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A FOURTH OF JULY SALUTE TO LADY LIBERTYLiberty Weekend Won%u2019t Be a Party With a Car Near the Brooklyn Shore...BY LIZ KOCHBrooklyn Heights residents can breathe a sigh of relief. Their neighborhood will be one of many traffic-free freeze zones for the Fourth of July, as the local 84th Precinct prepares for a throng of view seekers to stream into the well-situated waterfront neighborhood. %u201cWe%u2019ll be freezing almost all of Brooklyn Heights,%u201d says Officer Pat McDermott of Brooklyn North.The story is the same up and down the Western Brooklyn shoreline. To keep the weekend manageable and things safe for the crowds, police are closing off streets where the view is most desireable and the largest influx of people is expected. The one exception is in the 72nd Precinct, where the waterfront west of Bush Terminal will be entirely off limits because police have determined that the unused piers are unsafe.The Brooklyn Heights Esplanade, however, is considered by police to be one of the most ideal viewing locations for both the Fireworks spectacular on the night of the Fourth and the stately sailing of the tall ships which will pass by the Promenade on July 3 and again the next day. Captain Neuwirth from Brooklyn North is predicting approximately 100,000 people will take to the Promenade that stretches from Remsen Street to Orange Street above the BQE. And he expects many more than that to throng the streets in Brooklyn Heights.With those numbers in mind, Heights streets will be closed over a span of four days for the long weekend, but different streets on different days.CLOSINGS ON JULY 3 & 4thOn July 3rd on what McDermott calls a %u201ccontingency basis, if the need arises,%u201d all of Furman Street will be closed, Atlantic Avenue will be closed from Henry Street to the entrance ramp to the BQE. Old Fulton Street will be closed right down to the water. Street closings will happen at 7pm, two hours before President Reagan will light the torch of the Statue of liberty.Starting at 9am the next morning, July 4, until midnight that night, a line drawn from Court Street and Atlantic Avenue down to Cadman Plaza West and Washington Street, will serve as the western cut-off for Brooklyn Heights traffic. All streets west of that line will be closed.Predicting %u201cendless throngs of humanity,%u201d Captain Neuwirth says approximately 609-700 police officers will be dispatched for the festivities, as well as plain-clothesmen who will try to keep the holiday pick-pocketing to a minimum.Emergency vehicles will also be out in force and will be placed at Furman and Joralemon Streets, Water and Old Fulton Streets, Water and Dock Streets, Middagh and Henry Streets, Clark Street and Columbia Heights, Remsen and the Promenade,and Pierrepont and Henry Streets. Lanes will be kept open to allow movement of these vehicles. In addition, two foot teams will patrol the Promenade, Neuwirth says.TALL SHIPS BELOW HEIGHTSThe tall ships docking atth e piers below Brooklyn Heights will be another big attraction drawing crowds. On July 5 and July 6 Furman Street will be closed again as well as Old Fulton Street down to Pier One, and Atlantic Avenue from Henry Street to Furman Street.Over in the 76th Precinct, covering Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Cobble Hill %u2014 a long stretch of waterfront %u2014 there will only be one public viewing spot, at Pier Eight on Columbia Street between DeGraw and Congress Streets. The Columbia Streetsite is the only one designated by the City and the Port Authority for public use on July 4, after a tentative plan to use Pier 39 in Red Hook was rejected for safety reasons. Other piers in Red Hook have been rented out for private parties, police say.%u201cOur big concern is the amount of crowds that will be drawn and keeping everything mobile so that if anything happens we can move quickly,%u201d says Officer John LoPreto at the 76th Precinct. Preparations began last November in this precinct and range from shutting down streets, to putting guard dogs in empty buildings along the piers to monitoring high vantage points in the precinct.BROOKLYN STREETS CLOSEDAs an extension of the Brooklyn HeightsTake The Kids To Ellis Island Via Local Playr i !lThis weekend, the Penny Bridge Players will present %u201cSweet Land of Liberty,\drama about passing through Ellis Island in 1910, written and directed by Jane Stanton withmusic by Lewis Hardee. There will be a 10:30am performance July 4 and a 2pm show July 5 atAssumption Church, 59 Cranberry Street in the Heights. A Sunday matinee will be presentedin the Prospect Park