Save the Library!

From Queens Crap:

"The Queens Library last year received $5.09 for each library patron visit, about two-thirds of the amount received by the Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library, which serves Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, says the report, "Library Funding: Subsidies Rebound, Disparities Remain."

I don't know about you, but I think that the library is one of the greatest public places ever devised by humankind. I'm not joking. See, they have books. And you can get a card that lets you take them home for a couple of weeks. Nowadays, using this thing called the internet you can even get your library to order books that they don't have, then hold them behind the counter just for you and nobody else. They'll even send you an email when the books come in!

And I'm not just talking fusty old classics like that broad who wrote the book they based Clueless on. I'm talking Harry Potter. I'm talking Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Oprah's Book Club, Neil Gaiman, Spiderwick, Laura Ingalls Wilder... just to name a few who may never have appeared together in the same sentence before.

The library doesn't have to be pretty, though that helps. It ought to be quiet--but that's a post for another day, because today I come to praise the library, not to bury it. Many offer woefully underfunding continuing education and ESL classes.

And if you hate to read, did you know they have CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks? Try one of the latter for your August trek in the rental to Grandma's. Who needs an SUV with a DVD player when you can have an Oscar-winning actor read you a good story?

Has this post moved you to action? Then buy the library a book.

Buy-A-Book for Queens Library
Celebrate the Library's 100th Anniversary

Funds for new books are needed more than ever. The library's budget to buy books has decreased by $4 million, while the demand for books and materials continues to increase each year!

Make your special “Buy-A-Book” gift for Queens Library’s 100th Anniversary today! Until September 30, your gift will be worth twice as much through a very generous $150,000 challenge grant provided by The Louis Calder Foundation.

Donations of $25 or more will buy books for the Library to be enjoyed by toddlers, teens, seniors, or you! As a thank you, your name, or the name of the person or organization you choose to honor, will appear on a special, limited edition commemorative 100th Anniversary bookplate in a new book.

So Cute

The YMCA has an indoor track that runs in a circle above the pool. On Saturdays, you can see the kids having their swimming classes. Everything from dads with tiny babies to kids bumping into each other while trying to master the backstroke to little ones with floaties and kickboards.

I mean, seriously. Can anything be cuter? Except maybe the little ballet class I saw in the 2nd floor classroom last week. Tutus and everything.

Bring the Funny to the Grind

Are there funny people in NW Queens? The Grind thinks you'll find them from 9 to 11:30 on Thursday nights. No cover, 2 drink minimum--and they're claiming to have cocktails now.

If you're really masochistic--er, in the mood for homegrown entertainment, warm up with Open Mic night, starting at 7pm, also on Thursday night.

I totally, totally dare somebody to check this out. Best reader review wins a rice ball from the Cheesteak Factory and bragging rights. Send submissions to clairedeveronNOSPAM@gmail.com (make sure to delete the NOSPAM part).

WNBC-TV report on the future of Sunnyside Rail Yards

Thanks to "New Yorker" for sending Queens Rocks a link to ABC News's video report on this hotly contested issue.

Ropes Course--In Queens!

CITY’S FIRST PUBLIC…AND THE NORTHEAST’S LARGEST…HIGH ROPES ADVENTURE COURSE OPENS IN ALLEY POND PARK

DATE: Friday, July 20, 2007

TIME:
12:00 p.m.

LOCATION:
Alley Pond Adventure Course, Enter at Winchester Blvd. (under the Grand Central Parkway; north of Union Turnpike); Head to the parking lot, Alley Pond Park, Queens

EVENT & PHOTO-OP: Commissioner Adrian Benepe and approximately 50 kids will "cut the rope" and traverse the new Alley Pond Adventure Course—the first adventure ropes course in a New York City park and the largest of its kind in the northeast. Press is invited to participate in the course.

DETAILS: The Alley Pond Park Adventure Course, also called a ropes or challenge course, is a challenging outdoor activity course that is open to individuals and groups and consists of 20 high and low elements—zip lines, a climbing grotto, a web, balance boards and more.

The course is a program of the Urban Park Rangers and was funded with a $250,000 grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and a $120,000 grant from the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Foundation.

A Silly Storytelling Hour at Starbucks

Night Light Works Presents:

A Silly Storytelling Hour at Starbucks

Come and join us for an hour of milk, cookies and Silly Storytelling!

