Willowtown’s big event of the year is again at hand–our 2011 Spring Fair on Saturday, May 14, from noon to 5 p.m. It will take place not on Willow Place as in the past but the full length of Columbia Place.
The ’11 fair celebrates our maritime heritage. Willowtown has always had a close connection to the nearby waterfront. The community’s development followed the start of a ferry service in 1836 from Manhattan to the foot of Atlantic Avenue. In the early years the waterfront at Joralemon Street was a popular fishing spot. During World War II the neighborhood teemed with port workers and sailors. And now new life has come to the neighborhood in the development of the popular Brooklyn Bridge Park and its activities centered on the East River.
Remarks about this heritage will be given at the fair’s opening rally at noon at the corner of Joralemon and Columbia Place by Martin L. Schneider. His newly published book, “Battling for Brooklyn Heights: The Fight for New York’s First Historic District,” will be available at the fair.
Mark the fair on your calendars and get involved in it. Here are six ways:
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Be a fair sponsor.
Please make a contribution of $25 or more to the 58-year-old Willowtown Association and thereby become a fair sponsor. Contributions are tax-deductible. You’ll be listed in the fair journal. This money goes toward our mission of “addressing issues impacting the quality of life for the residents and serving as their collective voice and advocate.” We support neighborhood beautification and such entities as Mickel’s Garden on Columbia Place and the A.T. White Community Center on Willow Place.
Make checks payable to the Willowtown Association and send them to the fair’s general coordinators as indicated on the response form below. -
Place an ad in the fair journal.
The 2011 fair journal will again feature the Willowtown Walking Tour Guide available to all who attend. The guide notes the many historic features of our unique neighborhood. The journal will carry ads. If you have a business or service or would like simply to convey a message about Willowtown or an “In Memoriam” for a neighbor, please buy an ad. Special full-page ads are $150; standard full-page ads, $100; and half-page ads, $50. Again, the cost is tax-deductible.
You can find details about the ads at www.willowtown.org. Place ads by May 4 with either of the general coordinators as indicated on the response form. Make checks payable to the Willowtown Association. -
Contribute an item for the silent auction.
The fair will again include a silent auction to which residents are asked to make donations of merchandise such as wine, collectibles, haute cuisine and items for children; theater tickets; services such as interior design consultation or babysitting; and stays in second homes,
Please indicate your donations on the response form or contact either of the fair’s general coordinators about what you have to give. -
Set up a “boutique” table or sponsor one.
Our hope this year is to increase the number of tables offering secondhand articles that you donate, antiques, books, records, artwork, plants, baked goods, an advocacy cause and any other possibility you may think of. The fee for a table selling something is $25 and for a cause, $10. These fees are payable in advance.
Again, please contact either of the general coordinators about your donations or having a table. -
Volunteer to help on May 14.
Helping hands are need on the day of the fair for such tasks as decorating Columbia Place with balloons and banners, setting tables in place, assisting at some of the tables and with the standing games and races. Indicate how you can help on the response form. -
Spread the word–and attend!
The fair promises a good time for people of all ages with a raffle, Willowtown merchandise, standing games, races, face painting, a treasure hunt and live music along with the opening rally, the silent auction, the Willowtown walking tour and the chance to learn the histories of the structures on Columbia Place.
The food will be by Willowtown’s own Iris Café, hailed by the New York Times as one of the city’s “standouts” in “a satisfying bite to eat,” and the popular Italian restaurant River Deli.
So…spread the word far and wide. Help make the 2011 Spring Fair Willowtown’s best and most welcoming ever! - Ben Bankson, 14 Willow Place, Brooklyn NY 11201
718-237-0339 or bbank12960@aol.com - Linda De Rosa, 47 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn NY 11201
718-330-9113 or linda@linda-derosa.com
The general coordinators are:
