Blooming in action

Don't want to miss the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden?

The institution's Web site has a handy status map, so you can know exactly when to head to the garden to see the cherry blossoms on full, glorious bloom.

While there, also check out a time-lapse of the season, if you're impatient.

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Spend Valentine's Day in the Heart of Brooklyn

The Heart of Brooklyn cultural campus promises a memorable Valentine’s Day weekend for families, couples and friends alike. Special Valentine’s events will be taking place at the leading cultural institutions located near Grand Army Plaza in central Brooklyn through February 14.

Nearby, top restaurants, shops and bars will help to set a romantic mood and some are also offering a “Brooklyn Bonus” as part of February’s ShopBrooklyn event. Don’t-miss “dates” for Valentine’s weekend 2010 include:

Take the whole family to Prospect Park’s (95 Prospect Park West at Fifth Street) Wollman Rink for their Valentine’s Day Special. A treat for all ages, love is in the air and Wollman Rink, Brooklyn’s only outdoor skating rink, is cutting its admission prices in half. February 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; skate rental charge not included.

Hop on The HOB Connection old-fashioned trolley for a free guided tour between Heart of Brooklyn’s cultural partners and through Prospect Park, 95 Prospect Park West at Fifth Street. Learn some history about the area and enjoy free candy on board. Free between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., February 14; visit Heart of Brooklyn’s Web site for routes and times.

Animal enthusiasts can warm up at the Prospect Park Zoo, 450 Flatbush Avenue, this Valentines Day with an “Animal Dating and Mating” program. Make valentines treats for Brooklyn’s furriest couples, discuss reproductive strategies on a zoo tour, and learn why size really does matter. Games, a live animal demo and tasty treats included. From 2-3:30 p.m., February 14; advance registration required at ppzeducation@wcs.org or 718-399-7339 extension 326; $10 for non-members, $8 members, ages 18 and over. For loving families, be sure to visit a troop of Geoffroy’s tamarins, a favorite of Brooklyn families who can certainly relate monkey behaviors to their own.

For “budding” love, join a Seasonal Highlights Tour (free with admission) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Avenue. The Steinhardt Conservatory is the place to visit in February, where you’ll see a magical procession of South African bulbs — including lachenalias, moraeas, and clivias — in the Helen Mattin Warm Temperate Pavilion. Meet outside the Visitors Center at 1 p.m., February 13 or 14.

Double date: See two new exhibitions at Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, both opening February 12. “To Live Forever” explores the Egyptians’ beliefs about life, death, and the afterlife. In the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, experience “Kiki Smith: Sojourn,” a site-specific installation exploring ideas of creative inspiration and the cycle of life in relation to women artists.

At Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue at St. Mark’s Avenue, kids young and old can celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special “Love Potion #9” brew at the greenhouse (1:30 p.m.) and “I Love You Because…” story time (2:30 p.m.) for younger kids. Visit website for details.

Have a sweet tooth? Stop by Joyce Bakeshop, 646 Vanderbilt Avenue, to pick up sugar cookies with Valentine sayings, heart-shaped chocolate cakes, red velvet cakes for two, and more. Valentine’s pastries are available through Valentine’s Day weekend.

Kids and their families can make a Valentine’s Day Craft at various Brooklyn Public Library sites throughout the borough; check website for details. On February 14 at 4 p.m., begin your Valentine’s evening on a musical “note” at Brooklyn Public Library’s Dweck Center (Central Library) and enjoy an interlude with violinist Jessica Lee.

For couples who want to eat to a beat, Ortine Cafe, 622 Washington Avenue, will have live music at 8 p.m., February 13. Celebrate an early Valentine’s Day and enjoy this restaurant’s delicious local fare.

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Hot, hot, hot

Not one to gingerly move those jalapenos to the side of your dinner plate? Then this event is for you.

New York City’s hottest autumn event, the Chile Pepper Fiesta, returns to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, celebrating the chile pepper and its uses in cultures around the world with musical performances and culinary activities for the whole family to enjoy.

On October 3, noon to 6:30 p.m., the Garden presents a global homage to the chile pepper featuring sizzling concerts and a hot culinary lineup, plus kids’ activities, a cool qi gong workshop, expert advice on cultivating chile peppers, and more.

