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NY Daily News: They Might be Giants, Nada Surf lead effort to make old Williamsburg firehouse a cultural center

Dennis Hamill on the Northside Town Hall project in the old Engine 212 building:

They Might be Giants, Nada Surf lead effort to make old Williamsburg firehouse a cultural center

In 1975, when the city faced bankruptcy, Mayor Abe Beame tried to close a firehouse in Williamsburg called Engine Co. 212.

Led by a tough local grocer named Adam Veneski, the citizens of the scrappy, blue-collar northside section of Williamsburg occupied the Engine 212 firehouse, renamed it The People's Firehouse, and in one of the boldest acts of civil disobedience in modern city history literally prevented the city from shuttering the firehouse that protected thousands living in surrounding rickety pre-war tenements and wood-framed houses.

...

The People's Firehouse Inc., in conjunction with NAG, submitted the winning proposal to turn the 6,000 square-foot, three-story building at 132 Wythe Ave. into the Northside Town Hall Community and Cultural Center.

"All we have to do now is raise $2 million," says Kirby. "And we will. We've appealed to our elected officials. We have interested local businesses. And we've launched a community-based fund drive. Bars, restaurants, rock 'n' roll bands, and performance venues and breweries, are all coming together."

On Oct. 9, the kickoff of the '09 Williamsburg Art Galleries open houses, starting at 6 p.m., NAG will present a multimedia history of the firehouse.

On Oct. 28, local musicians Nada Surf, They Might be Giants and Charles Bissell of the Wrens will stage a $25-a-head fund-raiser concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg for the Northside Town Hall and Cultural Center.

"Suddenly community activism is hip," says Kirby. "The effort is unusually diverse - hipsters, artists, rock 'n' rollers, old blue-collar unionists, aging former activists, business owners. What greater irony that the current trend comes home to roost in uber-trendy Williamsburg? But this time, it's fueled by the activism of the old timers."

Which is Brooklyn at its best.

For more info, visit nthcc.org, or e-mail info@nthcc.org or call (718) 384-2248

Read the full article

A Benefit for the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative

Our friends at Brooklyn Greenway Initiative send this fundraiser notice along. They've already been able to get a section of the greenway built on Columbia Street--here's to hoping they can do the same in North Brooklyn!

Tuesday, November 18th, 8pm (doors open at 7pm)

Join supporters and friends of the Greenway for an evening of music and program shorts from some of Galapagos’ fabulous resident artists! Proceeds support the development of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a 14-mile off-street bike and pedestrian route that will connect Brooklyn’s parks, neighborhoods and people. Galapagos is located midway along the planned route, so it's the perfect place for a celebration of recent milestones. Matt Wasowski, founder and Big Boss of Nerd Nite will give a 10 minute presentation about the Coney Island hot dog eating contest and the fascinating world of competitive eating. Other acts TBA. Tickets are $20 per person, or two for $30, so bring a friend! To purchase tickets go to http://www.galapagosartspace.com/events.html

Also, we're having our first raffle, so we're looking for items of every sort that you think will stir the excitement of our raffle ticket buying guests! For example: gifts you were given that don't match your (or your mate's) style that are wasting precious storage space, donated goods,services, gift certificates, meals, something from a local business you patronize, etc. All Donations will be credited on our Website and the evening of the event.

Fundraise for Compost!

Our friends at the compost project are throwing a fundraiser!

Please join us for a composting fundraiser event. Learn how to lower your urban-eco footprint, meet other folks in the community interested in composting, join our raffle to win prizes, bid on items for the silent auction, and help us raise funds for the expansion of the North Brooklyn Compost Project while eating snacks and toasting to our worms with a glass of sangria. $10 suggested donation at the door. Our guest speakers include No Impact Man; Colin Beavan, and the North Brooklyn Compost Masters; Kate Zidar, Griffin Thomas, & Natasha Heflin. Raffle prizes and silent auction items are donated by: Urban Rustic, Brooklyn Kitchen, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Council on the Environment of NYC, Lodge Restaurant, Habana Outpost, Sprout Home, Ronnybrook, 3r Living, Penny Licks, and Word Books Stationary Kid's Stuff.

Tuesday, September 30, 6:30PM Urban Rustic, 236 N. 12th Street, Brooklyn