This Saturday, May 4, marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Beastie Boys member Adam “MCA” Yauch, and as a tribute to the late rapper, Brooklyn Heights’ Palmetto Playground will be officially renamed “Adam Yauch Park” tomorrow, May 3. Yauch grew up in the neighborhood and played in the park as a child; according to a press release, the Licensed to Ill MC learned how to ride a bicycle there.
The renaming ceremony will take place tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST. Beastie Boy Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz will be present, as will members of the Yauch family (including MCA’s parents, Noel and Frances Yauch). Other people slated to attend include John Silva of Silva Artist Management, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, and Council Member Stephen Levin, who recently told the New York Post he was a “huge” fan of the Beastie Boys.
Levin added, “Adam Yauch Playground would be a much more fitting name [than Palmetto Playground] since he actually hung out there, and it would be a great testament to a great leader and musician.”
The campaign to name a park after Yauch has been in the works for about a year, growing out of a post on Brooklyn Heights Blog that called for the area’s Squibb Park to be renamed “Adam Yauch Park.” Supporters shifted their focus to Palmetto Playground after residents claimed that changing the name of Squibb Park would be disrespectful to pharmaceutical giant Edward Robinson Squibb, who opened his first lab where Squibb Park is now located, on Brooklyn’s Middagh Street.
Fans can further celebrate Yauch’s memory by taking part in the free “MCA Day” event happening on May 4 at Brooklyn’s Littlefield performance and art space from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. The day-long exhibit will feature photographs (pre- and post-fame) of the Beastie Boys, as well as artwork from Michael McLeer (the co-creator of the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music’s “Jam Awards”) and others. Music by the legendary New York trio will be spinning all throughout.
To read MCA tributes from Danny Brown, Santigold, and more, be sure to flip through Love & Respect to the End: Remembering Adam “MCA” Yauch.