For the first time, Chile Pepper Fiesta is sweetening its spice with a brand new Chocolate Chile Cabana in the Osborne Garden, where throughout the day visitors will have the opportunity to explore one of the most delicious culinary combinations around with attractions including:

--“Hot” Chocolate: Twelve area chocolatiers and confectioners (including Mast Bros., Vere, Fine & Raw, Nunu, and more) will sample specially commissioned treats that marry the decadence of chocolate with the heat of the chile pepper;--Brooklyn Chile Peppers ’n’ Chocolate Takedown: Amateurs will compete for the crowd’s favor as they concoct chile-chocolate dishes;

--The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History: Leading chocolate historian Maricel E. Presilla will sign copies of her new work;

--Sweet & Spicy Suds: Portland’s Rogue Brewery will offer their Chipotle Ale and Chocolate Stout to thirsty visitors;

--Some Like It Hot: Chocolate expert Alexandra Leaf will moderate a panel, featuring some of the area’s most prominent chocolatiers, on the history, health benefits, and trends of the beloved chile/chocolate combo;

--Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Chocolate But Were Afraid to Ask: No query is too small for Alexandra Leaf, president of Chocolate Tours of NYC;

--The Dust Busters: Old-time swing tunes with a dash of New Orleans blues keep the energy high.Elsewhere during the Fiesta, spicy food will take center stage in a series of demonstrations and tastings, including:

--Seoul Food, a Korean cooking session with Chef Saeri Yoo Park of Moim Restaurant; --Spicy Malaysian Mischief with Corwin Kaye, Executive Chef at Fatty Crab;

--Cooking in Clay with indigenous food expert Nathalie Herling;

--The Art of Indian Chutney-Making with Bombay Emerald Chutney Company Chef Nirmala Gupta.

On the mainstage, a series of diverse performances will turn up the heat, as visitors enjoy the joyful African world beat mix of Nepo Soteri & Asante, the infectious blend of North Indian bhangra and brass funk by Red Baraat!, the red-hot ranchera rock of Pistolera, the pulse-quickening dance music of Brooklyn’s all-women tour de force Paprika and the return of Grammy-nominated Lost Bayou Ramblers, virtuosos of the Cajun musical tradition who have thrilled thousands with their repertoire of early accordion dancehall tunes, Cajun swing, and original numbers.

MCs Robbins & Ringold fire up audiences with fire eating, fire juggling, and other daring deeds of flame throughout the day.

Plus, enjoy hot sauce, hot pickle, and other spicy food tastings; hands-on kids’ activities and a visit with renowned chile plant expert The Chile Goddess will be ongoing throughout the day. The Zagat-rated Terrace Café will offer a special Chile Pepper Fiesta menu to tingle the taste buds with spicy food and cold beer.

Visitor entrances to the Garden are at Flatbush Avenue, at the parking lot gate at 900 Washington Avenue, and at Eastern Parkway. For information, call 718-623-7200.

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Pretty in pink: Sakura Matsuri returns

Photo: Barbara Alper, courtesy Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s peerless collection of cherry trees — the largest and most diverse outside Japan — creates a canopy of blossoms in the spring that is most worthy of a major celebration. Over the course of its 28-year history, Sakura Matsuri (to be held this year May 2-3) has evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated weekend events, as tens of thousands of visitors come to experience not only the breathtaking beauty of the cherry tree’s fleeting blossoms but also to learn about Japanese culture — both traditional and contemporary — with two days of music, dance, martial arts, food, film, workshops, demonstrations, and guided tours of the Garden’s plant collections.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be the number one springtime destination for anime, cosplay, manga and Japanese pop and rock from the 1960s to the present. For the first time ever, three programs at Sakura Matsuri will be presented in collaboration with the hugely popular NY Anime Festival, bringing the finest in Japanese anime and manga talent to the Garden, which devotees and the simply curious can enjoy.

The all-new Manga & Anime Artist Alley is part of the expanded Sakura J-Lounge, which features more music, more dancers, and the addition of several famed Japanese comic artists signing their colorful works. In addition, Samurai Beat Radio will be broadcasting live from the J-Lounge to several stations in Japan.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All activities take place rain or shine, with indoor locations provided for all activities in the event of rain. Tickets are available through www.ticketweb.com; for same-day ticket information, visit www.bbg.org or call 718-623-7200. A detailed schedule of the festival is available at www.bbg.org/sakuramatsuri, and information is available by calling 718-623-7333.

