News From The Queens Tourism Council
Mother Nature appears to disagree, but spring attractions have arrived!
Upcoming Queens activities include a nature walk in Jamaica Bay, a concert inspired by spring music, an Easter egg hunt at the USTA, a workshop on lawn care and a play about farm animals. There are also plenty of chances to listen to live music and watch dance, as well as enjoy plays, movies and children’s activities.
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday), Mar. 21, Spring Peepers with the National Park Service, 6:30 p.m. Celebrate the first full day of spring with a National Park Ranger on a stroll to Big Johns Pond. Evening will begin with a short indoor presentation. Bring a flashlight. Free. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 10-0 Cross Bay Blvd., Broad Channel, 1-718- 353-7853.
– Thursday, Mar. 21, Central Park 5Movie Screening, 7 p.m. The St. Albans Congregational Church and Council Member Leroy Comrie present Central Park 5, a documentary about five teenagers who were arrested and convicted of beating and raping a Central Park jogger in 1989. They went to jail before a serial rapist’s confession demonstrated their possible innocence. There will be panel conversation with the defendants and movie director. Free, but reservations are required. Loleta Nicholson at 1-718-657-8282 or ourvillagegivingcircle@gmail.com. Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center, 172-17 Linden Blvd., St. Albans.
– Friday, Mar. 22, Jazz Saxophonist Ed Jackson, 7 p.m. Jazz saxophonist Ed Jackson performs with the York College Big Band. $20. York College Performing Arts Center, 94- 45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, www.york.cuny.edu, 1-718-262- 2281.
– Friday, Mar. 22, Venus and Mona, 8 p.m. (playing Wednesday through Saturday until Mar. 30). Venus and Mona are twins. They are also young, strong, hard-edged women who are trapped on the roof of their mother’s double-wide mobile home. Their mother is at death’s door but the sisters can’t help but continue to wage war on one another. Meanwhile a demon circles the doublewide, waiting for one of the combatants to slip and fall in his clutches. $18. Chain Theatre, 21-28 45th Rd., LIC, www.variationstheatregroup.com, 1-646-580-6003.
– Friday, Mar. 22, In the Name of the Father and MeBollix, 7:30 p.m. In the Name of the Father (1993) is biographical film based on the story of the Guildford Four. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards. MeBollix is a comedy short. Arrive early for cocktail hour and complimentary tea, coffee, soda or popcorn. $11/$6 seniors, students, unem- ployed. New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., LIC, www.newyorkirishcenter.org, 1-718- 482-0909.
– Friday, Mar. 22, Felice Lesser Dance Theater, 8 p.m. A performance of new and old works, original dances to music by contemporary composers, and excerpts from several living movies, combining live dance with theater, video, animation and music. $15 in advance/$20 at the door/$10 student. LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, 31-10 Thomson Ave., LIC, www.lagcc.cuny.edu, 1- 718-482-5151.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, The Hit Men and special guest comedian John Carfi, 8 p.m. The “Hit Men” are the original hit makers of the 60s, 70s and 80s who recorded with mega-star acts, including Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Tommy James & The Shondells, Carly Simon, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, Barry Manilow and Elton John. Now, they star in their own chart-busting live concert. Comedy Central’s John Carfi opens the show. $35. Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.qcc.cuny.edu/qpac, 1- 718-631-6311.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, Astoria Symphonic Choir presents Flower Songs, 8 p.m. Beautiful, live music featuring Vincent Persichetti’s Flower Songs and Morton Lauridsen’s Chansons des Roses. $20. Trinity Lutheran Church, 31-18 37th St., Astoria, www.astoriachoir.org, 1-718-278- 0036.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, March for the Earth at Queens Botanical Garden, 10 a.m. Celebrate the vernal equinox and help QBG prepare for the opening season by volunteering, followed by a festive march to the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Unisphere. Advanced registration required to rforlenza@queensbotanical.org. QBG, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org, 1-718- 886-3800.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, Keigwin + Company, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, Mar. 24, 3 p.m. This company invigorates audiences with its electrifying and provocative brand of contemporary dance that’s full of wit, style and heart. $46. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org, 1-718-760-0686.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, Quintet of the Americas Celebrates Queens Composers, 2 p.m. The program will feature woodwind quintets by Beata Moon (Forest Hills) and James Cohn (Douglaston), The Stuff of Comets by Dylan Glatthorn (Astoria), tangos by Christopher Caliendo (Jackson Heights) and the premiere of a new work based on Tibetan influence by Xinyan Li (Flushing). The concert will also feature music by past Queens residents including Louis Armstrong (Corona) and William Grant Still’s theme song for the 1939 World’s Fair. Free. Flushing Branch Library, 41-17 Main St., Flushing, www.queenslibrary.org, 1-718-661- 1200.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, Con Brio Ensemble’s Twilight Concert, 3:30 p.m. Celebrating its 34th season, Con Brio Ensemble returns to Queens to perform works by Schumann, Franck and Franz Mittler. $12 general/$10 students and senior citizens. Forest Hills Branch Library, 108-19 71st Ave., Forest Hills, www.queenslibrary.org, 1-718-459-1277.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, Queens Historical Society Open House/Meetand Greet New Director, 2:30 p.m. Enjoy light refreshments and meet new QHS Executive Director Ellissa Fazio. Featured events will include Keynote Speaker Queens Borough Historian Jack Eichenbaum and curator led tours of Permanent Residence: Uncovering the Cemeteries of Queens. Free. QHS, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing, www.queenshistoricalsociety.org, 1-718-939-0647.
