By David J. Glenn
There aren’t any songs or poems that we know of celebrating “Autumn in Queens,” but maybe there should be.
There’s certainly no shortage of things to do and ways to have fun in this season of colored leaves, cool temperatures, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the hint of Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s in the air.
Here’s a sampling:
The Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows Corona Park offers “Puppet tales for All Hallow’s Eve by The Puppet Art Troupe at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. At 3:30 p.m. the same day, older kids and adults can take in the hour-long “Eerie Panorama Tour,” conducted by Philip Jackson. Jackson will use the QMA’s famous Panorama of the City of New York to trace the sites of unusual, strange, or downright scary events in New York— part urban legend, part very real. 718-592-9700.
Fall is a great time to visit the Alley Pond Environmental Center — the trees are beautiful, the weather is crisp, and the animals are frisky. On Halloween, the center offers a carnival for little ones from 1 to 3 p.m., complete with crafts and snacks. For older kids and young-at-heart adults, there’s the hour-long haunted walk starting at 7 p.m. Don’t be surprised if you run into some ghost-story-telling goblins. 718-229-4000.
It’s an equally fitting time to stop in at the Queens Farm Museum, offering hayrides, scarecrow-making, and a petting zoo. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, there’s the annual Children’s fall Festival. The kids should definitely come in costume —adults are welcome to indulge in Halloween attire as well.
For “Boo at the ZOO,” head on over to the Queens Zoo in Flushing Meadows Corona Park Saturday, Oct. 27 and Sunday, Oct. 28 for visits with some spooky creatures. Kids can make themselves look a scary, too, with face-painting and mask-making. 718-271-1500.
If “Healing the Spirit” seems a better idea this year than the scary stuff, the Black Spectrum Theatre in Jamaica kicks off its season under that theme with “smooth, sensual island sounds” of jazz vocalist Jon Lucien at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. “the unique, always relevant, humorous and profound social commentator and activist” Dick Gregory comes to BST at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. 718-723-1800.
The Afrikan Poetry Theatre presents “the positive side of urban music” featuring Elijah Shabazz, Kongo, Christopher, and Abike Jotayo at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19. You can bring the family. 718-523-3312.
Also in a musical vein, Flamenco dancer Andrea Del Conte returns for the “Passport to Music” series at the Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music in Flushing at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20.
The Queens Historical Society sponsors a walking tour in North Flushing, Whitestone, and Malba starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 in a 3-mile “Fall Foliage Ramble” guided by Jack Eichenbaum. 718-939-0647.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City celebrates Halloween and the fall; harvest with a Halloween Harvest Concert. Come in costume! 718-956-1819.
Several Queens arts institutions, including some of the sites mentioned here as well as the American Museum of the Moving Image, Queens Council on the Arts, and more join institutions around the city for a first “Culture Fest,” a free weekend of live performances and exhibits at Bryant Park in Manhattan from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20 and 21.
For even more events and activities, see Arlene McKanic’s rundown in this Qguide.
Reach Qguide Editor David Glenn at glenn@timesledger.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 139.
