The French Get Their Party On in Brooklyn for Bastille Day 2013

Petengue on Smith Street. Photos: MK Metz

Smith Street was transformed into Little France on Sunday, July 14 as Brooklyn once again celebrated Bastille Day with the famous Petengue Tournament, glasses of Lillet, music and French food.

The street was covered with sand for the tournament and spectators enjoyed little glasses of Lillet, music and French food. The sun hats given out by sponsors came in handy in the heat, which was pretty dramatic.

Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens are said to have the highest concentration of French folks in the city. The area includes many French businesses, shops and cafes, and French language immersion programs at schools.

In petanque, competitors throw metal balls (boules), trying to get close to a little ball called a "pig" (cochonnet). This year there were more than 80 teams.

In spite of the heat, patrons danced like crazy as the band played outside Bar Tabac.

Brooklyn's Bastille Day event was founded 11 years ago by Bette Stoltz along with restaurants Bar Tabac and Robin des Bois (now shuttered), and is sponsored by French apéritif company Ricard.

July 14 marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in 1789.

Past stories on this topic:
- Good Times at Brooklyn's Bastille Day 2012
- 2012 Bastille Day Coming Up
- Bastille Day 2011
- 2011 Bastille Day Coming Up
- Brooklyn's Bastille Day, 2010
- Brooklyn's 2010 Bastille Day Celebration Looking Big 
- Brooklyn Bastille Day 2009 -- Great Day, Big Crowds
- Bastille Day 2009 in Brooklyn  
- Bastille Day in Brooklyn: The French Conquer Smith Street
- Brooklyn's Bastille Day: Smith Street, Sunday 
- Bastille Day in Brooklyn -- La Rue de Smith Sautait!

Photos by MK Metz

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Barclays Noise Complaints; Gas Pipeline Protest; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Did you miss 'Sharknado'? Here's the trailer.

- Multiple noise complaints about Barclays Center, and commenters say it's going to be intolerable for years. [Atlantic Yards Report]

- A 79-year-old woman talking on her cellphone and crossing against the light was fatally struck by a car in Bensonhurst. [NY Post]

- Opponents protested Sunday against a planned natural gas pipeline that would pass through Brooklyn and the Rockaways. [CBS local]

- Video of FDNY rescuing a dog from a second story window. [Carroll Gardens Patch]

- Aging NYC stickballers keep street game alive. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Park Slope not thrilled with Methodist's plan to knock down 16 buildings to expand the hospital. [Brownstoner]

- Manhattan is not impressed with Brooklyn's newest tall buildings. [WSJ]

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NYC Congressmen to Call for Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman Investigation

Trayvon Martin

In the wake of the jury finding George Zimmerman not guilty in the killing of the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, Congress Members Charles Rangel (parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and S.I.), Gregory Meeks (Queens) and Hakeem Jeffries (Brooklyn) will call upon the Department of Justice today to conduct an immediate investigation to determine if the nation’s civil rights laws have been violated.

A press conference is planned for 1 p.m. today (Monday) outside of the Manhattan Federal District Court House at 500 Pearl Street.

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'The Merchant of Venice' at Gallery Players in Park Slope

The Gallery Players announces their next 'Shakespeare: Onstage' production: "The Merchant of Venice" from July 18 - August 4. Here's the release:

"The Merchant of Venice," written in 1596-97, is Shakespeare’s great play about religious, economic, racial and cultural differences. Set as an Italian Renaissance fairy tale, Director Mark Harborth shows two worlds in collision – that of Antonio and Shylock, a Jew.

This candid comedy speaks to us across four centuries with humor, passion, disguises, twists and turns.

The cast includes Dominic Cuskern as Shylock (Inherit the Wind, A Perfect Ganesh), Broadway veteran and long-standing member of the Pearl Theatre Resident Acting Company, stars as Shylock. David Patrick Ford (Macbeth, Othello) will play Antonio opposite Cuskern. Gallery President and Director Mark Harborth (Noises Off, Chess, Othello, Dreamgirls) will again direct.

Performances will take place at 7:30 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as well as 3:00 pm on Sunday. Tickets are $18 for Adults, $14 for senior citizens and children 12 and under. The Gallery Players will also host a “Pay What You Can” night on Monday, July 22nd at 7:30 pm.

Tickets can be purchased 24/7 online at www.galleryplayers.com or by calling OvationTix at 212-352-3101 (phone hours 9-9 weekdays, 10-6 weekends).


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City Releases Gas Into Subway Tunnels, But Not to Worry

Photo: LimeTech

NYC is carrying out some pretty serious terror tests, with the first of three gas releases yesterday.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, air flow monitors have been stashed around the city in 200 locations to see where perfluorocarbon gas goes after being released in Manhattan.

The gas is a stand-in for whatever airborne toxin some sicko decides to drop in the subway, such as "radiological contaminants or weaponized anthrax."

We asked NYC emergency personnel (off the record) if Downtown Brooklyn would be a likely landing place for airborne particles from Manhattan. We were told that typical air patterns would more likely bring airborne particles to Coney Island.

"What about New Jersey?" we asked.

