The original Bay Ridge Lenny's Pizza sign lives on in the new 'Brooklyn Pop' exhibit (Photo by Brian Braiker)
Brooklyn Brief: Sabrina Carpenter plays Barclays and ‘Brooklyn Pop’ opens in Industry City
Plus, Brooklyn Museum prepares to throw itself a birthday bash, and a toxic blob is stinking up the Gowanus neighborhood
Withe temps hitting the 70s more than once this week, it may not feel like fall, but like it or not, October begins tomorrow. Let’s kick spooky season off with a some news you can use — and some that you can’t.
The Brooklyn Museum gears up for its most epic First Saturday yet as it kicks off a months-long celebration for its 200th anniversary year. Meanwhile, “Brooklyn Pop,” a jaw-dropping immersive experience dedicated to the borough’s influence on twentieth century popular culture, has opened in Industry City.
Also, there’ a mysterious blob stinking up the Gowanus.
All of this and much more in your Brooklyn Brief.
In the news
- The Brooklyn Museum is turning 200 and it wants to party with you. The crown jewel of Brooklyn’s museum will be holding its birthday bash on Saturday, a full weekend of programming that highlights the best of the borough and marks two centuries of championing Brooklyn’s artistic communities.
- When the Rubin Museum’s Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room closes on October 6, it will move to the Brooklyn Museum, reports Artnet. The Rubin’s shrine collection will be on loan to the Brooklyn Museum and will be on view for the next six years, beginning in June 2025.
- In other exhibit news, “Brooklyn Pop: An Immersive Experience” opened at Industry City over the weekend. Local artist Michael “Kaves” McLeer created the exhibit to showcase Brooklyn’s influence on pop culture and features recreations from the film “The Warriors,” an authentic seat from Ebbets Field, the original Lenny’s Pizza signage and Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers jersey, among many more Brooklyn artifacts.
- Roc Nation School has become the first music program in Brooklyn to offer a fully integrated Dolby Atmos music curriculum. Roc offers students a hands-on learning experience that mirrors the professional environments used by today’s top artists and producers.
- Gowanus residents at Bond and Union streets have decried a mysterious, toxic blob left by developers, reports the New York Post. The blob is suspected to be coal tar, the toxic byproduct of plants used to produce coal gas and coke. The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued a stop-work order on the site last Tuesday.
- The activist group Transportation Alternatives wants to improve cycling in and around Prospect Park — and they have posted a petition with a detailed plan for how to do so.
- The Brooklyn Public Library’s Canarsie Branch received $3.5 million in state aid for necessary renovations, reports BKReader. The Canarsie Branch’s renovation is part of a statewide effort to upgrade libraries. The renovation will modernize its facilities and enhance accessibility and resources.
- New York was one of the last remaining northern states where slavery remained legal — until 1827. In spite of that stain on its history, Brooklyn was also home to a vibrant free Black community that worked to build their corners of the city in their own communal, radical anti-slavery vision, writes author Prithi Kanakamedala in her new book, “Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough,” out last week. Read our interview with Kanakamedala about her book from earlier this year.
- Thousands of people braved the rainy weather on Sunday to attend The 49th Atlantic Antic Festival. Vendors from all over the borough lined Atlantic Avenue from Hicks Street to Fourth Avenue as people supported the long-running festival. Click the link above to see highlights from the day’s festivities.
- Also Sunday, more than 40,000 people participated in the annual Tunnel to Towers 5K on Sunday, reports CBS New York. The 5K honors the route taken by fallen FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller on 9/11. Festivities kicked-off in Brooklyn near the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and ended at West Street and Murray Street in Manhattan.
ICYMI
A star is reborn: Kellogg’s Diner is revamped as a Tex-Mex triumph
Chefs Jackie Carnesi and Amanda Perdomo took over the iconic Williamsburg space — and knocked it out of the park.
The borough’s best indie publishers
Print is dead; long live print! A who’s-who of independent book and magazine publishers based in Brooklyn.
The best 2024 Oktoberfest events in Brooklyn
Don your finest lederhosen, count down ‘eins, zwei, getrunken’ and enjoy.
