Spare some green for Fort Greene!
Fans of Fort Greene Park are invited to an al fresco feast featuring jazz, wine, and good eats on June 15, where the price of admission will help support park stewards in their mission to keep the community green space awesome, according to an organizer with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.
“It’s a celebration of community and creativity in and around Fort Greene, and it’s an opportunity to support the Conservancy and the 100-plus events we provide annually free of charge to the community,” said Julian Macrone, associate director of the group.
The conservancy’s Fort Greene Fling event will feature tunes courtesy of local jazz legend Eric Frazier, who will jam out along with his band as locals chow down under the big tent, with the park’s dazzling Prison Ship Martyr’s Monument and the Manhattan skyline glowing in the background.
The organizers encourage guests to bring their own food and drinks for a do-it-yourself feast under the tent, but meals — including pork short-rib sandwiches and grilled summer squash sandwiches — can be ordered in advance from Adelphi Street eatery Metta, while Green Grape Provisions offers hors d’ouevres, and Gnarly Vines wine shop slings the vino.
Fort Greene Park Conservancy was created by a group of local gardeners in 1998, who banded together to beautify the cherished community green space and utilize the public area to its fullest potential through free public events.
Some of the conservancy’s stellar upcoming programming includes:
A screening of Melvin Van Peebles’ classic 1971 blaxploitation flick “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” on Thursday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Walt Whitman Walking Tours in honor of the poet’s 200th birthday: June 10 and 23, July 13, and Aug. 10 at 11 am.
A screening of “Well Groomed,” a documentary about the humorous world of competitive dog grooming on Saturday, June 13 at 8:30 p.m.
The Walt Whitman Beard and Moustache Competition on Saturday, June 8 from noon–3 p.m.
The Fort Greene Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 15 at 3 p.m. and on Saturday July 27 at 3 p.m.
The conservancy celebrated its 20th anniversary and launched the Fort Greene Fling last year, where the group raised a whopping $40,000.
All proceeds generated from ticket sales at this year’s event — which are 100-percent tax deductible — will go to funding the conservancy’s operations and community events, and the park stewards hopes to exceed last year’s fund-raising effort and generate more than $60,000 for the do-gooder group.
Fort Greene Fling at Fort Greene Park’s Monument Plaza (enter at Myrtle Avenue and DeKalb Avenue between Washington Park and St. Edwards Street in Fort Greene, www.fortg
