Get Out: Mavis Staples, Cody Chesnutt and an Organic Food Heritage Festival

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, June 14, 7:30 p.m., Prospect Park Bandshell (9th Street Entrance to Prospect Park West), Bklyn

WHY GO: Mavis Staples’ voice “possesses a sultry, burnt-sugar glow…she turns a simple pop song into a lament that could move a listener to tears." (NPR) The church-infused soul legend won a host of new fans with her 2010 Grammy-winning Jeff Tweedy collaboration, You Are Not Alone, and she remains "one of the world's mightiest gospel pop singers." (Time) Staples shares the bill with the iconoclastic genius Cody Chesnutt who combined funk, soul, hip hop, rock, and blues on his 2002 double album, The Headphone Masterpiece, went quiet, and then returned a decade later in stunning form with last year’s Landing on a Hundred.

HOW MUCH: Free

WHEN/WHERE: Friday, June 14, 7:00 p.m., Von King Park, Tompkins and Lafayette Avenues in Bed-Stuy, Bklyn

WHY GO: Jamal Jackson Dance Company (JJDC) was founded with the purpose of fusing various traditional African dance styles with modern and Hip-Hop techniques while incorporating diverse musical styles in order to create a technique that is relevant to a diverse community of Americans. Originally founded in 2004, the Brooklyn based Movement for the Urban Village is a contemporary dance company that relies on a community of women dancers of varied identity and life experience who join together to present dance works addressing social, political and spiritual themes.  

HOW MUCH: Free

WHAT: Juneteenth Arts Festival

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, June 15, 12:00 noon – 6:00 p.m., Cuyler Gore Park @ Fulton and Greene avenues, Bklyn

WHY GO: The Fort Greene Juneteenth Festival is a FREE arts festival celebrating African-American history and culture. The event features dance, music, and discounts at local businesses.

HOW MUCH: Free

WHAT: Brooklyn Bridge Cup and Block Party

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, June 15, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, June 16, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Brooklyn Tech Field, 510 Clermont Avenue, Bklyn

WHY GO: Soccer, food trucks, music & more! Young Rock Soccer Academy and Hip Tot Music Fest's  brand new family-friendly event, Brooklyn Bridge Cup + Block Party. While there are soccer matches throughout the weekend, the main event is Saturday's block party. The block alongside the field (Clermont Avenue between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street) overflows with a stellar lineup of local entertainment, food and activities for the whole family.

HOW MUCH: Free

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, June 15, 12:00 noon, Hattie Carthan Community Garden (Marcy bet Clifton and Lafayette)

WHY GO: Tropical foods such as plantains, cassava, coconuts and palm oil are staples in West African and Afro-Brazilian cooking. The distinctive ingredients of southern cuisine, as well as the styles of cooking them, have been common for centuries in Africa. We invite you to come meet our gardening pioneers and taste our Rich Heritage in the bountiful garden!

All dishes are home made – Much of our greens and salads are grown in the garden
Meat Plate $ 8 – 3 choices of meat Vegetarian Plate $6 Home made pies $1.50
Sorrel Drink $1 Roast corn $2 Sage Sausages $2 Chicken foot Souse $3 bowl
* BBQ galore * Live blues music * Farm animals

HOW MUCH: Free admission; (prices for food purchases listed above)