#WeeklyColumn | June 2 – 8, 2016
BY admin
June 2 to June 8:
The outdoors is everywhere! This means live music, a beer festival, running races, performance art, movies under the stars, nature programs, guided tours, a flea market, and even volunteer opportunities en plen air. But there are comedy shows, lectures, a film festival, and plenty of music options in climate-controlled venues, too.
June 2, The Alvin Flythe Quartet, 6:30 pm. A debut series of jazz featuring an eclectic range of Queens-based musicians. Alvin Flythe starts it off with a history of the tenor saxophone. Following the concert, students from LaGuardia Community College host “Tours of the Sky” with an on-site telescope. Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC, www.socratessculpturepark.org.
June 2, Ende Thymes Festival of Noise and Liberation, 6 pm (June 4- 5, 2 pm to 6 pm). Sixth annual event includes performances and sound-related sculptural installations. Knockdown Center, 59-50 54th St., Maspeth, www.knockdown.center.
June 2, Broadway Show Tunes, 7 pm. The Queens Symphony Orchestra performs. Free. Maspeth Town Hall, 53-37 72nd St., Maspeth, (718) 570-0909.
June 3, Maspeth Craft Beer Festival and Wine Tasting, 6 pm. More than 20 local and national companies give out beer, wine, and cider. $50/$60 at the door. Designated driver ticket (water and soda) is $10. Knockdown Center, 59-50 54th St., Maspeth, www.knockdown.center.
June 3, Special Open Studio, 6:30 pm. Choreographer Satoshi Haga and composer Jen Shyu give the public a peek into their multi-layered process of improvisation, composition, and deep history as music and movement collaborators. Free. Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave., www.jcal.org.
June 3, Free First Fridays, Bang on a Can, 10 am to 8 pm. The sixth year of the Bang on a Can music series kicks off with Theo Bleckmann in the sculpture garden. Special summer hours. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, www.noguchi.org.
June 3, Woman Is the Future of Man, 7 pm. Screened as part of a series on Korean director Hong Sang-soo, Woman is the Future is about a university art professor and a filmmaker who both loved the same woman. They decide to revisit together the scenes of their old romances and to seek out the old flame with bumbling, mortifying results. $12. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.
June 3, Movie Night: Minions, dusk. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a free screening. Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center, 93-29 Queens Blvd., Rego Park, www.nycgovparks.org.
June 4 & 5, Queens International Children’s Festival, 10:30 am to 4 pm. This fun-filled stay-cation has something for everyone: A miniature golf course designed by local artists; live indoor and outdoor performances; face painting; storytelling; and giveaways. Free. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., www.jpac.org.
June 4, LGBT Voices, 5 pm. Flushing Town Hall presents an outdoor event with up-and-coming performers who identify as LGBTQ. Music, dance, poetry, storytelling, theater, and a special doll-making workshop. Free. Diversity Plaza, 37th Road and 74th Street, Jackson Heights, www.flushingtownhall.org.
June 4, 5K Run/Walk, 8:30 am. More than 1,000 participants are expected. Shorter races for children. Proceeds go to the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit group that helps maintain LIC’s waterfront parks. $20/$15 for children. Race starts next to Hunters Point South Park. Post-race party with live music, food and drinks at LIC Landing, www.hunterspointsouth.com.
June 4, 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage, 1 pm. Several Girl Scout troops present a program on women’s suffrage to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in New York State. Free with Girl Scout cookies and milk. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, LIC, www.astorialic.org.
June 4, Exploring the Bay, 1 pm. The Alley Pond Environmental Center leads hands-on science programming in Little Bay Park in June. Grab a seining net and learn about creatures that live in the bay. No parent participation allowed, and pre-registration is required. Free. More info at www.nycgovparks.org.
June 4, Queens International 2016, noon to 5 pm. Witness various performances, including an investigation of insult humor — an ancient oral tradition — from cultures around the world, a live creation of a new Mariachi song, and a pop-up labyrinth. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.
June 4, 18th Annual Spring Arts Festival, noon to 4 pm. The Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement celebrates life, community, and creativity through the artistic talents of local residents. Performances, art, food and fun filled family activities. Queensbridge Houses, 10-25 41st Ave., LIC, (718) 752-9314.
June 4, Forest Hills Choir, 4 pm. Maurice Durufle’s immortal Requiem directed by Todd Wachsman with Jon Tyillian on the organ. $20/$15 for students and seniors/$5 for children 12 and under. The Church in the Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, www.thecitg.org.
