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Laissez les bons temps rouler avec les Francais de Smith Street en 12 Juillet

By Robin Riskin
for The Brooklyn Paper
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The Brooklyn Paper / Robin Riskin
Les Formidables: Lou Coup-Jambet, who is French (ya think?), gets into the Bastille Day spirit a few days before the annual French independence celebration on Smith Street. This year, the festivities take place in front of Bar Tabac on Sunday, July 12.

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It’s time to throw out the freedom fries and let the French back into that place in your heart reserved for fine wine, great food and completely open affairs with your neighbor. Yes, it’s Bastille Day time again on Smith Street!

Brooklyn’s Petite Paris will once again transform itself into a French Independence Day street fair on Sunday, complete with merguez et biere (which is just like the hot dogs and Bud you downed on July 4, only better).

“Bastille Day is still very much a French holiday,” said Bernard Decanali, owner of Robin des Bois and one of the founders of the block’s festivities. “We want to keep it French in spirit.”

The people who gave us liberty, fraternity and MC Solaar will even roll out one of their national sports: petanque. It’s part bowling, part golf, and all French. The aim is to roll metal balls as close as possible to the “cochonnet,” but on Smith Street, the primary goal is to have fun.

Americans are welcome, of course, but this year Decanali made sure that at least half of the 80 teams were French.

“This is our holiday, you know,” he said.

Bastille Day celebration (Smith Street between Pacific and Bergen streets in Cobble Hill), July 12, 10 am-midnight. Petanque outside Bar Tabac [128 Smith St. at Dean Street, (718) 923-0918].

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

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