Art, exercise & history coming to Jamaica Ave
THE WENDELL BEAT
Turning the page: Library secures renovation funding
Woodhaven branch one of the original Carnegie libraries
City’s precincts host National Night Out events
The 76 police precincts in New York City celebrated National Night Out Against Crime on August 3. The nationwide program is meant to help police departments forge relationships with the communities they serve.
Sixteen precincts in Queens organized events in parks and public spaces throughout the borough, including an event in Sunnyside’s Lou Lodati Park organized by the 108th Precinct.
“This is a great way to show our care for the community,” said Colin Hicks, a volunteer from the Queens District Attorney’s office. “I think [Queens District Attorney] Melinda Katz says it really well. She doesn’t want your first interaction with her to be when you are in trouble.”
“It’s nice for everyone to see the police officers,” said Joanna Carbona, a volunteer with the 108th Precinct. “Officers also give out their numbers so people can access them more easily. Not all of the information is online, so it’s easier to just grab numbers right now.”
Maspeth and Middle Village Councilman Robert Holden attended multiple Night Out events in Queens. He spoke about the importance of police work and community engagement.
“This is very important, now more than ever with crime on the rise,” Holden said. “It’s good to remind people that police are a partner to the community.”
Arts & culture alive and well in Woodhaven
If you’re a fan of arts, culture and music, there’s a lot to look forward to in Woodhaven during the month of June.
On Monday, June 21, starting at 3 p.m., the Woodhaven Business Improvement District (WBID) is partnering with Make Music New York to bring the streets of Woodhaven live with the sound of music.
Held annually on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, Make Music New York sponsors pop-up concerts all over New York City. This year, you will be able to see live music at Forest Parkway and Jamaica Avenue.
“We are very excited to participate in Make Music New York 2021,” says Raquel Olivares, executive director of the WBID. “After a very challenging year, we feel this event will help us bring some normalcy and much-needed entertainment to Jamaica Avenue.”
There will be a few different musical acts, and the local artists the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society has been spotlighting here in the pages of the Leader-Observer and through online events will be there.
We’re hoping some more local talent from Woodhaven will introduce themselves to us and join our growing roster of artists.
Deborah Camp, who is well known around Woodhaven for her window paintings on businesses, will be there, as will Jennifer Lambert Technoquilter showing off some of her collages and designs.
And you can ask Louise Naples all about the interesting process of making and designing quilts.
Other participating artists include Woodhaven poet Christine Barbour, musician Matt “The Reverend Matty F” Faccenda, and Woodhaven artist Mahfuza Shammy Rahman (MSR).
Some big news is that MSR will be holding an art show in Woodhaven at Geordie’s Joint on the corner of 80th Street and Jamaica Avenue (79-19 Jamaica Avenue). The launch of this exhibit will be on Saturday, June 26, at 3 p.m.
There will be a brief ceremony at 4 p.m., and if you attend you will be able to enjoy an “MSR,” a new drink created in honor of the artist and the exhibit. I don’t recall what was in it, but I plan to have three of four of them!
And if you miss the opening, MSR’s work will be on display at Geordie’s Joint through July 3.
When we profiled MSR in this paper in March, we noted her interest in holding a show at Geordie’s.
“I love Geordie’s and think it would be a great venue for a show,” MSR said.
Together, we met with Geordie and Trish, owners of Geordie’s Joint, and planned out the show. Geordie and Trish could not have been more excited or accommodating to us, and it’s going to be really interesting to see Geordie’s interior transformed into an art gallery.
And we hope other business owners around Woodhaven will stop by and see if what we accomplish there can be duplicated in other establishments. We are building a roster of artists and we would love to show off their work.
The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society has been well known for its promotion of our community’s past. The emphasis on arts and culture is also part of our mission and an embrace of the future.
As life begins a return to normalcy, it will be nice to look for opportunities like this to gather and enjoy each other’s company again.