– Saturday, Mar. 23, Latin American Jazz: New York Faces, 6 p.m. Three ensembles and open dance floor offer varying takes on Latin Jazz. Expect modern Cuban, accordion infusion and Colombian Jazz, featuring Puerto Rican bassist Ricardo Rodriquez’s Quintet; revolutionary accordionist Victor Prieto, who embraces jazz, tango, classical & Celtic roots; and Chia’s Dance Party’s infectious, danceable grooves of Colombian music and original tunes. $20. Flushing Town Hall, 137- 35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, www.flushingtownhall.org, 1-718- 463-7700 ext. 222.
– Sunday, Mar. 24, Pitch Perfect, 2 p.m. Pitch Perfect is a movie about an iconoclastic college singing group composed of the mean, the weird and the sweet, and their attempt to get some recognition. Free. Queens Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, www.queenslibrary.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 24, An Afternoon with Amiri Baraka, 3 p.m. Amiri Baraka, is a noted poet and playwright, an activist, and a major contributor to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960’s. He will discuss his life and recite some of his fiery poetry that fueled an era. Donations welcome. Afrikan Poetry Theatre, 176- 03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.afrikanpoetrytheatre.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 24, Little Makers: Make a Mess with Oobleck, 10:30 a.m. (also every Tuesday through Sunday until Apr. 22). Make, mix, pour, roll and splatter a mysterious gooey substance in this drop-in workshop. Use your hands and tools to discover how oobleck acts as both a solid and a liquid. $8 per family, plus admission ($5 per family for members). Pre-registration is recommended. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, www.nysci.org, 1-718- 699-0005.
– Sunday, Mar. 24, Easter Egg Hunt, 12:30 p.m. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will host its second Easter Egg Hunt, open to children as young as three years old. There will be surprise prizes such as a free week of camp, open court time and much more. There will also be face painting, animal balloons, tennis activities and much more. You must bring your own basket. There will be a contest for the best decorated basket! $15- $20. USTA, Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, www.usta.com, 1-718- 760-6200.
– Sunday, Mar. 24, Hatched! Life on the Farm, 1 p.m. A first introduction to theatre for young audiences. Told through live music, puppets and dance, this gentle tale encourages little ones to interact with the animals while they explore their world, giving the chicks their feed, milk bottles to the lamb and petting the calf. $12 adults/$10 members/$8 children/$6 member children. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, www.flushingtownhall.org, 1- 718-463-7700.
– Sunday, Mar. 24, Compost Project: Spring Lawn Care, 1 p.m. Join Queens Botanical Garden’s lawn care expert for an important introduction to natural lawn care. Learn how to maintain a healthy lawn without the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. The last hour of the workshop is a handson demonstration. Registration required via 1-718-539-5296 or compost@queensbotanical.org. $5 and the parking garden will cost $5 per vehicle. QBG, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanicalgarden.org.
– Monday, Mar. 25, BubbleMania: Science, Art and Comedy with Casey Carle, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. (until Saturday, Mar. 30). Enjoy the humor and spectacular science of comic bubbleologist Casey Carle, who has been featured on The Science Channel. See how science can turn the ordinary soap bubble into something extraordinary. $8-$11, and tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the show. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing, www.nysci.org, 1-718- 699-0005.
– Wednesday, Mar. 27, Ursula Eagly in Self Made Man Man Made Land, 8 p.m. The piece is composed from movement language that Eagly has been investigating for years- contorted and fluid, awkward and elegant, spasmodic and languid. The structure of the dance mirrors that of its title (and the dance was titled for purely structural reasons). It is almost the same forwards and backwards, but does change and develop. It invites audiences to look more closely, for shifts of form that beget shifts of meaning. $15. The Chocolate Factory Theater, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC, www.chocolatefactorytheater.org, 1- 212-352-3101.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
