Good street fairs make good neighbors!
Hundreds of Brooklynites converged on Columbia Street on Saturday afternoon for the Carroll Gardens Association’s annual Southwest Brooklyn Fall Festival, an event the civic group designed to promote neighborliness amongst residents and entrepreneurs in Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook, according to organizers.
“The idea is to bring together neighbors, local businesses, and community groups so they can meet each other and deepen collective relationships with the community,” said Ben Fuller-Googins, the Carroll Gardens Association’s program and planning director. “I think it was a big success.”
Nearly 1,000 people turned out to sample cuisine from local vendors including Egyptian and Lebanese food hawker Mazzat, Blossom Ice Cream, and Dolce Brooklyn Gelato, and one attendee said the sweet treats were especially memorable.
“There was some really good local ice cream,” said Manon Veiterio, who also helped organize the event. “Overall, it was really fun, there was good energy and it was a great opportunity for people to meet their neighbors.”
But the day wasn’t just dessert — the Carroll Gardens Association’s chief goal is to create below-market-rate housing and promote economic development in the area, so it also invited community organizations such as childcare cooperatives and tenant advocacy groups to set up tables at the big bash so they could spread the word about their missions.
Local Americana band the Ziggernauts, singer-songwriter Wyndham Bayer, and a troupe from Red Hook’s Cora Dance school also performed at the fete.
