#InTheLoop | A Day in the Country with Vincent van Gogh and Craft Beer
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Queens County Farm Museum is about to launch September Sundays, a string of outdoor events featuring children’s activities, venue-inspired beer, live bluegrass music, and Vincent van Gogh.
Yes, Vincent van Gogh.
The Dutch artist is known for cutting off his left ear after heated arguments with French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin in the late 19th century, but he also painted a series of exquisite sunflowers in vases with three shades of yellow during this time. (He actually gave two paintings to Gauguin.)
A van Gogh-inspired sunflower is about to emerge inside Queens Farm’s three-acre Amazing Maize Maze, thanks to some impressive engineering and a sponsorship by Con Edison. Those who venture inside will have to find their way through the labyrinth to Victory Bridge where the sunflower vista is revealed.
Pretty cool idea, but let’s get back to September Sundays. The kickoff is Sept. 13, and then they’ll run weekly with two sessions per day (11 am-2 pm and 2 pm-5 pm) and a $15 admission price. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to socially distance and enjoy Mama Juke, a band that specializes in New Orleans-influenced blues, folk, funk, and soul. Local food vendors will sell products in a newly established outdoor dining paddock, while in a beer garden, borough-based Bridge & Tunnel Brewery will pour 1697 Adriance Ale, a Queens Farm-inspired craft beverage. (The farm cleared five acres for the audience.)
At other spots, a stand will sell such vegetables as beets, broccoli, eggplant, ground cherries, kale, kohlrabi, peppers, and tomatoes along with farm-fresh eggs, flowers, and herbs. Plus, the Con Edison Ecology Booth will host its Adopt-a-Worm composting program. The entrance is 73-50 Little Neck Parkway in Glen Oaks.
Images (top to bottom): Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation); Matthew Borowick; and Sarah Meyer