Bensonhurst: These are the first steps of the rest of their lives. Comment

BoroBeat: Christmas cheer was on the playbill when Brooklyn Real Property kicked off Yuletide festivities with a children’s party at its Boerum Hill office, and an employee awards ceremony at Greenhouse Cafe in Bay Ridge. Comment

BoroBeat: The Bensonhurst Lions Club hosted a party for hundreds of special-needs students on Dec. 10. See our slideshow for all the fun — and special characters who decided to drop in. Comment

BoroBeat: Frank Seddio flipped the switch on his annual Christmas light display on Dec. 8, giving life to a $350,000 collection of lights and animatronics that hasn’t stopped growing. See our slideshow for the festive fun. Comment

BoroBeat: The Dyker Beach Golf Course catering hall hosted holiday meals and deals on Dec. 8 — with proceeds going to help a Bay Ridge boy. Comment

BoroBeat: The Dyker Beach Golf Course catering hall hosted holiday meals and deals on Dec. 8 — with proceeds going to help a Bay Ridge boy. Comment

The Long Island University women’s volleyball team’s season came to an end in the opening round of the NCAA tournament despite a valiant effort against one of the nation’s top programs. Comment

Carroll Gardens: A star light, star bright went up above Sacred Hearts–Saint Stephen church on Dec. 7. Comment

BoroBeat: Kids celebrated Hanukkah in style at the Flatbush Park Jewish Center on Dec. 1, where they played games and ate pizza during the community group’s annual holiday party. Comment

Bay Ridge: It was a night of pure holiday bliss in Owl’s Head Park on Dec. 2. Comment

Boerum Hill: There was enough festive singing and dancing at the Atlantic Avenue winter holiday party on Tuesday night to shake off two Thanksgiving meals! Comments (1)

Bay Ridge: It was a night of pure holiday bliss in Owl’s Head Park on Dec. 2. Comment

Shopaholics across the borough jumpstarted binge season early this year, lining up outside big-box stores as early as 7 am on Thanksgiving morning for a shot at half-priced flat-screen televisions. Comment

Shopaholics across the borough jumpstarted binge season early this year, lining up outside big-box stores as early as 7 am on Thanksgiving morning for a shot at half-priced flat-screen televisions. Comment

BoroBeat: A Bay Ridge teen took home top prize in the Bay Ridge Greenmarket’s apple pie bake-off on Nov. 23. Comment

A smelly engine could mean anything, but, when your car starts meowing, you know you’ve got problems. Comment

Sheepshead Bay: The Kings Bay Y celebrated the Festival of Lights early this year with its Hanukkah Extravaganza on Nov. 24, where the community center treated kids to games, crafts, snacks — and a Mickey mitzvah. Comment

A smelly engine could mean anything, but, when your car starts meowing, you know you’ve got problems. Comment

Bay Ridge: The New York-New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committe rolled out the “Huddle Shuttle” — a mobile practice center — at Fort Hamilton on Nov. 23. Comment

Bay Ridge: The New York-New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committe rolled ou the “Huddle Shuttle” — a mobile practice center — at Fort Hamilton on Nov. 23. Comment

BoroBeat: A Bay Ridge teen took home top prize in the Bay Ridge Greenmarket’s apple pie bake-off on Nov. 23. Comment

Bay Ridge: It’s Bay Ridge’s wall of honor. Comment

Bay Ridge: It’s Bay Ridge’s wall of honor. Comments (7)

Coney Island: The wayward dolphin that accidentally took a turn on Coney Island’s most dangerous water ride yesterday has died. Comment

The wayward dolphin that accidentally took a turn on Coney Island’s most dangerous water ride yesterday has died. Comments (16)

Veterans Day didn’t begin until after the weekend, but Brooklyn couldn’t wait for Monday to honor it’s beloved veterans, as servicemen and school kids gathered under the Star-Spangled Banner to hear tales of bravery and sacrifice, and reflect on the price of American freedom. Comment

