Williamsburg Gentrification Watch: Biergarten Brunch With Santa!

It’s a little known fact but Mister Heather was once “Santa” at a local business in Greenpoint. Granted, he was not drunk while discharging his duties (or sported a salmon under his beard) but he needed a stiff one shortly thereafter. For this reason I find the following event, which comes courtesy of north Brooklyn’s very own Town Square, truly innovative!

Bierbrunch

BEER AND BRUNCH WITH SANTA! Per the above flier:

…What’s that sound? Is it the jingle of Santa’s bells? Guess what kids? Santa is coming to Williamsburg for a delicious brunch at Radegast Hall & Biergarten!

Brunch With Santa!
December 12, 2009; 11:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Radegast Hall & Biergarten
113 North 3 Street
Childrensburg, Brooklyn, 11211

Those of you who are interested in learning more about this event should contact Caroline at: caroline (at) townsquareinc (dot) com. NOTE: Seating is limited and high chairs are not available.

Miss Heather

P.S.: You can view to above flier in larger format by clicking here.

From The New York Shitty Inbox: One Greenpoint Parent Isn’t “Lovin It”

Mickey DonaldA concerned (and seriously pissed off) Greenpoint parent writes: I thought this sponsorship might at least amuse you… (forwarded email follows):

From: (Pissed Off Greenpoint Parent)
Subject: Mc Donalds sponsored Pumpkin Fest??????????
To: (excised)
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2009, 1:01 PM

I just got back from Pumpkin Fest and I am appalled. To the point that I bought to my daughter a very cute $2 pumpkin at the green market. Let me describe Pumpkin Fest- people were funneled like cattle to make sure they would give their $5 donation, then would grab a McDonalds bag full of decorations and then a Town Square, Inc. balloon… And is if the corporate co-opting were not bad enough- were was the social aspect? No table to decorate your pumpkin, no real socialization spot to have parents and children interact. Very odd lay out, was (it) not the point to have us socialize, to feel part of the same community?

And further (more) nobody at Town Square thinks it is strange in (a) time where we are being very conscientious about what our children should eat that one of the sponsor(s) of this event is McDonalds (and possibly Dunkin Donuts as there was lots of branded products there as well) …But after all, what do we expect from an organization where Exxon Mobil sponsored EARTH DAY in Greenpoint (the same neighborhood they committed one of the worst environmental disasters in American history and still avoid their responsibility)… Maybe I have no irony or no sense of humor or I am just too moralistic. But I am sure corporations do not need to run every event at every level- even the local Halloween celebration is not free from their influence.

(excised), brought to you by Burger King (kidding)
Although I have been accused of being “too moralistic” I do, in fact, sport a sense of irony and a sense of humor. This is why I find Town Square so amusing: the sheer hypocrisy. They were the peeps who brought “Blazing Saddles” to McCarren Park last year. Not that I was against this, mind you: I WAS ALL FOR IT.

I was present when the previous came to pass (on the back of McCarren Park Field House/”Comfort Station”*). The Polish contingent was confused. The white liberals/do-gooders (with young ‘uns in tow) were silent. The Mister and I (and other children of the 1970’s) were laughing our asses off.** Which brings me back to POGP’s complaint: the corporate presence at north Brooklyn’s parks.

Unfortunately I do not see this changing anytime soon. Given the geo/ego/racial/socio-economic Real Politik factors at play at this park, I see it getting worse. Last week I had a conversation with a woman from the Greenpoint Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (regarding their upcoming bake/book sale). In the course of our conversation she mentioned that they (The Greenpoint Public Library) wanted to have a Bake Sale at McCarren Park but the constricts (READ: insurance requirements, etc. as outlined by the Parks Department/OSA) made this endeavor prohibitively expensive and therefore, impossible.

I want you, dear readers, to think about this for a moment. McCarren Park is paid for by our tax dollars. It is ostensibly a public space. Yet McCarren Park has been employed as the place of pool parties and flea markets; McDonald’s gets the thumbs up— yet our public library (which is also supported by our tax dollars) gets a thumbs down. Parks for profits, tennis court oaths and bureaucratic intransigence: that’s our future.