WHAT IT IS: A Silly Story is a story where anything can happen! And it's sure to be silly because children are encouraged to help tell it! Silly Storytelling is a great way to build children's literacy skills and develop their imaginations!

WHO: All ages are welcome, but Silly Storytelling is especially fun for ages 3 to 10.

WHEN: Wednesday July 25th from 6pm to 7pm.

WHERE: Your local Starbucks! 46-09 Queens Blvd

HOW: Sign up at Starbucks to let us know that you are coming! There is a sign up sheet behind the counter and on the bullentin board. Sign up on either sheet.

For the Grown-ups we have a special treat as well... COFFEE and A FREE RAFFLE!

Warm Up in LIC: And Unlike Last Summer, LIC Residents Aren’t Paying For It

In New York City the word “beach” means as much as the word “grass.” There’s not that many opportunities to lay in the sun, on a hammock, with cool music, (not your ipod), with overly attractive friends and a summer-y drink. Until now--P.S.1’s Warm Up Saturday series is in full summertime swing.

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center is the sexier, or rather x/y/z generation counterpart of the MOMA. This hip counterpart set in a old school building, offers a party in a rather unexpected place, right at the foot of the 45 Road Court House Square subway stop. The party grounds are impressive— a concrete beach with full hammocks draped from an overwhelming art exhibit called Liquid Sky, chilled summer drinks at the bar, live music and DJ’s that spin while you're relaxing, socializing, dancing or trying to stay dry under the aforementioned “sky.”

In addition to the party fun, LIC/Sunnyside residents get in free—which is a steal, since regular admission is ten bucks. However, be sure to bring a proof of residence, such as a bill or lease and form of ID— they will not let you in otherwise. With this golden ticket, you are given access to P.S.1’s indoor museum which offers everything from an art exhibit in the historic building’s own boiler room to a painstaking tiny dot masterpiece.

So, on Saturday, get off your couch and turn off the AC-—Warm Up at P.S.1.

Dates & Times

Each Saturday through September 1, from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Address:

P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center is located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue at 46th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, across the Queensboro Bridge from midtown Manhattan.

Click here for full line up and info.

Lollipop Garden Closing

From the owners:

Hello everyone,

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the closing of Lollipop Garden.
As many of you know, we have faced financial difficulties since the warm weather has arrived and we have been trying to come up with a temporary arrangement with our landlord. Well, we did have an arrangement but late Friday we have received a phone call from the landlord who simply said that (for whatever reason) the arrangement we had will not work for him and asked that we be out of the premises by the end of next week. Needless to say, we are devastated. We asked for a little break on the rent and were led to believe that our request was accepted. The landlord's change of mind on Friday caught us totally off guard and now we have no choice but to close our doors for good since we do not have sufficient funds to cover the rent.

I know this may sound really "cheap" but we would like to ask for one last and final support from the community to help us out with this sudden move. We will be open for open play all of next week at regular admission price so please stop by and say hello. All classes however have been canceled. We are also selling everything at Lollipop Garden. We will say our final good-bye on Thursday and will be open until 8:00. We want to say thank you to all of you who have supported us in the last 7 months and we apologize to those who just found us in the last few weeks.

Rate the 7 Train Online

Too bad there isn't a place to write in comments:

"During rush hour, I love that I can wave to all the people on the 46th Street platform, knowing that all of us will still be there when the train comes by."

Take the survey here.

Lemonade!

I just drank a delicious fresh squeezed lemonade from The Grind (Queens Boulevard & 39th Place, South Side). I watched her squeeze it myself. Real lemons, and you add the sugar yourself so I could get the perfect level of tartness. Delicious & refreshing after a walk through the neighborhood.

Also, I noticed that The Grind has ice cream sodas on offer. I have not had one yet, but this has been one of my pregnancy cravings. And since my boyfriend Mr. Softee no longer comes up my street at 9:15 pm, I've been despairing of having to rely on Baskin Robbins for my fix. I mean, the Foodtown can't manage to stock mint chocolate chip of ANY BRAND WHATSOEVER. I can't be the only person who has a problem with this.

I'll report back tomorrow after I have a float. I'm thinking Dr. Pepper with vanilla ice cream...

