Brooklyn’s Montague Street kicks off Open Streets with exuberant party

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The blazingly exuberant Hungry March Band kicked off Montague Street’s first Open Streets of the summer season on Saturday. The madcap marching band, first conceived at Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade, set the tone for the all-day party on Brooklyn Heights’ main shopping and dining strip.

Sponsored by the Montague BID, Brooklyn Heights Association and city Department of Transportation, the event also celebrated the 60th birthday of Canon John Denaro, pastor of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church on Clinton and Montague streets. Canon Denaro joined in the fun with the band, posing atop a chair as band members danced around him. 

This was followed by another musical spectacle as the 85-member Grace Chorale filled Montague Street and sang Happy Birthday, before Denaro blew out the candles and cut the cake for well-wishers. 

“It’s the big 60 tomorrow,” Denaro told the Brooklyn Eagle. “I’m 59 for one more day.”

“We are so grateful that the BID invited us to help kick off the Opens Streets season, and we wanted to make this a community event. We wanted people to know that our church is part of this community, and all are welcome at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity. It matters that we’re in Brooklyn Heights on Montague Street. We’re very grateful to be neighbors with all of the businesses and the houses of worship. I know this sounds like something I should be saying, but I really mean it.”

Numerous events on the streets geared for adults included the mellow folk sounds of the Samoa Wilson trio; an open mic event sponsored by Brooklyn Poets; and DJ Captain Kitty’s mix of disco, dance, and funk tunes. Cyclists could take a look at a new Linus eDutchi & eRoadster at L’Appartement 4F bakery, and kids ate free at Mad for Chicken.

The Brooklyn Women’s Exchange’s incoming President Emily Everhart and incoming Vice President Christina Gonzalez welcomed visitors to their new location on the street. 

“This is the first Open Streets weekend we’ve been here. Between the [good] weather and Open Streets, business is above average,” Gonzalez said. Since moving to Montague Street, “We have a lot of new customers, and a lot of people joining the Women’s Exchange. It’s really exciting.”

In the spirit of doing good while having fun, The Service Collective gathered food staples, including pasta, rice and beans, to benefit food pantries at St. Ann & Holy Trinity, St. Charles Borromeo and First Presbyterian Church. 

Amanda Jones, executive director of The Service Collective, told the Eagle, “We are a public service volunteer organization and any kid, teen or family can sign up for any of our projects. We partner with other nonprofits in order to figure out what they need, and then we offer volunteer projects to serve them.”

She added, “Local food pantries’ supplies often dwindle going towards the summer months, so this is an effort to repack those stocks so that they don’t run out over the summer. There are three local pantries in Brooklyn Heights — a lot of people don’t know that.”

Manning the table was Damien Jung, a student at Poly Prep; Sophia Goldman, a Saint Ann’s School student; and her friend Eleanor Belinfanti, also a student at Saint Ann’s.

“I found out about this service at my school,” Jung said. 

“I heard about it through my family friends. I’m interested in getting back into volunteer work since COVID,” Goldman said. 

Belinfanti said she heard about the volunteer opportunity from her friend Sophia and decided to join in. 

Activities for young kids

Young children had a great play day with plenty of colorful chalk for mural creating, a giant chess set, an obstacle course, Street Lab’s popup reading room and other play opportunities.

Kids learned to Double Dutch with Tashima, Beneewa and Tawa of the “Elite BKLYN Jumpers;” and Champion Martial Arts’ masters and students demonstrated Taekwondo, kicks, spins and board breaking.

Visitors from Brooklyn Heights’ past

Phyllis and Stephen Pfeiffer were visiting Brooklyn Heights for the first time since they lived in the neighborhood 50 years ago, from 1970 to 1973. “It appears that there’s a lot more landscaping, a lot more upgrading of the homes … I don’t know if Capulets on Montague is still open?” (It’s not.) But the dry cleaner and hardware store were the same, Phyllis said.

“We sold our apartment to [singer/songwriter] Tom Chapin,” Stephen said. 

“Actually, we sold the introduction to the landlord, because it was a rent-controlled building,” Phyllis said.

“We paid $219 a month for a two-bedroom floor-through,” Stephen added. 

Back in the ‘70s, there was a big drug issue in the neighborhood, Phyllis said. “When I came home from NYU at night, I had to walk in the middle of the street. If you walked on the sidewalk, somebody could grab you.”

The couple said they don’t regret moving to California, where Phyllis is a newspaper publisher and Stephen is a clinical psychologist. “When we moved in, we were a half block from the beach and we went, ‘Oh my God, this is paradise.’”