FORT GREENE FESTIVAL RETURNS SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2010
HIP HOP ARTIST/ACTOR COMMON HEADLINES
ACTOR MALIK YOBA HOSTS,ACTRESS ROSIE PEREZ CO-HOSTS!
Brooklyn, NY – – – I See Promotions, LLC, in conjunction with the Ajile L. Turner Scholarship Fund, is pleased to announce the return of the Fort Greene Festival on Saturday, June 26, 2010. Continuing in Brooklyn’s history of great outdoor festivals, the Fort Greene Festival (FGF) enters its second year this summer and is expected to once again attract thousands of people to the day long affair. Hip Hop artist and actor Common will headline the program; Malik Yoba will host, and Rosie Perez will co-host. Now dubbed, The Art, Soul, and Future of Brooklyn, FGF will continue in its mission to celebrate the cultures, cuisine, and artistic diversity of Brooklyn. The full day program, from 12:00 noon to 10:00 pm, is a mixture of musical performances, food, film, and shopping. The official entrance to the festival will be at the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Washington Park in the Fort Greene section of Central Brooklyn. For more information, please call 718.902.9641. Online, please visit www.fortgreenefest.com or email fgreenefest@gmail.com. Find Fort Greene Festival on Facebook and Follow on Twitter: @fortgreenefest.
Other highlights include the Greening Greene initiative; the PAINT-IN; an evening film screening; over 50 food, small business, and non-profit booths; an eclectic showcase of local or Brooklyn-affiliated performing artists; and an after-party at Irondale. FGF also returns with the Ajile L. Turner Scholarship Fund in memory of the former FGF staffer who died from an accident last September.
The Purpose
Fort Greene has a rich history as a hub for creative communities. It is also the new home for new friends and new possibilities. FGF hopes to be a unifying force in one of New York City’s most treasured neighborhoods. According to Founder and Festival Director Peter Tulloch, FGF was founded to “capture the essence and positive dynamics of Fort Greene.” He continues, “As a musician for over 18 years and as a former recording studio owner, I’ve lived in this neighborhood for over 15 years. I’m a beneficiary of what Fort Greene has to offer. I also enjoy pulling artists together and giving them a platform to do what they do best. The entire FGF staff and I are firm believers in the transformative power of the arts. This festival is a humble manifestation of what we believe in.”
The Core Program: Past and Present
Hip Hop artist Talib Kweli was the headliner for the first Fort Greene Festival. Other performers included Mechanic, Marco Polo, Chip Foo, Liz Fields, GC and Soul Mafia, and Shae Fiol.
This year’s headliner is hip hop artist and actor Common (Just Wright, Smoking Aces). Other features for 2010 include Soulive, Soul Mafia, Shae Fiol, Deep, Stacie Aamon, and Gordon Chambers. Other acts to be announced soon.
At FGF, the food is as important an element as the music. As with the first festival, cuisine from all over the world will be represented again this year. 2010 participating restaurants include Madiba, Rice, ICI, Rustik, No. 7, Cornerstone, Catherine’s Caffe, General Greene, Tillie’s of Brooklyn, Brooklyn Moon, Soule, Sans Souci, Samantha’s Southern Cuisine, Kif, Scopello, Jive Turkey, and many others. All restaurants at Fort Greene Festival are participating in a special food tasting. For $7, attendees can delight in the dish of their choice all day.
Additionally, FGF has invited three local school bands to perform, underscoring the importance of supporting neighborhood youth. The bands are Ronald Edmonds Learning Center (MS 113), Benjamin Banneker Academy for Community Development, and The Urban Assembly School for Law and Justice. The marching band segment of the program begins at 11:00am.
The evening component of FGF will feature the screening of select films, to be presented after the last band performs (approximately 8:00 pm).
The Ajile L. Turner Scholarship Fund
The Ajile L. Turner Scholarship Fund (ALTSF) was created to offer need-based scholarships to student applicants who plan or are currently studying a music or entertainment management program at a college or university. ALTSF was established fall 2009 in memory of Ajile L. Turner, a member of the FGF team who was killed tragically in a bicycle accident.
Turner, a graduate of Tennessee State, majored in entertainment management while in college. He later established Echelon Entertainment and served as a key player in the development of the first Fort Greene Festival. Tulloch recalls that Turner, a former Fort Greene resident, was a “believer in this vision” and was largely responsible for developing the artist relations we have today. Turner and hip hop artists, actor, and children’s book author, Common were first cousins.
Fort Greene Festival will donate proceeds to ALTSF via the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit 501(c3) organization created by Common (www.commongroundfoundation.
For more information, please visit www.altscholarshipfund.org
Other Fort Greene Festival Highlights
The Fort Greene Festival Stimulus Package
The positive energy of the day, the safe and family-friendly environment, the top notch performances from celebrity and aspiring artists, and the engagement of area and Brooklyn-wide businesses, all make the Fort Greene Festival a destination hot spot for good clean fun. And because FGF attracts and holds the attention of thousands of people for an entire day, FGF plays a vital role in the economic livelihood of the neighborhood. Tulloch offers this insight: “Area retailers and restaurants owners have shared stories of seeing astronomical profits. Many of them are happy to support FGF and in turn we direct thousands of attendees to those select businesses who share in our vision for building community.”
The Greening Greene Initiative
The Fort Greene Festival is working with Waste Management of New York, Grow NYC, Con Edison, National Grid, and the United States Department of Agriculture to keep the event green and clean. With this Greening Greene initiative, the FGF family of staff, performers, vendors, and sponsors will focus on (1) recycling as much material as possible on site, and (2) reducing its footprint in the park. Rachel Amar, Director of Community Relations at Waste Management of New York adds: “Waste Management of New York is proud to support the 2010 Fort Greene Festival. As the environmental services company that ‘thinks green,’ Waste Management believes we can all work together to reduce waste, increase recycling and build greener, cleaner communities.”
The PAINT-IN
Fort Green Festival, in association with Brooklyn’s own artist and author Danny Simmons, will present the Fort Greene PAINT-IN. This opening live art segment is open for Fort Greene youth and seniors, artists and non-artists alike – all are invited to paint their hearts out on stage. The mass canvas, paintbrushes, and other materials will be provided. To be a part of what Simmons calls a “wonderful paint splash!” contact the FGF office at 718.902.9641
2010 Fort Greene Festival Friends
Congressman Ed Towns, NYC Council Member Letitia James, NYS Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries, NYS Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Congresswoman Yvette Clark, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, NYS Assembly Member Joseph Lentol, NYS Senator Eric Adams, and Public Advocate Bill De Blasio.
2010 Fort Greene Festival Sponsors
WABC ● Avalon Fort Greene ● Waste Management of New York ● Con Edison ● GrowNYC ● Vespa ● Dunn Development Corp. ● National Grid ● Pathmark ● Soul of Brooklyn ● Long Island University ● United States Department of Agriculture ● Exquisite Restaurant ● Nu Yu Day Spa
For general information about Fort Greene Festival, send an email to fgreenefest@gmail.com or call 718.902.9641. Please visit the website at www.fortgreenefest.com. All media inquiries are directed to April R. Silver at AKILA WORKSONGS: pr@akilaworksongs.com or 718.756.8501.
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