The answer: "Who cares about New Jersey?"


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Catsimatidis Celebrates; Downtown Underground Park; Stolen Handicap Scooter; and More Brooklyn Briefs

Catsimatidis celebrates 25,000 Mayoral petition signatures. Dose hands! Twitter

- Buried garage to help pay for new park in Downtown Brooklyn. [NY Times]

- A Brooklyn trial judge made so many mistakes and the defendant's lawyer was so bad, the Appellate Court dismissed all charges. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Good Samaritan tries to help disabled man get his motorized scooter back, cops blow him off. [BHB]

- Suprize: NYPD gives sidewalk cyclists more tickets than speeding drivers. [Streetsblog]

- Warehouse across from Barclays Center sells for $6M. [TRD]

- Brooklyn DA's office has a witness problem, again. [NY Magazine]

- Yoko Ono turned 80 and wrote a confusing book. [Observer] 

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Three Citi Bikes Stolen Tuesday Night

Photo: MK Metz

A report came in over the scanner at 11 p.m. Tuesday night: Three Citi Bikes were stolen and the perps were "riding around" the area.

One suspect was wearing a black shirt and gray shorts. No further information was provided, though we're pretty it went down in Brooklyn.

UPDATE: Apparently the bikes have chips in them to track them if stolen. If true, this should be interesting.

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SUNY Special Trustees Meeting July 16, After LICH Contempt Hearing

Carl McCall, SUNY Chair

A special meeting of the SUNY Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday, July 16, at State University Plaza in Albany, New York at 2:00 p.m.

According to the SUNY website, "It is anticipated that the Chairman of the Board may call for a motion to convene an Executive Session under provisions of Section 105 of Article 7 of the Public Officers Law."

This means the board will talk about the juicy stuff in private.

The topic of the special meeting has not been announced.  But Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Baynes had set a hearing for contempt for July 15, the day before the SUNY trustees meeting.

SUNY Downstate has flaunted Judge Baynes' order to keep Long Island College Hospital open and fully staffed. “Individuals will be named and they may well have to come before this Court and show cause why they shouldn’t be held in contempt,” Baynes said.

If this hearing is still in place (it's been reported that SUNY has appealed the order), the trustees will likely be discussing who takes the rap.

Video conferencing of the public portions of the meeting, if any, at:

State University College of Optometry
33 West 42nd Street
New York, New York

 (Live-streaming over the Internet is usually available as well.)



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'Brooklyn Girl,' Shitibike, Bone Karma and More Brooklyn Briefs

- Cop who ran over teacher in Williamsburg was talking on the phone. [NY Mag] 

- 12-year-old Brooklyn boy missing, disappeared on the 4th of July. [News 12]

- Jehovah's Witnesses are selling six DUMBO properties for $375 million, averaging $62.5 million a property. [Brooklyn Eagle]

- McCarren Park Pool sees its first arrests of the season. [NY Mag]

- Brooklyn epic bike ride coming soon. [Brownstoner]

- Brooklyn Magazine tries to define the "Brooklyn Girl." [Bkmag] Jezebel finds the Brooklyn Girl concept pretty irritating. [Jez]

- Shitibike is here. [Here]

- Guy who sold diseased body parts dies of bone cancer. Victims' kin say, “Karma's a bitch." [Brooklyn Eagle]

- Very bad weather hits Toronto, flooding streets and even subway cars. [Gothamist]

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Save LICH: Rally at Gov. Cuomo's NYC Office Monday, July 8. Buses from Cobble Hill

Photo: MK Metz

Rally at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's NYC office on Monday, July 8 from 4 - 6 p.m. to tell the Governor to keep Long Island College Hospital (LICH) open.

The Governor has ignored marches, letter from local representatives, actions in Albany and thousands of letters, petitions and emails from residents asking him to stop SUNY Downstate from destroying a crucial hospital in Cobble Hill and stealing its real estate.

Brooklyn Heights Association buses will leave at 2:45 p.m. from the LICH's Hicks Street entrance. Gov. Cuomo's office is located at 633 Third Avenue (40th Street).

On Sunday, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio stood with hospital staff, neighbors and community activists and called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to personally intervene on behalf of Brooklyn’s safety-net hospitals.

Citing the loss of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village and others across the five boroughs, De Blasio warned the imminent closures of LICH and Interfaith Medical Center would "hollow out community healthcare in Brooklyn and carry devastating consequences for residents."

In a letter to the Governor sent this weekend, De Blasio urged “bold, strong action at the state’s highest level to ensure both LICH and Interfaith remain open and serving their communities.” Governor Cuomo appoints a majority of SUNY’s board of trustees, and his State Department of Health must sign off on any decision to close, restructure or transfer ownership of hospitals like LICH.

De Blasio's letter to Gov. Cuomo is here.

Previous Posts on LICH:

- How Can SUNY Downstate Design a Brooklyn Healthcare Network When They Can't Run LICH?

- Brooklyn Judge Orders SUNY Downstate to Cough Up LICH Financial Documents

- Best Emergency Room In Brooklyn This Week: Long Island College Hospital (LICH)

All posts about LICH

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