Hills & Gardens: Holiday events & happenings

November 29, 2012 Trudy Whitman The Daily Eagle

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Are the ghouls and goblins and things that go bump in the night gone from the parks of the Hills & Gardens now that Halloween 2012 is history? Don’t bet on it! Some famous ghosts — The Ghost of Christmas Past and his fearsome brethren — are about to haunt Carroll Park on Court and Carroll streets. Nocturnal visits from these specters begin December 6, thanks to Smith Street Stage’s first indoor production in Carroll Gardens, an adapta- tion of Charles Dickens’s beloved “A Christmas Carol.”

The well known tale of redemption has been conceived as a radio play by Smith Street Stage’s founder and creative direc- tor Beth Ann Hopkins. Set in Brooklyn in 1938, and performed by seven actors who assume all the roles in a streamlined version of the ghostly tale, “A Christmas Carol” is family fare. It will be presented in the Robert Acito Park House.

Smith Street Stage is the company that brought the delightful “Twelfth Night” to outdoor audiences in the park this past summer as well as bloody “Macbeth” in 2011. Although “A Christmas Carol” is free, there is a requested donation of $10 for adults and $8 for children. The show will run December 6-8 and December 14- 16. Curtain times vary, so visit www.smithstreetstage.org for details. To reserve seats, go to brownpaper tickets.com.

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It was necessary to change one of the featured speakers, and the Cobble Hill Association Fall 2012 General Meeting has been rescheduled. (Hurricane Sandy blew the event, originally set for October 29, right off the calendar.) On Monday, December 10, Peter Betts, CEO of LICH/Downstate Medical Center, will replace Dr. John Williams, president of Downstate, for a “Report on Health Care: Are We Meeting the Needs of Children and Seniors in Cobble Hill?” Joining Mr. Betts will be Tony Lewis, President and CEO of the Cobble Hill Health Center on Henry Street.

Dr. Edna A. Pytlak, a Cobble Hill res- ident who has been a practicing pediatrician in the neighborhood for almost 30 years, will receive the 2012 Cobble Hill Hero Award.

The CHA Fall General Meeting is open to all and will be held in Conference Room A at LICH, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

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Atlantic Avenue has really been putting on the Ritz in anticipation of the holiday season with a tree lighting celebration and a window-dressing contest and the eye-catching lighted snowflakes (new this year thanks to the Atlantic Avenue BID). As brand-new grandparents it was fun and easy to shop Atlantic for presents on Black Friday. In about two hours we picked up the obligatory eight gifts for Hanukkah for our grandson from shops both new and old. (Onesies and bibs from the Melting Pot never go out of style, although I don’t think we called them onesies in days of yore.)

Special seasonal events appear to be happening daily to add to neighborhood cheer. Here are a few you may not be aware of:

The Boerum Hill Association’s Annual Pot Luck Holiday Party is on Saturday, December 1, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Bring a ready-to-serve dish with no heating required to the Belarusian Church at Atlantic Avenue and Bond Street. If you are new to Boerum Hill, it’s a great way to meet some terrific neighbors.

“There will be games, activities, entertainment and, if everyone is good, a visit from Santa,” said Howard Kolins, president of the BHA. RSVP to Howard at 718 625-4073 or [email protected] with the number of people in your party and the dish you will be bringing.

From the beautiful candles to the chocolate gelt (money), Hanukkah, beginning December 8 this year, is for kids. The Hannah Senesh Community Day School, 342 Smith Street, will celebrate the holiday with a crafts party for children ages 2-10 on Sunday, December 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. Workshops include holiday card making, Hanukkah mobiles, a print workshop, food decorating, pottery, wire sculpture dreidles (spinning tops), puppet and mask making, and mosaic tile. There is a $5 fee per child.

The renowned children’s chorus, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, headquartered in Cobble Hill, has been singing all over the city for the holidays but brings the talent back to Brooklyn for two concerts at Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral in Brooklyn Heights on December 14 and 15. Visit the BYC website, brooklynyouthchorus.org, for times and ticket information.

Support your local community board and have a blast! Unless you’ve attended their meetings, you can’t know how hard CB6 committee members — all volunteers — and staff work for us. Show your sup- port by attending the Brooklyn CB 6 Holiday Party on Monday, December 17, at the Sheep Station, 149 4th Avenue. Call 718 643-3027 for party details.