Bay Ridge: Brooklyn could not wait for Monday to honor its veterans, as servicemen and school kids gathered across the borough late last week to hear tales of bravery and sacrifice and to reflect on the impact of American wars. Comment

Witches, ghouls, and goblins gathered across the borough on Halloween to trick-or-treat and strut their stuff. And we have the pictures to prove it. Comment

Park Slope: A bunch of long-faced pooches and the people who love them converged in Prospect Park on Sunday for the third annual Brooklyn Basset Hound Meet-Up, hosted by the North Park Slope Basset Association. Yes, such an organization exists. Comment

BoroBeat: Throngs of cute youngsters dressed up like lions, cats, foxes, and even superheroes and princesses at the Prospect Park Zoo “Boo at the Zoo” Halloween bash on Oct. 26 and 27. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comments (1)

How have we done since the storm of the century struck one year ago? Check out our slideshow to find out. Comments (3)

Crown Heights: President Obama’s visit to Brooklyn closed parts of Prospect Park for six hours this afternoon as the commander-in-chief made a dramatic entrance, headed to Crown Heights to speak about education, then got a bite to eat at Juniors. Comments (23)

Awesome: Volunteers tackled street litter and planted flowers on Saturday to spruce up Park Slope’s busiest thoroughfare. Comment

Carroll Gardens: They got it while it was hot. Comment

BoroBeat: Students at Canarsie’s PS-IS 109 have a brand-new playground thanks to a $160,000 grant. Comment

BoroBeat: Ridgites brought their kids and pooches to the Narrows Botanical Garden’s annual Harvest Fest on Oct. 13, for pumpkin painting and a canine-costume contest. Comments (5)

Bensonhurst: They don’t call it Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard for nothing! Comments (3)

Bay Ridge: The Ragamuffin Parade — a classic costumed kiddie cavalcade — got bright sunny skies for its 47th run on Oct. 5, but the 40th annual Third Avenue Festival the next day wasn’t so lucky. Comment

Fuzzy Brooklyn: Dogs, carts, birds, and other critters received a new leash on life, after participating in pet blessings across Brooklyn to honor St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. Comment

Brooklyn Heights: The Antic boasted all the staples of a typical New York street fair — there was more funnel cake and grilled corn than you can shake a skewer at — but the many-block party offered not-so-standard fare as well. Comments (12)

BoroBeat: Thousands of runners from across the world upheld the memory of tragic 9-11 fireman Steven Siller on Sunday. The Squad One smokeeater ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to the burning World Trade Center, never to return home. Comment

Park Slope: Dozens of Park Slopers attacked new plans for New York Methodist Hospital’s expansion that features new glass-topped structures. Comments (23)

Meadows of Shame: A Nickelodeon extravaganza in Prospect Park last weekend further wrecked a massive meadow in the heart of Brooklyn’s backyard, claim park regulars who say that the beloved field has endured too much abuse from big-ticket events. Comments (26)

Bay Ridge: They dreamed a dream — and then it came true! Comments (1)

Sunset Park: The Fifth Avenue Festival filled the corridor between 59th and 44th streets with families, food, and fun for the 14th year in a row. Comment

BoroBeat: More than 100 soldiers and civilians honored soldiers killed in the line of duty with the annual Run for the Fallen in Bay Ridge on Sept. 15. Comment

Prospect Heights: On Friday night, the Barclays Center turned into a disaster area packed with dead and dying people and emergency personnel rushing around in hazardous materials suits — and it was all part of a military drill to prep for a possible chemical attack. Comments (4)

Dining: A Red Hook food truck took home the top honors at the Ninth Annual Vendy Awards — the Oscars of the sidewalk dining world. Comment

They said to never forget — and we haven’t. Comments (17)

Red Hook: Pig-partial foodies were in hog heaven at the swine fest’s Red Hook debut. Comment

