Help the American red Cross of Greater New York Win $25,000 from Pepsi Refresh Project! 

Overview

The American Red Cross in Greater NY responds to on average 7 disasters a day (mostly fires and building vacates). Unfortunately, most of these disasters occur in low income communities. In order to better equip these vulnerable neighborhoods to better manage an emergency or disaster situation, the NY Red Cross would like to collaborate with community centers in these areas to offer free emergency preparedness classes and supplies to 2500 people. Classes will teach attendees how to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters by following a 3-step “Be Red Cross Ready” protocol.  Additionally, each attendee will be equipped with an “emergency supply starter kit” at the end of the session.

Click HERE for more info!

10th Annual Downtown Forest Hills Walking Tour by Historian Jeff Gottlieb

10th Annual Downtown Forest Hills Walking Tour by Historian Jeff Gottlieb

Historian Jeff Gottlieb at the start of the tour on Austin St & Continental Ave, in the heart of historic Downtown Forest Hills! On the left-hand site is a remarkable century-old Tudor business establishment, designed in conjunction with the Forest Hills Gardens. The same holds true with the charming late 1920s Austin Hall & Tudor Hall, designed with shops at street level & apartments above. The former Corn Exchange Bank is on the right.

To read the entire article from the Rego Forest Preservation Council Blog click HERE. 

Things to do in Kew Gardens This Fall

Hi! There is so many good things to do in Kew Gardens in the Fall!

*TAKING PICTURES 1970-2010: Selections in black and white and color"
Photographs by Laraine Anne Fletcher
A reception for the photographic exhibit will be held on Friday, Sept. 10th at 8:00 p.m. at "The Gallery" of Ascend Spa, located at 82-62 Austin Street, Kew Gardens (one half block from the LIRR Kew Gardens Station).On view until November.

Laraine Anne Fletcher was born (1940) in Brooklyn, grew up in Ozone Park and currently resides in Kew Gardens. She attended Richmond High School, received a B.A. from Adelphi University and a Ph.D. from SUNY Stony Brook. She has worked professionally as an archaeologist in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua and currently heads the Anthropology Department at Adelphi. She has also been a photographer since 1970. Her last exhibit, "México Profundo," was held at the Swirbul Library Gallery, Adelphi University, Garden City.
She began taking pictures with the reliable Pentax Spotmatic , using only available light with the classic 50mm f/1.4 lens, shooting almost exclusively in black and white and trying to Robert Capa's advice that "If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough". The switch to digital came within the last decade and, with that, an interest in color, form, and, finally, the use of the zoom lens with greater frequency. This eclectic exhibit reflects some 40 years of picture taking in black and white and color, and covers a wide variety of themes.


*KEW GARDENS (almost) FALL MUSIC FESTIVAL: Sunday, September 12, 12:30pm to 6:30pm The Kew Gardens Musicians will be playing for the 52nd time since November 2003 at Kew Gardens Cinemas Park on Austin Street, off of Lefferts Blvd, All types of music, instrumental and singing.


*DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND LANTERN FESTIVAL, Thursday, September 23, 6:00 PM
gather at Maple Grove, Victorian Administration Building, 83-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens
A personal evening of remembrance of loved ones begins with a bagpipe led procession, followed by celebrations and reflections by Father Philip J. Pizzo and Mama Donna at our Story Stones, a visit to our 9/11 Memorial and a sunset Lantern Festival. After writing endearments and good wishes, glowing lanterns are launched on the lake, symbolically helping the loved one’s journey. (Co-sponsors Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery and Maple Grove Cemetery)


* FALL LANDSCAPE PAINTING, Saturday, September 25, 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM (in case of rain will be rescheduled) The Center at Maple Grove, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Reservations are necessary. $8, $5 seniors, members FREE,
Capture the glorious colors and shapes of fall at Maple Grove! Bring your own art materials for a day of outdoor
painting/drawing.


* REZ READING SERIES, Tuesday, September 28, 7:30 PM, The Center at Maple Grove, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, $5 suggested donation
The REZ Reading Series, Kew Gardens' monthly reading series led by local publisher Deborah Emin, offers a warm and friendly atmosphere to listen to excellent writers read from their works, all genres. If you enjoy literature and poetry, please join us! The theme for this month is Neighbors & Notables and several local writers will be reading.


* SPIRITS ALIVE, Saturday, October 9, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, RAIN OR SHINE
Victorian Administration Building, 83-15 Kew Gardens Road. In case of rain, Spirits Alive will be held at The Center at Maple Grove, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, $5 per person, members and children under 12 FREE
Join us for an interactive walking tour through time. Costumed actors will recreate the lives of some of the cemetery's most illustrious and historical figures. Visitors will receive easy to follow maps and programs.


* openhousenewyork Weekend, Sunday, October 10, Walking tours at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM & 2:00 PM, RAIN OR SHINE, The Center at Maple Grove, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Public invited FREE OF CHARGE
America's largest architectural and design event held in all 5 boroughs of NYC. Public invited to tour places and spaces of architecture, design and historic merit. Maple Grove Cemetery, established in 1875, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2004 and the very beautiful Center at Maple Grove is a LEED building (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Carl Ballenas, Maple Grove’s Historian, will be leading tours.


* THE STRANGE AND UNUSUAL WITH A TOUCH OF THE PARANORMAL WALKING TOUR
Saturday, October 16, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM, (rain date October 23), Maple Grove, Victorian Administration Building, 83-15 Kew Gardens Road, $5 per person, Members FREE (suggested age:12 years+) Carl Ballenas, Maple Grove’s Historian, will be leading this tour.


* MAPLE GROVE’S GREAT HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL & CARVED PUMPKIN CONTEST
Saturday October 16, 5:00 PM—7:30 PM (rain date October 23), Victorian Administration Building, 83-15 Kew Gardens Road, $5 per person, Members and children under 12 FREE
This FAMILY EVENT includes Scary Stories, Games, Face Painting, Arts & Crafts and a Children’s Costume Parade.For those who would like to participate in the Carved Pumpkin Contest (separate categories for adults and children), please drop off your uniquely carved pumpkin, with candle, by 6:00 PM. Prizes Awarded at 7:15.PM.


* REZ READING SERIES, Tuesday, October 26, 7:30 PM, The Center at Maple Grove, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road $5 suggested donation (see September 28th for more info about REZ) Theme: Voices of the Dead: Reading the Work of Writers Buried at Maple Grove Cemetery. We will be reading writers rather than having writers read to us for this Halloween celebration of the writers buried at Maple Grove. And we do intend for it to be spooky!

Notice: No Yoga In the Park Labor Day Weekend

All, please be advised that the Yoga In the Park program will not have it's usual Saturday morning class this weekend due to Labor Day Weekend. The program will resume Saturday, September 11th.

REZ to be hosted by the Center at Maple Grove Sept 28th

This year we will kick off the REZ reading series at the lovely Center at Maple Grove! We have a great line-up of neighbors and notables who will come to read their works and sell autographed copies of their books, so please mark your calendar for this wonderful event!

See what we have in store below:

___________________________________________________________
THE REZ
READING
SERIES

Now on Facebook!


Neighbors & Notables

The Center at Maple Grove Cemetery
127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, NY 11415

Tuesday, September 28
7:30 – 9:30 p.m.


Arthur Bebell
Born in Brooklyn, Arthur Bebell joined the military during World War II and worked as a military photographer. He has lectured before the prestigious Nigerian International Medical Conference and introduced biofeedback and hypnosis strategies for migraines, stress and malignant hypertension, among other ailments. He will be reading from his memoir, Shadows of the Past.

Teri Coyne
Former stand-up comedian, Teri Coyne is an exciting new voice whose dark, edgy, page-turning debut novel The Last Bridge (Ballantine Trade Paperback, 2010) delves into the lengths one woman will travel to escape her past. The Last Bridge has garnered critical praise from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and The Huntington News, and was selected as a Target Breakout Book.

Deborah Fried-Rubin
Deborah Fried-Rubin is a second year graduate student in the Queens College MFA program, pursuing her interest in poetry after many years of practicing law. Last year's recipient of Queens College's Silverstein-Peiser Award for Poetry, Deborah lives on Long Island with her husband and three children.

Justin Martin
A graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas, Justin Martin is currently writing a biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, the pioneering landscape architect of Central Park. Martin has previously written two biographies, Greenspan: The Man Behind the Money (chosen as a notable book by the New York Times Book Review) and Nader: Crusader, Spoiler, Icon, which was the basis for an Academy Award nominated documentary.

