The Brooklyn Bridge to the World Celebration,
hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and honoring
the 120th birthday of our most famous icon takes place on May
24. For more information, call (718) 802-3875 or visit Brooklyn-USA.org
on the Web.
BIG Crossing
Beginning in City Hall park in Manhattan, cross the world famous
Brooklyn Bridge and finish at Cadman Plaza Park where you’ll
be treated to free food and live entertainment.
· 8 am: bicyclists cross
· 9 am: runners cross
· 10 am: walk across
Free T-shirts to the first 100 registered in each group. Walkers
should arrive by 9:30 am and all participants are encouraged
to wear their favorite Brooklyn T-shirt or costume.
Cadman Plaza Park
Free Brooklyn shuttle loops run 11 am-5 pm from Cadman Plaza
Park. All tours leave on the hour from Cadman Plaza West and
Middagh Street.
· Shuttle loop to 499 Van Brunt St. for Brooklyn Working
Artists Coalition’s spring exhibit, "Pier Show 11,"
and stop/pickup points at Lorraine and Columbia streets for visits
to David Sharps’ Waterfront Museum. Vintage Tours will provide
free historical commentary about the history of Red Hook.
· Shuttle loop to the Williamsburg Art & Historical
Center. Free admission.
· Walking tour of Williamsburg offered by Williamsburg
Art & Historical Center at 1:30 pm. $10 admission.
· Shuttle loop to DUMBO’s Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park
– the center of the Celebration.
· Shuttle to Grand Army Plaza’s ARCH Gallery and Prospect
Park (connects to free Heart of Brooklyn shuttle to Brooklyn
Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum of
Art, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo) or Brooklyn Academy
of Music’s Dance Africa and Urban Glass.
Free Brooklyn tours
· 11 am-2 pm: From Cadman Plaza West, visit the Old Stone
House, a replica of a Dutch stone farmhouse with a very rich
history. Continue with a walking tour of historic Green-Wood
Cemetery. Tour conducted by Old Stone House Interpretive Center
and the Green-Wood Historic Fund.
· 1-3 pm: From Cadman Plaza West, visit the Wyckoff House,
which is believed to be the oldest standing house in New York
State. Tour conducted by Wyckoff House.
· 1-2 pm: From Grand Army Plaza, join the Brooklyn 101
Tour: Discover Park Slope & Prospect Heights. Tour conducted
by New York Like a Native.
· 2-3:30 pm: From Cadman Plaza West, take a walking tour
of Fort Greene & Clinton Hill. Tour conducted by Harlem,
Your Way!
· 2-3 pm: From Fulton Ferry Landing, sail along Brooklyn’s
waterfront. Special free tour guided by New York Water Taxi’s
own Mark Baker. Seating limited – first come, first served!
· 2-3 pm: From Cadman Plaza West, take a tour of the Brooklyn
Bridge. Tour conducted by DayHops.
· 2:30-5:30 pm: From Cadman Plaza West, take a bus tour
of Historic Neighborhoods of Prospect Park South, Ditmas and
Flatbush – Victorian homes and mansions! Tour conducted by Brooklyn
Borough Historian Ron Schweiger.
· 3-6 pm: From Cadman Plaza West, take a walking tour
of Little Odessa in Brighton Beach. Tour conducted by Russian
America.
· 4-5 pm: From Brooklyn Arch on the Brooklyn Bridge learn
from a photographer who has climbed 15 New York bridges and will
show and tell you all about the world’s most famous bridge! Tour
conducted by Dave Frieder, aka Dave the Bridge Man.
Coney Island
From 11 am to 5 pm, shuttle on Coney Island’s Surf Avenue between
the New York Aquarium and Keyspan Park – continuous loop around
the Coney Island fun spots! (Pickup shuttle outside New York
Aquarium and Keyspan Park on Surf Avenue.)
Cadman Plaza Park
Free events throughout the day in Cadman Plaza Park:
· 11 am: Sesame Flyers Steel Band
· Noon: EBC Bushwick Steppers
· 2 pm: the 3rd U.S. Infantry – Old Guard. U.S. Army’s
official ceremonial unit from the nation’s capitol. Revolutionary
dress.