Picnic House July 6. For information call 522-0255. (Esther Bubley Photo)Hot Dog! Nathan%u2019s Caps Weekend With ContestThe traditional Fourth of July Nathan%u2019s hot dog eating contest was changed this year to accommodate contestants who wish to take part in the salute to Lady Liberty on July 4th without heartburn. Now, on July 6th, Nathan%u2019s 70th running of the contest, will take place at noon at Nathan%u2019s flagship restaurant at Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, where the restaurant chain was founded in 1916.Contestants will sit at a long table laden with platters of Nathan%u2019s franks on buns, and the winner will be the person to eat the most hot dogs in a ten minute period. Lastyear%u2019s winner, Oscar Rodriguez, who consumed ten and a half franks to take his crown, will be back to defend his title.In addition to the grand prize for the overall winner, there will be prizes awarded for various categories, including %u201cMost Graceful Hot Dog Eater%u201d and %u201cMost Expressive Hot Dog Eater.%u201d The contest is open to all, and there is no entrance fee. However, only 25 participants can be accepted, and that will be on a first come, first serve basis. For more information or to register, call Max Rosey at (212)869-0600.street closings on July 4, Columbia Street will be closed to traffic from Atlantic Avenue to DeGraw Street. Also closed will be Van Brunt Street from DeGraw Street to Bowne Street; all of Imaly Street as well as the entire area south of Beard and Bay Streets and west of Conover Street.Anticipating a crowd of approximately 30,000 people to the Columbia Street site and several more thousand heading for the private pier parties, hundreds of officers from other precincts will come to the area to augment 76th Precinct officers on duty over the course of the four-day weekend. The precinct will open four temporary headquarters, at 45 DeGraw Street, at Conover and Walcott Streets, at Bay and Columbia Streets and at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, to coordinate the huge number of officers.The three sites, excluding the Brooklyn Battery tunnel location, will each have an Emergency Medical Sendee (EMS) vehicle and a fire truck stationed, LoPreto says.Extra security has also been issued for the high vantage points in the precinct. Additional Housing Authority police patrols have been scheduled for the Red Hook Housing Project and extra Transit Authority police will man the Smith and 9th Street subway station.NAVY SHIPS AT PEERSU.S. Navy ships will be docking at the piers below Brooklyn Heights, including the cruiser U.S.S. Yorktown, which earlier this year was involved in Libya, and the U.S.S. Iowa. LoPreto says Navy Intelligence will also be taking precautions in the area, including placing guard dogs in empty buildings along the piers.In the event of any accident on Governor%u2019s Island, the Coast Guard has coordinated with Long Island College Hospital to transport patients over to Pier Seven where a hospital vehicle will be stationed.People who live in the 72nd Precinct which includes Sunset Park and the Bush Terminal Piers will have Sunset Park as their most attractive vantage point for the sights. Police Officer DePasquale of the 72nd Precinct says about 15,000 to 20,000 people are expected in the park and that an extra 100 police officers a day will be dispatched to patrol. Because of the closing of the Belt Parkway between 65th Street and Ocean Parkway, he says the force is gearing up for a large spill-over of traffic in the area and a large number of traffic controllers will be out on the Fourth of July.For all those who wish to see the sights and can%u2019t imagine squeezing into the Promenade or one of the other viewing spots, the empty Belt Parkway beginning at Owl%u2019s Head and stretching to the Narrows will offer a wide-open stretch for viewers to enjoy the festivities....But You Can Enjoy The Fun With Extra Subway And Bus ServiceWhile most of the subways and commuter railroads will be operating with extra service during liberty weekend, the South Ferry Station on the No. 1 (Seventh Ave.) line will be closed on July 3 at 6pm, and will not reopen until 12:01am, Monday July 7.Specifically, on July 3, the TA will schedule extra service on all its subway lines from 7pm-l :30am. During this time, the N and B trains will operate through the Montague Street tunnel instead of the Manhattan Bridge to take passengers closer to lower Manhattan; the C, M, and N trains will operate at rush hour levels from 7pm1:30am, to accomodate celebration riders.On July 4, all trains that serve lower Manhattan will be on rush hour