Brooklyn Heights resident Björk has launched a combination concert & performance art event in support of her new album “Biophilia,” at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. If you missed her opening set Friday, she will encore Monday 2/6, Thursday 2/9, Sunday 2/12 and Wednesday 2/15.

The performance offers Björk accompanied by novel musical instruments, including four 10-foot pendulum-harps and a MIDI-controlled pipe organ, as well as a 24-piece Icelandic female choir and visuals from Biophilia Apps. The new album is a multi-media experience, available in collaboration with Apple here.

Björk will also collaborate with the New York Hall of Science in an upcoming three-week “Biophilia” education series, featuring interactive science and music workshops for middle-school children. Topics include the scientific concepts at the core of “Biophilia’s” songs, including crystalline structures, lunar phases, viruses and more.

The New York Hall of Science is located at 47-01 111th Street, Queens: 718-699-0005. Tickets for the concert, which range from $75 to $150, are available here.

Admission is $20 for a family of four ($5 each additional); and $10 for CAFF or Brooklyn Historical Society members. The meeting point is BHS at 128 Pierrepont Street.

Pre-registration is required. For tix, click here.

Brooklyn Eagle: The city hopes to locate the P.S. 8 extension in a building housing George Westinghouse Information Technology High School and City Polytechnic High School at 105 Tech Place, fronting Tillary Street.

“This is a district that needs high-quality middle school seats, and P.S. 8 has a history as an excellent elementary school,” said DOE spokesman Frank Thomas. “We are proposing an expansion so they can offer that same quality education to middle school students.”

“We believe it’s going to go forward,” said P.S. 8 Principal Seth Phillips, “though there are still a few stages to get by. We believe everything is ‘go’ for next year – and it’s the right thing to do. We look forward to building something special.”

Phillips said that the middle school would open with roughly 54 sixth-grade seats, then expand each year. As an expansion of P.S. 8, the middle school would serve existing P.S. 8 students, “but if any spots are left over we would open it up to district students.”

This week’s feature guest is musician Tyler Sussman, who will be playing the flute and didgeridoo.

Remember to bring shakers and blankets!

The Brooklyn Women’s Echange, shown in the photo in last year’s holiday garb, is beginning its weekly holiday craft events tomorrow, Sunday, November 13.

We’re feeling very crafty this weekend. Join us tomorrow, Sunday the 13th, for Children’s Crafting from 11 to 1 – we’ll be making nutcracker and holiday fairy peg dolls, using felt and fabric– and for our Artists at Work series the fabulous Spin City Yarn Spinners will be demonstrating the fine art of yarn spinning from 2 to 4!

There will be more events on succeeding sundays through the holiday season. Next Sunday there will be more children’s crafts in the morning and potter Drew Montgomery demonstrating his art on the wheel in the afternoon. And, don’t forget, the Exchange will host silhouette artist Deborah O’Connor this coming Thursday and Friday, November 17 and 18. To make an appointment, come to the shop, 55 Pierrepont Street (between Henry and Hicks) or call 718-624-3435.

No need for advance tickets, just show up at Vineapple on Thursday. Bring a blanket for your child to sit on and some shakers so they can play along. There’s a $15 suggested donation.

Our man in the NYS Senate Daniel Squadron handed out candy (aka Squadron Bars) to costumed kids at yesterday’s Pierrepont Playground Halloween Parade. Brooklyn Beep Marty Markowitz was on hand as well. He amped up the crowd by mentioning Travel + Leisure Magazine had named the Heights one of America’s Most Beautiful Neighborhoods. He also made sure to note that Brooklyn has been declared the coolest city in America by GQ Magazine. And that’s when some guy yelled out, “Secede now!” Ok, that was me.

Photo: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at yesterday’s event. Photo: Mrs. Fink.

This coming pre-Halloween weekend will be a busy one for the neighborhood. The Junior Committee of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy will host the second annual All Hallows Bash Saturday evening, October 29, from 8:00 to 1:00 a.m., at One Brooklyn Bridge Park (360 Furman Street). This year’s theme is “Heroes and Villains”; there will be prizes for the best costumes. You must be 21 or older to attend. There’s more information here, and you can buy tickets ($50 in advance; $60 at the door) here. There’s also the Kids’ Halloween Parade Saturday morning, and, of course, the Howl-O-Ween Parade Sunday afternoon.

