ATTENTION ALL HAZBINS, ATTENTION ALL HAZBINS!

Please report to the Coney Island bandshell where Ocean Parkway meets Surf Ave on the Brighton Beach border (for those of you prone to drawing lines in the sand) at 19:00 hours. You shall be expected to report in full Hazbin body gear.

Suggested attire: Cut-off Levis, Earth shoes, Toe socks, Mood rings. "DISCO SUCKS" tee-shirts optional. Disco attire strongly prohibited! (I.e. Those wearing the likes of Chams LeBaron shirts, Vidal Sasoon, Bonjour or Sergio Valente jeans will be forcably removed from the area.)

See ya there!

Cheers,

The Pigeon

BTW, the Cornbread Diner is...

718.484.2424

A peek inside:

The Junction Spruce's Up Thanks to The Flatbush Junction BID!

Image by Flatbush Pigeon

Lori Raphael from the Flatbush Junction Business Inprovement district has done a good job of keeping members of the community updated on new developments in the area and the FJBID is doing a wonderful job doing what they do - improving existing FJ businesses and attracting new ones. For more info on the FJBID click here.

Here's Lori's description of the FJBID's Storefront Improvement Grant Program:

The Storefront Improvement Grant program provides up to a $5,000 matching grant to property owners and merchants within the Junction BID's catchment area. Eligible improvements are to the exterior only and include the replacementof solid security gates with open grid gates, glass, signs, awnings and paint. Financing and design services are available. For more information about this program, contact:flatbushjunctionbid@yahoo.comor call: (718) 951-5000, ext 1449

I took a for pictures of these new projects to give readers a few visual examples of just what has been accomplished recently through the FJBID's Storefront Improvement Grant Program:

Image by Flatbush Pigeon

Regarding this most recent storefront project Lori Raphael writes:

Congratulations to Phil Miller of 6A Hardware, 1453 Flatbush Avenue for taking advantage of the Flatbush Junction BID's Storefront Improvement Grant Program. Phil has a beautiful new sign and 5 feet of open grid added to his security gate. Come by to take a look and shop at this true neighborhood hardware store and locksmith, characterized by warm personal service and a full selection of items to improve and maintain your home. For more information about the program, call the BID office at (718) 951-5000, ext 1449.

Image by Flatbush Pigeon

Regarding the recent improvement to the Derby Liquors storefront, Lori writes:

Derby Liquors at 2123 Nostrand Avenue (btn Glenwood and Flatbush) has completed its storefront renovation with the assistance of the Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID. Derby replaced its glass/door, sign, awning and security gate under the BID's Storefront improvement Grant Program. Drop by and check out Derby's new look- and pick up a bottle of wine or some cocktail supplies for the weekend!

Ingenious Young Entrepreneurs Hard at Work in Ditmas Park!

I came across these two entrepreneurial prodigies on E. 18th Street selling their newly invented "Blackjack Juice" - a well-tested mix of orange & cranberry juices with a splash of seltzer water!

Forget the gourmet coffee at Conn. Muffin. or the champagne at Pomme de Terre. The real thirst-quencher is found at the youngster’s local stand.

The News - Brooklyn Garage

by flatbushpigeon.

The scene on 3rd Avenue and Douglass Street. July 2008, Brooklyn, NY.

70th Precinct Night Out Against Crime 8/5 at the Parade Grounds

This just in from Flatbush Junction BID:

The 70th Precinct & 70th Precinct Community Council
invites you to a its night out against crime located at the Parade Ground(Caton Avenue & Argyle Road)

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Join us for an evening of fun and festivities, such as:
FREE BBQ
Rides
Face Painting
Games
Blood Pressure Screening
Giveaways
Bike, Cellphone and iPod Etching
For more information, contact the 70th Precinct's Community Affairs
Office at 718-851-5557.

Historic Brick Colonial Offered at $599K in the Brooklyn College Area

STEAL THIS HOUSE!

Flatbush Junction Bid alerted some of us about the availablity of this house a few days ago and I completely forgot about it until...I was lucky enough to just be walking past this open house tonight. So, of course, I snooped! It offers some really sexy details and great space! Great price...it ought be stolen immediately! BTW, this is really a four bedroom converted to a three.

HOUSE Web #136

July 30th Open House

WED 6-8

OFFERED AT: $599K

2 Story + Bsmt, 1 Family

Bldg: 18x54 Lot 18x100

COLONIAL BRICK 1 FAMILY

Front Porch & Garden

Spacious LR, Bay Window

Separate Formal Dining Room

Eat-In-Kitchen, Mud Room, W/D

High Ceiling Bsmt Could Be Finished

1 Full Bathroom, Plus Powder Room

3 Bedrooms, Large Master

Great Closets & Storage

Sunny Private Garden

LOVELY BLOCK

Attention all Urban Parrot fans! Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari: Saturday, 8/2 at 12 Noon

This just in from the Flatbush Junction BID:

Attention all Urban Parrot fans: the next Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari will happen on Saturday, August 2, 2008, at 12 Noon. All interested wild parrot fans should meet at Brooklyn College's Hillel Gate, which is at the intersection of Hillel Place and Campus Road. Our tour runs in two sections. You can attend either section, or both, depending on how many wild parrots you'd like to see!