Miss Heather

UPDATE, October 13, 2009: Not only has this been reblogged by Gothamist, but the head honcha of Town Square, Susan Anderson wants to have her say. Here it is in all its resplendent glory (as gleaned from the CB1 Yahoo Group which is where Ms. Anderson posted it).

Pumpkin Day in McCarren Park was a community event that was run by volunteers and did not have any corporate sponsorship. We had over 600 pumpkins and gave away more than half of the pumpkins for free. We could have easily charged for the pumpkins and 5 arts/crafts activities that went with each pumpkin, but we chose to not do so. Rather, we chose to make this a voluntary donation so that children and families, who could not afford to pay, would not be excluded or made to feel badly.

Perhaps, your “Greenpoint Mom [who was] not lovin’ Pumpkin Fest” would get involved in planning and volunteering for the next Pumpkin event or, for that matter, any of the other family events that we present in our neighborhood for the benefit of all our children. In fact, we have three more coming up just this month alone for her consideration: Schoolfest next Sunday, another Pumpkin Day on the Saturday thereafter and a Children’s Halloween Parade & Party on the following Sunday. We would definitely welcome her assistance.

Had she been involved, she would have known that McDonalds was not a sponsor of this event. Rather, the local manager donated 200 paper bags on the spur of the moment out of the goodness of her heart. So, let’s celebrate – not denigrate – someone’s generosity, shall we?

And I guess your mom didn’t stay long enough to see all the families and kids socializing on the lawn in McCarren Park. There were over 2,000 parents and kids decorating the pumpkins together, listening to the live music, and enjoying each other’s company. In our view, it typically does not require a table for children to decorate pumpkins or a designated spot for adults to socialize.

As for her view that “people were funneled like cattle,” we do agree that it can be difficult to provide a quality experience for this many people with only a dozen or so volunteers. The enthusiastic magnitude of the turnout far exceeded our expectations. On the other hand, I am unbelievably proud and thankful to our volunteers and the work that they put in that day.

Finally, if she believes Town Square is a corporation, I guess that all I can say is – thank you for the compliment!

All the best,

Susan Anderson
Town Square
Chairperson

Is it me or is this woman simply not “getting” it?

*Which, as any patron of the women’s bathroom will attest, is anything but comfortable. It’s disgusting.

**God bless you, Mel Brooks. You had the presence of mind to know that the best way to fight bigotry and hatred was to make fun of it.

Last Gasp: Greenpoint Goes Green On Sunday!

April 17, 2009 ·
Filed under: Greenpoint Magic, Newtown Creek, Williamsburg 

go-green…sort of. Some of you might remember the debacle at last year’s Earth Day celebration. For those of you who are not in the know fliers were posted advertising this event all over 11211 and 11222. None of them mentioned Exxon Mobil was a sponsor. But they were. A sponsor. When the word got out hilarity ensued.

This year Exxon and their funky bunch will sport a table instead. Per a tipster:

Thank you (excised) for giving me a heads up that Exxon Mobil, WILL have a table at the Go Green Event. I will not be attending the event after all. Even though I appreciate Town Sq(uare’s) efforts, I would feel personally responsible for misleading people, if I didn’t let this group know.

Furthermore, I personally feel that Exxon Mobil has contributed greatly to this community’s environmental problems and I will continue to not attend events that allow the corporation to present themselves as an entity interested in this community’s GREEN well being. Their time is better spent on actions that will get the Creek cleaned up & the affected community greened up.

Those of you who find Exxon’s intransigence and shameless (and regrettably, very effective) attempts to buy off this community by throwing around chump change and purchasing positive PR offensive— or are simply disgusted by the useful idiots who facilitate their green washing— mark your calendars:

GO GREEN! GREENPOINT!
April 19, 2009 starting at 11:00 a.m.
Nassau Avenue at North 15 Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Miss Heather

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