BROOKLYN — In 1883, New Yorkers and Brooklynites took the first step toward uniting their two cities when the Brooklyn Bridge, then called the East River Bridge, opened to the public, bringing to life the dreams and plans of John and Washington Roebling.

At the time, the bridge was for walkers, cable cars and horse-drawn vehicles, to be joined in time by an elevated line that some people still remember and, of course, by cars.

In the years to come, it would be joined by the Manhattan, Williamsburg and Queensboro bridges, but it is still the Brooklyn Bridge that most captures the imagination of the world, appearing as a symbol of Brooklyn and New York City as far away as Europe and Asia.

This Memorial Day weekend, Brooklyn and Manhattan will celebrate the Bridge’s 125th anniversary with a host of events honoring the structure’s historic and cultural significance. Here is some information about the planned festivities:

• The kick-off took place on Thursday at Empire-Fulton Ferry Park with a concert featuring the Brooklyn Philharmonic and special guest performances, followed by a Grucci Fireworks extravaganza. A festive lighting ceremony illuminated the entire bridge, which will remain lit every evening from 9 to 11 p.m. through Memorial Day.

• The Telectroscope: A Window Through the World� is a video-based public media project that links London and Brooklyn. It is based on the legend of a long-forgotten Transatlantic tunnel. One can see the Telectroscope on Old Fulton Street.

• A Brooklyn Bridge Film Series will be screened on Friday. Pack a picnic dinner and enjoy the sunset at Empire-Fulton Ferry Park as DJs spin tunes. The movies start at 8:30 p.m., and included are Walt Disney’s recent “Enchanted,� the 1903 short “Panorama from the Tower of the Brooklyn Bridge� and the 1921 short “Manhatta.�

• The film series continues on Saturday with a showing of Ken Burns’ documentary “The Brooklyn Bridge� at 4:30 p.m. at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; and the 1947 Frank Sinatra-Jimmy Durante musical “It Happened in Brooklyn,� again at Empire-Fulton Ferry Park, beginning at 8:30 along with the two short films.

• The Brooklyn Historical Society will host lectures and readings at their headquarters, 128 Pierrepont St. Brooklyn Heights, each hour from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (718) 222 4111.

• Ron Schweiger, the official borough historian, will give a tour of the Brooklyn Bridge at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Call (718) 802-3846.

• On Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., the Brooklyn Bridge will feature a miniature golf course with representations of Brooklyn’s most famous sites.

•Tour de Brooklyn: Although this not technically a Brooklyn Bridge-related event, for the fourth year in a row, 2,000 bicyclists will ride all around Brooklyn in a leisurely 18-mile bike tour on Sunday. Participate or just cheer from the sidelines. For advance registration, go to http://tourdebrooklyn.org/, For more information about these and other events, log onto the official web site at http://nycvisit.com/bb125/

© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2008 All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law. Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net