#WeeklyColumn | It’s In Queens! Aug. 2 to Aug. 8
BY QEDC It's In Queens
It’s a festival of multi-day festivals! Movies, music, Muppets, dance, and even Grace Jones enjoy long Queens promotions this week. There are also chances to enjoy historic games, walking tours, Victorian gardens, and Hapa-Zome.
Aug. 2, The Muppet Show: Julie Andrews and Rita Moreno, Aug. 5. Andrews performs “Lonely Goatherd” and “Whistle a Happy Tune,” while Moreno (who received an Emmy for her guest turn) delivers a memorable version of “Fever,” assisted by Animal. $15. First screening actually on Aug. 1, with daily 11 am shows through Aug. 5. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Aug. 3, Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema, Aug 12. Watch features, documentaries, shorts, web series, music videos and more while supporting the local independent film scene. Free workshops, presentations, and talks, too. Two sites: Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and United Artists Midway 9, 108-22 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills.
Aug. 3, Jamaica JAMS, Aug. 4. The opening concert, JAMS under the Stars, pays homage to the icons of Jazz, R&B, Rock, and Funk in Rufus King Park on Aug. 3 at 6 pm. The main event is a day of multi-cultural and educational family fun, shopping, community resources and entertainment on Aug. 4, 11 am to 7 pm. Jamaica Avenue from Parsons Boulevard to 170th Street.
Aug. 4, Insitu Site-Specific Dance Festival, Aug. 5. More than 140 works by choreographers from around the world at four LIC venues: Hunters Point South Park; Gantry Plaza State Park; Queensbridge Park; and Socrates Sculpture Park from 1 pm to 8 pm on both days. Workshops, too.
Aug. 4, Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, Aug. 5. This documentary looks at the androgynous glam-pop diva who invited the camera into her home, studio, and even backstage at gigs. Screenings are Aug. 4, 2 pm and 4:30 pm, and Aug. 5, 2 pm. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
Aug. 4, Spirit of Caribbean, noon. Stylistic expressions in sound and dance that celebrate the diverse Caribbean cultures in Queens. Artists include Andy Bassford, Majid, Brown Rice Family, Jahlani, TTO All-Stars Band, and Devore Dance Center. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave.
Aug. 4, One Summer Night, 6 pm. Music by 2Melo, Beatrix, Tasha Blank, The Get Down, and many others with performances, projections, and interactive experiences. $30. Paper Factory Hotel, 37-06 36th St., LIC.
Aug. 4, Games Day, 1 pm. Play with toys children would have played with more than 200 years ago. This coincides with the opening of the latest Art in the Parks installation so check out Rose DeSiano’s “Absent Monuments.” King Manor Museum, vicinity of 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica.
Aug. 5, Community Day, 11 am. Free programs, including a drop-in drawing studio, public tour, and conversation on one of the installations. The Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC.
Aug. 5, ForgottenNY: Corona, noon. A walking tour of Corona with Lemon Ice King, lost racetracks, NASA rockets from the 1960s space program, World’s Fair remnants, ancient firehouses and churches, and one of the last remaining bocce hotspots. $20. Meet at the 103rd Street/Corona Plaza station of the 7 train in the public plaza. RSVP to info@astorialic.org or kevinjudewalsh@gmail.com.
Aug. 5, Hapa-Zome Gardens, 2 pm. Learn the art of hapa-zome, imprinting natural plant dyes into fabric with a hammer. Plant a hapa-zome container garden with Jess Brey of Dyed in Queens, using plants like nasturtium, basil, marigold, and pansy. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
Aug. 7, Rock-A-Way Ba-by for the Sun-Set, 6 pm. The official Queens historian, Jack Eichenbaum, leads a walking tour on and off the Rockaway boardwalk that connects two restaurants which overlook the Jamaica Bay side of the peninsula. $20. Meet at Thai Rock, 375 Beach 92nd St., registration required at jaconet@aol.com.
Aug. 7, Maestro Khan, 7 pm. A classical Indian music and dance company performs as part of the two-month Live at the Gantries series. Free. Gantry Plaza State Park, Center Boulevard and 48th Avenue, LIC.
Aug. 8, Kingsland Homestead, 5:30 pm. The official Queens historian, Jack Eichenbaum, leads a walking tour from Kingsland to the historic property’s two prior locations. $30. Meet at Kingsland, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing.
Aug. 8, What is a Victorian Garden?, 1 pm. Check out the on-site Victorian garden and design a garden collage. $4. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing.
Aug. 8, Spirit of the Beehive, 7 pm. Part of the Outdoor Cinema 2018 series, this mystical drama takes place in 1940 in a small Spanish town where two sisters watch the original “Frankenstein” from a cinema truck. Later, the younger one conjures up her monster spirit with help from her older sister’s prodding, her wacky mother, her bee-obsessed father, and a soldier who was wounded in the Civil War. Organized with Film Forum and Rooftop Films, this 20th annual series shows movies from around the world paired with music and cuisine from the subject film’s country. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
Images: Insitu