· 2:30 pm: Kings Chorus Barbershop Harmony
· 3 pm: Heart & Soul – Brooklyn Doo-wop
· 4 pm: Paprika – Afro-Brazilian-reggae band
· 5 pm: Stage closes – evening party continues at Empire-Fulton
Ferry State Park.
Empire-Fulton Ferry State
Park
Located on Water Street between Main and New Dock streets, the
events on this stage will be emceed by Todd Robbins, the "Coney
Island Ambassador." Note: all performance acts and times
subject to change.
· Noon: the 3rd U.S. Infantry – Old Guard – U.S. Army’s
official ceremonial unit from the nation’s capitol. Revolutionary
dress.
· 12:30 pm: see the West Indian Day Parade costumed performers.
· 1 pm: "Art and Science of Bridge Building: The
Great Suspension Bridge – A Case History." Dan Wiley, in
association with the Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment,
is calling all kids, and grownups, too, to help him build the
Brooklyn Bridge on stage in this unique, hands-on, human bridge-building
project.
· 1:30 pm: Brooklyn rock band Daphne.
· 2 pm & 4 pm: Central Park Swedish Cottage Marionette
Theater Puppets in the Parks presents "Sleeping Beauty."
· 3 pm: the dance, theatre and spoken word of Creative
Outlet.
· 4 pm: Brooklyn’s Big Band – Dem Brooklyn Bums – back
from their "EURO tour."
· 5 pm: Brooklyn doo-wop with Heart & Soul.
· 6:30 pm: Brooklyn Poets Praise the Bridge – Brooklyn
Poet Laureate Ken Siegelman, Daniela Gioseffi, Maurice Edwards
and Wanda Phipps.
· 7:15 pm: Sunset concert with the Brooklyn Philharmonic,
conducted by Edward Outwater.
· 8:15 pm: "Happy Birthday Brooklyn Bridge!"
An architectural wonder of a cake made by CakeMan Raven of Fort
Greene and 120 candles by Grucci.
· 8:30 pm: A spectacular laser & light show on a six-story,
100-foot-wide screen created by Image Engineering.
· 9 pm: The legendary Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn
Bridge.
· 10 pm: "Brooklyn Bridge After-Party" – Southpaw
presents Beetroot plus other performers.
· 10:45 pm: Late Laser Light Spectacle.
Additional events
At Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park:
· 10 am-5 pm: The Brooklyn Bridge Troupe – Enjoy the strolling,
costumed actors who will be delighted to let you take photos
with them!
· Noon-5 pm: Hands on! Use a real spud wrench and work
with Brooklyn Bridge nuts and bolts. Souvenir nuts and bolts
given out until they run out! Iron Workers Local 361.
· Noon-5 pm: Hall of Cultural Enrichment – Brooklyn’s
arts and cultural institutions show and tell their summer events
and programs.
· 1 pm: Workshop with Central Park Swedish Cottage Marionette
Theater Puppets in the Parks. Learn how to make puppets come
to life.
· 2 pm & 3 pm: "The Brooklyn Bridge: A Study
in Greatness" with Carrie Wilson and John Stern, Aesthetic
Realism consultants. What makes the Bridge beautiful and loved
by millions is explained in this exciting slide talk.
· 2:30 pm: The Brooklyn Ballet, which performs a fusion
of contemporary, baroque and modern dance, will perform excerpts
from "Mystery Sonatas," choreographed by Lynn Parkerson.
Photography contest
Brooklyn Bridge to the World Amateur Photography Contest invites
contestants to take the best and most unique photograph (a) of
the bridge, (b) from the bridge or (c) of people on the bridge.
Three adult winners (18 and older) and three youth winners (17
and younger), one in each category, will each win a new Nikon
camera and have their work featured on Best of Brooklyn postcards
to be sold to benefit the not-for-profit Best of Brooklyn Inc.
Entry forms available only at the Celebration. (Pictures must
be taken between May 24 and June 30, 2003. Winners announced
July 2003.)
