Tag Archives: Events

Event, April 26, NYC: First Annual Community Gardens Awards Dinner

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On Thursday, April 26, the New York City Community Gardens Coalition will hold its First Annual Community Gardens Awards Dinner and Fundraiser.

This event is designed to raise awareness about the importance of community gardening, parks, and open space, as well as to serve as our annual fundraiser to provide support of our mission – advocacy for community gardens preservation in New York City. Awards will be presented to four(4) outstanding New Yorkers who have made exemplary contributions to New York City community gardens in 2006.

This year’s event will be held at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, 2116 7th Avenue (W. 126th St.) from 6:00pm to 9:00PM. The program will include a presentation by our keynote speaker, Mr. Gerard Lordahl, Director of Open Space and Greening Program at the Council on the Environment of New York City, and recent President of the American Community Gardening Association, live music entertainment, a delicious dinner/dessert, and the Community Gardening Award presentations. The program will close with remarks from James Austin, President, NYCCGC Board of Directors. A “tax-deductible” contribution of $50 per ticket will admit you to this memorable event and includes a 1-year NYCCGC membership. …

We would like to have as many representatives of our community gardens as possible. … It will be an exciting event and a great opportunity to meet and network with your fellow gardeners. Exciting items also will be raffled during the evening.

Event, April 14, Manhattan: Identification Day at the American Museum of Natural History

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An annual event at the American Museum of Natural History, Identification Day provides “the public” with an opportunity to pick the brains of experts:

If you like PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, you’ll love ID Day at the Museum, an annual favorite when Museum scientists and experts are at the ready to solve your mysteries of natural history. Bring in backyard finds, basement curios, and flea market discoveries to find out if that funny rock is a fossil or not, or if a certain artifact is a cultural treasure. Whatever the outcome, the event is sure to be fun and informative!
– AMNH email

Unlike Roadshow, however, they don’t do appraisals.

I’ve never gone with anything to identify. It’s just as much fun to stand by a table, listen in, and watch.

Some student of archaeology or anthropology, presumably working on some thesis or other, and having no knowledge of his own of vertebrate anatomy, brought in several shoeboxes of animal bones recovered from a site. When there was noone else waiting for an identification, the woman at the table, clearly irritated but patient, was going through the boxes, bone by bone, to identify them. The student transcribed, barely able to keep up with her identifications as she picked and identified up bone after bone.

I watched as she picked up one tiny fragment of a bone, the size of a pinky nail. She took one look at it, declared “turtle femur,” and set it aside.

She was impressive. For some reason, “turtle femur” has just stuck in my mind all these years.

Events and Resources: Hanami and more at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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Flower Detail, Prunus “Okame”
Cherry Blossoms

Gowanus Lounge noted an article on New Yorkology about the first cherry tree to bloom this Spring at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, more than a week before Hanami, the cherry-viewing season, officially begins this weekend. I saw that tree in bloom when I visited on Forsythia Day. I didn’t get to write up that visit yet; the least I can do is pump up this tree’s 15 minutes of fame. (It’s not as impressive as the cherry tree which bloomed in December, which I didn’t get to see.)

Before you visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, you should visit their Web site. Their Plants in Bloom page shows you what happens where and when: not just right now, but for every month of the year. Some areas are of particular interest only at certain times of the year, and knowing whether or not they’re worth a peek in advance of your trip can help you plan your visit. For example, Daffodil Hill was not quite peaking when I was there on Sunday, while the Bluebell Wood was showing only winter-damaged foliage. Of course, much of the garden has lots of things even when they’re not in bloom, but this still is a good indicator of what you might expect to see.

But this time of year, the hype is all about the Cherry Trees. Hanami runs from this Saturday, April 7, through Sunday, May 6. The big event is the annual Sakura Matsuri, the Cherry Blossom Festival. This year it’s the end of April, Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29. There’s always an impossible number of events highlighting many different aspects of traditional Japanese culture, including music, dance, theater, crafts, and more.

Leading up to and during Hanami, BBG maintains a special map on their Web site, just for the cherries.

BBG’s CherryWatch (Hanami) Blossom Status Map showing the single specimen of Prunus “Okame” in bloom at the time of my visit.
Blossom Status Map, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Each cherry tree on the map is linked to a popup summary of the plant, as shown here, which links to a detail page describing the specific variety. Here’s what BBG has to say about ‘Okame’:

This hybrid of the Formosan and Fuji cherries was introduced to Europe in 1947 from Japan by Captain Collingwood Ingram. Its deep carmine-rose buds open to lighter tinted flowers before leaves appear. This small- to medium-sized tree is excellent for small gardens and is also showy in fall, with orange-red leaves. This variety is recommended by the Garden Club of America’s book, Plants That Merit Attention.
– Prunus ‘Okame’

And here it is: the single flowering cherry tree.