SOUTHERN QUEENS GOSPEL FEST

DATE: Saturday, July 14, 2007

TIME:
3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

LOCATION:
Baisley Pond Park, Rockaway Blvd., Sutphin Blvd. and Baisley Blvd., Queens

DETAILS: This free festival will feature performances by Brother Al Smith of the New Jerusalem Baptist Church, Brotherhood Choir, CTH Mass Choir of St. Albans Baptist Church, Echols Temple, GBC Inspirations, Growth Christ Community Choir, and others. Parks & Recreation will also offer free refreshments, arts and crafts, face painting, and raffle prizes.

The event is hosted by Black Families International and WLIB Radio with sponsorship by Sam Ash Music Stores and KFC. The Southern Queens Gospel Fest is part of a larger initiative to increase programming in southern Queens parks.

Seeking vendors for upcoming Sunnyside Gardens Craft Fair

Calling All Handmade-Craft Vendors to the
Sunnyside Gardens Park
1st Annual Craft Fair


Seeking artisans of fine quality, handmade crafts


Date: Saturday, September 8, 2007
(Rain date September 9)
Time: 11AM – 3 PM
Location: Sunnyside Gardens Park
48–21 48th Street, Sunnyside, NY


To request an application:
E-mail: sunnysidegardenspark@nyc.rr.com
Phone: 718-672-1555
Submission deadline: August 18, 2007
Tables: $50
Booth Size: 10 x 10

QMA: Il Lee, Ballpoint Drawings

The Queens Museum of Art introduces the work of Il Lee (b. 1952), a Korean-born artist living and working in Brooklyn since 1977. Using disposable ballpoint pens, Lee creates dramatic ink fields on surfaces of canvas and paper. For this exhibition, he will present a selection of large format blue and black ink drawings, including early experimental studies and an impressive fifty-foot installation—his largest work to date.

Artist Reception
Unisphere Gallery
Thursday, July 19, 6-8 pm

Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6
Friday, 12-8

Queens Museum of Art
New York City Building
Flushing Meadows, Corona Park
718-592-9700

7 Train to Get Letter Grade

Read here.

Socrates Park Outdoor Cinema Schedule

WEDNESDAYS, JULY 11 - AUGUST 29, 2007
AT SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK
32-01 VERNON BOULEVARD AT BROADWAY IN LONG ISLAND CITY
TAKE N/W TRAINS TO BROADWAY IN QUEENS
PRE-SCREENING PERFORMANCES BEGIN AT 7PM
FILMS BEGIN AT SUNSET
FREE ADMISSION

On Wednesday evenings in July and August, Socrates Sculpture Park, Museum of the Moving Image and Partnerships for Parks will present the ninth annual international festival of open air cinema, music, dance and food. Visitors to the Park can sample regional cuisine from neighborhood restaurants, picnic on the grass as the sun sets over the city, enjoy performances by local musicians and dancers, and, as the sky
darkens, see exceptional international films on a large-format screen, all set against the spectacular backdrop of the East River and the Manhattan skyline.

Pre-screening performances begin at 7:00 pm, films begin at sunset. All performances and screenings take place in the Park and admission is free. Free parking is available next door in the Costco lot.

Pre-screening performers and restaurants will be announced weekly and scheduling is subject to change. In the event of rain, the first cancelled film will be rescheduled to August 29. Please call to confirm programming or sign-up for weekly updates here.

The films for Outdoor Cinema 2007 have been selected by Chief Curator David Schwartz and Assistant Curator Livia Bloom, Museum of the Moving Image.

JULY 11 TURKEY
CROSSING THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL
2005, 90 mins. Directed by Fatih Akin. A tour of Istanbul's unique musical scene, with its pungent blend of rock, modern, and traditional sounds, this film "uses music to paint a portrait of a vibrant cosmopolitan city and provide a window into a rich and varied national culture." (Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times)

JULY 18 BRAZIL
THIS IS BOSSA NOVA
2005, 126 mins. Directed by Paulo Thiago. This enthralling chronicle of the Brazilian sound that became an international sensation traces the music's roots from 1950s samba. The mix of rare archival footage, interviews, and contemporary performances focuses largely on the living musical legends Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyra.

JULY 25 JAPAN
LINDA LINDA LINDA
2005, 114 mins. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. A girl band rehearses for a rock festival in this dryly-funny charming film that is named for its irresistible theme song. "An extremely well-written, emotionally complex coming-of-age tale that has a John Hughesian respect for teenage angst."
(G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle)

AUGUST 1 USA
THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T
1953, 88 mins. Directed by Roy Rowland. With Tommy Rettig. Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) wrote the screenplay and lyrics for this wildly inventive musical fantasy about a young boy whose dreams and nightmares are sparked by the fear of his overbearing piano teacher.

