News From The Queens Tourism Council
Consider the following: outrageous comedy, wormy compost, geographical trivia, community theater, German wine, live jazz, intergenerational theater, performance art, a walking tour with food, lantern-making, historical-to-modern lectures and an international film festival. Queens never ceases to amaze!
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday), Feb. 28, Comedy Show Featuring Lisa Corrao, 8 p.m. Lisa Corrao has recently participated in the Women in Comedy Festival, the Boston Comedy Festival, the She-Devil Comedy Competition and Comedy Central’s South Beach Comedy Festival. This middle- school- teacher- turnedcomedian will headline a show with NYC comics Gabe Pacheco, Lucas Connolly, Miguel Dalmau, Scott Sharp and special guest Gene Harding. $15/$7.50 in advance when purchased online using coupon code LISAVIP. Laughing Devil Comedy Club, 47-38 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, 1-347-913-3845, www.laughingdevil.com.
– Thursday, Feb. 28, NYC Compost Project in Queens, 5:30 p.m. This hands-on workshop teaches the essentials of indoor composting with worms. Ideal for those who want to compost food scraps but do not have access to an outdoor space. Learn great facts about red wiggler worms, how to set up a worm bin, and how to maintain the system. $5 and regis- tration required via compost@queensbotanical.org, Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, 1-718-886-3800, www.queensbotanical.org.
– Friday, Mar. 1, Sixth Annual Panorama Challenge NYC Team Trivia Game, 6 p.m. Participate in the world’s only geographical triviabased game night involving the world’s largest architectural model The Panorama of the City of New York. This challenge involves audio clues and laser-pointers highlighting assorted NYC landmarks, bridges, neighborhoods, parks and more. $10 suggested donation with all proceeds supporting the City Reliquary Museum in Williamsburg. Queens Museum of Art, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, 1-718-592-9700, www.queensmuseum.org.
– Friday and Saturday, Mar. 1-2, The 39 Steps by the Parkside Players, 8 p.m. A man with a boring life and no passion meets a mysterious woman who claims to be a spy. When she is murdered in his apartment, he finds himself running across Britain from the police and enemy spies, while searching for an answer to a question of national importance: What are The 39 Steps? $14/$12 seniors. Grace Lutheran Church, 71st Road and Union Turnpike, Forest Hills, 1-718-353-7388, www.parksideplayers.com.
– Saturday, Mar. 2, German Wine Tasting Party at Historic House, 5 p.m. Back by popular demand, Barbara and Bruce Goonan will host a German wine tasting. Participants (21 and over) will receive a complimentary wine glass inscribed with the Onderdonk logo and enjoy light refreshments. $40 with required registration. Vander Ende-Onderdonk House, 1820 Flushing Ave., Ridgewood, 1-718-456-1776, www.onderdonkhouse.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 2, Jazz at St. Albans with Camille Thurman, 5 p.m. St. Albans native Camille Thurman is a multi-talented saxophonist, vocalist and composer. Her lush, velvety sound and her ability to sing four octaves recall Ella Fitzgerald. Free, but donations welcome. St. Albans Congregational Church, 172-17 Linden Blvd., Jamaica, 1-718-657-8282.
– Saturday, Mar. 2, Theatre By The Bay presents The Wizard of Oz, 8:30 p.m., Sunday, Mar. 3 at 3 p.m, repeats weekends until Mar. 16. Theatre By The Bay is a non-equity amateur theatre group open to anyone. Its goal is to present high-quality theatrical productions that are family friendly and utilize an intergenerational cast and crew. $20. Bay Terrace Jewish Center, 13-00 209th St., Bayside, 1-718-428-6363, www.theatrebythebayny.com.
– Saturday, Mar. 2, Money for Nothing and Dance for Free, 3 p.m. Set in No Longer Empty’s contemporary art exhibition How Much Do I Owe You?, this site-specific dance explores themes of commodification, physical exchange and economy in and around the artworks and the architecture of the vacant bank building. Works will also explore the value and de-valuing of the art of dance and the role that economics plays in the quest to create art while sustaining artist’s life. Free. The Clocktower, 29-27 41st Ave., Queens Plaza North, 1-646-645-5506, www.nolongerempty.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 3, Walking Tour of Flushing’s Chinatown, 11 a.m. This immigrant destination and commercial center has come to rival its Manhattan antecedent. Taiwanese rather than Cantonese at its core, Flushing’s Chinatown hosts a variety of overseas Chinese groups. Rezoning and greater land availability support unusual real estate developments including office buildings, hotels, residential condos, specialty shops, cultural institutions and malls. $15/$10 for One Flushing members and possibility for dim sum beforehand. Meet near restrooms at New World Mall, 40-21 Main St., Flushing, 1-718-353-0551, www.geognyc.com.
– Sunday, Mar. 3, Lunar Lantern Making, 5 p.m. According to Buddhist beliefs, the lighting of a lotusshaped lantern symbolizes a devotion to performing good deeds and brings light to the dark parts of the world that are filled with agony. Be part of a ceremony and learn how to make a beautiful paper lotus lantern. All materials are provided. $10. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, 1-718-463-7700, www.flushingtownhall.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 3, Talking about History Lecture: The King Manor Association & The Women’s Club Movement, 3 p.m. The ladies who founded the King Manor Association in 1900 epitomized the dynamism exhibited by many early twentieth century American women who were eager to redirect their energies beyond their traditional domestic sphere. Women’s clubs worked to promote civic engagement and social reform and fight for women’s suffrage. White and black women formed women’s clubs, but major differences characterized the goals and activities of each. Free. King Manor Museum, Rufus King Park, 153rd Street at Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, www.kingmanor.org.
– Monday, Mar. 4, Northern Boulevard in the Footsteps of Gatsby, 7 p.m. Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann is wrapping up the latest remake of The Great Gatsby starting Leonardo DiCaprio. Set in NYC during the 1920s Jazz Age, this is the first serious drama attempting to render a major city in 3-D. The evening’s lecture starts with a brief history of Northern Boulevard and pictures from the time that the fictional Gatsby would have seen as he took his legendary drive through the borough. The program’s second half shows the film’s interpretation of locations based on the actual images sent to the production team. (The Greater Astoria Historical Society is credited as historical adviser to the movie production.) $5/Free for members. GAHS, 5-20 Broadway, 4th Floor, Long Island City, 1-718-278- 0700, www.astorialic.org.
– Tuesday, Mar. 5, The Third An- nual Queens World Film Festival opening night, 8 p.m., festival runs until Sunday, Mar. 10. Films from around the world and around the corner. The Queens World Film Festival returns to the Museum of the Moving Image with an opening night program featuring international short films from Italy, Belgium, Australia, Croatia and Queens. The six-day festival will feature 104 independent films and three venues: Jackson Cinema (Elmhurst), Secret Theatre (LIC) and the Renaissance Charter School (Jackson Heights). Awards will be presented to narratives, documentaries animation and LGBT films. Don Cato, dcato@queensworldfilmfestival.com, 1-917-562-9648, www.queensworldfilmfestival.com.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
