Explore Myrtle Avenue is back this September! Get your gamecard at any of the Move About Myrtle events, or at one of the 20 participating businesses! Entering the contest is easy...just spend $10 at five businesses on the gamecard and collect five stamps, then submit your card as an entry into a drawing for one of four $400 Myrtle Shopping Sprees!

We've added ANOTHER contest this year - the "Myrtle Fan Appreciation" raffle! At each of the four Move About Myrtle events, we'll draw one name from our pool of Facebook fans to receive $100 in Myrtle gift certificates! You can also enter your name at our table at the event.

Here's to being healthy! If you've been thinking about a healthier lifestyle, Move About Myrtle can get you jump-started! If you're already on the healthy tip, then you'll love what we have store for this Sunday. Check it out!

Veggiecate yourself!

Lisa Suriano, founder and creator of the Veggiecation Program, will conduct a cooking demonstration targeting elementary school age kids, and on the menu is Teriyaki Snap Peas and Carrots - yum! Kids will be invited to sample Veggiecation's culinary creation and cast a vote on how they liked the recipe in the Veggiecation Ballot Boxes. Empowering children to express their opinion is an integral part of the Veggiecation philosophy and method. Veggiecation Character Coloring Pages and crayons will be given out to all participants, and parents will be able to pick up a copy of Veggiecation's Top Five Tips to Grow the Love of Vegetables At Home. Fun stuff for the whole family! (1pm-4pm between Vanderbilt and Clinton)

Community Chef Cooking Demos

Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chef Dumeha will be cooking up tasty recipes that are healthy and affordable for you to sample. Visit her from and learn some new techniques to bring back to your own kitchen! (1pm to 3pm between Vanderbilt and Clinton)

Green in BKLYN makes Move about Myrtle green!

Green in BKLYN brings some ‘green’ spirit to Move About Myrtle with a fantastic calendar of events! Bring out your old umbrella this Sunday and learn how to make a bag from it – how cool is that? (Drop off your old umbrellas throughout the week if you’re just looking to get rid of those broken ones!) Here’s the full schedule of events that will take place right outside the store (between Clinton and Waverly):
12-2pm Making Bags from Umbrellas with Catherine Charlot of HIMANE
2-4pm Vokashi Composting with Vandra Thorburn
4:30-6pm Yolele! Book Signing with chef Pierre Thiam including tasty Somali treats!
TEASER: Next week at Green in BKLYN … e-waste recycling and world-renowned dog artist Tillamook Cheddar!

Shape Up New York

Shape Up New York, a FREE family fitness program offered at parks sites, community centers, housing sites and events around New York City, helps us get fit right here on Myrtle! Fitness classes are open to all ages – no experience necessary, but wear comfortable clothes and a healthy attitude! The program is sponsored jointly by the City's Health and Parks Departments.(2pm-4pm between Clermont and Vanderbilt)

Are you ready to Move About Myrtle? We’re kicking it off on September 5th with a “Back to School Celebration”! Come join us for a day of fun and games before heading back to hit the books. The first Sunday is already jam-packed with free activities, music, and merchant specials, and we’re confirming more every week. New contest this year – we’ll select one lucky winner each week to receive $100 in Myrtle gift certificates! To enter, follow us on Facebook or enter at our MARP table at the events, located between Washington and Hall. You can also pick up your Explore Myrtle Avenue game cards at every Sunday event, and enter for your chance to win a Myrtle shopping spree later in the fall!

Click here to find out getting healthy about at Move About Myrtle this weekend, and here to find out about getting your groove on!

Here’s a block-by-block summary of activities for September 5th:

Clermont to Vanderbilt
Did you miss Soul Summit in Fort Greene Park this summer? They’re back in Fort Greene for two more summer dance parties at Move About Myrtle! Soul Summit DJs will spin from 3-6pm on September 5th and September 12th on Myrtle near Clermont. While you're here drop off your gently worn clothes at Tres Elegante’s Textile Drive and check out their fashion show at 4:30pm, browse the sidewalk sale racks at Kiini Ibura, and take advantage of Home and U’s Door Buster specials to give your apartment or dorm room a fall makeover.

Vanderbilt to Clinton
Here’s to your health! Jump in and burn some calories at DPHO’s Shape Up NYC fitness classes for all ages, and enjoy kid-friendly food preparation and tastings with Veggiecation from 1-4pm. Myrtle Eats Fresh Community Chef Dumeha will be cooking and serving up tasty bites made from healthy, affordable ingredients at 4pm. Also, Verizon will be raffling a prepaid cell phone, and Castro’s will be offering tasty Mexican food and barbecuing in the lot at Emigrant Bank. And…we’ve also got free face painting from noon – 3pm!

