Pencil This In

CLEAN UP: Think you're tougher than a park ranger? Marie from 66square is looking for volunteers to tackle the litter problem in the Midwood section of Prospect Park, which she says is a notorious cruising ground that "makes parks officials so jumpy they refuse to use the word or to utter 'condom' out loud." If you're looking to add to your karmic behalf, consider cleaning up Brooklyn's only forest. She will also be giving away a copy of Stephen Orr's new Tomorrow's Garden to the third emailer who RSVPs and shows up, so time your entrance wisely.

Tuesday, May 10th // 9 a.m. // Prospect Park [corner of Center Dr and East Dr] // Free

CHILDREN'S FAVORITE: The Little Prince is a favorite among children's books, and artists Dhira Rauch and Alyssa Ciccarello have created The Little Prinsinn, a visual and theatrical homage to the story. Inspired by Antoine Saint-Exupéry's famous fable, a team of visual artists, puppeteers, movers and doers will "weave a dream circus told through many mediums, housed in the raw beauty of the Brooklyn Lyceum." These performances are just the beginning of what they hope will be a journey of acts, and if their Kickstarter reaches its goal, then expect more performances in the future.

Wednesday, May 11 // Brooklyn Lyceum [227 4th Avenue] // $12-18

ROCK OUT: Coming off of a year of hard touring, Sleigh Bells, the electro-noise duo who is signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings, is playing their first New York show at Webster Hall in quite some time. After releasing the 2010 album Treats to rave reviews, Derek Miller working on songs for the new Beyonce album, and collaborating with M.I.A., this band is not one to miss.

Wednesday, May 11th // 7:30 p.m. // Webster Hall [125 East 11th St] // $20- $25

GET FUNKY: Celebrate Brooklyn is holding dance parties at the Brooklyn Bridge park to ring in the season. This Thursday, Maceo Parker, who has collaborated with Prince, James Brown, and Parliament-Funkadelic, is kicking off this new series with the "tightest funk orchestra on earth, irresistible dance grooves, and the finest free show in town. DJ and producer DJ Spinna has worked with an array of talents from Guru of Gangstarr to Mos Def. Spinning the best in old school funk to futuristic electro, he is on a mission to get you to dance.

Thursday, May 12th // 7 p.m. // Brooklyn Bridge Park // Free

STREET ART: With the demolition of historic graffiti hot-spot Five Pointz drawing near, M.A.N.Y. (Murals Around New York) and Vandalog are rethinking the future of street art in their show Up Close and Personal, which challenges artists to create pieces that "conform to the intimacy of a residential indoor setting." The opening party is at a private residence on May 12th and is curated by RJ Rushmore, Keith Schweitzer, and Mike Glatzer.

Thursday, May 12th // Apartment on UWS [217 West 106th St, Apt 1A] // Free

ART PARTY: The winners of the fifth annual Clash of the Artists competition are announced tonight at nonprofit Art For Progress's Art & Fashion benefit at their gallery space in Tribeca. Fashion from Brooklyn and Berlin-based designers will be on display, along with music from a rotating cast of DJs, visual art, and, of course, wine and cheese.

Friday, May 13th // Headquarters Gallery [385 Broadway] // 7 p.m. // $25-35

CINEMATIC: One of our favorite summertime series, Rooftop Films, which has brought us everything from embarrassing home movies to mullet-rific instructional videos in the past, kicks off their 2011 season tonight with a series short films and the premiere of New York filmmaker Zachary Raines’ black comedy Freeloader. There's also live music and an afterparty, complete with booze.

Friday, May 13th // Open Road Rooftop [Above New Design High School, 350 Grand St] // 8 p.m. // $10

GALA: Join Chevy Chase, Russell Simmons, Wendie Malick, Fred Willard and a host of other compassionate celebs for Farm Sanctuary's 25th Anniversary Gala event this coming Saturday at Cipriani. The night includes a cocktail reception, silent auction, gourmet 3-course vegan meal, and a twilight reception--if you want to be a part of it all and support a good cause, get your ticket here.

Saturday, May 14th // 6 p.m. // Cipriani [55 Wall St] // $350

QUEER READING: New York's LGBT scene is revving up for Pride next month with a variety of events. On Saturday, the historic Stonewall Inn is hosting the launch party for the book Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme, which is a collection of essays from queer authors exploring the "parameters, history, and power of a multitude of butch and femme realities. It's a raucous, insightful, sexy, and sometimes dangerous look at what the words butch and femme can mean in today’s ever-shifting gender landscape, with one eye on the past and the other on what is to come." There will be featured readings my several contributors, as well as music by Rae Spoon and DJ Polar Sounds.

Saturday, May 14th // 8 p.m. // Stonewall Inn [53 Christopher St] // $5- $15

ART EVENT: The Queens Artists Resource Collective (QUARC) is hosting a group show in Ridgewood, Queens on the 14th. "Come see the works of over 20 amateur artists in various media, including painting, photography, poetry, sculpture, illustration, mixed media and more." Bonus: there will be a live show in the backyard starting at 7 p.m., with the band First Nature performing, as well as a few others. Double bonus: beer and wine! Check the Facebook invite for more details.

Saturday, May 14th // 4 to 8 p.m. // 18-62 Bleecker St, Ridgewood // Free

STATE FAIR: The Bell House continues with their monthly State Fair series, bringing you a dose of what each and every one of our glorious 50 states has to offer. Today's state is Oregon, and they'll be celebrating our cousins to the Northwest with beer, blackberry pie, and trivia all day. Plus, they're running a Big Foot contest, literally for people with big feet. Can't beat that!

Sunday, May 15th // 3 p.m. // The Bell House [149 7th St, Brooklyn] // Free

RUSSIAN PLAY: Grab your fur hats and head down to the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, where Moscow's Andrei Konchalovsky Center is bringing Chekhov's Russian classic Uncle Vanya to the stage; but only for three performances (two of which are today), so act fast. Konchalovsky, one of Russia's most famous directors, has put together a gorgeous production commemorating two important events in the world of literature: 150 years since Chekhov's birth and 105 since his death. The performance is in Russian, with English subtitles.

Sunday, May 15th // 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. // 199 Chambers St // $65-150

CRAFTY: The Repurposed Library workshop at Soho favorite Housing Works Cafe is a collection of DIY projects, often using no more than scissors and glue, that utilize every imaginable part of a book--from hardback cover to individual pages--to create new art objects and practical items for the home (think wreathes, shelves, and even clocks!). Bibliophiles, DIY enthusiasts, design aficionados, and creative dabblers alike can get their hands dirty at this interactive event.

Monday, May 16th // 7 p.m. // Housing Works Bookstore Cafe [126 Crosby St] // Free