Saturday, June 12th, and Sundays June 20th and 27th from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm, Vanderbilt Avenue between Dean Street and Park Place will trade cars for pedestrians, and honking horns for dancing beats. Presented by the Vanderbilt Avenue Merchants District and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, 2010 will mark the second annual Summer Streets on Vanderbilt. Says Latisha Daring, VAMD Vice President and local business owner, “This year, expect more! More music, more dancing, and more art, and as always, there will be plenty of surprises!”

Vanderbilt Avenue, gaining popularity as a Brooklyn mecca for good food and hot trends, may be going car-free for Summer Streets, but expect buzzling traffic as local regulars and first-time visitors gather for outdoor dining, live music, people watching and recreation. Whether pint-sized, or of pint drinking age, there will be attractions for the entire family. Expect an inflatable soccer shooter and Fuse Ball games to the World Cup screening, face painting and henna art, hula hoop contests, African dance, capoiera, and hip hop tutorials, cooking demonstrations and even a kids fashion show. While local bands and DJs take center stage, restaurants will flood into the streets as passersby stop to sample the complimentary local cuisine or sit to enjoy an outdoor dining experience. Daring reiterates the emphasis on family-fun at Summer Streets, “all activities are designed to strengthen the community and bring our children together.”

Home to the Brooklyn Museum, the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Prospect Park, and an extensive network of public transportation, Ellen F. Salpeter, director of Heart of Brooklyn, referred to Prospect Heights in a 2009 Newsday article as “the gold coast of Brooklyn.” With so many landmarks grouped together, the area is already a destination in the city, but with more restaurants, bars and trendy boutiques opening daily, many on Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Heights is becoming even more of a Brooklyn hotspot and middle class melting pot. With so much to offer, it’s no wonder celebrities have taken notice; Summer Streets’ very own Vanderbilt Avenue is just steps away from the homes of Entourage star Adrien Grenier, Batman’s Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dawson’s Creek alum Michelle Williams and it is rumored hip hop and pop power couple Jay Z and Beyoncé have purchased a penthouse overlooking Prospect Park.

Summer Streets on Vanderbilt evolved after a similar program ran along Park Avenue in Manhattan in 2008. 2010 marks the second annual effort to bring the spirit of a healthier, more livable and sustainable city to Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, NY. Summer Streets is sponsored by PHNDC and the Vanderbilt Avenue Merchants District, in cooperation with the NYC Department of Transportation, Heart of Brooklyn and the Independence Community Foundation.