Things To Do This Memorial Day Weekend: Dance Africa, Memorial Day BBQs, And Saint Joan Of The Stockyards

Below you’ll find information on events through the weekend in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill this weekend. Check back Monday to see what’s scheduled next week!

FRIDAY, MAY 22

Toddler Time
When: Friday, May 22 at 10am
Where: Clinton Hill Library at 380 Washington Avenue
What: Come hear stories, sing songs, play with toys, and meet new friends! For toddlers (aged 18-36 months) and their care-givers.

Babies and Books
When: Friday, May 22 at 11:15am
Where: Clinton Hill Library at 380 Washington Avenue
What: Come hear stories, sing songs, play with toys and meet new friends! For Babies (0-18 months) and their caregivers.

Kids Create: Paper Beads
When: Friday, May 22 at 4pm
Where: Clinton Hill Library at 380 Washington Avenue
What: For kids of all ages! Learn how to make this versatile craft that can be done with any kind of extra paper to make wearable art.

Line Dancing
When: Friday, May 22 from 7-8pm
Where: Ingersoll Community Center at 177 Myrtle Avenue
What: Free Shape Up NYC Classes are for all! No registration or prior experience necessary.

Comedy Show
When: Friday, May 22 at 8pm
Where: Five Spot Soul Food at 459 Myrtle Avenue
What: Free comedy show every Friday night. Hosted by Pee Wee Dee.
How much: No cover

Karaoke Night
When: Friday, May 22 from 8pm-12am
Where: SIP Bar at 14 Putnam Avenue
What: Every Friday night. Hosted by Kings of Karaoke.
How much: Free

SATURDAY, MAY 23

Fort Greene Park Greenmarket
When: Saturday, May 23 from 8am-4pm
Where: Washington Park between DeKalb and Willoughby Avenues
What: Weekly farmers market with live music and family-friendly activities.

Fundamentals of Tai Chi
When: Saturday, May 23 from 10-11am
Where: Ingersoll Community Center at 177 Myrtle Avenue
What: Free class. No registration or experience necessary.

Brooklyn Flea Fort Greene
When: From 10am-5pm (every Saturday through November)
Where: Bishop Laughlin Memorial HS schoolyard at 176 Lafayette Avenue (between Clermont and Vanderbilt)
What: 150 shopping and food vendors every Saturday from April through November.

Storytime: Matthew Burgess and Kris Di Giacomo
When: Saturday, May 23 at 11am
Where: Greenlight Bookstore at 686 Fulton Street
What: Enormous Smallness is a nonfiction picture book biography (from Brooklyn publisher Enchanted Lion) about the poet E.E. Cummings. Here, the poet’s life is presented in a way that will have children identifying, as well as playing with words and asking questions. Lively and playful, the book also presents some of Cummings’ most wonderful poems, integrating them seamlessly to give the reader the music of his voice. Local Brooklyn authorMatthew Burgess and Brazil-born, France-based illustrator Kris Di Giacomo present this charming and innovative new book with an interactive story time. Ages 3 to 8.

Brooklyn Pop-Up Market
When: Saturday, May 23 from 12-7pm
Where: Trilok Fusion Arts at 143 Waverly Avenue
What: Find details about each week at: www.brooklynpopupmarket.com.

DANCE AFRICA 2015 Bazzar
When: Saturday, May 23 at 12pm – Monday, May 25 at 8pm
Where: BAM at Ashland Place and Lafayette Avenue
What: The nation’s largest festival dedicated to African dance returns for its 38th year, bringing together performance, art, film, and an array of community events, including the DanceAfrica Bazaar (more than 200 vendors from around the world, of food, crafts, fashion and more) for an exhilarating celebration of culture from Africa and its diaspora. This year’s edition celebrates Brazil, tracing the transatlantic roots of the country’s vibrant music and dance traditions. Headlined by Afro-Brazilian dance troupe Balé Folclórico da Bahia, 2015 marks the last year that Baba Chuck Davis will lead the festival as Artistic Director.

BAMcafé Live: JUMP N FUNK with Rich Medina and The Marksmen
When: Saturday, May 23 at 10pm
Where: BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building at 30 Lafayette Avenue
What: DanceAfrica Late Night Dance Party. Jump N Funk is North America’s original Afrobeat party, started by DJ Rich Medina and dedicated to the late Nigerian musical icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Medina’s aim is to raise global awareness for the genre while also driving home the party spirit.
How much: Free

SUNDAY, MAY 24

Community Cookout
When: Sunday, May 24 from 3pm to closing
Where: Brooklyn Tap House at 590 Myrtle Avenue
What: BBQ menu replaces the regular menu just for tonight. Call (347) 750-7557 for details.

Backyard BBQ
When: Sunday, May 24 from 5pm-midnight
Where: The Runner at 458 Myrtle Avenue
What: $10 burgers (classic or veggie), $15 lobster rolls, $9 kobe hot dogs and choice of potato salad, mac and cheese, corn on the cob and other food specials, and $3 beers. 15% off all evening for all veterans and military.

MONDAY, MAY 25 (MEMORIAL DAY)

17th annual Memorial Day Commemoration
When: Monday, May 25 from 11am-6pm
Where: Green-Wood Cemetery at 500 25th Street
What: The Memorial Day commemoration begins with an honor march as reenactors and musicians lead a procession to Green-Wood’s Civil War Soldiers’ Lot for remarks and a commemorative program honoring the soldiers interred there, including a recitation of their names by descendants and an artillery salute. At 2:30pm, bring blankets to relax on the hills and listen to the ISO Symphonic Band, then enjoy a Memorial Day trolley tour and Green-Wood’s newest exhibition, To Bid You All Good Bye: Civil War Stories.

Dance Fitness
When: Monday, May 25 from 7-8pm
Where: Ingersoll Community Center at 177 Myrtle Avenue
What: Free Shape Up NYC Classes are for all! No registration or prior experience necessary. “Come be part of the community that’s bigger than the gym.”

ONGOING

Fiasco Theater’s “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”
When: Through June 4
Where: Polonsky Shakespeare Center at 262 Ashland Place
What: Crackling and quick-moving, The Two Gentlemen of Verona may well have been Shakespeare’s first play. A seemingly simple tale of shifting devotions among mismatched lovers, it helped launch the enduring genre of rom-com. Yet its delightful madcap surface conceals undercurrents, as its putative hero proves a cad and a faithless friend. A beguiling, nuanced production from the theater that brought us Cymbeline, and Into the Woods to the Roundabout Theatre.
How much: $60-85 per person (use code: GENT55 for $55 tickets). Purchase online or by phone at 866-811-4111.

Bert Brecht’s “Saint Joan of the Stockyards”
When: Through June 13 (Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm; Saturday the 6th & 13th at 3pm)
Where: Irondale Center at 85 South Oxford Street
What: Acclaimed German director, Peter Kleinert directs the Irondale ensemble in a production of Bert Brecht’s master-work Saint Joan of the Stockyards. A darkly comic tale of romance between a meatpacking tycoon and a Salvation Army worker set amidst the milieu of unemployed workers, high-rolling millionaires, and corporate greed.
How much: $25 | Seniors/Students are $15 | Matinees are $20