Clinton to Waverly
For kids (and the inner child in all of us), this block will be devoted to good old-fashioned fun! Hula hoops, street games and sidewalk chalk will be on hand for open use throughout the day, with plenty of ‘blank street canvas’ for all, and free arts and crafts activities! Enjoy free mini-smoothies from Karrot all day, and Sans Souci offers their Caribbean fare in the Citibank lot. Check out the spa promotions at Karen’s Body Beautiful. Green in BKLYN has a full day of activities planned, so make sure to stop by! Make bags from umbrellas with HIMANE from 12-2pm, compost with Vokashi from 2-4pm, and meet local celebrity chef Pierre Tham from Grand Dakar at 4:30pm, have him sign his book, Yolele!, and taste some Somali treats. Yum.

Waverly to Washington
Join local artist Ellie Balk and her team as they create a community ‘mural’ at the fence at the vacant lot next to Bank of America! Trilok Fusion Arts will bring their weaving looms Plenty of space to sit and watch the action here while you enjoy a drink and a bite, with sidewalk cafes at Maggie Brown’s, Thai 101, Anima and Five Spot! Brunch anyone?

Washington to Hall
Brought to you by local yoga and dance studio Move with Grace, this block will feature free yoga, dance, and themed dance parties on each of the four Sundays. This Sunday's lineup:
12 Yoga Class (All Levels) with Grace
2pm Live Music "Major Taylor" - Rock, soul and blues
3:30pm Tahitian Dance Class (All Levels) and Performance with Mikaela Joy
5pm Belly Dance Class with Tamar Raqs
Little girls can get ready for school with a ‘kiddie manicure’ at Polish Bar, and fashionistas can pick up some new pieces at Barking Brown. Lots of sidewalk cafes on this block as well, so if dancing and shopping aren’t for you, then just relax with a cool drink outside Yamashiro, Zaytoons, Kum Kau and Liberty Pizza. You can even catch up on your African cinema outside Billo’s Discount Store!

Here’s a teaser about what’s in store for upcoming weeks:
Soul Summit returns on 9/12!
BAMcafe’ brings featured artists on 9/19 and 9/26
Brooklyn Food Coalition’s Good Food Fest takes over Vanderbilt to Clinton block on 9/12
“The Case of the Curious Pedestrian” brings tons of playful public art projects and performances to the avenue on 9/19
Our first ever bike/scooter/big wheel parade from Hall to Clermont kicks of 9/26, with lots of bike-themed programs throughout the day!

Excited yet??? We are! Spread the word, and we'll see you on Myrtle in a few weeks!

Move About Myrtle is sponsored by the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership with support from St. Joseph's College, Emigrant Bank, and Associated Supermarket.(photos from 2009 Move About Myrtle)

This week you can come by and purchase: Sweet Corn, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Carrots, Beets, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Celery, Radishes, Fuji Apple Cider, Plums and Nectarines - YUM!

Your support is greatly appreciated! We need dedicated customers such as you to keep this important community initiative moving forward.

See you at the market!

UPDATE: We've extended the deadline to August 30th at 5pm. If you haven't already submitted a design, you still have time!

On Myrtle Avenue, we’re serious about protecting our street trees...but, why do it like everyone else does it, right? We’ve been working with the Pratt Design Incubator to design tree guards that are both functional and durable, but also offer a ‘canvas’ that reflects the spirit of local creativity. Tree guards with a Myrtle twist.

That’s where you come in.

We’re inviting artists and designers (both amateur and professional!) to submit designs for the panels of a new Myrtle Tree Guard. Each winning design will be laser cut into the 4 panels of an individual tree guard (visit the prototype, pictured above, on Myrtle between Clinton and Waverly). We may select up to 20 unique designs for 20 new tree guards to be installed this fall on Myrtle!

Download the full application here.
Submit your design using this Adobe Illustrator template. Don’t worry if you don’t have illustrator – contact us if you’d still like to submit a concept. We’ll have a professional designer convert your design to the appropriate file format if selected.

Make sure to submit your design concepts by Monday, August 30th at 5pm (new deadline). Contact meredith@myrtlavenue.org if you have any questions.

Wednesday night films continue at the Brooklyn Public Library/Walt Whitman Branch, 93 St. Edwards Street. Wednesday nights are film nights at the Whitman Library. 5:30pm - 8:00pm ALWAYS FREE.