The purpose of this meeting is to engage parents of school age children in a relaxed dialogue with specialized officers from the 84th Precinct.

We will advise parents about how to be more effective in reporting incidents, and review all things you need to know when your children are out in the street unaccompanied by an adult.

Also, you are encouraged to bring electronic devices (iPods, iPads, cell phones, etc.) for registration by the precinct. (This enables their recovery the event of theft.)

More information is available by calling the BHA office at 718-858-9193.

The annual Harvest Festival, presented by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy in partnership with Brooklyn Bridge Park will be held on Pier 6, near the foot of Atlantic Avenue, on Saturday, October 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

“This year’s Harvest Festival promises to be a wonderful event for families all over Brooklyn,” said Regina Myer, President of Brooklyn Bridge Park. “I thank the Conservancy and their partners for bringing music, crafts, food, and fun to the park and celebrating the close of a magnificent season of public programming.”

The Harvest Festival will feature a Halloween parade, musical guests, face painting, storytelling, art activities, mask making, and pumpkin decorating. Visitors are encouraged to come in their Halloween costumes!

“After a fantastic summer of programming the park, we are thrilled to end the season with this family-friendly festival,” said Nancy Webster, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. “We’re happy to offer local families the opportunity to enjoy some music, decorate a pumpkin, and spend time on the beautiful Pier 6. Thank you to our event sponsors and partners for supporting the event.”

Sponsors of the event are mom.com and SUNY Downstate at LICH. The latter “will offer health screenings, distribute pediatric information and, as a bonus treat, will offer rides on a UHB-LICH ambulance.”

Festivities will open at 10:30 with a performance by Erin Lee and the Up Past Bedtime Band. More musical entertainment, by the Pop-Ups, will begin at noon.

Admission to the Festival is free. There’s more informationhere.

Heather White, President of the Brooklyn Heights Playground Committee, has announced that the annual Brooklyn Heights Halloween Parade will be held on Saturday, October 29, starting at 10:00 a.m. at Pierrepont Playground, foot of Pierrepont Street and Columbia Heights. “Bring your little ghouls and goblins,” says Ms. White, “to join in the fun and show off their best costumes!”

There will be a bake sale in conjunction with the parade, to raise funds for the Committee, which helps to keep the playgrounds clean and safe. If you would like to bake for the sale, please e-mail the Committee at info@bhplaygrounds.org. Updates can be found at the Committee’s website. The rain date is Sunday, October 30.

Dog obsessed Brooklynites: You know what time it is!

The 9th Annual Howl-o-Ween Charity Doggie Costume Parade and Contest has been scheduled for Sunday, October 30th from 1-3pm on the Promenade.

If you’d like to enter your dog in the parade/costume contest, you’ll need to pre-register at Perfect Paws, 102 Hicks Street (corner of Pineapple). The cost of entry is $25/dog, all of which is a  tax deductible charitable donation and all of which will be distributed among three animal-related charities:

• Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Windsor Terrace, Bklyn
• Friends of Hillside Dog Park right here in Bklyn Heights
• Blue Rider Stables near Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Fabulous prizes awarded in many categories.  If you’re participated in previous years, you know how much fun this is and if it is your first time, come on down!  If you don’t have a dog in this race, it’s free to be an observer and cheer on the contestants.  Last year several hundred bemused locals and tourists watched over 70 parade participants strut their stuff for fun and glory.

Dr. Sara Neuman and the gang over at Vinegar Hill Vet are hosting the catered after party immediately following the contest judging–now three years running (yea Dr. Sara!).  Contest winners will be announced around 4pm at the after party. You won’t want to miss this!

Local Businesses Owners:  Get your business in front of hundreds of locals and support animal charity at the same time. You can sponsor a table at the parade/contest, or donate items for the contest goodie bags.   Call Tom at the above number 501(c)(3) certificate on file if you need a copy for your business.

See you there!  May the best costumes win!

The DUMBO Arts Festival returns this weekend, with plenty of treats for eye, ear, and mind, and perhaps even for your backside if you choose to perch on one of the rocks upholstered by Elizabeth Demaray, an artist and Rutgers professor with a background in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, shown here working on a project for the Festival, done in conjunction with the design collective Pillow Culture, called “24 Stones I’d Like to Know”.

