Cortelyou Road was on a stroll last weekend.
The Flatbush Frolic, an annual street fair of epic proportions, took over a half-mile of the Flatbush thoroughfare on Sept. 21, bringing the neighborhood out to enjoy a day of music, food, and fun. One attendee said she attends like clockwork year in and year out.
“I can’t wait for the Frolic every year,” said Janice Ricard-Katz, whose daughter Blonshe performed with a dance group in the street fair. “That’s how you know it’s fall.”
Ricard-Katz, a longtime Flatbush resident, said she has been going to the Frolic every year since she was 17 and hopes to pass along the tradition to her daughter.
This year’s festival drew neighbors and a long list of local vendors, performers, and most importantly, ponies. Blonshe was thrilled at the chance to ride a pony at a brisk trot, Ricard-Katz said.
“We had the time of our lives,” she said. “The energy there is just really positive. It’s a great way to spend a day.”
This year’s festival was the neighborhood’s 39th, and stretched from Coney Island Avenue to Ocean Avenue. The fair brings out the best of one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city, an organizer said.
“We have such a diverse neighborhood, and it’s great to see everyone out on the street,” said Laura Burgess, outreach coordinator for the Flatbush Development Corporation, which throws the event. “You see every type of person out there, so we know it really gets everyone in the neighborhood out.”
The street fair drew as many as 10,000 attendees, Burgess said.