Admission is $12; $6 for students and seniors.

Sakura Matsuri: Event Highlights

Music
Visitors to the Garden enjoy traditional Japanese music performed with authentic instruments as well as contemporary music by leading musicians. The Sakura J-Lounge returns with an expanded lineup of DJs spinning a wide variety of Japanese pop and rock old and new to give extra punch to the festivities.

Other musical highlights include a Japanese pop concert by star Ai Kawashima, who has gained national renown in Japan; Minami Kuzuki, singing and playing shamisen J-pop melodies inspired by the folk songs of her home in the Amami Islands; and a performance of traditional koto and shamisen music by Misayo Ishigure and the Miyabi Koto Shamisen Ensemble.

Brooklyn favorite Kagero will bring the house down with its border-crossing Japanese gypsy rock. A Children’s Suzuki Recital features kids ages four to 13 performing string versions of Japanese folk songs.

Traditional music lovers will be enthralled by an ethereal shakuhachi flute concert and a classical koto and shamisen concert. Enjoy the adrenaline-pumping sounds of taiko performances by Taiko Masala, Soh Daiko, and the all-child Genki Daiko — then try this ancient art of drumming in two hands-on taiko drumming workshops for families.

Dance and MartialArts
The J-Lounge features fabulously attired dancers throughout the afternoon rocking to Japanese group sounds, Shibuya-kei, ’60s pop rock, and anime-themed J-pop. Samurai Sword Soul returns with another original piece, Bushido: The Soul of Samurai, showcasing the mastery of these sword-fighting professionals.

Enjoy works by the legendary dance troupe Sachiyo Ito & Company, which performs in the expressive tradition of Ryukyu Buyo, Okinawan dance, and graceful Nihon Buyo, Japanese classical dance. Experience vibrant Japanese folk dance with the colorful Hanagasa Odori (Flower Hat Dance) parade and minbu dance, performed by the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York. Witness a moving performance of butoh, a Japanese style of dance that emerged after World War II, performed by Dean Street FOO Dance.

Traditional Arts
Explore Japanese art forms and creative disciplines with special workshops and demonstrations of ikebana flower arranging, origami paper folding, mataro ningyo wooden doll making, and washi ningyo paper doll making. BBG’s own curator of the CV Starr Bonsai Museum, Julian Velasco, shares his expertise in bonsai pruning techniques.

Other highlights include a traditional Japanese tea ceremony presentation, and a whimsical soft sculpture sushi display and photo op. Plus, enjoy the New York premiere of the film “Transcending – The Wat Misaka Story,” which recounts the story of the first Japanese-American basketball player in the NBA.

Manga and Anime
With the NY Anime Festival, Sakura Matsuri presents the most exciting manga and anime activities around. During NYC’s Largest Cos-Play Photo Shoot, thousands of festival-goers in costume will gather together under BBG’s peerless flowering cherry trees for some unforgettable image-making. The Funny Voices: Anime Voice Actor Roundtable features the city’s hottest talents in anime cartoon voice talent talking about, and as, their legendary characters.

At the AnimeNEXT Manga Library, children and adults can partake of the global phenomenon of these exquisitely illustrated Japanese comics and read nature-inspired manga. Plus, renowned manga illustrator Kensuke Okabayashi presents a fantastic character-sketching talk and demo and signs copies of his book “Manga for Dummies.”

Manga mania will continue with Misako Rocks! A Crazy Comic Life, during which illustrator Misako Rocks!, known for her works “Rock and Roll Love,” “Biker Girl,” and “Detective Jermain,” will guide visitors through her colorful childhood in Japan and other sources of inspiration for her manga.

Children’s Activities
Children’s activities include a special session with manga illustrator Misako Rocks!, and the AnimeNEXT Manga Library’s display of nature comics is a must-see. Other kid-friendly events include Samurai swordplay performed by Samurai Sword Soul, a hands-on workshop all about haiku and papermaking, an entertaining origami paper-folding workshop, plus taiko drumming for the whole family. Kids will love watching their peers star onstage in a kimono show, a suzuki recital, and a taiko-drumming performance.

Visitor entrances to the Garden are at Flatbush Avenue, at the parking lot gate at 900 Washington Avenue, and at Eastern Parkway. Parking is available at 900 Washington Avenue for a fee. For more, call 718-623-7200 or visit www.bbg.org.

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