May 17–23, 2019 Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 AWP 11
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Some fair weather fun
Spring Fling returns to Prospect Park this weekend
By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Paper
Spring into action!
Prospect Park will celebrate the
arrival of Spring this weekend with a
smorgasbord of fun-filled events, including
its annual Spring Fling Festival — a longcherished
family-friendly fair formerly
associated with the early April opening of
the meadow’s Little League season. But
organizers of the warm-weather festivity
have not forgotten its roots in America’s
favorite pastime, so the weekend will
also feature an exhibition match between
two of ye olde baseball clubs batting under
1864 rules!
“There are still some really fun
baseball aspects,” said Lucy Gardner,
spokeswoman for the Prospect Park Alliance,
which is producing the weekend’s
events.
The Brooklyn Atlantics — named after
the sport’s first-ever championship team
— will battle the hated Monmouth, New
Jersey Furnaces at 11 am on Saturday,
when both teams will don classic 19thcentury
uniforms as they duke it out under
the same archaic rules that governed
the nation’s earliest ball players.
Saturday’s old-timey match up will
Brian Sullivan
Play ball! The Brooklyn Atlantics
will play baseball according to the
game’s original rules from 1864, in
Prospect Park on May 18.
precede the park’s annual Spring Fling
festival on Sunday, formerly held at
the Bartel-Pritchard Square entrance
to Brooklyn’s Backyard after the glorious
procession of pint-sized outfielders
marched in a parade to herald the beginning
of borough baseball. The past
few years, however, left ballplayers and
fair-goers alike drenched with rain, and,
while the parade was held as per usual
this year, park honchos decided to push
the fair back to May in hopes of some
of good, dry fun.
Their gamble — fingers crossed —
appears to be paying off, with forecasters
predicting warm weather and rainfree
skies both Saturday and Sunday,
according to weather.com .
The fair — which has been moved to
the Prospect Lefferts Gardens side of the
park, near the Prospect Park Carousel —
will feature music, food, and fun events,
including kid-friendly “Bend and Bloom”
yoga classes, a scooter giveaway celebrating
National Scooter Day, a soccer clinic
featuring local footie fanatics, and other
Spring-themed activities.
Watch archaic baseball at Prospect
Park’s Long Meadow Ball Fields West
Drive near Bartel-Pritchard Square in
Prospect Park. May 18, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
Free.
Have fun at the Spring Fling festival
at Prospect Park Children’s Corner East
Drive near Flatbush Avenue entrance.
May 19, noon–3 p.m. Free.
Many good prospects
By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Paper
Prospect Park’s Spring Fling fair
and old-timey baseball exhibition
are only two out of many outdoor
events set to happen in the park this
weekend. The green space will feature
a huge variety of fun events, according
to its chief steward.
“From the Brooklyn Atlantics exhibition
baseball game, a roller disco
at Lakeside, to children’s activities at
Lefferts Historic House and the family
friendly fair in the Children’s Corner,
there is something for absolutely
everyone in our community to enjoy
this weekend in Prospect Park,” said
Prospect Park Alliance President Sue
Donoghue.
SATURDAY, MAY 18
Half Marathon Cheer Station
Join other track fans to cheer on
the runners in the 2019 Brooklyn Half
Marathon as they cut through Prospect
Park on their way to Coney Island!
Cheer on the runners at Park Circle
(Prospect Park Southwest at Parkside
Avenue). 7 – 10 a.m. Free.
Prospect Park Grill Out
Grand Army Plaza’s weekly
GrowNYC greenmarket will grill up
meats and veggies in honor of Spring
Fling, sourced from the greenmarket
farmers. Grab a bite at Grand Army
Plaza (Plaza Street West near West
Drive in Prospect Park).11 a.m. – 1
p.m. Free.
Intro to Birdwatching
Brooklyn Bird Club gull gurus will
teach locals how to spot the wide variety
of birds who pass through Prospect
Park. Learn the ABCs of birdwatching
at Prospect Park Audubon Center
(101 East Dr. near Prospect Park Lake
in Prospect Park, www.prospectpark.
org/audubon). Noon. Free
SUNDAY, MAY 19
Art and Architecture Tour
Discover the unlikely architectural
wonders of Brooklyn’s Backyard with
this two-hour tour, courtesy of Turnstile
Tours. Explore the park, starting
at Grand Army Plaza Flatbush
Avenue at Prospect Park West, (347)
903–8687, www.turnstiletours.com.
10:30 a.m. $20.
Spring Blooms
Learn to make paper flowers while
taking in some traditional folk songs
courtesy of Brooklyn Conservatory
of Music’s Bluegrass Jam Ensemble.
Make paper fl owers at the Lefferts Historic
House (452 Flatbush Ave. near
Empire Boulevard in Prospect Park).
1 – 4 p.m. $3 suggested donation.
“The Misanthrope”
A stellar cast of stage actors read the
famous comedy of manners by 19thcentury
French playwright Moliere.
Take in a reading at Lefrak Center at
Lakeside (171 East Dr. near Ocean
Avenue in Prospect Park, moliereinthepark.
org). 7 p.m. Free.
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