June 4, First Saturdays in the Loft: From Life! In 3D, 9:30 am. Fun family art workshops for children ages 6-11. This month, make modeled reliefs with air-dry modeling clay. $10 materials fee. Advanced registration is required. SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves St., LIC, www.sculpture-center.org.
June 4, Percussia International Express Concert, 2:45 pm. Percussia premieres Quentin Chiappetta’s The International Express, a musical portrait of the 7 train, with other premieres and treats. Free. Jackson Heights Library, 35-31 81st St., Jackson Heights, www.percussia.org.
June 4, The Day a Pig Fell into the Well, 1:30 pm; The Power of Kangwon Province, 4 pm. Screened as part of a series on Korean director Hong Sang-soo, Pig Fell consists of intertwining stories of four young people looking for love in all the wrong places. Power of Kangwon depicts Jisook, recently free of a relationship with a married man, who joins two girlfriends for a wild vacation in mountainous Kangwon. $12. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.
June 4, Family Day Festival, noon to 4 pm. An afternoon of sports, games, inflatables, music, giveaways, and more. Free. Smokey Oval Park, 95th Avenue and 125th Street, Richmond Hill, www.nycgovparks.org.
June 4, Movie Night: Incredibles, dusk. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a free screening. Electric Playground, 164th Street between 65th and 67th avenues, Fresh Meadows, www.nycgovparks.org.
June 5, Queens Mid-Century/Modern Architecture, 2:30 pm. Historian and preservationist Frampton Tolbert presents his Queens Modern project, an examination of mid-century architecture, specifically the more than 400 projects that received Queens Chamber of Commerce Building Awards. He discusses how the development of modern architecture impacted the borough’s growth and history. $5/$3 students and seniors. More information at http://bit.ly/1TSc9CQ.
June 5, We Run for Hope 5K Run/Walk, 9 am. The race, held on National Cancer Survivors Day, benefits SHARE Cancer Support. It is a timed race event and awards and prizes are given to top fundraisers and finishers. Astoria Park. For more details, got to www.werunforhope.com.
June 5, Community Day, 11 am to 6 pm. The start of an annual series with free admission all day and special programs and activities for all ages. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, www.noguchi.org.
June 5, Ecuadorian Film Festival, 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Everything from short films to features to documentaries. Free. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.
June 5, Little Makers: Bouncy Balls, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Children explore chemistry in a fun new way by mixing and molding everyday household ingredients to create bouncy balls. $8 per family plus museum admission. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Corona, www.nysci.org.
June 5, Community Volunteer Day, 10 am to 1 pm. Participate in various gardening activities. Free refreshments. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, http://bit.ly/25wzFOc.
June 5, Music with the Maestro, 7 pm. Music performed by Maestro Silas Huff and members of the Astoria Symphony Orchestra. Program includes Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jules Massenet, Georges Bizet, and Judy Garland. $25/free for children 12 years of age or under. Sage Music, 44-02 23rd St., LIC, www.astoriamusic.org.
June 5, Different Roads-Same Destination: A Curator/Artists Tour of the Exhibition, 2 pm. Curator Alexander and exhibiting artists Arthur Simms and Randy Wray lead a walk-through of the new Different Roads exhibition. Free. Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45th Ave., LIC, www.dorsky.org.
June 5, Science in the Park, 1 pm. The Alley Pond Environmental Center and the New York Hall of Science host hands-on science programming in Alley Pond Park. Topics include pond exploration, engineering, insects, and flight. Drop-off program, no parent participation. Pre-registration required for some programs. Meet in the playground inside the park at Springfield Boulevard and 76th Avenue, www.nycgovparks.org.
June 8, Movie Night: Inside Out, dusk. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a free screening. Unisphere, Flushing Meadow Corona Park, www.nycgovparks.org.
June 5, On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate, 2 pm; The Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, 4:30 pm; Tale of Cinema and Lost in the Mountains, 7 pm. Screened as part of a retrospective on Korean director Hong Sang-soo, On the Occasion tells the story of an actor who doesn’t get a desired part. He leaves Seoul to visit a friend in the provinces and winds up initiating two affairs. Virgin Stripped Bare is about a complicated triangular relationship. Tale of Cinema begins with the story of forlorn college student and his ex. The director then reframes this as a film-within-a-film. $12. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.
June 5, Flea Market, 9 am to 3 pm. Jewelry, handbags, books, religious items, clothing, and home items with a food court. St. Clare’s Church, 137-35 Brookville Blvd., Rosedale.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions. More info at www.itsinqueens.com.
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