#PickoftheWeek | A 100th birthday bash with a fun run and funner after-party
BY QEDC It's In Queens
A party like this happens only once a century.
Community organizations, businesses, and residents will fete the 100th anniversary of Hell Gate Bridge with a fun run in Astoria Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, followed by a string of events and concluding with an after-party at a local brewery.
The day will begin with a 100-meter children’s dash underneath the Birthday Boy (aka Hell Gate Bridge) at 8:30 am. All children under age 11 can join. Then, an open five-kilometer race will kick off from the same area at 9 am. More than 500 runners and walkers are expected. The route will take them through the park and along Shore Boulevard, Ditmars Boulevard, and other blocks before finishing next to the Birthday Boy.
After the awards, there will be a Little Ones Parade (around 10:30 am), followed by services to commemorate the bridge and honor veterans. Then, the Astoria Park Alliance will organize a cleanup and planting before the fiesta at SingleCut Beersmiths at noon…Yes, all this will happen before noon.
Registration is $30, but the children’s run is free. Proceeds go to the Hellgate Road Runners, a nonprofit that will use the funds to cover the cost of this and future races. Tee shirts and swag should be available for all. (Astoria Post and Hellgate Road Runners are the main sponsors, but a slew of community businesses are supporting the cause…and providing swag items.)
Stretching over treacherous East River waters from Astoria to Randalls Island, the 1,017-foot-long steel span gets its name from the Dutch word “Hellegat,” which means “Hell channel.” Construction ran from March 1, 1912 to Sept. 30, 1916 before opening for rail traffic on March 9, 2017. Currently, Hell Gate Bridge is owned by Amtrak and part of the train company’s Northeast Corridor line.
Other recent centennial celebrations have included lectures, guided tours, and mural creations.
#itsinqueens #astoriapost #pickoftheweek #astoria #queenstourismcouncil
Top image: Daniel Avila for NYC Parks; bottom image: Hellgate Road Runners