup. A big thanks also to T-Mobile of Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, Miramar Yacht Club, Pinto Novelty, Tops Liquors and the dozen or so participants who kicked in approximately $1,000 in free door prizes for attendees.

Our appreciation also extends to the elected officials who skipped the vice presidential debate, a redistricting hearing, Barbara Streisand’s return to Brooklyn, the first night of Comic Con, and whatever else to join us on Thursday and show their love for our booming restaurant industry. Those officials include Councilmembers Lew Fidler and Mike Nelson, Assemblymembers Helene Weinstein, Alan Maisel and Steven Cymbrowitz, State Senator David Storobin and also Marty Golden, who could not attend but sent a representative. Borough President Marty Markowitz sent a proclamation and called to send his regards, but Babs was too much for the beep to miss.

And last but not least, thanks to you, our readers and supporters who attended, who truly made this event what it was by showing that Sheepshead Bay is about community and about supporting its small businesses. Thanks for coming, and we hope you had a terrific time.

Check out photos of the event after the jump.

Source: City & State

Well, well, well… look who will be feted with an elegant dinner and accolades during City & State’s coveted elite exclusive Rising Stars “Forty Under Forty” award ceremony next week. The vehicle, showcasing New York State’s “most promising young talent,” has selected Sheepshead Bites’ very own venerable editor and publisher, Ned Berke, who is sitting mere feet from me at I write this, threatening to fire me if I don’t meet today’s deadline in — surprise! — “under 40” minutes from now.

Sponsored by the online government and politics website City & State, best known for “First Read,” the addictive early morning roundup of government news, gossip and goings on throughout New York’s political world, “Forty Under Forty” honorees are comprised of politicians, staffers, as well as “muckraking bloggers and intrepid reporters [Ed. – that’s where our guy comes in], and well-connected lobbyists and union reps.”

Ned, a lifelong Sheepshead Bay resident (he frequently loves to remind us of the time he has spent in Peru), had always dreamed of pursuing a career in journalism. The young journalist turned enterprising businessman revealed to City & State’s Aaron Short that he was finally inspired to dip his toe into the choppy waters of hyper-local blogging after being given a nudge by the late “Gowanus Lounge” blogger, Robert Guskind during 2008’s Brooklyn Blogfest.

With mostly Downtown Brooklyncentric blogs, such as “Gowanus Lounge,” “New York Shitty” and “Pardon Me For Asking,” dominating the Brooklyn blogging landscape during the mid-aughts, Ned felt it was high time Southern Brooklyn — particularly his home ’hood of Sheepshead Bay— got some respect.

Since that time, his massive undertaking and hyper-local news coverage has gotten him profiled, interviewed or otherwise recognized by such media giants as The New York Times, The Daily News, Washington Post and Boing-Boing, among others.

After three years of developing a steady following throughout the shorefront area, the 28-year-old entrepreneur’s empire branched out to other parts of Southern Brooklyn with the successful June 2011 launch of Bensonhurst Bean.

But blah, blah, blah… we know all of this, right? What we really want to know is, what makes Ned Berke tick? I mean, do any of us really care that, if he could have dinner with anyone, it would be Mark Twain or Ralph Waldo Emerson?

No, of course not.

So fess up, Ned, and tell us what we really want to know: boxers or briefs?

Our friends over at the Brighton Neighborhood Association are celebrating the 36th Annual Brighton Jubilee, a half-mile street festival on Brighton Beach Avenue featuring, food, entertainment and tons of bargains.

Above is the flier, and below is the text of a news release the organization sent us:

36TH ANNUAL BRIGHTON JUBILEE SUNDAY, AUGUST 26TH

10AM TO 5PM…IN THE ‘RUSSIAN CAPITOL OF BROOKYN”, BRIGHTON

BEACH…ON BRIGHTON BEACH AVENUE TURNING DOWN CONEY ISLAND

AVENUE TO THE BOARDWALK….PRESENTED BY THE BRIGHTON

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.

ONE OF BROOKLYN’S MOST POPULAR EVENTS IS TAKING PLACE THIS

SUNDAY FEATURING THREE STAGES OF ENTERTAINMENT….PERFORMERS

FROM DANU RUSSIAN RADIO, GREAT SOUNDS FROM FRANKIE MARRA AND

OTHER BROOKLYN BANDS INCLUDING NEPTUNE JAM. THE BROOKYN NETS

WILL BE PARTICIPATING ALONG WITH THE NEW YORK ARM WRESTLING

ASSOCIATION WHICH WILL BE HOLDING A COMPETITION FOR ‘BROOKLYN’S

STRONGEST ARM”.

THE JUBILEE FEATURES BLOCKS OF BARGAINS, GREAT FOOD,

KIDDIE RIDES, INFO TABLES INCLUDING HUMAN RESOURCES

AND HUMAN RIGHTS….

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL PAT SINGER AT

718 891-0800 (UP TO FRIDAY)

718 541-3866 (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)

718 646-9715 (SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)

OVER 100,000 PEOPLE HAVE VISITED THIS FAIR IN PAST YEARS…

WE INVITE YOUR COVERAGE.

And don’t forget to check out our Brighton Jubilee coverage from 2011, or that from 2010, a year that we also did an audio feature, “Sounds of the Brighton Jubilee.“

It’s that time of year again, boys and girls: The 61st Precinct is inviting everyone in the community to attend its “29th Annual National Night Out Against Crime,” a family-friendly get-together with delicious food, giant inflatable amusements, music and entertainment.

The gathering, whose purpose is to show criminals that the streets belong to the people, will be held tonight, August 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. behind the precinct’s stationhouse, 2575 Coney Island Avenue. This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, local elected officials and community leaders, and enjoy some fun in the sun.

To explain the event last year, Daniel T. Allen, now a WNYC reporter, produced the video above, narrated by Kenan Tashkent, the first vice president of the 61st Precinct Community Council and an NYPD Auxiliary Police Officer.

The event is free and open to all ages. For more, call (718) 627-6847. Also, don’t miss all of our coverage from previous years’ events.

Correction (12:00 p.m.): The original version of this post mistakenly indicated that the event was August 2. Our apologies – it was a typo and has been corrected.