Lone Flowering Cherry and my Doppelganger
Lone Flowering Cherry and my Doppelganger

The other photographer in the photo seemed to be everywhere I was on Sunday, so I had to shoot around him a lot. For example, he was standing next to me (or I next to him) when I took this upward-looking shot against the overcast sky:

Cherry Blossoms

Finally, here’s a different shot of the same cluster of flowers at the top of this post. I like the background of the out-of-focus branches in this one; it works like an oversized mat in a picture frame. I think I’m going to process this one a bit and try to lighten it up without losing the mood.

Cherry Blossoms

Links

Flowering Cherries at BBG

Event, Brooklyn/Queens: Compost Giveback, May 12, 13, 18 and 19

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Compost Demonstration Area at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Compost Demonstration Area

This Spring’s Compost Giveback for Brooklyn and Queens will be held at the Spring Creek Composting Site the second and third weekends of May: May 12 & 13, and May 18 & 19. NYC residents (no businesses) can take away as much compost as they can shovel and transport. They can also purchase compost bins for $20, which is a bargain.

You really need private transportation to take advantage. Bring your own shovels. Heavy-duty puncture-resistant garbage bags, such as contractor’s bags, are ideal. A wagon wouldn’t hurt, either.

The compost bins are high-quality, made from recycled plastic. They come folded flat for transport and snap together for assembly, no tools required. They have a compact footprint, but are big enough to get some heat into the heap. In the photo above, the taller, skinnier black plastic composter in the center of the photo is similar or identical to the discounted model.

Links:

Forsythia Day today at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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I’ll be leaving for BBG shortly. We’ve got rain coming today, so I want to get there as early as possible. They open at 10am on weekends.

There are a couple of things I want to see and do for today’s visit.

Today, all members receive a free Forsythia × intermedia ‘Goldilocks’. I generally loathe Forsythia; they have no garden value other than their one week of bloom. But I don’t even have a single one on my property, and I can afford one in the developing mixed border on the south side of the house. I can always dig it up and give it away.

The other Forsythia Day events are an awards ceremony and a reception in the afternoon. I don’t think I’ll stick around for any of that, even if it’s not raining by then. Awards are interesting for the recipients and the organizers, otherwise boring as hell to everyone else.

I’m also going to pick up my signature plants. I got my confirmation letter in the mail last week. Today I’ll pick up Cotinus coggygria “Golden Spirit” and Heptacodium miconioides. Both would be suitable for the mixed border.

Today I really want to see the Rock Garden. Spring should be the peak season for this, and BBG’s Plants in Bloom page confirms that there will be lots of bulb and Hellebore action there. I also ahve never managed to catch Daffodil Hill in peak bloom. Today should be perfect.

If time permits, I also want to check out the Native Flora Garden, just to see what’s going on there.

Of course, there will be a large photo post from my visit. So check back later!

Blog Against Theocracy

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Credit: Mock, Paper, Scissors
Blog Against Theocracy

I first heard of this through The Greenbelt. Blog Against Theocracy will be a blogswarm – many bloggers writing on the same topic at the same time – over Easter weekend, April 6, 7 and 8:

The idea is to post at least once from Friday to Sunday Easter Weekend, April 6-8.

The post will be against theocracy, in favor of our Constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state. But there are a LOT of issues tied to this, as is pointed out in the First Freedom First website:

  • No religious discrimination.
  • PRO End-of-Life Care (no more Terri Schiavo travesties)
  • Reproductive health decisions made by individuals, not religious “majorities”
  • Democracy not Theocracy
  • Academic Integrity (like, a rock is as old as it is, not as old as the Bible says)
  • Sound Science (good bye so-called “intelligent” design)
  • Respect for ALL families (based on love, not sexual orientation. Hellooooo.)
  • The right to worship, OR NOT.

So take your pick and write your post(s). Really, the wider variety of topics makes it all the more interesting.

– The blog against theocracy blogswarm, Blue Gal

I’ve thought about this a couple of days, about whether or not I should write about this, about whether or not I would flag it as “off-topic” for this blog. I will. And I won’t.

First, I will contribute to the blogswarm. When I mentioned it to my partner, a minister, he said that I should totally do it, that I “have a compelling story.” We’ll see about that. I will write from a personal perspective, from my experience. I’m thinking about a three-part post, one for each day.

Second, there is definitely a connection between gardening and spirituality for me, so this is completely on-topic for this blog. I’ll leave the details for my third post next weekend.

[Updated 2007.04.08: My outline an writing plans have changed slightly. I’ve written two posts so far. I’ll be back later today – after church! – to write three more posts.]

