Kids’ book covers biking while female
By Julianne McShane She’s facing history.
A Bay Ridge artist will read
from her picture book about a
girl in the late 19th century who learns
to ride a bicycle, at Stories Bookshop
and Storytelling Lab in Park Slope
on March 24. “Born to Ride: A Story
About Bicycle Face” highlights a pernicious
rumor from the 1890s that
aimed to keep women in the home
— that a woman’s delicate constitution
could not handle the strain of
cycling, and that any attempt to do so
would lead to a permanent disfiguration
dubbed “bicycle face” — an idea
that shocked the book’s illustrator.
“I had never heard of ‘bicycle
face’ — obviously it’s the most ridiculous
thing imaginable,” said Kelsey
Garrity-Riley. “It’s something we
don’t think twice about — every little
girl and boy learns to ride a bike, and
it would never occur to me to not have
that freedom and independence.”
Author Larissa Theule wrote the
story of youngster Louisa Belinda
Bellflower, who feels frustrated by
the limits she faces as a girl. After
Louisa ditches her skirt for pants and
demands that her brother teach her
how to ride, he warns her of the bulging
eyes and closed-up jaw that doctors
claim will plague female cyclists.
Louisa remains undaunted, and after
falling off the two-wheeler again and
again, she finds her balance and her
own “bicycle face” which is intentionally
one of the few times the character
smiles in the book, said Garrity-Riley.
“When she finally does ride, her
‘bicycle face’ is a gigantic, gorgeous
smile,” the illustrator said. “Before
that, there’s this intensity and determination.
I appreciate girls being given
the space not to have to constantly be
smiling.”
The artist says that the book teaches
a lesson of resistance that she hopes
will prompt readers to consider the
barriers they still face today.
“At the time it wasn’t an overt form
COURIER L 50 IFE, MAR, 22-28, 2019 24-7
of oppression, but there’s still all these
small ways that women and minorities
are held down in a way that may not
seem obvious, and I would encourage
people to look for those ways,”
Garrity-Riley said.
“Born to Ride” story time with
illustrator Kelsey Garrity-Rilyy at
Stories Bookshop and Storytelling Lab
(458 Bergen St. between Fifth and
Flatbush avenues in Park Slope, www.
storiesbk.com). March 24 at 10:30 am.
Free.
By Bill Roundy Big Alice is getting bigger!
A Queens brewery has
opened its new taproom in the
borough of Kings, where the people
are! The co-founder of Big Alice
Brewing says that its new Industry
City location, which opened on March
1, has attracted a whole new crew for
its brew.
“It’s a different crowd mix for us,”
said Kyle Hurst, “There’s a lot of
families who live in Sunset Park, and
people who just happen to stumble
upon us.”
The original brewery is hidden in
an industrial Queens neighborhood,
where its only visitors were dedicated
craft beer fans specifically seeking out
the brewhouse, he said.
“We’re in such a desolate location,”
said Hurst. “If they come to Long
Island City, they are there for craft
beers.”
The bright new space, dubbed the
Big Alice Barrel Room, has about three
times the footage of the tiny brewing
spot in Queens. Much of the floorspace
is given over to the namesake wooden
barrels, where various beers spend a
few weeks to a few months soaking up
the flavors of the wood, and of the barrel’s
previous occupants. The new spot
has given the brewers the space and
opportunity to experiment with new
combinations, said Hurst.
“Different barrels impart different
flavors,” he noted. “Whatever was in
the barrels previously, you’ll get those
characteristics. We’ve done some work
with Islay Scotch barrels, and you get a
smoky, peaty flavor.”
All the beer is still brewed in Big
Alice’s Queens location, then transported
in tanks to Sunset Park to be
stored in the barrel room.
For visitors, the Barrell Room has
16 taps pouring Big Alice beers and
a few guest ciders, along with bottles
and cans. A stage against the interior
wall will soon hold trivia contests,
musical acts, and other entertainment,
said Hurst.
Big Alice Brewing Barrel Room (52
34th St. between Second and Third
avenues in Sunset Park, www.bigalicebrewing.
com). Open Mon–Thu, 11
am–10 pm; Fri–Sat, 11 am–11 pm; Sun,
11 am–8 pm.
By Colin Mixson The classic festival
will have a new
attitude!
Legendary soul queen
Patti LaBelle will rock the
Prospect Park Bandshell
on June 4 as the opening
act for the Bric Celebrate
Brooklyn! Festival, the
borough’s longest-running,
mostly-free summer
concert series, according
to the media maven producing
the show.
“We are thrilled to
kick off our summer concert
series at the Prospect
Park Bandshell with R&B
icon Patti LaBelle,” said
Bric President Kristina
Newman-Scott. “This
year’s festival will open
with a renewed sense of
energy and commitment
to the artistry that defines
Brooklyn.”
The Philadelphia-born
crooner rose to fame
following the release of
the 1974 disco hit “ Lady
Marmalade ,” which
she sang with her band
Labelle. After the group
broke up in ’76, the Philly
vocalist’s solo career took
off — her eponymous solo
album soared to number
31 on the R&B albums
chart, driven by now-classic
tunes including “ You
Can’t Judge a Book by
the Cover, ” and “ Since I
Don’t Have You .”
And after numerous
Grammy nominations,
including for her
1984 crossover hit “New
Attitude,” and a pair of
wins for her 1991 R&B
album “Burnin’ ” and
1994 dance number
“When You Talk About
Love,” LaBelle’s name
was immortalized in
American music history
with the 2004 induction
of her version of “Lady
Marmalade” into the
Grammy Hall of Fame.
LaBelle’s blowout
concert event will kick
off Bric’s 41st annual
Celebrate Brooklyn!
Festival summer-music
series. The arts organization
plans to announce the
remaining line-up of free
and paid acts sometime in
May, according to spokesman
Ron Gaskill.
Before LaBelle’s free
8 pm performance at the
Prospect Park Bandshell,
Bric will host a decidedly
not-free opening night
gala, which has been
dubbed “The Revel,” open
to well-heeled music lovers
who can afford tickets that
start at a whopping $750.
The gala, which will honor
longtime Bric board member
Hilary Ackerman, will
also help fund the remainder
of the concert series,
Gaskill said.
Patti LaBelle at Bric
Celebrate Brooklyn!
Festival Prospect Park
Bandshell, enter at Ninth
Street and Prospect Park
West in Park Slope, (718)
683–5600, www.bricartsmedia.
org/cb. June 4 at 8
pm. Free.
Picture this: Ridgite Kelsey Garrity-Riley will read from the book she illustrated, “Born
to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face,” at a free March 24 event at Stories Bookshop and
Storytelling Lab in Park Slope. Kelsey Garrity-Riley
Lady Marmalade: Legendary singer Patti LaBelle will open the
41st annual Bric Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival on June 4. Bric
Saved by
LaBelle!
WHEEL HISTORY
Barrel in: Queens brewer in BK
R&B singer to open
Celebrate Bklyn Fest
Go ask Alice: Kyle Hurst, the co-founder of
Big Alice Brewing, said that the Industry City
site allows the brewery to appeal to a whole
new crowd. Big Alice Brewing
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