‘Intense fire’ rips through Bunton’s World Famous bar in Bushwick
No one was injured, though owner Kareem Bunton is asking for $150,000 to repair significant damages from the blaze.
What to do this week
Monday, September 30
Greg’s Great Pumpkin Patch
Open daily
Need a pumpkin? Browse Greg’s collection of gourds in all shapes and sizes, including fancy gourds and tons of Halloween decor every day from now until October 31. Plus, on Saturday, October 12, Greg’s hosts a Paw-rade for our furry friends with gift baskets for the best costumed doggos. Visit anytime between 2 and 8 p.m. for pumpkin carving and painting with all supplies included. Located at Greenwood Park, 555 Seventh Avenue.
Sabrina Carpenter at Barclays Center
7 p.m.
Sabrina Carpenter went from offending Catholics in Brooklyn to headlining Barclays Center in one short year. See the “Please Please Please” singer live and in person as she wraps up a fantastic month for local culture. 620 Atlantic Avenue. Tickets start at $253.
Tuesday, October 1
Zum Schneider Oktoberfest 2024
Ongoing until October 6
Zum Schneider’s famous annual Oktoberfest Tent has returned to Brooklyn’s 3 Dollar Bill. Their theme is “Munich in Brooklyn” and Zum Schneider’s authentic Oktoberfest experience takes place in a fully decked-out Munich Oktoberfest tent, seating over 600 people. Sip on their exclusively imported Oktoberfest Bier from Bavaria and wider Germany such as Weihenstephan, paired with their traditional fare and atmosphere by Mösl Franzi and the JaJaJas Oompah band. There’s a price point for every budget so check out their Eventbrite for tickets. 260 Meserole Street.
Wednesday, October 2
Curios in the Catacombs
Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Award-winning avant-garde pianist Margaret Leng Tan presents four unforgettable performances of “Curios in the Catacombs” at The Green-Wood Cemetery. The cemetery will transform its historic Catacombs into a surreal, subterranean stage with “Curios in the Catacombs,” blending music, theater and visual spectacle. Contactless check-in takes place at the Gothic Arch near the Main Entrance on Fifth Avenue and 500 25th Street. Tickets are $30 and $25 for Green-Wood members. Entry is only permitted on the date stated on the ticket.
Full of Bones Presents: Trick or Treat
7 p.m.
Full of Bones is an improv team forged from the depths of hell, and they’re kicking off the Halloween season with tricks and treats for all their devoted fans. Plus, there will be free candy. The Bones have been described as having “broken brains” and being “rotten to the core,” and they promise to deliver a frenetic, absurd, and straight-up silly hour of improv that’s guaranteed to tickle your funny bones. With opening sets from Sprinter and The Farm. 167 Graham Avenue. Tickets are $11.88.
Thursday, October 3
Rosh Hashanah at Brooklyn Bowl
10 a.m.
Celebrate the Jewish New Year at the Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday. Bowl Hashanah includes Rosh Hashanah morning services led by Rabbi Daniel Brenner with musical director Jeremiah Lockwood, Antibalas’ Jordan McLean, Yula Be’eri, John Bollinger, Stuart Bogie and Yusuke Yamamoto. A post-service lunch by Blue Ribbon is available with purchase. Proceeds support Shalom Y’all Jams. 61 Wythe Avenue. Tickets are $76.60.
Studio Ghibli + Anime Jazz
6:30 p.m.
The Catbus Collective brings Studio Ghibli and other classic anime covers to The Red Pavilion for a night of live music on Thursday. Prepare to be spirited away as you listen to your favorite themes from many of Studio Ghibli’s beloved movies live in concert. The show also features aerial artistry from Subtle Asian Polers. 1241 Flushing Avenue. Tickets begin at $22.58
Lupe Fiasco’s ‘Samurai Tour’
8 p.m.
Chicago-born, Grammy award-winning indie rapper Lupe Fiasco kicks off his latest tour this week following the June release of his ninth studio album, “Samurai” — a concept album about the late Amy Winehouse. Brooklyn Steel. 319 Frost Street. Tickets start at $48.02.
Spotted around the internet
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The immensity of this Brooklyn house will leave you speechless. pic.twitter.com/2MDFfMCdkY
— HOUSE PORN (@HOUSEPORN___) September 29, 2024
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