SEPTEMBER

1st - Eating discusses the hidden costs and health consequences of US dietary habits. 150 minutes

8th - JFK documentary examines the theories and circumstances surrounding Kennedy's death. 160 minutes

15th - Maafa documentary explores abortion issues and politics in the Black community. 180 minutes

22nd - Money Matters examines the history and influence of the Federal Reserve Bank. 170 minutes

29th - Vaccinations asks and examines how safe and necessary are childhood vaccinations. 130 minutes

OCTOBER

6th - Shock Doctrine asks 'are economic disaster/s used to usher in socio-political ones'. 120 minutes

13th - Last King of Scotland a sobering behind the scenes look at Idi Amin's reign. 135 minutes

20th - J. Edgar Hoover examines Hoover's obsession with secrecy and the FBI's origins. 65 minutes

27th - Liberation of LB Jones mixes infidelity, humiliation ans southern style revenge. 140 minutes

NOVEMBER

3rd - Blindness people are brought to face themselves, after a whole city suddenly goes blind. 120 minutes

10th - Osama an Afghan girl dresses as a boy to get food for her family, until one fateful day. 142 minutes

17th - (double feature) Outbreak a lethal disease is willfully released in city by rogue government agents. 120 minutes

w/

Shiri conflicting nationals on opposite sides of the Korean War are politically challenged. 142 minutes

24th - Battle of Algiers French imperial aims are extinguished in this artistic docudrama. 118 minutes

Note that several of the films explore mature adult themes.

Call Carlton Lula, Adult Services Librarian for further information: 718.935.0244/ c.lula@brooklynpubliclibrary.org

As part of our growing public art program, we happily announce that Myrtle Avenue now has its very own Curator-in-Residence – Christina Vassallo of Random Number ! For the next year, Christina will help to bring temporary public art projects (both sculpture and installation) to Myrtle Avenue. Welcome to Myrtle, Christina!

Christina specializes in projects that engage the public in unique ways, and her first project for Myrtle is a fantastic example of this approach! The Case of the Curious Pedestrian, which coincides with Move About Myrtle on September 19th, is a one-day exhibition that highlights the overlooked details of the commercial corridor. Artists will take to the street with social interactions and artistic interventions, in an effort to reconnect passersby with the things that often go unnoticed. Visitors will find hidden installations all along Myrtle Avenue, and these playful gestures will turn Myrtle Avenue into a cabinet of curiosities. We know you want more – stay tuned for complete details soon! Move About Myrtle takes place on Myrtle between Clermont and Hall every Sunday in September from noon – 6pm. Check back for a full event schedule in a few weeks!

"I don't want to teach people half of what I know, I want to teach them everything I know," said Eddith Sanchez as she reflected on her personal goals for the Fort Greene FRESH Teens program.

Eddith is one of six teenagers from the neighborhood who, over 16 weeks, from July through October, is participating in the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project's (MARP) new Fort Greene FRESH Teens program.

The FRESH Teens program is building a community of informed, active youth from the neighborhood by connecting them with the practices of growing, cooking, eating and shopping for fresh food. The youth will walk away as "community food educators" for their communities. They will have the ability to make informed decisions about the food they eat, and the tools to educate other youth to do the same.

In addition to Eddith, who is 15 years old, lives in the Farragut Houses and enjoys bowling and cooking, the FRESH Teens include 14 year old Evelyn Fernandez, who is a resident of the Whitman Houses and loves to dance and help people learn; 16 year old Christina Carpenter, a resident of the Ingersoll Houses, who wants to get into acting; 17 year old Imani Collins, who lives on Myrtle in Clinton Hill and studies the arts; 14 year old Cyndi Vazquez, who is a rising freshman at Dr. Susan S. McKinney High School; and 17 year old Shakeem Carpenter, a resident of the Ingersoll Houses, who plays basketball for his school and admits to being "one of the best players alive."

In the summer months, the FRESH Teens are exploring health and nutrition, disparities in food access, how to cook fresh food, and urban farming practices, among other things. This includes interactive workshops, as well as field trips to the Central Brooklyn Public Health Office, East New York Farms!, and Fort Greene's own Ingersoll Garden of Eden. In the fall, the teens will be trained in a variety of leadership skills, from public speaking to workshop facilitation to how to use social media to engage other youth with food.

And engaging other youth is exactly what they will do. Once their skills are solidified, the youth will design workshops based on what they have learned, and lead those workshops at local schools and community centers. These workshops will not only serve as their first foray into community food education, but they will also be an opportunity for the youth to do outreach, getting their peers excited for a neighborhood youth food summit. The summit, which will be a gathering of around 50 youth from the neighborhood, will occur during the first week of November, and will be organized by the FRESH Teens themselves. The summit will serve as an opportunity for a large group of youth in the neighborhood to get together in one place, participate in educational workshops, and strategize around creative ways for youth to play a role in improving Fort Greene's food environment.