schedules until 2:30am. The A,C,E and K (Eighth Ave. lines) are recommended for travel to and from Liberty events. The N and B trains will travel again, through Montague Street instead of the Manhattan Bridge for closer access to lower Manhattan.On July 5, the TA will operate full-length trains on normal Saturday schedules until 6pm. At that time, service will increase on the Seventh Ave. (1) and Lexington Ave. (6) lines and the K (Eighth Ave. local) to accomodate people attending the Central Park concert. In addition, the 2 and 3 trains (Seventh Ave. lines) tne A, ana u trains wiii stop at local stations near the concert site. The N and B trains will again operate through Montague Street instead of theManhattan Brictee.On July 6, the TA will operate regular Saturday schedules, with longer trains to accomodate riders. The N and B trains will operate through Montague St.If you are expecting people from out of town, the TA has also revamped their schedules for the MetroNorth trains and theLong Island Railroad, as well as the suburban bus service. On July 3, the LIRR will add 10 trains from Penn Station between 2:14 and 4:13pm for passengers leaving work early. MetroNorth will add trains as needed to accommodate passengers. The MSBA will operate its regular weekly schedule.On July 4, the LIRR and MetroNorth willRed Cross Sets Up Lost Child. Medical HotlineWith millions of people expected to participate in the Centennial Celebration of the Statue of liberty, several hotlines and medical centers have been set up throughout the city to aid in everything from heat exhaustion to a lost child. In addition, a general hotline to keep the public up-to-date on Harbor Festival activities has been established at (212) 302-2727.The American Red Cross will staff 70 assistance stations to reunite people who have been separated, tend to a lost child, to dole out water and hand out lollipops. Each station%u2019s 10-person staff includes personnel trained in cardio-pulmonary ressusitation (CPR) for emergencies. Ln addition, translators will be on hand to give out directions to people who don%u2019t speak isngnsn. in Brooklyn, aid sites wiii be openon the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and near the Brooklyn Bridge.Lost children may be located through theRed Cross Helpline, that will also give out directions to Liberty Weekend events. The Helpline will be in operation July 3 to July 6. The number is (212) 985-9913. Organizers suggest that parents instruct children to go to an aid station if they are lost. Parents can call the Helpline and be given information on where to find the child.For more serious medical emergencies, several field hospitals have been established to help the ill or injured. In Brooklyn, the field hopsitals are at the Squibb Playground at Columbia Heights and Middagh Streets, July 3-6; and at 79th Street and Shore Road, and Bay Parkway and Belt Parkway on July 3 and 4 The City%u2019s Emergency Medical Service is coordinating this plan, to aid all but the most critical patients without having iu iiavei uuuugii nuwucu City aticcts,in addition, roving EMS technicians will go to the most crowded viewing areas.add extra trains to accommodate more passengers. In addition, LIRR plans express service from Bablyon, Freeport, Huntington, Hicksville, Great Neck and Bayside. Westbound express trains will operate from 9am to 9pm, while eastbound trains will operate from 2pm to lam. MetroNorth will add extra service on its Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines, with extra outbound services as well. On July 5 and 6, both train services will operate on their normal schedules with extra cars added as needed to accomodate crowds.Manhattan bus service will also be afffected with changes between July 3 at 6pm and July 7 at 12:01am. During that time, the M6 route will terminate at Park Race, the M18 route will terminate at Reade Street; and the M22, M101, M102 and all M15 service will terminate at Park Row/Qty Hall.During the celebration, the Transit Authority has suggested alternate and possibly less crowded routes to view the Liberty events. For the unveilling of the Statue on July 3, the TA suggests the passengers use the Broadway/Nassau, Chambers Street, and World Trade Center stations on the A,C, E, and K lines.For OpSai! %u201986 and the Harbor Festival in lower Manhattan, the C and M lines that do not normally serve the downtown area on a%u00bb- J -Ml - *%u25a0 _ 1 __ - I - J _______*__ iivm ucij m u u p u a b c u u im a i n c u v u a j %u25a0 uuveo.In addition, the TA advises holiday users to buy tokens in advance to avoid lines.July 3,1986, THE PH OENIX, Page 33