#WeeklyColumn | June 21 to June 27 | It’s In Queens!
BY QEDC It's In Queens
The Summer Solstice is approaching, and Queens is ready to celebrate the longest day of the year with art, dance, theater, and urban shaman magic. Other upcoming events include Turkish cooking, Latin American noshing, hemisphere crossing, book signing, nature-catching, and storytelling.
June 21, Summer Solstice, 5 pm. Celebrate the longest and most light-filled day of the year with art-making workshops, The Blue Bus Project, storytelling, theater, dance, music, and local legend Mama Donna’s annual waterfront ritual uniting all in reverence and positive energy. Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., LIC.
June 21, LIC Block Party Music Fest, 5:30 pm. The bands — Avi Bortnick, The Blue Dahlia, and Underground Horns — perform as part of a Make Music New York Summer Solstice celebration featuring more than 1,000 concerts around the five boroughs. Under the overpass in Court Square on Jackson Avenue, LIC’s Dutch Kills.
June 21, Concrete Jungle, 6 pm. Artist-in-residence Annalisa Iadicicco’s solo exhibition includes mixed-media and sculptural works that reflect her LIC neighborhood and the changes she sees it going through each day. This opening reception features music by atmospheric band Simple Man and Paul Cimiotti, an electric guitar player based in Jackson Heights. Materials for the Arts, 33-00 Northern Blvd., LIC.
June 21, The Wizard of Oz, 6 pm. Plaza Theatrical presents Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Free (sponsored by City Council Member Eric Ulrich). Sobelsohn Playground, Park Lane South and Abingdon Road, Richmond Hill/Forest Park.
June 22, Open House + Community Conversation, 4 pm. Watch short films about Astoria and then discuss the neighborhood. The finale includes a free community screening of local Egyptian artist Bassem Yousri’s film “The Wardrobe Man,” an experimental docu-fiction in which Yousri finds himself in Denmark’s West Jutland. He’s researching Wardrobe Man, a peculiar hermit who lived by the shore about 50 years ago. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th St., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
June 22, Turkish Cooking, 7 pm. Sila Asa from the Turkish Cultural Center-Queens teaches how to prepare kebabs and a few other authentic dishes. $26. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston.
June 23, Noshwalks: Latin American Jackson Heights, 1 pm. Taste Colombian cholados and arepas en choclo, Uruguayan arrollados, Argentine mini-pastries filled with dulce de leche, and rotisserie chicken and appetizers at an Ecuadorean restaurant, where the empanadas are made with sweet plantain instead of fried dough. This Noshwalk includes a stop at a large market offering produce from Mexico and Central and South America. Meet in front of Capital One Bank at 37-02 82nd St.
June 23, Woodside Worldwide 2018, noon. Music, family-friendly fun, live entertainment, giveaways, and games. 61st Street between Woodside and Roosevelt avenues.
June 23, Photo Walk with Professional Female Photographers, 10 am. This tour is open to all camera types, including smart phones, as well as all skill levels. Get shooting tips while exploring the best blooms. Participants (age 18 and older) can enter photos in QBG’S “People, Plants, Cultures” contest for a chance to win a free family membership and tickets to Harvest Fest 2018. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
June 23, Crossing Hemispheres: Using Both Sides of our Brains to Address Climate Change, 2 pm. In conjunction with the new exhibition “Wake,” artist Ellen Driscoll and marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson participate in a discussion moderated by artist Resa Blatman. Free. Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45th Ave., LIC.
June 23, Summer Celebration, noon. Family fun with historic games, crafts, bubbles, and make-your-own ice cream. Free. King Manor Museum, vicinity of 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica.
June 23, Book Signing and Launch Party, 5:30 pm. Joanne M. Cherisma presents her personal account of overcoming domestic violence “I Never Thought I Would Be a Statistic.” $25. Keiko Studios, 212-26 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica.
June 24, All About Evil, 2:30 pm. Two separate screenings of “All About Eve (2:30 pm.)” and “Showgirls (6 pm).” Both films are filled with self-interested characters, bitchy putdowns, and acid-laced satire, but the first one received an Oscar for Best Picture, while the second got a Razzie for Worst Picture. $15. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th St., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
June 24, Astoria Park, noon. Greater Astoria Historical Society Executive Director Bob Singleton discusses the park’s history, the Triboro (RFK) and Hell Gate bridges, the General Slocum disaster, the Hell Gate reefs, and other details. $20. Meet at the Flatiron Building in the vicinity of Astoria Boulevard, 21st Street, and 27th Avenue. RSVP via info@astorialic.org or kevinjudewalsh@gmail.com.
June 24, Americans in Paris and Back Again, 3 pm. Quintet of the Americas, the borough’s renowned woodwind group, plays music that explores the influence that Nadia Boulanger had on American composers. More than 1,200 composers from all over the world studied with this French teacher during the 20th century. sTudio 7 Gallery, Fort Tilden Gateway National Recreation Area.
June 26, Discussion on Banned Books, 7 pm. Opening night for a series on books that were banned at least for a while. The first selection is “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Free. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, LIC.
June 27, The Moth StorySLAM: Endings, 7:30 pm. Storyteller hopefuls put their names in The Moth Hat. Then, names are picked, and storytellers take the stage. The subject is Endings, and contestants are asked to prepare a five-minute story about final scenes. (i.e. The last day of school, the dramatic breakup, or the last time you saw your dog.) Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Banner and top image: Arthur Moeller
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