The Festival will begin this Friday evening, September 23 from 6:00 to 9:00, and will continue Saturday from noon until 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. Outdoor video projections will be shown from sundown to midnight. The Festival will feature visual art, music, performance art, video and projection, literary readings and discussions, and events for kids and parents, as well as Jane’s Carousel.

You can find the Festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. It is produced by Dalzell Productions and Two Trees Management.

Details here.

Update: I didn’t know it at the time, but the bald man in black sitting on one of the carousel benches is the architect Jean Nouvel, designer of the pavilion that encloses the Carousel.

The historic tugboat Pegasus and Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79 will arrive at Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park (foot of Atlantic Avenue) this Thursday, July 14, and remain until Monday, July 25. A schedule of activities is here. This Saturday, July 16, is City of Water Day, and Brooklyn Bridge Park will participate with tug and barge tours, music, and other activities at Pier 6, a kayak demonstration at Pier 5, and free kayaking at Pier 1 (schedule here). On Sunday, July 24, at Pier 6, the Waterfront Museum will present “Showboat Shazzam,” billed as “New York’s acclaimed little big top at sea.” For details, and to purchase tickets, see here.

Jonathan Landsman, the terrific Brooklyn Heights gardener, is looking for volunteers of all ages to help him plant annuals in Pierrepont Playground. This is a great family activity with older children.

If you are interested, please meet Jonathan at Pierrepont Playground on Wednesday July 20th at 9:30 am.

Jonathan suggests that you may want to bring a towel to kneel on as well as work gloves.

The BHPC will be organizing a weekly clean-up of Harry Chapin Playground every Thursday night this summer (weather permitting). The first clean-up will be next Thursday June 30th starting at 5 PM.

Please join us with your kids and a broom and help us put the sand back where it belongs and generally keep the playground in tip top shape!

BHPC board member Ralph Hassard generously donates the sand for the sandbox at Harry Chapin (the Parks Department doesn’t do sand) and will be leading the weekly clean-ups.

We will be continuing our very popular Summer Arts Program again this year. The program runs for seven weeks starting Tuesday July 5th and is conducted by the Micro Museum of Cobble Hill. The programs are funded by individual contributions to the Playground Committee, as well as generous annual contributions from the Brooklyn Heights Association, and are FREE to participants.

A schedule of classes follows the jump.

We will offer Science and Movement classes on Mondays from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm and Creative Arts classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 am – noon. These programs are recommended for children aged 4 and up. All classes are held at Pierrepont Playground. A parent or guardian must be present at all times.

The P.S. 8 Paddlewheeler Festival is tomorrow (Saturday 6/4) from noon to 4pm. This is your chance to “Dunk the Principal” or browse the Scholastic Book Fair. Large flyer after the jump.

Grace Church Brooklyn Heights has a long standing commitment to assist in the support of El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza (“The Home of Love and Hope”), which provides a home and school for homeless, destitute children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. This Sunday, May 15, Grace is holding a fund-raising walk-a-thon for El Hogar. The walk begins at Grace, 254 Hicks Street (between Grace Court and Joralemon) at 12:00 noon, will go for about one mile, and return to Grace, where a light lunch will be served. If you would like to participate, or to donate in support, details are here.

The Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, located at 131 Remsen Street (between Clinton and Henry), will hold an open house for its religious school this Thursday, May 12, from 3:45 to 5:00 p.m. At the open house, you may learn about the program, observe a class in session, and chat with other parents.

Registration is now open for new students entering grades K-1-2-3. Enrollment for Bar/Bat Mitzvah begins in Grade 3. Transfer students are welcomed in Grades 4-9. There is a Sunday or Thursday option for students entering grades K-1-2. RSVP: 718.522.2070 or email religiousschool@bhsbrooklyn.org. If you know someone who may be interested in learning more about the Religious School program, please feel free to pass this along. This event is open to the public.

With the recent announcement of more than 6000 teaching slots being cut through layoffs and attrition, NBC nightly news spoke with Steve Levin about his proposal to extend the millionaires tax.  Given that both of these possible outcomes will affect Brooklyn Heights, which you think is better for the neighborhood?  Teacher layoffs or a millionaires tax extension?

Tomorrow afternoon starting at 2:00, the Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street (corner of Clinton) will present a lecture by Suleiman Osman, author of Inventing Brownstone Brooklyn: Gentrification and the Search for Authenticity in Postwar New York. This event is free with museum admission (free for BHS members) and open to the public. More details here.

Don’t forget the Grace church School Carnival, also tomorrow.