News From The Queens Tourism Council
Earth Day, a sheep shearing and a Cinco de Mayo fiesta are among the timely upcoming entertainment options. Plus, two of the borough’s biggest annual events—the Mama’s Expo and the Queens Chamber of Commerce Expo—are also on tap.
Then there are some out-of-theordinary options: a contest between Spanish Flamenco and Jamaican Reggae; a belly dance performance; live Greek music; and a lecture on Bukharan Jewry.
Here’s the rundown.
• Today (Thursday), May 2, The Cinema of Immigration, 2 p.m. As part of a 10-week series on the immigrant experience in the U.S., the Queens Museum of Art (QMA) presents In America (2003), a film about an Irish family’s experience adapting to the rigors of New York. Mark Ethan, an Actors Studio member who has been presenting this series since 1998, introduces each screening and leads a discussion afterwards. QMA, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org, 1-718-592-9700.
• Friday, May 3, Cultural Crossroads #3: Jamaica Meets Spain, 8 p.m. (dance lessons at 7 p.m). Two cultures, one stage, an open dance floor. The passion of Spanish Flamenco and Jamaican Reggae with its deep African roots will keep the crowd moving to an upbeat pulse. $15. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, www.flushingtownhall.org, 1-718- 463-7700.
• Friday, May 3, Variations Theatre Group Presents Neil Labute’s Some Girls, 8 p.m. (also Wednesday, May 8 and Friday, May 10, at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 4, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 5, at 2 p.m.). LaBute’s unflinchingly honest play takes the audience across the country to check in on all the ones who got away. Through these reconnections we learn that you can’t win the battle of the sexes without a little bit of dirty reconnaissance. $18/$15 for LIC residents. Wednesday nights are Buy One Ticket, Get One Free. Thursday performances are Pay What You Can Nights. The Chain Theatre, 21-28 45th Rd., LIC, www.chaintheatre.org, 1-646-580-6003.
• Friday, May 3, Dreamgirls, 7 p.m. The York College Performing Arts Center presents the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago that gets a big break at an amateur competition. $20-$10. YCPAC, 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, www.york.cuny.edu/ events/dreamgirls-musical.
• Saturday, May 4, Sheep Shear-Weekend, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (repeats on Sunday, May 5). Spring is in full swing, and it’s time for the Queens Zoo’s sheep to get their annual haircuts. Watch the woolly flock go from shaggy to shorn during live wool-processing demos. $8 adults/$5 children under age of 12. Queens Zoo, 53-51 111th St., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queenszoo.com, 1-718-220-5100.
• Saturday, May 4, Belly Dance by Ameera Sanaa, 7 p.m. Sanaa provides the entertainment during an evening of sensual and exciting belly dance. Cafe Marlene provides delicious desserts, heavenly crepes and other light fare—not to mention an amazing variety of specialty cafe drinks, wine and beer. Free. Cafe Marlene, 41-11 49th St., Sunnyside, www.cafemarlene.com, 1-718-205-7330.
• Saturday, May 4, Calvary Cemetery Walking Tour, noon. Join Forgotten NY’s Kevin Walsh and the Greater Astoria Historical Society’s Rich Melnick, and explore the final resting place of Gov. Al Smith and Long Island City Mayor Patrick Gleason, as well as railroad men, composers and mobsters. Enjoy beautiful architecture and spectacular views and a hidden cemetery within a cemetery. Meet in front of LaGuardia Community College, Van Dam Street and Thomson Avenue, LIC, www.astorialic.org, 1-718-278-0700.
• Saturday, May 4, Seventh Annual Earth Day Rockaway, noon to 4 p.m. This year’s event will include music by Il Collectivo, kite-making, recycling Olympics, mock dolphin rescue, plantings, composting, face painting, water testing, raptor demonstration, firehouse safety obstacle course, surf fishing, bike helmet giveaways and art-related booths to learn how better to appreciate and conserve the earth’s resources. $8. MoMA P.S. 1’s VW Dome 2, Rockaway Park, www.rwalliance.org, 1-718-327-5919.
• Saturday, May 4, New York Indian Film Festival, 7 p.m. Filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent tell their stories. $10. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, www.flushingtownhall.org, 1-718-463-7700.
• Saturday, May 4, Get Energized, 11 a.m. Explore exhibits on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, learn how to reduce energy consumption and save money, enjoy snacks, games and prizes. Queens Library’s Discovery Team will also be present with energy and science-related activities and demonstrations. Free. Queens Library Branch, 20-02 Cornaga Ave., Far Rockaway, www.queenslibrary.org, 1-718-471-2573.
• Saturday, May 4, Craft Workshop, 2 p.m. Learn the art of using pressed flowers, and make a Mother’s Day card and bookmark. Limited to 12 people and registration is required. $7. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org, dgoldstein@queensbotanical.org, 1-718-886-3800.