BoroBeat: Devout parishioners from Sacred Hearts and St. Stephen Church honored the patron Saint of Mola Di Bari, Italy, during the 65-year-old procession. Comment

Sharpen those pencils and get ready to hit the books — school is back in session! Comments (1)

BoroBeat: There was no shortage of booming steel drum beats or bikini-and-feather-clad dancers at Monday’s popular parade along Eastern Parkway. Comments (5)

BoroBeat: The annual West Indian Day Parade wasn’t just a jubilant celebration of Caribbean culture this year, it was also one last major chance for New York City politicians to campaign one more time before the upcoming primary election. Comments (2)

Red Hook: Bottoms up! Comment

BoroBeat: The Festa di Santa Rosalia — also known as the 18th Avenue Feast — kicked off on Aug. 22. Comment

Prospect Heights: The show had its moments that will no doubt be replayed approximately one bajillion times. And then there’s the stuff we found out. Comments (12)

Bay Ridge: It’s scrumdiddilyumptious! Comments (1)

BoroBeat: Brooklynites kicked of Battle Week on Sunday to commemorate the Maryland 400, who died in the first real battle of the Revoluntionary War. Comments (2)

BoroBeat: Hundreds of artists descended on the People’s Playground for the annual Sand-Sculpting Contest on Saturday. See our slideshow for all the sandy fun. Comments (1)

BoroBeat: Huey Lewis and the News performed in Coney on Thursday, entertaining the crowd with hits off the album “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” and the well-known song from the ’80s hit “Back To The Future.” Comment

BoroBeat: Some 3,000 Middle Eastern-Americans flocked to Shore Road Park on Aug. 11 for the seventh annual Arab-American Bazaar. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comment

BoroBeat: Thousands of visitors turned back the clock at the third annual Coney Island History Day at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park on Saturday. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comments (5)

BoroBeat: Youngsters who weren’t able to enjoy Christmas last year because of Hurricane Sandy were treated to games, food, and even a visit from Santa Claus on Aug. 9 at MCU Park. Comment

BoroBeat: Kids took to 17th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues in the annual Soap Box Derby, held on Saturday. Comments (17)

Borough firefighters threw down and put their grill skills to the test on Red Hook’s waterfront Wednesday. Comments (2)

Park Slope: Hundreds of young fashion-forward do-gooders flocked to Prospect Park’s historic boathouse Wednesday night for the annual gala benefitting Brooklyn’s backyard. Comment

Event: A fleet of remote-controlled, camera-equipped miniature boats got up close and personal with the toxic Gowanus Canal during the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance’s annual City of Water Day celebration on Saturday. No bodies were found. Comments (10)

A hapless owner’s vain attempts to coo down his three-month-old tropical bird from 18 hours in a tree Saturday evening ended with a call to the New York’s Bravest, who valiantly retrieved the colorful fowl the next day. Comments (3)

Event: The Aviator Sports and Events Center played host to the first-ever NYC Tomato Battle on Saturday, where dozens of paying contestants drove from far and wide to pummel each other with ripe, red missiles plucked from a massive stockpile of tomatoes. Comment

Changing Brooklyn: Will the famous “Watchtower” sign that has welcomed Brooklynites home from more than 40 years come down? Well, some Brooklynites want it to stay put. Comments (48)

BoroBeat: MCU hosted a game of celebrity softball on July 12, featuring New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, heavy-weight boxing champ Evander Holyfield, singer Nelly, and “Jersey Shore” star Vinny Guadagnino. Comment

BoroBeat: Thousands of French ex-pats and just as many local Francophiles turned out for the annual street fair celebrating French independence. Comment

Park Slope: A massive “u”-shaped medical building that New York Methodist Hospital wants to construct in Park Slope will be a blot on the face of the historic neighborhood, claimed dozens of fretful Slopers at a meeting announcing the hospital’s plan last night. Comments (27)

