BY: GISSELLE BAEZ
From food to music to games for children, the Flatbush Frolic had something in store for anyone who visited on Oct 15. The street fair is an annual event that fills Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn from Coney Island Avenue to Ocean Avenue with neighborhood wares, information booths and food vendors.
An event for the neighborhood hosted by a neighborhood organization. Flatbush Development Corporation, better known as FDC, has put together the Frolic every year since 1975. This is one of many events FDC hosts for the Flatbush neighborhood. Their goal is to support the ever-changing community and improve the neighborhood.
“We put together the street fair for the community. Vendors pay a small fee to rent a booth, but they get to keep their proceeds. The main point of our event is to get everyone together to have some fun while supporting local business and the neighborhood,” said Emily Shaw, a member of FDC, who was staffing their booth.
The fair had many vendors from local businesses that are on Cortelyou Road to bigger corporations like Raising Canes, Home Depot, and T-Mobile. The fair was also filled with community service booths. There were insurance information booths, the Department of Sanitation was handing out compost bins, and the Flatbush Tenant Coalition offering advice.
Aside from service booths, the fair also highlights businesses that people may not be familiar with. “I didn’t even know there was a gymnastic center near us. That’s why I love coming to the Frolic every year, there’s always something different and new to see,” said Taylor Cohen, a mother visiting the fair with her daughter. They stopped by Prospect Gymnastics’ booth for her child to play on the gymnastic obstacles they had out. Each parent that approached the booth was handed a flyer with more information about the center.
FDC had its own booth along with the vendors. They were selling shirts for 15 dollars each and 5-dollar raffle tickets. These funds go to supporting FDC’s afterschool events for children, other community events they are hosting, and their tenant advocacy work, said Shaw. Their next community event is on Oct 22. They will be cleaning up the neighborhood for Ditmas Park Day.