Douglas RogersDouglas Rogers is an award-winning author, journalist, and travel writer. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and National Geographic Traveler, among others. His Zimbabwe memoir The Last Resort was published Crown/Random House in 2009. The New York Times described it as “The best account yet of ordinary life – for black and whites – under Mugabe’s dictatorship.” He now lives in Brooklyn.



Q&A will be held after readings and autographed books offered for sale. Refreshments available; $5.00 donation encouraged.
For further information email deminlit@yahoo.com or telephone (718) 575-5417. And don’t forget to visit us on Facebook!

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT MAPLE GROVE THIS FALL!?

KEW GARDENS RIKERS

Local pols rap city plan to move inmates

BY DANIEL EDWARD ROSEN
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Wednesday, August 25th 2010, 10:46 AM

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• Rikers Island guard could lose job for shacking up with inmate

THE LAST jailbirds to nest in this Kew Gardens prison were a family of red-tailed hawks.

Now, a city plan to move hundreds of inmates from Rikers Island to the Queens House of Detention is ruffling the feathers of local officials.

Read more

Check out these FREE events in Queens! Click HERE. 

Recipe For Success?
Ground Broken On Traffic Fix For Boro Mixing Bowl Nightmare

By Brian M. Rafferty

After a generation of congestion, it seems that the notorious Kew Gardens Interchange will be overhauled. Officials broke ground Wednesday afternoon on the project, which will affect the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway, Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard.

The area affected in the first phase of development.

“Anybody that has ever driven on the highways of Queens or listened to a radio traffic report knows what a nightmare the Kew Gardens Interchange has been for motorists for more than a generation,” said Denise Richardson, the Managing Director of the General Contractors Association of New York. “This project is one of many critical infrastructure projects that are essential to the safety, mobility, economic vitality and quality of life of all New Yorkers.

“Aside from what it will do for drivers, this project will provide over 200 jobs that will enable laid off workers to come back to work and boost the area’s businesses and the city’s economy. The fact that this project has been deferred over the years due to funding constraints is yet another sign that New York must find a way to properly fund its transportation infrastructure needs. ”

At the groundbreaking, several officials were on hand to celebrate the event, including the State DOT Commissioner.

Read the entire story HERE. 

'Wildman' branches out, taking a bite out of Forest Park

BY CLARE TRAPASSO
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Thursday, August 26th 2010, 9:42 AM

STEVE (WILDMAN) BRILL just wasn't cut out to teach cooking classes, he said. So instead, he became the city's most prodigious forager.

After almost 30 years of organizing edible foraging tours in public parks, Brill, 61, of Mamaroneck, N.Y., isn't slowing down.

The self-taught naturalist is set to take intrepid participants through Forest Park on Saturday to sample the park's often-overlooked bounty - such as wintergreen-flavored black birch stems and spicy garlic mustard seeds.

"I love leading people through it and showing them where I spent my childhood," said Brill, who grew up in Kew Gardens.

Read more: 

Art Showcase and Reception at Ascend Day Spa Featuring

The Photography of LARAINE ANNE FLETCHER

on view 09/10/10- 11/07/10

The Ascend Day Spa, located at 82-62 Austin Street, in Kew Gardens, Queens, will be exhibiting artwork from local artists in an effort to give back to the community.  The Ascend Day Spa is an all natural green spa, focusing on mind and body wellness through relaxation and rejuvenation. Continuing the exhibition series, Ascend is offering its space for a selection of works by photographer Laraine Anne Fletcher; the opening reception will be on Friday, September 10th, 2010, at 8:00 pm. The artist will be in attendance. Wine and Refreshments will be served. The exhibition will be on view through November 7th, 2010 during business hours.

Laraine Anne Fletcher was born (1940) in Brooklyn, grew up in Ozone Park and currently resides in Kew Gardens.  She attended Richmond High School, received a B.A. from Adelphi University and a Ph.D. from SUNY Stony Brook. She has worked professionally as an archaeologist in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua and currently heads the Anthropology Department at Adelphi.  She has also been a photographer since 1970. Her last exhibit, "México Profundo," was held at the Swirbul Library Gallery, Adelphi University, Garden City. 

Fletcher began taking pictures with the reliable Pentax Spotmatic, using only available light with  the classic 50mm f/1.4 lens and shooting exclusively in black and white. She tried to follow Robert Capa's advice that “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough”. The switch to digital came within the last decade, and with that, an interest in color, form, and finally, the use of the zoom lens with greater frequency.  This eclectic exhibit reflects some 40 years of picture taking in black and white and color, and covers a wide variety of themes.