• Sunday, May 5, The 2013 Mama’s Expo, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s the “Mother of All Expos.” Attendees will have unprecedented insider access to some of the best local services, entertainment, activities, specialists and products currently available for families in NYC. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.nysci.org, 1-718-699-0005.
• Sunday, May 5, The Spinners, 3 p.m. The Spinners are one of the few vocal groups that has remained together and whose music remains as popular today and the day each of their 18 Solid Gold Top 40 hits was released. $40-$35. Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.visitqpac.org, 1-718-631-6311.
• Sunday, May 5, Le Musique de Maurice Ravel, 8 p.m. The acclaimed Lost Dog New Music Ensemble celebrates the music of Maurice Ravel, one the greatest French composers and a master of the Impressionist movement. The program will include Ondine; Sonate pour Violin et Violonelle; and Piano Trio in A minor. $25-$15/free for children. St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 43-19 30th Ave., LIC, www.astoriamusic.org, 1-718-278-1611.
• Sunday, May 5, Fiesta Hispanica: The Jolles Duo, 5:30 p.m. The world-renowned team of violinist Rene Jolles and harpist Susan Jolles. This exciting mother-daughter duo brings passion to a program of Spanish flair: the Saint-Sans Fantasie, Op. 124, Piazzolla’s History of the Tango, Lasala’s Poema del Pastor Coya, Albeniz’s Three Pieces, Ponces Estrellita, and a piece commissioned by the Jolles Duo, Kenneth Froelich’s Rewind. $20 adults/$15 seniors/$10 students/free for children under 12 when accompanied by an adult. Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, www.musicareginae.org, 1-718-268-6704.
• Sunday, May 5, Marvin Hamlisch Memorial Concert, 3 p.m. A child prodigy, Hamlisch is one of only two American artists (the other being Richard Rogers) to have won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, as well as a Pulitzer Prize. Hamlisch, who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Queens College in 1967, will be honored with a special memorial concert. $75 (VIP reserved seating)/$25 (general admission). LeFrak Concert Hall at Queens College, Reeves Avenue, Flushing, www.kupferbergcenter.org, 1-718-997-5000.
• Sunday, May 5, Festival Cinco de Mayo, 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Casa Puebla New York presents a fun, family festival with entertainment for all ages. Celebrate this Mexican holiday of the Battle of Puebla with a day full of activities. Laugh with the area’s best clowns, dance along musical performances, and eat from delicious vendors. Free. Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, www.casapueblany.com
• Sunday, May 5, Nature Exploration Hike, 10 a.m. Join Urban Park Rangers, as they introduce the hidden gems of NYC and places often off limits to the general public. $10. Alley Pond Park, 79-20 Winchester Blvd., Little Neck, www.alleypond.org, 1-718-846-2731.
• Sunday, May 5, Avram Pengas and the Noga Group, 3 p.m. Greekborn musical arranger, guitarist and bouzouki virtuoso Pengas performs an exciting mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music. Free. Queens Central Branch Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, www.queenslibrary.org.
• Sunday, May 5, Pets and Pals/Walk for Paws Party, noon to 3 p.m. A free day of family and pet fun. Games, rides, craft projects, pet adoption, pet walks, a microchip clinic, animal demonstrations and free giveaways. Registration is required, register online or onsite starting at 10 a.m. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Little Neck, www.alleypond.org, events@bobbicares.org, 1-516-378-4340.
• Monday, May 6, Author to Speak about her Book on Bukharian Jewry, 1:30 p.m. Cultural historian Alanna Cooper, who teaches Anthropology and Cultural History at Boston University, will discuss the long history of Bukharan Jews, their diaspora in the United States and in Israel, and their sense of themselves. $6 suggested donation. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills, www.cqy.org, 1-718-268-5011.
• Monday, May 6, Steinway Mansion Community Visioning Session, 7 p.m. A new group, the Friends of Steinway Mansion, has formed. The program will be a discussion about the building, plans to save it, and an opportunity for the community to comment. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, Astoria/LIC, www.astorialic.org, 1-718-278-0700.
• Wednesday, May 8, Queens Chamber of Commerce Business Expo and Breakfast, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Expo attracts over 1,000 people, plus 110 exhibitors. Entrepreneurs and business owners have the opportunity to network with other business professionals. Resorts World Casino New York City, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., South Jamaica, www.queenschamber.org, jdonato@queenschamber.org, 1-718-898-8500.
• Wednesday, May 8, The Earth And Me, 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. With a flowing tapestry of song, dance, puppetry and music, this performance teaches children how they can help protect the Earth’s delicate balance through harmony, tolerance and peace. $15/$10 in advance. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.shadowboxtheatre.org.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
