Two weeks ago, Dana Sterling didn’t have a Coney Island home for her Mermaid Parade Ball. “We were almost going to throw event in Williamsburg; that’s the way I thought it would go,” says the producer of Amateur Female Jello Wrestling and the organizer of the ball, held in previous years at the now-shuttered Velocity. But at the eleventh hour, Taconic Investment Partners — the seemingly kinder, gentler Coney Island developer – donated the historic Childs Restaurant (pictured), which they purchased and plan to turn into a mega-dining establishment and rooftop wedding hall. The public hasn’t stepped in it for 30 years, but this Saturday, after the Mermaid Parade (those details here), Jill Cunniff, the lead singer of Luscious Jackson who recently went solo with a Coney Island-inspired album, and a bevy of Brooklyn bands, sideshow performers and burlesque dancers will take over the raw Childs space for a rave-like party. And we have two tickets for the first person who can tell us the address of the Eagle sign. Just hit reply with the answer.

6pm to midnight, Childs Restaurant, Coney Island Boardwalk at W. 21st St. Refreshments provided by Brooklyn Brewery and Wine Cellar Sorbets. Tickets, directions here: mermaidparadeball.com.

Also this weekend:

Outdoors Tonight, toast summer and the solstice at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s starlit benefit. bbg.org

Sat at 2pm, compete in Stinky Bklyn’s cheese eating contest, part of the Smith Street Fair. stinkybklyn.com

Sun at 9:30am, set sail from Dumbo to cruise the Gowanus Canal. Scroll down at bcue.org

Music Fri at 8:30pm, see Wild Style, the cinematic who’s who of early hip hop, in Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park. Return at noon on Sat for the Hip Hop Festival. Free with tickets here: brooklynbodega.com.

On Sun at 3, see Superchunk at the first concert of the JellyNYC McCarren Pool Parties series. Click here for free tix: thepoolparties.com.

Kids Sat from 11-4, bring your bookworms to the Celebrate Literary Fair in Prospect Park’s Tennis House for scavenger hunts, Audra Rox “kindie” rock, and storytelling. bcue.org

Grown-up book lovers can hear writers Darin Straus, Rebecca Barry, and Owen King read the work they published in One-Story at Park Slope’s J.J. Byrne Memorial Park (3rd St. and 5th Ave.), June 27 at 6:30pm.

Photo of Childs courtesy Kinetic Carnival.

Today’s post brought to you by Nicole.