For more information: (718) 846-4601

Call for Actors!!!

Dear Actors, Friends of Maple Grove will once again be sponsoring SPIRITS ALIVE on Saturday October 9, 2010, 2:00pm-4:00pm. The mission of this FAMILY EVENT is to celebrate the lives of people who are buried at Maple Grove Cemetery (83-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens). Their lives are acted out (short scripts to be memorized) and public upon arrival follows a mapped route to hear the stories of each of 30+ actors standing at various grave sites. There will be one rehearsal/costume fitting a week before event. RAIN OR SHINE! Post production, actors are invited to a well deserved cast party. An article and slide show for Spirits Alive 2007 can be found at http://www.kewgardenscivic.org/special-015.html.

For more information and/or to participate as a VOLUNTEER ACTOR, please call Carl Ballenas, Maple Grove Historian by September 10th: 718-523-1876, cetus@mindspring.com

Summer Concert at Center at Maple Grove Cemetery!

Free Forest Park Sports & Events This Summer!

Take a look at what's going on in Forest Park this summer! All free to the public!

FREE FOREST PARK SPORTS
Sponsored by NY State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo
*All sport clinics begin the week of July 12th and run through August 20th

KARATE, ages 7 and up
Tuesdays, 3:00 to 4:30 PM
Classes are in Oak Ridge
Forest Parkway & Forest Park Drive

SKATE BOARDING, ages 7 - 14
Mondays, 10:00 AM - Noon
Forest Park Skate Park
Woodhaven Blvd. & Forest Park Drive


2010 Free Events at Forest Park!

Mondays, June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 12, 19
6:00 - 7:30 PM
DANCING UNDER THE STARS
Wallenberg Square
Sponsored by the Forest Park Trust, Inc.
Wednesday, June 23, 7:00 PM

SLEEPING BEAUTY
Puppets in the Park recreate this classic tale with marionettes.
Jackson Pond Playground
Sponsored by City Parks Foundation
Wednesday, June 30, 7:00 PM

SIMON SEZ
Dry Harbor Playground
Sponsored by CM Elizabeth Crowley
Wednesday, July 7, 7:00 PM

SLEEPING BEAUTY
Live musical performance of this classic tale performed by Plaza Theatrical.
Dry Harbor Playground
Sponsored by the Forest Park Trust, Inc.
Wednesday, July 14, 7:00 PM

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Enjoy this wonderful tale performed live by
Pattycake Theatre.
Mary Whalen Playground
Sponsored by the Forest Park Trust, Inc.
Monday, July 19, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

DANCING UNDER THE STARS FINALE
Featuring the live band O.N.S.
Wallenberg Square
Sponsored by the Forest Park Trust, Inc.
Wednesday, July 21, 7:00 PM

ANNA JACK’S CIRCUS
World-renowned and record holding performer of amazing Hoola Hoop feats.
Sobelsohn Playground
Sponsored by the Forest Park Trust, Inc.
Sunday, July 25th, 4:00 - 5:30 PM

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Shakespeare’s popular comedy performed by
Black Henna Productions.
Wallenberg Square
Wednesday, July 28, 7:00 PM

JOHN PIZZI & COMPANY
Enjoy this entertaining family show with ventriloquism, illusions and comedy.
Dry Harbor Playground
Sponsored by the Forest Park Trust, Inc.
Wednesday, August 4, 7:30 PM

SHIRLEY ALSTON REEVES
Enjoy this Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame member and former lead singer of the hit group the Shirelles!
George Seuffert Bandshell
Sponsored by Ridgewood Savings Bank
Wednesday, August 11, 7:30 PM

MARY LAMONT BAND
Enjoy a night of country music.
George Seuffert Bandshell
Presented by NY Metro Country Music Association
Wednesday, August 18, 7:30 PM

MACBETH
Shakespeare's famous psychological thriller performed by
Hip to Hip Theatre Company.
George Seuffert Bandshell
Sunday, August 22, 7:30 PM

TAMING OF THE SHREW
Shakespeare's story of the battle of the sexes performed by Hip to Hip Theatre Company.
George Seuffert Bandshell
Wednesday, August 25, 7:30 PM

