I got my first fake ID when I was 15. It was not to purchase alcohol, but to gain access to 315 Bowery in Manhattan, the punk rock mecca, CBGB. I knew that this was the place that made The Ramones, and Blondie, and Talking Heads- and beautiful as it was to me, I was tired of looking at that tattered awning and crumbling façade. I wanted in. 

My friend Michael was my age, but already a talented musician, and his mod-style ska band, The Feds, landed a gig at one of CBGB’s early evening all-ages shows. But ‘all-ages’ meant 16 and over, so the world-wise Michael took me to Times Square, where, in 1986, along with the key chains and snow globes, the trinket shops sold phony photo IDs. Mine had my little bleached, spiky-haired head on it and said I was 17 and attended community college. It didn’t look anything like a proper ID; you had to cover the ‘this is not a valid ID’ line with a sticker, and it was laminated with quarter inch plastic, but I was going for it. What were they gonna do? Arrest me at the door?

They did not. The loaf of a man behind a wooden desk at the entryway looked skeptically at the card, then at me, and I was allowed to pass. And glorious it was: a true wreck of a bar, with wooden booths worn to ruins, smelling of rotting citrus, stale beer, and hairspray, covered floor to ceiling in stickers and graffiti, the birthplace of the new music.

In the spirit of inclusion, in opposition to ageism, and for the sake of the whole fandamily, Oakland Yard will be hosting a truly all-ages event this Saturday in our back lot. That’s right, our neighborhood artisan market, the 420 FLEA, returns to 420 40th street from 11am until 4pm. No ID required to shop, get your face painted, eat tacos and noodles, or drink Topo Chico, but if you want any of our Roses’ Taproom Strawberry Jams IPA, you’ll need to show us the real deal.

But first... TONIGHT, August 16th: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS! An ALL SPANISH lineup this evening. 3 whites and 3 reds. $12 from 4-8

SATURDAY, August 18th from 11am until 4pm: The 420 FLEA Artisan Market: Tacos Oscar will be here! Nokni returns! Beverages from Steep Tea Co! Vendors and artists include Mercy Vintage, Gold & Rust Finds, Sundryladen, Flower & Forage, Mind's Eye Vintage, Westward Succulents, Pablo Cristi, Lucas Ahlstrand, and Lemon Jitters. There will be a beer and wine garden outback and Tasting Flights inside at the bar from local winemaker and rising star, Jennifer Reichardt, of Raft Wines! 

SUNDAY, August 19th: ALBARINO & ALVARINHO $15 from 2-6pm. Crisp, dry, bright mineral whites from Spain and Portugal and wines by the glass until 8pm.

See you soon,

Max