Manor Arts Show Opening This Saturday at K-Dog and 65 Fen

Students from our local Manor Arts school will be exhibiting their work in two local spots, starting this Saturday, May 7. The opening will be from 4-5 pm at 65 Fen wine shop (65 Fenimore Street, off Flatbush) and from 5-6 pm at K-Dog & Dunebuggy Cafe (43 Lincoln Road). The exhibit will run through May 14th. Come on down!

Happy Thanksgiving From Hawthorne Street

Whether your Thanksgiving table looks like this

or this

we hope you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving and another year with plenty to be thankful for.

Gobble Gobble.

Vanderbilt Playground Opens Tomorrow, Sat. 10/2

Self-explanatory, I suppose, though in case you're wondering: the Vanderbilt Street playground is on the southwest side of Prospect Park, about a 15 minute walk from Parkside/Ocean. Should be well worth the trip. 

New Children's Consignment Shop Opens in PLG September 3

Monk's Trunk, the children's consignment shop that yours truly is launching, is opening its doors a week from Friday. We've got a ton of great, nearly new clothes and will also be selling new toys (as in new new) and kid-friendly greeting cards.

Friday, September 3: 10 am - 6 pm

Saturday, September 4: 10 am - 6 pm

Sunday, September 5: noon - 4 pm
Monday-Thursday: By Appointment Only

Through September, our hours will be a kind of erratic but the general rule of thumb is that we'll be open weekends and Fridays, except for Jewish High Holy days and for Take the Boy to Preschool Day (September 8).

Starting a local business is both exciting and terrifying, but I'm eager to finish setting up the space and to start selling. One of the things we're focusing on now is Halloween costumes, so if you've got good kids costumes from previous Halloweens, come by and consign 'em, and you can check out the store space (previously known as our parlor floor).

Once we're up and running, I'll be blogging and tweeting about new arrivals, textile recycling, and (when inspired) parenting matters. You can follow on Twitter @monkstrunk. We're also on Facebook, and, though the page is sparse at the moment, I'll be adding photos and sample wares soon.

Kiddie Disco This Weekend for the Lefferts Gardens Montessori School

The Lefferts Gardens Montessori School is holding its 3rd Annual Kiddie Disco this weekend, on Saturday, May 22, at Rustik, 471 Dekalb Avenue, between Kent and Franklin, in Clinton Hill. The fundraiser will set you back $10 per adult and $5 per kid (thought LGM students are free), but, hey, it's for a good cause.

And while we're on the subject of local preschool fundraisers, save the date for the Maple Street Gala, on Saturday, June 12, at the Prospect Park Picnic House.

Music Fest for Kids in Prospect Park Tomorrow (Sunday, May 16)

Our very own PLG Arts and the Maple Street School have teamed up with Prospect Park to hold Abiyoyopalooza, an African music ad magic fest tomorrow at the Audubon Center.

Musicians and storytellers Hasan Bakr and Kevin Nathaniel will introduce the children to the sounds of Africa and the African diaspora through the story of a young musician, a magician, and how they save their village from the evil giant Abiyoyo… After the performance, children are invited to take part in a craft activity inspired by the Abiyoyo story. Free book give-away, distributed courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

That's Sunday, May 16, from 1 to 3 pm. (otherwise known as nap time in this house. Drat!)

(Photo via Prospect Park)

Email List for PLG Families

I'm always meeting people at the Lincoln Street playground who haven't heard about the email list for PLG families with young children so, for the uninitiated, here's the yahoo group page. The list is useful for finding out about kid-friendly happenings, babysitters, local schools/daycares, and the like. (It was initially intended for organizing playgroups, but it's not used much for that anymore.)

(Photo via plplaygroups)

Prospect Park Carousel Opens This Weekend

Yes, spring is here, so for parents that means.... carousel time! My kid was too young for it last year, but we took him on the Central Park carousel last weekend and he kept screaming for more. A mixed blessing, I suppose, but we look forward to the new weekend diversion.

Also, let's not forget that Coney Island's rides open this weekend as well. Fun, fun.

(Photo: Wally G)

Brooklyn Public Library now open on Sundays

The Brooklyn Public Library has extended its hours in many branches across the borough. The Central Library at Grand Army Plaza, for instance, is now open Sundays from 1 to 5 pm.  Unfortunately, the two branches closest to PLG—Flatbush (22 Linden) and Crown Heights (560 New York Ave.)—are unaffected.

Pregnant in PLG?

A good friend of Hawthorne Street writes:

I'm pregnant and would like to hold a brunch for other pregnant ladies (and their significant others) in the neighborhood. Problem is, I don't know any of them. Yeah, I realize there are parent/playgroups that we can join when the time comes, but I thought it'd be nice to meet other parents-to-be before we are desperately tired and crying all the time.

Our friend has asked us to post this anonymously for now since she is "barely out of the first trimester and doesn't want to jinx things."  If you're pregnant and want to do brunch, you can reach her via us at brooklynite282 (at) gmail.com.

Incidentally, info on the Prospect Lefferts Playgroups (which she referred to) can be found here.