#WeeklyColumn | Aug. 3 to Aug. 9 | It’s In Queens!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
This week’s theme is “blast from the past” as local venues take strolls down memory lane with musicians, movies, musicals, and even a memorial racetrack. There are some nods to the present, though, with a world premiere film festival and theatrical productions as well as fresh dance projects.
Aug. 3, Bix Beiderbecke Tribute, 3 pm. A 1920s-themed celebration of the influential cornet-player who lived in Queens. This 17th annual event features live jazz, Astoria Swing Dance, an ice cream giveaway, and a procession to Bix’s former apartment on 46th Street. Free. Bliss Plaza at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside.
Aug. 3, Passport Thursdays: West Africa, 7 pm. This weekly international dance, music, and film series explores West Africa with Seewe African Dance Company and the Nigerien movie Rain the Color Blue With a Little Red in It. Free. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Aug. 3, Park Plays, Aug. 6. Shorts exploring Flushing Meadows Corona Park make world premieres. Topics include romance, alien invasion, dragon boats, and dreams. Shows are Aug. 3, at 7:30 pm; Aug. 4 at 8 pm; Aug. 5 at 2 pm and 8 pm; and Aug. 6 at 3 pm. $18/$15 for students and seniors. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave., S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Aug. 3, Louis Armstrong Tribute, 6:30 pm. Dynamic trumpeter Joey Morant does an encore of last year’s thrilling Satchmo tribute. He electrifies audiences with his dazzling horn technique, skillful scat singing, and humorous asides. Activities at 5:30 pm. Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
Aug. 3, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Aug. 6. This Stanley Kubrick epic—“the ultimate trip”—is about the beauty and banality of civilization, blending cool satire, an elaborate vision of the future, and avant-garde cinematic inventiveness. It’s screened as part of the ongoing See It Big! Series on Aug. 3 at 7 pm; Aug. 4 at 7 pm; Aug. 5 at 2 pm; and Aug. 6 at 3 pm and 6:30 pm. $15. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Aug. 3, Groovy Goes Global, 1 pm. The Child Center of NY, the 101st Police Precinct, and Groovy Projects present a talent showcase featuring Broadway/TV stars and special appearances by Alex Newell (Glee) and Luke Hawkins (Xanadu, Broadway 4D, Cirque Du Soleil). Plus, Taranasha Wallace from MTV’s Love and Hip Hop signs copies of her book The Goddess Potential. Free. O’Donohue Park, vicinity of Beach 17th Street and Seagirt Boulevard, Far Rockaway.
Aug. 3, Jazz and Swing, 7:30 pm. Fleur Seule performs favorites from the 1930s and 1940s. Free. Astoria Park Great Lawn.
Aug. 4, Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema, Aug. 13. This inaugural event screens more than 100 short- and feature-length works from all genres with filmmaker Q&A sessions and industry panels. Main venue is Kew Gardens Cinemas, 81-05 Lefferts Blvd.
Aug. 4, Jamaica JAMS, Aug. 5. This 21st annual event attracts about 200,000 revelers to live performances, fashion, arts, and more than 500 vendors. Friday night’s fun includes a concert at Rufus King Park (153rd Street and 89th Avenue). On Saturday, ten blocks of Jamaica Avenue (Parsons Boulevard to 170th Street) are closed for the main party.
Aug. 4, Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China, 6:30 pm. This documentary follows three African-American siblings who search for their long-lost Chinese grandfather. Along with 16 family members, they travel to two Chinese cities, finding lineage information that dates back 3,000 years to 1,006 BC. $5. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Aug. 4, 1776, Aug. 13. A musical based on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. $20/$15 for children and seniors. Two venues: Glendale-Maspeth United Methodist Church, 66-14 Central Ave. (Aug. 4 at 8 pm and Aug. 5 at 8 pm) and and Community United Methodist Church, 75-27 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village (Aug. 6 at 3 pm, Aug. 12 at 8 pm, and Aug. 13 at 3 pm).
Aug. 4. The Graduate, dusk. Watch this Dustin Hoffman classic on a 24-foot inflatable screen adjacent to the East River with a spectacular view of Manhattan. Free. Hunters Point South Park, Center Boulevard and 51st Avenue, LIC.
Aug. 5, Woodhaven Tour, noon. The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society leads a walk around the perimeter of the old Union Course Racetrack. Free. Meet at Neir’s Tavern, 87-48 78th St., Woodhaven.
Aug. 5, Dance at Socrates, 4 pm. Norte Maar presents this multi-week, cross-disciplinary, collaborative project. Brandon Collwes and XAOC Contemporary Ballet with Tiffany Mills Company and Kathryn Alter present on this day. Free. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
Aug. 5, Summer of Women Film Series, 1 pm. Watch and discuss Dolley Madison, a movie about the President James Madison’s wife, as part of a series honoring the 100th anniversary of women suffrage in New York State. Free. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, LIC.
Aug. 5, Green Thumb, 1 pm. Make a seed planting kit to take home and watch grow. Rufus King and his son, John Alsop King, were nature-lovers who turned their land into a flourishing farm. Free. King Manor Museum, King Park, vicinity of Jamaica Avenue and 153rd Street, Jamaica.
Aug. 6, Full Moon Drumming Workshops, 7 pm. Celebrate the full moon with a drum circle and lessons on Irish drumming by Niall O’Leary. $25. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Aug. 7, School of Rock, 8:30 pm. The 2017 Movies on the Waterfront Series presents this Jack Black comedy. Free. Astoria Park Great Lawn.
Aug. 8, Tie Dye Tuesday, 7 pm. Solshyne Band plays classic rock. Free. 80th Street and Juniper Boulevard North, Middle Village.
Aug. 8, Sonia De Los Santos, 11 am. Original songs, Latin American party tunes, and bilingual versions of American classics. Free. 111th Street Lawn, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Aug. 8, Dance Entropy, 7 pm. Modern dance adapted for family audiences and a concrete stage as part of the Live at the Gantries series. Free. Gantry Plaza State Park, 4-09 47th Rd., LIC.
Aug. 9, Bird Mobiles and Birding Tours, 1 pm. Museum educator Emma Bonanomi leads a scavenger hunt so visitors can find inspiration in their backyards. Then, it’s making paper bird mobiles to decorate and take home. $5. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing.
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Top image: Queens Theatre/Dominick Totino; bottom image: Jamaica JAMS