Hey Neighbors -
Happy Saturday. It’s 10:40 AM and once again, I’m scrambling to meet my 11:00 AM Saturday deadline! I always underestimate how long it takes to write (re-write), edit, fact-check, create Canva images, headlines, check last minute event calendars, and on and on before I upload everything to Beehiiv. Oh my.
Thanks for reading Ward 6. If a neighbor shared this newsletter, please subscribe and if you love it as much as I love writing it, please consider $6 a month to keep me in business. It will always be free. I’m also interested in sponsors, in addition to Five Acre Farms (a dairy company based in BK whose products are sold in local stores!), which has supported Ward 6 from the beginning.
Post#49: Taylor Farms detector app; round-up of local restaurant news; EV owners, the DOT wants to hear from you about its ideas for new curbside chargers; what the heck is the Battle of Brooklyn if not about which neighborhood has the best bars, boutiques or brownstones? out goes Rite-Aid, in goes another apartment building in other BK News; and a Carroll Gardens POW-WOW is TODAY!
FOOD, FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD (and dessert!)
Have you given up salads this summer because of you-know-what? Or, you’re like me, who’s put her faith behind Trader Joe’s to keep me safe? I read about this new app, Taylor Detector, in the newsletter Ravenous, which scans supermarket product barcodes and tells you if they're connected to Taylor Farms. It also includes a useful FAQ.
Round-up: Malai in Carroll Gardens makes the NYT list of Best Ice Cream Shops; New York Magazine’s Habibi City issue about SWANA New York (Northwest Asia and North Africa) includes Ali Zaman, who opened Diljan Bakery on Hicks St. not long ago, Christine Sahadi Whelan, whose grandfather opened Sahadi’s in 1948; and the Alsubais family behind Yemeni Cafe, as well as other prior Atlantic Ave establishments; The Strong Buzz visits Frenzie, which just opened on Atlantic Ave (see my Key Foods chat with co-chef/owner Dan Grossman in last Saturday’s Ward 6).
EV OWNERS AND FUTURE EV OWNERS - EXPRESS YOURSELF!
The Department of Transportation wants to hear from you as they consider where to install new curbside EV charging stations in our area. Residents have been wondering since the Court St. redesign when DOT would replace the charger in front of Dunkin Donuts.
“There really should be at least one and preferably multiple charging stations on Court St further north,” says one Carroll Gardens resident who looked at DOT proposed sites. “Many of the proposed stations are in lower-density parts of the zone that are going to be inconvenient at best. Put the stations where they will be used and useful.”
THIS BATTLE OF BROOKLYN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BEST BARS, BOUTIQUES OR BROWNSTONES.
If you’ve spent time in Red Hook, perhaps the name Fort Defiance has come up. If you are a history nerd, you might know it had something to do with the American Revolution, maybe even the Battle of Brooklyn, the largest and first battle of the U.S.
For the rest of us, Fort Defiance was the beloved Red Hook restaurant that closed in 2023 after more than a decade on Van Brunt St., whose name we assumed was connected to history but weren’t exactly sure.
When Matias Kalwill came to Red Hook in 2018, he knew about the restaurant, as he lived in its upstairs apartment, but he had no idea about its namesake. Intrigued, he began to ask around and remembers hearing vague references to the American Revolution, but mostly neighborhood lore, not many solid facts. “No one really knew where it [Fort Defiance] was, or what it looked like, or who lived there,” said Matias.
What started as a curious pursuit evolved into Friends of Fort Defiance, a Red Hook non-profit that Matias co-founded with Nico Kean and Timmy Khalifa five years later. Except for a few locals, mostly the late John Buckard, it turned out that it wasn’t just Matias and his neighbors who didn’t know much about the real Fort Defiance. Throughout Red Hook and beyond, there seemed to be a lack of evidence-based work about this important historical site and Red Hook’s contributions to the American Revolution.
Next Saturday, as part of Brooklyn250, “a borough-wide initiatie to bring Revolutionary history to life,” come learn about Fort Defiance and why General George Washington chose Red Hook to build this strategic waterfront fort to defend against British forces. Both the Friends of Fort Defiance and Portside NY have organized cool public events for the whole family.
“...by inviting visitors of all ages to look again at the borough beneath their feet: a place where the Revolution nearly failed, where independence survived, and where the meaning of freedom is still unfolding.” (BK250 press release)
Friends of Fort Defiance will have sidewalk galleries (160 & 169 Coffey St)featuring artifacts, including cannonballs, believed to be from the American Revolution, unearthed in the neighborhood, historical documents, including journals of Army Generals, maps of the battle (did you know Red Hook used to be a little island?), and a sunset discussion moderated by the host the NYC history podcast, Bowery Boys (more on this later), and so much more.
