Ed recently gave us the heads up and graciously offered to share his photos and some thoughts. Read about the event below, or head on over to his blog for more!

Ed writes:

This was not a reactionary protest against BP or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Hands Across the Sand was conceived before that and the first protest was held across Florida on February 13th, 2010. The protest was a simple one. At noon, the gathered people on over 700 beaches in the USA, over 900 total around the world, formed a single line facing the sea and joined hands for 15 minutes.

To me it was the simple act of the joining of hands between all sorts of people, nevermind their age, race, ethnicity, that was the most powerful and symbolic. Is a line of people in the sand going to actually do anything about this? Arguably not. Many don’t have the time or money to go down to Florida and help with the clean-up, and there are agencies much better at doing so even as it proves difficult. However, those who gathered still want their feelings to be known. The fact that this was a huge event across the country, and even world, shows that people really care about this. The coming together of people saying to industry and government that now is the time to take action, please take notice!

My own feeling though is something like helplessness. The Deepwater Horizon incident is just one example of some of the profligate practices and malpractices pursued by companies in the rush for the money as they compete for our dwindling resources. I don’t know what the solution is, this kind of engineering and science is not my field, but in the case of the Florida Gulf there needs to be one, and quick. A hugely pressing issue though is that we really need to accelerate our investigations into better, safer, and less destructive methods for a lot of our industries, not just oil. I am sure there is opportunity for entrepreneurship out there if people look past what we already know!

To help get you in the mood, check out these great fireworks photographs by Barry Yanowitz from last Saturday night’s display along the East River in celebration of the Children’s Day at the South Street Seaport!

In between, it was all party.  

Throngs of people all dressed in orange and in high spirits filled the back three cars.  There were people playing bongos, people giving stump speeches, shouting, singing, and even a vuvuzela concerto, with the musical pieces including, “V will Rock You” and “V didn’t Start the Fire,” among others.  The NYPD must have been alerted to the party beforehand because there were about 20 officers chaperoning the trip, but they were in great spirits as well and were smiling and enjoying themselves when their high-up boss (who was also on the train) wasn’t looking.  So with all of this, there was no way that For the Love of Brooklyn could have missed this!

Waiting for the final train to arrive on the Lower East Side; the final empty train about to be filled with revelers!

The Motorman for the Last (V) Train Ever reflects and poses for the camera.

Vuvuzuelas? On a train?! Loud!!

It’s not a party unless you’re hanging from the ceiling! Getting crazy as we approach the final countdown…

MTA SAFARI. Mission: Find the last known (V) train in existence.

How cool is that MTA costume?

Smiles abound as the train approaches the end of its journey.

We’ve arrived at Forest Hills!!!

Make sure to check out the latest in the Flickr pool, or check back in with us here for more later this week!

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

Untitled, by Javier11238 and “Electric Blue,” by SpecialKRB:

“Strolling Down the Avenue,” by Harris Graber:

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

Untitled, by Alec McClure:

“The Mermaid Parade,” by pixelateit:

Today’s round-up may be monochromatic, but what it lacks in color, it more than makes up in vibrant personality! Thanks to all the talented photographers below for their great shots. Enjoy!

“The Life Aquatic,” by Lucy Aboytes:

Untitled, by Barry Yanowitz and Untitled, by Alec McClure:

“Jasmine,” by poor.humble:

Untitled, both images by Leanne Staples:

“Jellyfish,” by Joanna Pan:

Lots of FTLOB photographers trekked out to the shore for the meet-up event, and I can’t wait to share some of their best shots. I encourage you to check back all week for more, and feel free to browse the Flickr pool if you’d like to get a head start!

Without further ado, here’s the first installment of photos from the 2010 Mermaid Parade!

Untitled, by Barry Yanowitz (also featured on Brownstoner!):

“Basking in the Afterglow,” by yjmarigold and “Hustler” by poor.humble:

“Lovelies,” by poor.humble:

Untitled, both images by ifotog:

“Sandy Warhols,” by Barry Yanowitz:

Who got a chance to check out the fair yesterday? What were the highlights for you? A new pair of sunglasses or a sweet Italian ice? Maybe a hilarious demo of the slap-n-chop or a newly-adopted kitten?

For me, it’s always the people-watching.

Also lovely was the show at Radio City Music Hall last night. After meeting up with Cher to give her the tickets, we all quickly found out that we were in for a treat. The National played a wide variety of new songs and old hits alike to the sold-out crowd. Sufjan Stevens and St. Vincent’s Annie Clark also made cameo appearances, and the audience was loving it. Check out Brooklyn Vegan for the setlist and more commentary about the show, and below for more photographs!

Brooklyn-based indie faves The National will take the stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall to a sold-out crowd in support of their new album, High Violet. For the Love of Brooklyn has an extra pair of tickets to the show and is itching to give them away to one lucky reader.

Leave a comment on this post and tell us: what’s your favorite thing to do in Brooklyn during the summertime? Is it seeing free shows at Prospect Park? Biking to the shore and enjoying Coney Island? Rocking out to sweaty shows at Union Pool or strolling the streets of Ditmas Park?

The winner will be selected and emailed at 4pm. You must be able to pick up the tickets in DUMBO before 7pm or meet up at Radio City by 7:45pm.

Good luck!

* PRIZE: Two tickets to see The National TONIGHT (6/16, 8pm) at Radio City Music Hall.
* TO ENTER: Comment on this post and tell us your favorite thing to do in Brooklyn in the summertime!
* GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, June 16th at 4pm EST
* HOW IT WORKS: One entry per e-mail address permitted.

Come one, come all, and prepare to be amazed by the costumes and floats that make up the nation’s largest art parade and one of New York City’s most beloved events. This year, Lou Reed will be presiding as King Neptune, and the belle o’ the ball Queen Mermaid will be Laurie Anderson. We’ll meet up a half hour or so before the parade to try and score a good spot along the route, and leave plenty of time afterwards to grab a bite and a cold drink along the boardwalk! Can’t wait to see you there!

If you’d like to sign up to receive news about future meet-ups and events, make sure to submit your email address in the sidebar or become a fan on Facebook!

Date: Saturday, June 19th
Time: 1:30pm
Location: In front of the Shore Theater, at Surf and Stillwell Ave (map)
Via MTA: N / Q / F / D to Coney Island – Stillwell Ave

For a taste of the awesomely bizarre event that is the Mermaid Parade, check out these great shots below!

“The Greatest Show on Earth, 2009,” by Genial23:

“Mermaid Parade, 2008,” by Genial23: