Jump on in!

Dive right in to summer: outdoor public pools opened on June 29.

Here’s a look at some of places to practice your crawl stroke in Brooklyn.

Commodore Barry Pool [N. Elliot Place at Flushing Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 243-2593]. Open every day from 11 am–7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

David Fox/PS 251 [E. 54th Street and Avenue H in East Flatbush, (718) 531-2437]. Open every day from 7:30 am to 7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

Double D Pool (pictured) [Douglass Street between Third Avenue and Nevins Street in Boerum Hill. (718) 625-3268]. Open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

Glenwood Houses [Farragut Road and Ralph Avenue in Flatlands, (718) 531-2480]. Open every day from 7:30 am to 7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

Lindower Park [E. 60th St, Mill Rd. and Strickland Avenue in Mill Basin, (718) 531-4852]. Open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

Red Hook Pool [Bay Street between Clinton and Henry streets, (718) 722-3211]. Olympic sized. Open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

Sunset Park Pool [Seventh Avenue between 41st and 44th streets, (718) 965-6578]. Olympic sized. Open every day from 7:30 am to 7 pm. Closed from 3 to 4 pm.

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DIY summer fun

Memorial Day is behind us, so it’s officially summer in our book. And that means grilling outdoors, downing a few beers and cooling off with a cone. But why have someone else do it for you, when you can do it all yourself — thanks to our first annual Do-It-Yourself summer guide? Inside, you’ll find tips on grilling, homebrewing and even making your own ice cream from local experts, including Phinizy & Phebe, two true Brooklyn DIY inspirations pictured above. We even got the general manager of one of the hottest bars in the borough to design a new drink, which we’re calling the “Brooklyn Summer.” Your next party won’t be complete without it, so read on!

Freeze it! Learn out to make fluffnut ice cream sandwiches.

Brew it! These places will help you do it.

Grill it! Make the perfect burger this summer.

Mix it! Here's the recipe for our exclusive cocktail - the "Brooklyn Summer"

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Internet and videogames begone: the return of the soap box derby

By Meredith Deliso

Monika Wuhrer is always making something.

The co-founder of the Brooklyn art space Open Source, the German-born artist is known to have a hammer in her hand and blueprints at her feet.

“People who know me on the block know there’s always something going on in the house,” says Wuhrer, who lives next door to the gallery with its other founder, her husband, Gary Baldwin. Her most recent project is a foozeball table, which she plans on displaying in her gallery for both play and exhibition. “When I do something, everybody’s invited to play with it,” she says.

Wuhrer looks to instill that same spirit of creativity into Brooklyn kids with this summer’s soap box camp.

“I really want kids to be able to just find something and make something,” says Wuhrer. “In an educational sense, that’s important to me.”

From July 13 to August 7, the gallery will host a weekly camp for kids ages 7 to 12 to build something of their own: a soap box, out of recycled, found materials.


Wuhrer, a mother of three whose eight-year-old son is excited to take part in camp, will lead the workshop with her friend, the artist Hubert Dobler.

“He’s totally the handyman,” says Wuhrer. “He’s a big, big kid, such a goof-off. He’s gonna be good for everybody.”

Together, the two will introduce the kids to different tools and supervise them closely while they build their contraptions with hammer, nails, handsaw, screws, etc. Besides hands-on building, they will encourage the kids to plan on paper and make drawings of their inventions, as well as think outside of the (soap) box.

Registration is now on a first-come, first-serve basis, and, with only five slots each week, and some of the first weeks already filled, interested campers are encouraged to apply now. And though the soap box is something commonly seen as a father-son activity, young girls are encouraged to sign up as well.

Wuhrer also encourages interested campers to start looking for materials right now that could be turned into little makeshift race cars – discarded strollers, push-carts, wooden boxes – anything that has wheels or that you could easily affix then to.

The first part of the camp will involved collecting these materials and drawing ideas on paper, then building. By the end of the week, the campers will decorate their soap boxes, all the while testing their creations a half a block away in South Slope.

The camp culminates, fittingly, with a derby on August 8. Brooklyn has a strong interest in its soap box derbies, with the annual Paping Soap Box Derby in Brooklyn Heights becoming so popular that the event’s organizers had to cancel it last year.

Kids and adults alike are invited to come out and race in Open Source’s derby on 17th Street.

“Whoever wants to stop by and take their homemade car can come,” said Wuhrer. “I think Hubert will appreciate it very much if he has company.”

This year, it’s soap boxes; each summer, Wuhrer looks to bring a camp to South Slope that gets children exploring their own ingenuity.

“We’re going to do it every summer,” said the artist. “Every year will be a different camp going on that’s really fun and exciting.”

Open Source Gallery’s camp runs weekly from July 13 to August 7, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $250 per week and includes materials. Interested campers can e-mail info@open-source-gallery.org if interested, and, if space permits, can download a form at www.open-source-gallery.org and send it to: Monika Wuhrer: 257 17th street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, including a $50 deposit.

