BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP BUZZ MARCH 9 - MARCH 15, 2018 35 BROOKLYN
CULTURE BRIEFS
COMPILED BY JAIME DEJESUS
ALICIA OLATUJA
The Brooklyn Center for the Performing
Arts will be presenting jazz singer/songwriter
Alicia Olatuja on Saturday, March 10. Drawing
from a wide range of musical influence including
classical, R&B, soul and gospel, Olatuja -- a
Brooklyn resident -- brings her scintillating
jazz stylings to her home borough’s Kumble
Theater, including a preview of selections
from her yet-to-be-released second album,
“Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women.”
The event will start at 8 p.m. at the Kumble
Theater on the downtown Brooklyn campus of
LIU, 1 University Plaza. Tickets are $30 and can
be purchased in advance at BrooklynCenter.
org or by calling the Brooklyn Center box
office at 718-951-4500. Day-of-show tickets
should be purchased at the Kumble Theater
or by calling the Kumble Theater box office at
718-488-1624.
PHILOSOPHY FOR KIDS
Bring the kids to the Brooklyn Public Library
for Philosophy for Kids.
Bring your budding intellectual to explore
some of life’s biggest questions! Acclaimed
philosopher Simon Critchley -- along with a
group of guest philosophers -- will lead a series
of discussions where young thinkers will
be invited to ponder timeless philosophical
questions.
The free event will be held on Sunday,
March 11 at 2 p.m. at the Central Library, 10
Grand Army Plaza, inside the Info Commons
Lab. Ages 6-12 are recommended.
For more information, visit www.bklynlibrary.
org/calendar.
INTO THE NIGHT
Get to Green-Wood Cemetery as it presents
a panel discussion and screen of “Into the
Night.” The feature-length PBS documentary
will exploring diverse perspectives on death
and dying. Through the lens of astrophysics,
art, cryonics, near explore experiences and
green burials, nine unique individuals from
all walks of life challenge us to rethink our
place in the universe.
This event has two parts, with separate
tickets for each. The panel discussion will
take place on Sunday, March 11 at 1:30 p.m.
The screening, which is $15, will begin at 3:30
p.m at Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street.
For more information, visit www.green-wood.
com.
Bay Ridge gamers to unite again for
'bigger, better' Brooklyn Geek Fest 2.0
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Local "geeks" will assemble
once again.
Last year,
popular Bay Ridge
business Gotham
City Games brought
joy to local gamers,
comic book fans and
all-around "geeks,"
thanks to the Brooklyn
Geek Fest, a
first-time event in
the neighborhood.
Now, store owner
and organizer of the
event, Bay Ridge resident
Ralph Pugliese,
is doubling down with Brooklyn
Geek Fest 2.0. The second iteration
promises to be bigger, better and
more exciting than the first with an
added day for a weekend full of fun.
"I’m really excited to be hosting
it again in the neighborhood,"
said the St. Anselm and Xaverian
High School graduate. "We added
a Sunday this year because a lot
of people work on Saturdays and
last year they couldn’t make it so
we decided to add an extra day
this year."
Pugliese promises a similar
experience, just bigger and better,
with up to $2,000 worth of prize
giveaways including the popular
Nintendo Switch, Super Nintendo
Classic and a Nintendo 64.
"There's going to be a mystery
box wall," he said, adding that,
when you buy a box, you get a
“Willy Wonka golden ticket” that
says what you won.
Cosplay was a huge hit last
year as adults and children alike
dressed as their favorite characters
from games such as "Super
Mario," "Resident Evil," "X-Men,”
“Star Wars” and more.
“There's going to be a big cosplay
contest since it was such a
huge hit this year," Pugliese said.
"We're going to have two separate
tournaments — one for the kids
and one for the adults. They'll
Brooklyn Geek Fest 2.0 will return to Bay
Ridge for two days this April.
each have their
own prizes."
Several competitive gamers are
also expected to show for Geek
Fest 2.0's revamped tournament
section.
"We are separating the tournaments
from the other arcade
group," explained Pugliese. "Last
year, it was exciting but it crowded
up the area so we are isolating
the tournaments in its own room
to try and help with the flow of the
show."
Another new addition this year
will be stand up arcade machines,
such as “NBA Jam,” some of which
will also have a tournament. "Using
the actual arcade should be
fun.,” he said.
Other games for the tournament
will include "Super Smash
Bros," "Dragon Ball Mega Ball
Fighter Z" and "Fortnite," where
first place wins cash.
Five more vendors are slated
to join an already robust group
of participants, selling all types
of retro games, toys and — this
time — comic books.
Pugliese was inspired to bring
back the video game convention
due to the overwhelming success
of last year's.
"I was stunned by the turnout,"
he said. "I was expecting half that.
I would’ve been happy with that
but it was so great and everyone
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo
looked like they were having such
a great time. It's been a year and it
feels so long. I wanted to bring it
sooner, but I'm glad we are bringing
it back out in a month."
Adding an extra day should allow
both organizers and attendees
to savor the event.
"It will allow our people to
really experience it and give everybody
some more time," he said.
"Last year, the day felt so quick.
This may be a more relaxed atmosphere
this time around because
everyone knows that they're coming
back the next day. I feel like it
will be a more complete show."
The event has proven that
there's still an appetite for retro
games in Bay Ridge.
"I feel like Brooklyn especially
has such a large population here
where so many people love to
play the same games," he said. "It’s
a great way to meet people that
have the same interests. People
meet up from different boroughs
and bond."
Geek Fest 2.0 will be held on
Saturday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 7
p.m. and on Sunday, April 8 from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gregory
Hotel Best Western, 8315 Fourth
Avenue. One-day passes for adults
are $15 and $10 for children. The
two-day pass is $25 for adults. For
more information, visit www.
gothamcitygaming.com.