BoroBeat: Brooklyn’s most patriotic neighborhood rang in the 237th anniversary of America’s birth with its sixth annual Fourth of July picnic in Shore Road Park. See our slideshow for all the patriotic fun. Comments (3)

BoroBeat: Thousands of people from all over swarmed Coney Island to celebrate the Fourth on Thursday by eating at Nathan’s, playing in Luna Park, and escaping the heat with a dip in the water. Comment

BoroBeat: Thousands of people from all over swarmed Coney Island to celebrate the Fourth on Thursday by eating at Nathan’s, playing in Luna Park, and escaping the heat with a dip in the water. Comments (2)

BoroBeat: Hundreds of marine-themed floats, half-naked revelers, and cavorting dance crews flooded Coney Island to see the annual Mermaid Parade on June 22. See our slideshow for all the fun of the swimsuit-clad spectacle. Comments (17)

BoroBeat: Soldiers celebrated the birthdays of Fort Hamilton Army Base and the Army with a special show. See our slideshow for some of the performances. Comment

The neighborhood’s iconic Parachute Jump came back to life in full glittering glory, as the tower’s new $2-million lighting system came online. Comments (2)

Park Slope: A group of nature-lovers got down and dirty in Prospect Park on Saturday to help keep the wildlife of Brooklyn’s backyard out of harm’s way. Comments (2)

Event: Smith Street bustled with handcrafters, independent designers, renowned restaurateurs, eclectic artisans and an estimated 50,000 frolickers on June 22 during the annual ‘Funday Sunday’. Comment

Dining: Brooklyn’s barbecue-loving carnivores praised the smoked meat gods when renowned restaurant chain Dinosaur Bar-B-Que opened its first borough outpost in Gowanus last week. Comments (1)

Development: A plan to bring a ferry to a pier in Coney Island Creek had a promising test run, but would be dead in the water if the mayor has his way. Comments (5)

BoroBeat: Furry friends dressed in their most wag-nificient getups in hopes of taking top prize in Saturday’s annual Pet Day and Costume Contest at the Wonder Wheel. See our slideshow for the cute costumes. Comment

BoroBeat: A group of moms brought a little piece of South America to Park Slope last weekend. Comment

Event: Floating dead rats and decomposing human feces couldn’t stop 50 fearless boaters from racing in the Gowanus Canal. Comments (10)

Brooklyn’s 25 “Women of Distinction” were feted with trophies and tributes at El Caribe in Mill Basin on June 12. See our slideshow of the night’s bash. Comment

Red Hook: Talk about mean streets! Only five riders could finish the latest leg of the Red Hook Criterium. Comment

Fuzzy Brooklyn: Pooch lovers teamed up with their canine friends last Sunday for a fun-filled competition to raise funds for a local animal rescue organization. Comments (1)

BoroBeat: More than 1,000 people gathered in Dyker Heights on June 9 for the 11th annual Pan-Asian Heritage Celebration. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comment

Park Slope: Park Slope boomed with pride Saturday as rainbow-clad marchers celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities stepped off for the borough’s famous parade along the neighborhood’s Fifth Avenue. Comments (3)

Brooklyn high schools aced graduation day, with ceremonies across the borough. See our slideshow of some of the ceremonies. Comment

Changing Brooklyn: Bowlers struggled to keep their spirits out of the gutter at Maple Lanes’ last night on June 2. Comments (14)

Knock, knock, artists. Comment

BoroBeat: The nation’s oldest Memorial Day parade marched for the 146th time just blocks away from where the British invaded the Narrows in 1776, and started the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. Comment

Park Slope: Prospect Park activists say last week’s GoogaMooga music festival destroyed the park’s Nethermead. Now, promoters of the event say they will pay to clean the mess. Comments (4)

BoroBeat: The annual Viking Fest and the Norwegian Independence Day Parade both thrust onward through wet weather last weekend like a mighty Norse longship against the tide. Comments (1)