Related posts:

Links:

Technorati Tags: blog against theocracy

A Big Brooklyn Gardener’s Weekend

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Too much to do on Saturday and Sunday this weekend, I won’t get to all of it:

Saturday, March 30:

Sunday, April 1:

I’m sure there’s lots of other things going on this weekend, but these are things which I’m planning to attend, or wish I had the time to.

Thanks to Gowanus Lounge for reminding me about Prospect Park Opening Day this weekend.

PS: Big = the weekend, not the gardener.
PPS: Okay, the gardener is kinda big, too.

Event, April 15, Bronx: Bartow-Pell’s Preservation of its Orangerie Doors

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This is the first I’ve heard of the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum. I’m not generally one for musty old rooms. The Orangery looks lovely. And there are some formal gardens to sweeten the visit.

On Sunday, April 15th at 4pm, Curtis Barnhart and Nate Shellkopf will provide a hands-on presentation about the techniques used and the intricacies of restoring Bartow-Pell’s L’Orangerie doors. They will also discuss the importance of preserving historic structures in an age when older structures are often taken down and replaced by new building. The fee is $8/pp. Please call 718-885-1461 or email info@bpmm.org to make a reservation.

The Bartow-Pell home was built by Pell descendent, Robert Bartow, between 1836 and 1842. The property was annexed by the City of New York in the late 1880s and was then left in derelict condition. In 1914, the women of the International Garden Club saved and restored the site and opened the gates to the public as a museum in 1946.

During the years of 1915-1918, the firm Delano and Aldrich undertook the restoration of the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum and were credited with the creation of a new conservatory, otherwise known as L’Orangerie. After years of wear and tear; and witness to almost 100 years of history, the doors were in desperate need of repair. In the summer of 2006, the restoration and preservation of beautiful doors went underway. Curtis Barnhart of Barnhart Restoration and Nate Shellkopf of Southslope Woodworks were charged with the challenge of conserving the existing deteriorating wood, priming and painting of the word work. They also cleaned and conserved the door and transom hardware. At the end of the summer the team provided the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum with a beautifully repaired L’Orangerie.

Links:

Event, March 24: GreenThumb Conference

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Tomorrow, Saturday, March 24, GreenThumb will hold its 23rd Annual GrowTogether Conference at Hostos Community College in the Bronx:

The theme this year is “Farming the Future.” …

The day will be jam-packed with over 45 workshops, many new this year, more hands on training and loads of opportunities to network and rub shoulders with all the greening groups represented in the tabling foyer. Offering lots of kids and teen programming, this conference promises to be fun for the whole family, and is an excellent educational resource for the city’s many teachers.

Participants are encouraged to sign up before the conference. Please fill out the form and mail the $3.00 registration fee to pre-register. Check-in will begin at 9:00am and a free continental breakfast is provided from 9:00 to 9:45am. All pre-registered participants will receive a lunch box and a t-shirt! Participants may also register on the day of the conference, but we will not guarantee a lunch box, and t-shirts will be $5.00 each.

Via Wendy Brawer at WorldChanging New York.

Event, May 10: 2nd Annual Brooklyn Blogfest

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Old Stone House. Credit: Paul Kostro
Photo of the Old Stone House by Paul Kostro

Back in February, Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn (OTBKB) announced that the Second Annual Brooklyn Blogfest will take place May 10th at 8pm. The theme is “The Impact of Brooklyn Blogging.” It will be held at the Old Stone House in J. J. Byrne Memorial Park in Park Slope, near the middle of 3rd Street between 4th and 5th Avenues.

In today’s follow-up announcement, OTBKB provided contact information. I’m signed up for the “new blog on the block” open mic. If you have suggestions on how I should describe this blog, please leave a comment! (Be nice.)

There will be special guest speakers, an OPEN MIC FOR ALL NEW BROOKLYN BLOGGERS and lots of time to meet and greet.

Meet all of your favorite Brooklyn Bloggers, including Gowanus Lounge, A Brooklyn Life, Seeing Green, Brownstoner, Creative Times, Brooklyn Record, No Land Grab, AYR Report, Streetsblog, Rabbi Andy Bachman, Pastor Daniel Meeter, Joe’s NYC, No Words_Daily Pix, Mommy 101, Special Focus, Shiksa From Manila, Mrs. Cleavage’s Diary and many more …

Donation (Tip Jar): $5.00 (to defray costs).

I’m wondering if the Old Stone House is gonna be big enough for this event:

The great hall comfortably accommodates 80 standing, 60 seated. When rented in conjunction with the first floor gallery the House holds 125 people. Adding a tent expands our capacity.

– Site Rental page, Old Stone House Web site