Nightlife: Julie Reiner is a cocktail rock star. The Park Slope resident owns a set of swanky Manhattan lounges and is known worldwide for her spirit smarts and magical mixing. But when it came time to launch her next project, Reiner looked no further than her own backyard for a place to serve more of her high-class cocktails. Comment.

Salvi

Where to GO: Editors’ Picks

Mer-madness

Saturday, June 21: Freaks, families and flippers will converge in Coney Island today for the 26th annual “Mermaid Parade.” Kicking off at West 10th Street and the boardwalk, the parade swims up to West 16th Street, over to Surf Avenue and back down to West 10th. Due to the sun, surf and sequins, we recommend wearing plenty of sunblock.

2 pm. West 10th Street and the Coney Island boardwalk. $10 per marcher. For information, call (718) 372-5159 or visit www.coneyisland.com.

Kid rock

Sunday, June 22: Park Slope teens Care Bears on Fire play an all-ages rock show today at Southpaw, and even if the under-21 set cramp your style, it would be foolish to miss it. After the success of last year’s debut record, “I Stole Your Animal,” it won’t be much longer before the band’s only hometown shows are at Madison Square Garden.

5 pm. Southpaw (125 Fifth Ave. at Sterling Place in Park Slope). $10. For information, call (718) 230-0236 or visit www.spsounds.com.

‘Freed’ read

Wednesday, June 25: Whether or not you’ve made your summer reading list already, stop into BookCourt tonight to catch Park Slope author John Michael Cummings read from his debut novel, “The Night I Freed John Brown,” a historical coming-of-age story set in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. We give Cummings points for providing an activity that’s both educational and air-conditioned.

7 pm. BookCourt (163 Court St. at Pacific Street in Cobble Hill). Free. For information, call (718) 875-3677 or visit www.bookcourt.org.

‘Choice’ art

Thursday, June 26: Tonight, the 440 Gallery launches its fourth annual “Small Works Show,” offering attendees the chance to take in Charles Bentz’s painting “Bicycle Path” (pictured) and the one-square-foot multimedia pieces — and judge them for a “People’s Choice” award. We’re always oohing and aahing at art openings, and this time our opinions will matter!

9 pm. 440 Gallery (440 Sixth Ave. at Ninth Street in Park Slope). Free. For information, call (718) 499-3844 or visit www.440gallery.com.

Champion season

Friday, June 27: We sure do love that weatherman, even though he jumped from the local news to “Good Morning America,” but our adoration doesn’t hold a candle to the band that named itself Sam Champion. The rock group is performing tonight at “Celebrate Brooklyn!”

7 pm. Prospect Park band shell (enter park at Prospect Park West and Ninth Street in Park Slope). Free. For information, call (718) 965-8999 or visit www.celebratebrooklyn.org.

View the full events calendar.

It’s a ‘Natural’

By Kate Ray

Art: A photograph of a life-size, fake deer stares mournfully at us from a tiny yard in Carroll Gardens. Bits of moss and grass, collected from all over the borough, are pressed into abstract collage that is literally Brooklyn on paper. These are just a couple of artworks featured in “Brooklyn Au Natural” — a visual exploration of the interface between nature and the city — a show which opened at the Safe-T-Gallery in DUMBO on Thursday. Comment.

Get lit

By Lisa J. Curtis

Books: Get out your hardcovers and smudge-proof autograph pens, because the celebrity riddled Brooklyn Book Festival will show its spine on Sept. 14. Comment.

Tasty restaurant gossip

By Adam Rathe and Kate Ray

Breaking Chews: We’re dishing up Brooklyn’s latest food news! Comments (1).

Hysterical fiction

By Adam Rathe

Books: Despite sipping Earl Grey tea, like one of the characters in her debut novel might do, Ann Herendeen isn’t your average romance novelist. “Phyllida and the Brotherhood of Philander,” Herendeen’s first novel, takes place in England in 1812, but the characters aren’t unrecognizable to Brooklynites today. Comment.

Fit camp

By Adam Rathe

Fitness: Most people think of the Brooklyn Bridge as a landmark and traffic thoroughfare, but for Ariane Hundt, the 125-year-old icon had even more untapped potential. Comments (3).

‘Kong’ queen

By Kate Ray

Theater: Like a giant gorilla tearing up the streets of New York, Pamela Sneed’s one-woman show — “Kong,” at Bath Beach’s Harry Warren Theater through June 29 — is taking on and tearing down the passivity and lack of responsibility that she said define theater today. Comment.

Garden party

By Adam Rathe

Shopping: On most days, Prospect Heights boutique Harriet’s Alter Ego wears two hats — store and art gallery — but on Saturday, the shop will be wearing (and selling) just a few more. Comment.