BROADWAY TRIBUTE
Enjoy your favorite show tunes from Broadways greatest
hits live!
George Seuffert Bandshell
Sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings Bank
Wednesday, September 1, 7:30 PM

LET’S HANG ON Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons Tribute
Enjoy the greatest hits of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons.
George Seuffert Bandshell
Sponsored by Maspeth Federal Savings & Loan
Monday, September 13, 3:00 - 5:30 PM

BACK TO SCHOOL
Gear up for the new school year with give-a-ways, music, games and more!
Dry Harbor Playground
Sunday, October 3, 9:00 AM

5K & FUN RUN
Participate in FREE track and field games and run in our $1 Fun Run and $14 5K race fundraiser at Victory Field. *Registration Required for 5K race.
Sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings Bank, TD Bank, and the Forest Park Runners

Summer Jazz Concert at Maple Grove Saturday the 17th!

Let Your Spirits Swing at the Maple Grove Summer Outdoor Concert
Imagine the sounds of a 12-piece brass and percussion band filling the warm evening air. Jazz melodies drift over the light breezes, mingling with the scent of summer flowers. Friends and neighbors gather on the green with blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the sounds of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Glen Miller.
Maple Grove’s First Summer Outdoor Concert will be held Saturday, July 17th, 7:00pm – 9:00pm (the gates open at 6:00pm), THE CENTER at Maple Grove Cemetery (127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, NY 11415).
Let your spirits swing to the music of the Lew Picardi Big Band playing America’s Classic Swing repertoire and a musical tribute honoring Vincent Youmans, Jimmy Rushing, LaVern Baker and other musical talents interred at Maple Grove.
The Lew Picardi Big Band, the gatekeeper of Swing Music, has been keeping America’s Big Band tradition alive through concerts for over 15 years. It continues to introduce the music of the great Big Bands to all generations. July 17th promises to be an evening filled with fun, memories and history.
Bring along your blanket or chair. Snacks and beverages are available for purchase. Parking on the premises.
TICKETS: Pay at the gate on July 17th: $10, $8 for seniors, $5 for members, 12 years and under FREE.
Information: (917) 881-3358 or

This weekend! Saturday, June 26--Celebration!

Summer Jazz Concert at Maple Grove!

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Carol Lacks
Phone: (917) 881-3358
E-mail: CarolLacks@aol.com



Let Your Spirits Swing at the Maple Grove Summer Outdoor Concert

Imagine the sounds of a 12-piece brass and percussion band filling the warm evening air. Jazz
melodies and sultry vocals drift over the light breezes, mingling with the scent of summer flowers. Friends and neighbors gather on the green with blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the sounds of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Glen Miller.

Maple Grove’s First Summer Outdoor Concert on the Great Lawn will be held Saturday,
July 10th (rain date July 17th) 7:00pm – 9:00pm, THE CENTER at Maple Grove Cemetery
(127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, 11415).

Let your spirits swing to the music of the Lew Picardi Big Band playing America’s Classic Swing repertoire and a musical tribute honoring Vincent Youmans, Jimmy Rushing, LaVern Baker and other musical talents interred at Maple Grove.

The Lew Picardi Big Band, the gatekeeper of Swing Music, has been keeping America’s
Big Band tradition alive through concerts for over 15 years. It continues to introduce the music of the great Big Bands to all generations. With Andrew Koslosky as MC, July 10th promises to be an evening filled with fun, memories and history.

Bring along your blanket, chairs and a flashlight. Snacks and beverages are available for purchase. Parking on the premises.

TICKETS: $10, $8 for seniors, $5 for members, 12 years and under FREE.
Pay at the gate on July 10th or Online (PayPal): www.friendsofmaplegrove.org
Information: (917) 881-3358 or friendsofmgc@aol.com

This concert produced by Super Nova Productions and Friends of Maple Grove, Inc. is made possible in part by The Queens Council on the Arts with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and a grant from the Josephine Foundation.

CELEBRATING THE PAST at Maple Grove!

June 14 Flag Day Event at Maple Grove

YOGA IN THE PARK TOMORROW!

if it rains Yoga In the Park will be held at Living Yoga at 11720
Queens blvd. Cross street 78th ave, upstairs. Contact Gillian if unsure at 631-365-4822

Kids Art in the Park this Weekend!

Kew Gardens Music Night!

Kew Gardens Rummage Sale!