Park Slope Summer Strolls To Bring Pizza Contest, Dog Happy Hour

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Nearly a month's worth of weekend walks on Park Slope's Fifth Avenue are just around the corner and organizers have announced what family fun events will replace traffic during the weekly festivities.

The Park Slope "Summer Strolls" will close sections of Fifth Avenue to traffic for three weekend days over the course of August starting on Sunday, Aug. 11, according to the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District. Each stroll will bring a new line-up of summertime activities to the car-free block.

Here's a rundown of what to expect:

August 11:

From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fifth Avenue will be closed to traffic between 11th and 13th streets for a "Family Fun" night. The block-party style event will include soccer, music by Sonido Costeno and food and drinks by The Monro, Nuevo Mexico and others.

August 17:

This summer stroll will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. between Dean Street and St. Mark's. It will feature the annual pizza eating contest, in its fourth year, at Artichoke Pizza.

The eating contest will be held outside the pizza chain's 59 Fifth Ave. location. Sign-ups are open now for those that want to compete. Anyone interested should fill out this form and make sure they can make it for the competition day before signing up. The contest is free.

Reigning champion Wayne Algenio will be competing again in the contest. Last year, Algenio ate 14 slices of pizza in 10 minutes.

"But don’t despair, it’s about entering and having fun on #theother5th," organizers said.

The winner will get a slice of pizza every day for a year and a trophy. Those that enter will be notified by Aug. 10 if they made it into the competition.

That night will also include salsa dancing in the street with local restaurant Besito.

August 24:

This summer stroll will also be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Between Prospect Avenue and 18th Street, the final summer stroll will feature a disco party and a "doggie happy hour" at Freddy's Bar and South.

For more information about any of the weekend walks check out the Park Slope BID website, which will post more information as the dates get closer.