Those interested in participating in the August 8 derby should also email info@open-source-gallery.org for a head count.

For more information, call 646-279-3969.

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Mangiare Bene: Wake up your holiday cookout with yankee-doodle pasta

By Joanna P. DelBuono

Each year we open the summer season with a Memorial Day BBQ. Like most families, that means hot dogs, burgers, chicken, and salads.

But I’m Italian and pasta has to be featured on the menu -- no, not elbow macaroni salad, but pasta. If it’s not on the agenda, the meal isn’t complete and I don’t feel like we had a celebration of anything.

A holiday feast, even if it’s an all-American one, without pasta is just another cookout. Whether cold or hot -- doesn’t matter, as long as it’s there.

For the past two years, the family ‘Q’ has been at Mary and John’s house. Basically they open their pool before I do and their house is bigger. When I asked Mary what to bring, other than my husband’s birthday cake, she said, “Pasta salad, maybe tricolor, something different.” Okay, tricolor pasta salad it is.

I looked through my collection of recipes and I came up with this easy tricolor pasta and cheese salad. It has no mayonnaise in it so it’s safe for outdoor parties or picnics, can be served warm or cold, it’s relatively inexpensive to make, feeds a horde, and can be made two to three days in advance. In fact, the longer it sits the better.

I’m always open to new dishes so drop me a line at JDelBuono@cnglocal.com

Easy tricolor pasta & cheese salad

Ingredients
1 pound of rotini pasta
1 pound of mozzarella cheese, cubed into 1/4 inch pieces
1 stick of pepperoni, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound of cooked string beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ purple onion diced (soak in cold water for about 10-15 minutes (it takes out the bite), drained well
1 jar roasted red peppers in water, drained and sliced thin

Vinaigrette dressing
¼ cup of white or red wine vinegar
¾ cup of olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
Justa pinch (½ tsp) salt
10 grinds of black pepper from the pepper mill
½ tablespoon of good mustard, (Dijon preferred) or ¼ tsp of Coleman’s dried mustard
1 tablespoon honey.

Directions
Cook the pasta according to instruction (al dente - it holds up better to the dressing). Put about 2 inches of water in a skillet, bring to a boil. Add string-beans, cover, bring back up to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about five minutes or until tender (in a pinch you can use frozen beans, heating them up in the microwave). Drain pasta and string beans, rinsing both in cold water to stop the cooking.

In a large bowl, put cubed mozzarella, pepperoni, diced onions, and sliced roasted red peppers. Then add the cooled pasta and beans.

Dressing - in a jar - add the white wine vinegar, dried basil, salt, pepper, mustard and honey, slowly whisking in olive oil until emulsified. Pour dressing over the salad, mixing well. Chill two to three hours before serving and mangiare bene!

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Cool cinema coming to a rooftop near you

The roof of the Old American Can Facotory in Gowanus

Under an open sky, canopied by stars, Brooklynites can enjoy cool cinema and hot sounds all summer, thanks to one local not-for-profit organization.

Rooftop Films sponsors the combined entertainment events — its aptly named Summer Series — now through September 20, in 12 venues around New York City, including four in Brooklyn.

The series, now in its 13th season, offers the opportunity to view new, independently produced films. Some evenings feature a series of shorts; others offer the opportunity to view feature-length films. In all, 24 feature-length films and over 120 shorts -- culled from over 2,000 entries submitted to the organization -- will be screened over the course of the series, which is expected to attract upwards of 25,000 attendees.

For 2009, the Brooklyn locations are:

*The roof of The Old American Can Factory, 232 Third Street, in Gowanus, where shows are scheduled for Saturday, June 13th; Saturday, June 27th; Saturday, July 11th; Friday, July 17th; Saturday, July 25th; Saturday, August 1st; Saturday, September 5th and Saturday, September 12th;

*The roof of Brooklyn Technical High School, 29 Fort Greene Place, in Fort Greene, where shows are planned for Saturday, May 23rd; Saturday, May 30th; Saturday, June 6th; and Wednesday, June 10th;

*The lawn of Automotive High School, 50 Bedford Avenue, in Williamsburg, where performances are scheduled for Thursday, June 11th; Friday, July 10th; Friday, July 24th; Friday, July 31st; Friday, August 7th; Friday, August 14th; Friday, August 21st; Friday August 28th and Friday, September 4th; and,

*The Myrtle Avenue Hill in Fort Greene Park, in Fort Greene Saturday, Aug. 22 with other dates to be announced.

Tickets for performances at the first three venues cost $9. Performances inside Fort Greene Park are free of charge. All events include a live musical performance and a film screening; in addition, most shows are followed by after-parties at which free drinks are served. One dollar from every ticket sold and every submission fee is dedicated to providing grants to filmmakers.

For further information, log onto http://www.rooftopfilms.com/, email info@rooftopfilms.com, or call 718-417-7362.

-Helen Klein

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