Provided by: Friends of Fort Defiance
If you’ve been to any Portside NY events I’ve recommended in Ward 6, you know they are always fantastic. This Brooklyn250 one will not disappoint. They are hosting Living History Co. interpreters who, in costume, will share the critical role of Black and Native American mariners during the Battle of Brooklyn, who helped evacuate General Washington’s army during a nighttime retreat as they fled to Manhattan.
“They will be explaining a woman camp follower, a fifer, two soldiers, a Patriot Militia member, a Loyalist, and two Marbleheaders. The Marbleheaders were a regiment with many men of color (Black, Native American, mixed race), who rescued Washington and his army, evacuating them by boat from Brooklyn to Manhattan. They later also got him across the Delaware.” Carolina Salguero, ED Portside NY.
Before you come, check out Peter Rothenberg, PortSide Historian and Curator’s vast archive, RedHookWaterstories, to learn more about the Marbleheaders and Red Hook’s history.
“The water history of the small peninsula that is Red Hook, Brooklyn – and thus the history in RedHookWaterstories.org – connects to so many stories, both local and national: some small and amusing, and some culturally significant. The role Red Hook played in warding off the British HMS Roebuck at the start of the Battle of Brooklyn, thus allowing George Washington’s Army to live to fight another day, is one such important story.” Peter Rothenberg, PortSide Historian and Curator
“We suggest that kids bring water pistols to shoot the model of the British frigate HMS Roebuck we will build together at the event,” says Carolina Salguero.
(Events start at 4:00 PM at Valentino Park, pls check Portside’s website for more details, including a special screening of Ken Burns’ The Battle of Brooklyn.)
Later in the day, Living History Co. interpreter Kevin Chapman and Antoine Watts will participate in a sunset panel discussion to share more about their work and the characters they portray. Other participants include: Carly Baker-Rice, RH Business Alliance; Kristen Rouse, US Army veteran and Founder, NYC Veterans Alliance; Matias Kalwill. See Friends of Fort Defiance for more details.
Bonus: Hear newly discovered information about how a Hollywood blockbuster starring Denzel Washington is connected to a general stationed at Fort Defiance.
Proposed Fort Defiance Park
Friends of Fort Defiance is not only about Red Hook’s past. They’ve proposed turning the empty lots by Valentino Pier into Fort Defiance Park, which combines Red Hook’s history with its present-day battle to protect against climate change and future flooding.
“We saw an opportunity to propose combining natural history, Revolutionary history, with a resiliency hub, with a historical park as an alternative to other types of development in the area,” Matias told Ward 6.
Ward 6 IG post exploring the area of the proposed Ft. Defiance Park; me last night biking to see the sunset and pointing to the spot where Ft. Defiance was believed to be located
Additional Brooklyn250 Event at the Center for Brooklyn History.
OTHER BK NEWS
I know many people in our area whose kids attended The Children’s School - P.S 372. In case you haven’t been following local coverage, here’s a recent article from the NY Post: Chemical Fumes Linger Inside NYC Grade School Near Brooklyn’s Toxic Gowanus Canal.
Brooklyn Crime Thriller Neon Affair Gets Worldwide Distribution (BP), with scenes shot in Carroll Gardens among other nearby neighborhoods.
Peachy the Bodega Cat, successor to a legend, is ready for her close-Up (Carroll Gardens Times)
Hope Floats, the unlikely resurrection of Brooklyn’s Notorious Gowanus Canal (RedCanaryMag). On my list to read this weekend.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Today! Aug. 15th, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Chances are you’ve seen posters in store windows up and down Court St for Spiderwomen’s Theater 50th anniversary Pow Wow Block Party, today on Degraw St. (Court/Smith).
Even my friends who live on Degraw were unaware of this women’s theater group, inspired by the 1970s feminist movement, which today offers “theater training and education rooted in an urban Indigenous performance practice.”
“There will be Native dancers, drummers, vendors, speakers, an activity table for kids and an exhibit of photos and documents about the Native community that was here in the 30s, 40s and 50s. There will be a stage set up about 1/3 of the way up the block from Smith Street (NextDoor, Deborah Ratelle).”
More from Gothamist today.
Tomorrow, Sunday, Aug. 16th, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Governor’s Island Vintage VW Car Show. My dad had an orange pop-up like the one in this post–memories!
Source: Gov Island
Sunday, Aug. 16th, 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM | Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Music jam by Brooklyn Maqam, one of the only organizations dedicated to preserving and promoting SWANA musical traditions | Mary E. Whalen, next to the Red Hook Ferry
Wednesday, September 2nd - 6th, Rockaway Film Festival (HellGate) - inexpensive tickets!
Thanks for reading! JLH