#WeeklyColumn | It’s In Queens! | May 31 to June 6
BY QEDC It's In Queens
What can we say? Another week, another diverse lineup of fun and enriching events. Stay in Queens for Gospel, tango, laser light shows, dance, floating lanterns, sculpture, LGBTQ pride, and even some Trump bashing.
May 31, Country Blues & Dance, 8 pm. Celebrate the music and dance of Piedmont, the hilly region stretching from Georgia to the Chesapeake and the Appalachians. Blues harmonica master Phil Wiggins is joined by guitarist Rick Franklin and fiddler Marcus Moore, and the incomparable dance artistry of Junious Brickhouse. The Harris Brothers, Appalachian blues songsters, round out the program. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
May 31, Tango + Tango, June 23. Audiences can expect classics like “La Última Copa” and new material by Astor Piazzolla, including “Preludio Para El Año 3001.” Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 4 pm. Thalía Spanish Theatre, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside.
May 31, The Origins of the Laser Light Show, 8 pm. A showcase of films and other moving images that connect to the origins of the laser light show that became a staple of planetarium shows in the 1970s. The lineup includes works from 1921 through 2015, live technique demos, and a conversation with physicist Elsa Garmire, co-founder of the company that became Laserium, Joshua White, founder of the Joshua Light Show; and Lumia collector AJ Epstein. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
May 31, An Evening With Kirk Franklin, 7:30 pm. The Gospel singer introduces his new album, “Long Live Love.” The Greater Allen Cathedral of New York, 110-31 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica.
May 31, Essay L.A., June 2. Six programs of essay and collage films that explore Los Angeles as a space for free-association. Titles include the genre-defining “Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003, Thom Andersen),” filmic anomalies such as Pat O’Neill’s virtuosic document of time and landscape trauma “Water and Power (1989),” and the rarely shown “The Savage Eye (1960).” Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.
May 31, Intimate Conversations, June 1. Dancer Laura Peterson offers an inside look into the choreographic process of her “Paper Room: Folding/Unfolding,” which is based on the shared American experience of never really knowing the full story in any situation. It’s about half-truths and manipulation. 7 pm both nights. Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave.
June 1, Water Lantern Festival, 6 pm. Participants design personalized lanterns with messages of hope, love, and peace, and launch them onto the water. Fountain of the Planets, Avenue of Commerce and Dwight Eisenhower Promenade, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
June 1, The First 24-Hour Public Reading of the Entire Redacted Mueller Report, June 2. Volunteers read aloud and listen to the entire redacted Mueller Report for a full day, starting on June 1 at 8 pm. More than 100 citizens––including theater, film, television, and music artists––have volunteered as readers. The Arc, 36-30 36th St., LIC.
June 1, The Ultimate Flight Exhibition, Sept. 8. Interactive experiences about flight, space travel, aerospace innovation, and technology. Exhibits include a 180-degree immersive theater presentation, a high-tech historical timeline, a simulated space elevator ride, a challenge to design and test a supersonic fighter jet in a virtual high-speed flying competition, and an aviator-based motion-capture group experience that demonstrates flight like a bird. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
June 1, LIC Post Waterfront 5K, 8:30 am. More than 1,500 runners are expected to participate. The children’s Center Blvd Dash is immediately after the main event. Vicinity of LIC Landing, 01-50 50th Ave.
June 1, Corónate, 11 am. A seasonal cultural event celebrating Corona (and Queens) with music, art, workshops, and an opportunity to learn about inspirational causes. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
June 1, Hands on History: Plant Your Own Terrarium, 1 pm. Rufus King experimented with soil, plants, and even fertilizer. Find out more about 19th century agriculture and create a miniature garden to take home. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.
June 1, National Trails Day, 10 am. Join Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s Environmental Stewardship Team for volunteer planting at Pat Dolan Trail. Meet at Mauro Playground, Park Drive East at 73rd Avenue Terrace.
June 2, Queens Pride Parade and Festival, noon. A celebration of LGBTQ life. The festival includes singers, comedians, drag acts, dance groups, and food at 75th Street and 37th Road. The parade is on 37th Avenue from 89th Street to 75th Street in Jackson Heights.
June 2, Center of Attention, 4 pm. Visitors are invited to engage in a conversation about Saburo Hasegawa’s “The Harmonious (1953),” which is featured in the special exhibition “Changing and Unchanging Things: Noguchi and Hasegawa in Postwar Japan.” The Noguchi Museum, 9-03 33rd Rd., LIC.
June 2, Genealogy Workshop, 1:30 pm. Researcher Frances Singh leads a presentation and discussion on genealogy. Onderdonk House, 1820 Flushing Ave., Ridgewood.
Last Chance
The First Transatlantic Flight, until June 2. The Queens Historical Society, the Rockaway Artists Alliance, and City Council Member Eric Ulrich celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. Navy Seaplane NC-4 was assembled and took off from the Rockaway Naval Air Station on May 8, 1919. This display features storyboards on the epic flight. Studio T-7 Gallery, Fort Tilden, Rockaway Point.
Images: Water Lantern Festival (top); Queens Museum (bottom)
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