Please e-mail Steve Baldwin, Webmaster, BrooklynParrots.com steve@brooklynparrots.com 646-361-2879 (phone)if you want to attend.

Note: the rain date for this trip is Sunday, August 3rd, same monk time, same monk location.

Wild Parrot Safari -- First Section (Brooklyn College): 12:00 Noon to 1:45PMAt noon, we'll inspect the Brooklyn Parrots' "Ellis Island." Their large nests around the soccer field represents the first major colony in Brooklyn. The site is easy to get to via public transportation. Just take the Number 2 train (Seventh Avenue IRT) to the end of the line, walk one block Southwest on Hillel Street past the new Starbucks, and look for the main Brooklyn College date. The tour begins at the entrance at Noon sharp. Allow some extra time, given that the MTA is doing lots of construction/train re-routing on weekends. Driving instructions are available at Brooklyn College's main Web site. Parking is fairly easy to come by in the neighborhood. If you're late, just call me: I'll give you directions so that you can meet up with us if the tour is already in progress.

Wild Parrot Safari -- Second Section (Green-Wood Cemetery): 2:30PM-5PM. Due to popular demand, our monthly tour will run an optional "second section." After getting our share of the raucous antics of the Brooklyn College Parrots, at approximately 1:45 PM, our group will walk to the Q Train (BMT) station at Avenue H and journey to Green-Wood Cemetery, where we will observe the late-afternoon antics of the parrots residing there. If you just want to see the Green-Wood parrots, show up at 2:30 PM and we'll be there. To get to Green-Wood, take the R Train to 25th Street and walk one block East to 25th and 5th Avenue.
What to Bring/What to WearPlease bring a photo ID (this is required by Brooklyn College Security). Bring binoculars and a camera if you'd like to immortalize your wild parrot-watching experience. The weather will be warm if not hot, and we'll be exposed to the wind and possibly strong sun, so bring a hat/sunscreen if you have sensitive skin. I ordinarily do not cancel the tour unless the forecast is for sustained rain in which birds will not fly.
Please feel free to wear anything except bright orange (Monk Parrots freak out when you show them something orange: in fact orange tags are one of the best ways to convince Monk Parrots to build away from electrical infrastructure). Wear green, blue, white, but orange will drive away the birds. This Tour is Free, But the Parrots Are Hungry!The Wild Parrot Safari is free - if you wish to help your hungry urban feathered friends, bring some bird seed: trust me, the parrots won't soon forget the gesture. Wild monk parrots also appreciate "real parrot food," especially unshelled peanuts, sliced apples, and raw sunflower seeds. Finch food or millet are always welcomed by our hungry urban "peeps."
See you in wild, exotic Brooklyn!

The Canarsie Special

A reader sent in the above image to let us all know; In hard times there are deals to be had in Canarsie! The recession special: 1.00 beef patties.

Who Dares Question My Hazbin Status???

Pigeon enjoys a smoke at one of last year's Seaside Concerts

Apparently, I struck a nerve with one of my fellow aging readers when I joyfully welcomed Peter Frampton to the "Hazbin Hall of Fame" in an last week's entry.

Clearly, this reader is unaware that only a "Hazbin HoF" member can bestow such honors and I am gravely insulted! Please read the exchange below.

___________________________________________________

Pigeon said...

>>>"Welcome to the Hazbin Hall of Fame, Pete!"<<<

Anonymous said...

Pigeon, you're gonna be 50 yourself someday, you know.

____________________________________________________

Pigeon's response:

Since that magic number is not very far off for me at all, I am well aware of that and have absolutely no shame nor fear about that. In fact, I feel the same about being a Hazbin. (Hazbin demigoddess here, btw. Inducted 6/1993) I've welcomed many a Hazbin to the Hall at the annual induction galas known as Seaside, Wingate and formerly the Midwood field concerts.

Now back in the day when acts like "Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge" and the like were headliners at those shows - sure, I perceived the term "Hazbin" as pejorative. But as over the years my grays multiplied and the bands moved from Do-whoop local acts to the likes of Jefferson Starship, KC and the Sunshine band, Rev. Al Green, the B52s and now Frampton! it's pretty damn clear to me that their - and my - "hazbinism" is something to be aspired too.

Of course, one person's Frampton is another person's Johnny Maestro...but I'm not one of those people! I'm a hazbin now! I've worked long and hard for this status! And, I have a little ditty to express my pride in this. So, Anonymous poster, if as I suspect you're a hazbin too, I invite you to meet me out at the Frampton concert this week where you can join me in leading the crowd in singing the "Hazbin Anthem." Now if you're truly a hazbin I can simply give you the words. I'm sure you'll know the melody. So practice up this week so we get it right at the show, 'K?

The Hazbin Anthem

I'm a hazbin, he's a hazbin,

she's a hazbin, we're a hazbin,

Wouldn't you like to be a hazbin, too?