Bedford-Stuyvesant has a full week of free things to do, most of them within a few blocks of the Macon Library on Lewis Avenue. There is a Halloween movie night tonight, a community garden opening its gate to trick-or-treaters on Saturday, a still life drawing session with a working artist and a chess club run by a national chess master. Here is what is on, when, and how to get there.
Thursday: Hocus Pocus at Macon Library
The Macon Library, the branch the Brooklyn Public Library also runs as the Dionne Mack-Harvin Heritage Center, is holding a family Halloween movie night on Thursday, October 29, from 5 to 7 p.m. The branch let neighbors vote on the film from a list of five (Frankenweenie, Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, The Haunted Mansion and Beetlejuice), and the 1993 Hocus Pocus won. There will be snacks and pizza, all ages are welcome, and costumes are encouraged. The library notes that parts of the film may frighten young children.
The branch is at 361 Lewis Avenue at Macon Street. The A and C trains run under Fulton Street a few blocks to the south.
Thursday and next Thursday: still life drawing
The same evening, from 5 to 7 p.m., the Fulton Art Fair presents a still life drawing session at Macon led by artist Gerard Pefung, who walks participants through composition and technique. Some materials are provided and you are welcome to bring your own. A second session runs Thursday, November 5, at the same time.
Saturday: trick-or-treat at a Greene Avenue garden
On Halloween, Saturday, October 31, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., the Greene Avenue United Neighbors Community Garden at 490 Greene Avenue is open for trick-or-treating. NYC Parks lists the event at the corner of Greene and Marcy avenues, at the edge of Herbert Von King Park. It is free.
Earlier on Saturday, Macon Library hosts a free Shape Up NYC bodyweight circuit class from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. The class mixes cardio with strength moves and offers modifications for every fitness level. It is open to adults 18 and over; wear sneakers and bring water.
Wednesday and Saturday: Knight Shift chess club
Macon Library also hosts the Knight Shift Community Chess Club, led by National Chess Master James Black Jr.. The club meets Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m., including Wednesday, November 4. It is free and open to all ages, and the library describes it as a place to build confidence, discipline and strategic thinking through the game. Beginners are welcome.
How to go
Every event above is free. Macon Library is at 361 Lewis Avenue; the Greene Avenue garden is at 490 Greene Avenue, and the G stops at Bedford-Nostrand Avenues nearby. Event times can change, so check the Brooklyn Public Library calendar and the NYC Parks events page before you head out.
Sources
- Brooklyn Public Library: Family-Fun Halloween Movie Night
- Brooklyn Public Library: Fulton Arts Fair Presents Still Life Drawing
- NYC Parks: Halloween Trick-or-Treating, Herbert Von King Park
- Brooklyn Public Library: Shape Up NYC Bodyweight Circuit Training
- Brooklyn Public Library: Knight Shift Community Chess Club

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