The FRESH Teens program is a part of MARP's Myrtle Eats Fresh Initiative, which includes a number of projects that engage community members in activities to improve access to healthy, affordable food on Myrtle Avenue, and in the surrounding neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. In addition to the FRESH Teens program, projects include a weekly community-run farm stand (Thursdays, 4-7pm at 177 Myrtle), a community chefs program, creating and expanding community gardens on public housing grounds, and the formation of a neighborhood food policy task force.

Please Note: Our Myrtle Eats Fresh KICK-OFF CELEBRATION is taking place at our farm stand on Thursday, August 12, from 4:30pm-5:30pm. The farm stand is located next to the Ingersoll Community Center, at 177 Myrtle. Come on out!

Look out for blog posts over the next few months from the FRESH Teens themselves!

For more information about the FRESH Teens program, please contact Sam Lipschultz at (718) 230-1689 or sam@myrtleavenue.org.

Have you picked up your new Myrtle Avenue 2010-2011 shopping guide yet? They can be found in stores along Myrtle Avenue, so please stop in and get yours today.

The 7-panel guide features listings of over 150 small mom and pop businesses located along Myrtle Avenue, along with their addresses and cross streets, phone numbers, websites.

As in previous years, the cover features merchant photos from the ‘Home Grown & Locally Owned’ marketing campaign. This cover pays homage to the small, mom-n-pop businesses that line Myrtle Avenue’s commercial corridor, while encouraging local residents to get to know their neighborhood entrepeneurs and to shop close to home in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

The listed businesses represent the rich and wide diversity of enterprises along the Avenue.

The guide also includes a 4-paneled map, complete with arrows to local subway and bus lines and a list of local jaunts and destinations: the sprawling Pratt Institute campus and 25-acre sculpture park; celebrated poet Walt Whitman’s former home; as well as Fort Greene Park and the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument. Also included is Move About myrtle, Myrtle’s family-friendly, action-packed Sundays in September when 5 blocks along the Avenue are closed to vehicular traffic and the streets are used for dancing, live performances, arts programming and other activities.

The shopping guides are an excellent resource for local shopping.

BROOKLYN YOUNG FILMMAKERS

COMMUNITY FILMMAKING PROJECT

Brooklyn Young Filmmakers is producing “OPEN/CLOSE”, the story of a one-time successful but now blocked New York artist, who is frightened about her future. Carita Locke is adrift in a world full of people busy connecting through techno gadgets. A winter storm blows her off course into a dramatic, life changing encounter with a Serbian immigrant who has been on the edge of her world, but who she never really noticed.

CASTING CALL

(NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY - But what a great experience you’ll have!)

FEMALE / 40s / African American

Carita Locke: An articulate writer who is at a lost when it comes to understanding her own feelings. Her quiet grace hides desperation. She blossomed in the early era of SEX AND THE CITY and dresses in chic Bohemian like Carrie.

MALE / 35 / Serbian Immigrant

Dragan: Skilled and debonair, he is frustrated by his American experience and trapped in a job where he serves those who he would wish to be his colleagues. His passion is threatening to boil over. (Has Serbian or believeable Serbian accent)

FEMALE / 40s / Jamaican American

Alexandra “Alex” Barnes: High powered, professional and sexy, a Samantha devotee. Carefully groomed, she successfully (as it is her aim) hides her Jamaican background – except when she is angry. A loyal and loving friend to Carita, Alex believes it’s her job to shake her friend out of a destructive romantic obsession.

TO APPLY: You must fit one of the character descriptions. If you have acting experience, you can email your resume and head shot. If you don’t have any experience, simply email us your picture with your phone number. (Optional: a letter about why you are interested in the part) We will contact you and ask some questions to determine whether or not we will set up an audition time with you. If you live or work in Fort Greene or an immediate surrounding area, that is considered a plus.

Rehearsals will start in mid-August, to be arranged according to the actors schedules. The shoot will either be the last weekend in August or the second weekend in September. There is no pay involved. Meals will be provided on the shoot. Actors will get a DVD copy of the finished film.

SEND INFO TO: communityfilm@wearebyfc.org

Questions: 718-935-0490

OPEN/CLOSE is the film project developed in BYFC’s Spring/Summer 2010 “Make A Film” Class Series, that we run in conjunction with New York City College of Technology’s Division of Continuing Education.