••• A rally to save the Ladder 8 firehouse has been set for 10 a.m. on Friday, June 24, in front of Ladder 8 (N. Moore and Varick). The email pointing this out came with some text I’ll paste at the end of this item.

By Abbey Braden

••• The Elevated Acre, a plaza overlooking the East River behind 55 Water, kicks off its Movie Nights on Monday, June 20, with Desperately Seeking Susan. And you and a guest could be watching from the private VIP deck seating—with popcorn, beer, wine, and other beverages. All you have to do is agree to write about it the next day (and take a few photos) for Tribeca Citizen. The free screenings—which include The Godfather: Part II (June 27) and The Brother From Another Planet (July 11)—are part of the River to River Festival; you can reserve a ticket in advance. The first person to email tribecacitizen@gmail.com gets the VIP seats. By the way, if you’re intimidated by the thought of writing, don’t be: Just write as if a friend had said, “Gee, I’ve always been curious about those screenings. What are they like?” UPDATE: The tickets have been claimed.

••• Kids’ band Little Rockers plays Cin-M-Art Space (under Biddy Early’s on Murray) on June 25. Says a reader: “For an extra treat, they staff the bar downstairs for this concert, which allows mommies and daddies to have a pint (or three) during the show.” Kids get to meet the band, tour the stage, and try an instrument. It’s $10.

••• From New Amsterdam Market: “Several new food vendors will be slinging out tasty snacks this Sunday: Brooklyn Brine will make their Market debut with fried pickles, and Wasan, an East Village Japanese restaurant, will be serving up pickled vegetables and tempura that you can customize from a selection of local, seasonal produce. Steve’s Ice Cream will have on hand a delectable variety of flavors, and Flying Fox’s Maggie Nescur will arrive at the Market with fresh handpicked cherries. For the full list of this week’s vendors, please check our Market Calendar.”

••• From the NYPD 1st precinct: “Due to their growing popularity, cell phones are fast becoming a favorite target of thieves KEEP YOUR CELL PHONES OUT OF SITE [sic] Don’t hang it from your purse of jacket.” People do that? “Consider using hands-free technology.”

••• Today’s Municipal Building kiosk report: I went to Centre Melts, the new build-your-own grilled cheese kiosk to the north of the Municipal Building (where Reade hits Centre). Yesterday I had decided I’d have a Gruyere-and-sauteed-leeks sandwich, but today the Gruyere has been replaced with Swiss. The folks working there were friendly, but that cheese switch really wilted my woody. If I’m going to have a grilled cheese, I want the ingredients to be top-notch. The bread is from Balthazar, but the cheeses are pure Boar’s Head. (No cheddar? What on earth does one order jalapeños with?)

•••That mailbox at Chambers and Broadway is back (and both were jammed full). What’s up with mailboxes these days?

••• Here’s the firehouse text I mentioned above: Ladder 8 has proudly served lower Manhattan for over 100 years. The area that it covers has changed drastically over the last 25 years. In fact according to the 2010 census, the population of lower Manhattan has nearly tripled in the last 10 years. The same buildings that once housed factories and warehouses, are now home to thousands of residents. Many of these buildings are converted lofts. The fire department has recognized that these buildings are unique and pose many technical problems in fires. The FDNY has recently written a special set of procedures to deal with fires and emergencies in these buildings.