AUGUST 8 INDIA
KAL HO NAA HO
2003, 186 mins. Directed by Nikhil Advani. This Bollywood extravaganza is a Romeo-and-Juliet tale set, and partly filmed, in New York City. This film "has little notion of restraint. Its luxuriant running time allows lots of room for spectacular musical numbers and dramatic climaxes." (Dave Kehr, The New York Times)

AUGUST 15 CUBA
CALLE 54
2000, 105 mins. Directed by Fernando Trueba. With Tito Puente. A stylish and loving tribute to the Latin American jazz scene. "The film is such a pure expression of the director's love for the music, a love so infectious it should leave you elated." (Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times)

AUGUST 22 SOUTH AFRICA
U-CARMEN E-KHYELISTSHA
2005, 120 mins. Directed by Mark Dornford-May. Georges Bizet's Carmen is magically transported to modern-day South Africa. "The setting brims over with the same wicked froth of danger, exoticism, and passion that 19th-century Seville must have had before it got stylized into oblivion." (Julia Wallace, Village Voice)

Socrates Sculpture Park was an abandoned riverside landfill and illegal dumpsite until 1986 when a coalition of artists and com-munity members, under the leadership of sculptor Mark di Suvero, transformed it into an open studio and exhibition space for artists and a neighborhood park for local residents. Today, it is an internationally renowned outdoor museum and artist residency program that also serves as a vital New York City park offering a wide variety of free public programs. The Park's existence is based on the belief that reclamation, revitalization and
creative expression are essential to the survival, humanity and improvement of our urban environment. Socrates Sculpture Park is open 365 days a year from 10am to sunset and is located at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City.

***

The 2007 Outdoor Cinema program is supported by funding from the New York City Council and The New York Times Company Foundation.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The film series is made possible by the generosity of Scharff Weisberg, and by contributions from Costco Wholesale, and Spacetime C.C.

Special thanks to the City of New York, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Councilmember Eric Gioia, and the Department of Parks & Recreation, Commissioner Adrian Benepe.

New Greenmarket on Skillman

Reader Susan tips us off to a Times piece with a buried mention of the greenmarket on Skillman between 42nd & 43rd. In fact, you can find the greenmarket at a couple of different places in NW Queens:

Astoria
Wed 8-5
Location TBD

Jackson Heights
Sun 8-3
34th Ave bt 77&78

Long Island City
Sat 8-3
48 Ave & Vernon Boulevard

Sunnyside
Sat 8-3
Skillman bt 42 & 43

Atlas Park
Sat 8-4
Cooper Ave & 80th

All these greenmarkets are running now through November.

Thanks, Susan!

Welcome to Historic Dumpsterville

I can see it now. Tour busses filled with foreigners anxious to see the historic neighborhoods of New York City will soon be bussed into the Sunnyside Gardens area fresh from Landmarked status. A particularly knowledgeable tour guide will get over the PA system describing the history of this brilliant planned community with communal gardens.

"Now if you will look to your left, past the second dumpster, you can see the classic gardens." Tourists will crane their necks snapping photos. "And to your right, passed the dumpster with the large couch sticking out of it, is one of the original fire pull boxes."

Has anyone else noticed the large number of dumpsters strewn about the Gardens? Is this the city's way of dealing with the lack of trash cans in the neighborhood? Answering our prayers with the mother of all trash cans?

Since becoming one who works from home I have witnessed the dumpster become a character much like the neighbors I live next to. There was "the day the dumpster caught fire" when I looked out my window to billowing black smoke. There was "the day that dumpsters were put over the con edison manholes that needed repair." Where the con edison man yelled to the dumpster orderer that he was "an-NOY-YING."

I am happy that places are being rennovated and debris carted off, but here is the problem. The debris isn't carted off! Within a day these dumpsters are filled past their brims and then just left for weeks on end until they catch fire (and are then refilled) or become filled with such foul material that they literally disintigrate into the earth.

So for all the freegans out there looking for the mecca of dumpster diving, Sunnyside Gardens has a plethora of dumpsters, but in terms of finding anything salvageable, dive at your own risk!