BoroBeat: Brooklynites flocked to Park Slope’s annual Fifth Avenue Fair Sunday despite the stormy weather. Comment

BoroBeat: About 22,000 joggers — including New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith — pounded 13-plus miles of pavement between Prospect Park and Coney Island on May 18, wrapping up in front of Ruby’s Bar on the Boardwalk. It was all part of the Brooklyn Half, an increasingly popular run designed to boost business in the most populous borough. Comments (1)

Event: BayFest, the Bay Improvement Group’s annual spring concert, is a rain or shine event, proven when the assembled bands played right through the down pour. Comment

Politics: Two things were certain no matter who you asked at the Brooklyn Republican Party’s Abraham Lincoln Dinner at El Caribe in Mill Basin Thursday night: the food was great and John Catsimatidis will be the next mayor of New York City. Comments (1)

Coney Island — the Wonder Wheel, the Cyclone, the River Runner?! Comment

Carroll Gardens: Sure, sausage and pepper heroes have become ubiquitous at street fairs across Brooklyn (you can even get them at the Native American Festival at Floyd Bennet Field), but there is something about the Court Street Festival that makes them a must-have. Comments (2)

BoroBeat: Big Screecher Carmine Santa Maria and the Bensonhurst West End Community Council honored the neighborhood’s leading men and women at the annual awards gala. Comment

Park Slope: Play ball! Comment

Dyker Heights: Just like the migratory Chaffinches of Scandinavia, the daughters of Brooklyn’s Norse diaspora return to the borough each year for an age-old contest of Viking womanhood. Comment

Park Slope: The Westminister dog show has nothing on the pooches of Park Slope. Comment

Red Hook: Red Hook’s massive Fairway Market opened its doors last Friday for the first time since Hurricane Sandy, spurring jubilation throughout the waterfront neighborhood. Comment

Marine Park: The city cut the ribbon Friday on Marine Park’s long-awaited Carmine Carro Community Center, the $16-million bathroom and meeting facility that’s been in progress since 2003. Comment

BoroBeat: Dads had so much fun with their daughters at the annual Dads and Daughters Ball at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum that moms were feeling a bit left out. See our slideshow for all the doting dads and darling daughters. Comment

Bay Ridge: Mayoral and borough president hopefuls gathered with the Bay Ridge Democrats to have a pint and watch the State of the Union on Feb. 12. Comment

The weekend’s majestic snowfall has turned into slush, but through these photos, its glory lives on. Comment

Red Hook: Red Hookers will once again be able to sink their teeth into fine artisanal cheeses and organic produce in less than a month. Comment

Perspective: Mayor Koch is gone, and that got us wondering who was the best mayor in the history of New York City. Comments (31)

We have dug through our massive photo archives and found a bunch of pictures of Mayor Ed Koch, who died today of congestive heart failure at the age of 88. Check them out, and let us know your remembrances on the man who led New York City back from oblivion during his reign as mayor from 1978 until 1989. Comments (9)

Downtown: The National Rifle Association has a tough new opponent: the Mom lobby. Comments (2)

BoroBeat: Students at Poly Prep High School raised money for special-needs charities with the annual Afternoon of Student Choreography show on Jan. 13. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comment

On the 19th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me — lots of mulch! Comments (10)

Carroll Gardens: She’s going away — but she won’t be forgotten. Comments (4)

BoroBeat: More than 400 people filled Aviator Sports Center’s gym on Sunday to shake it in an attempt to set the world record for the largest indoor zumba class. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comment

BoroBeat: Students from PS 203 got seniors at the Midwood Senior Center on their feet when they stopped by to perform on Jan. 4. See our slideshow for all the fun. Comment

Who needs Hawaii in January? Comment

Gowanus: That giant desktop computer and 17-inch monitor you bought in 2003: $2,200 Comment