News From The Queens Tourism Council
In a clear sign that spring has sprung, New York Hall of Science’s mini-golf course and science playground will open this week. And keeping up with the warmer-weather theme, there are various guided tours, a bird watching walk and even a fun run.
In addition, the Moscow Festival Ballet, Groucho Marx and jazz great Ron Carter are coming to the borough.
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday), Mar. 27, Salsa Lessons, 7 p.m. Dance instruction for all ages and levels with renowned instructor Paul Ru Bao of Farrington Ballroom Dance School. After an hour lesson there is an hour of open dance. $10 single class/$45 for five classes. Skip the class and join open dance at 8 p.m for $5. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
– Thursday, Mar. 27, Poking Fun: Political Puns and Social Satire in the Genre Paintings of William Sidney Mount, noon. Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan explains 19th century relations between the sexes, abolitionist preaching and political chicanery from William Sidney Mount. Presidential campaigns in the late 1830s and early 1840s had deteriorated into manipulation of carefully chosen symbols, and Mount exploited these in his art, which was full of insider jokes, double entendres, puns, and political humor. Free, reservations recommended via programs@kingmanor.org or 1-718- 206-0545 x13. York College, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, www.kingmanor.org.
– Friday, Mar. 28, Ron Carter Quartet, 8 p.m. Elected to the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 2012, multiple Grammy-award winner Ron Carter is among the most original, prolific, and influential bassists in jazz. $40/$20 students. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
– Friday, Mar. 28, An Evening with Groucho, 2 & 8 p.m. (also Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 29-30). Award-winning actor Frank Ferrante recreates his highly acclaimed portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx. The two-act comedy consists of the best Groucho oneliners, anecdotes and songs, such as “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.” Mar. 29 shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Mar. 30 show at 3 p.m. $42 on Friday and $49 on Saturday and Sunday; rear seating $25 (for all performances). Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
– Friday, Mar. 28, 5 Miles Marking 5 Decades Fun Run, 4:30 p.m. Queens Distance Runners organizes a five-mile run commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1964 World’s Fair. The twoloop race starts and ends at the north end of Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s Meadow Lake. $25/$15 Queens Distance Runners members and Queens Tourism Council members/$8 junior high and high school students, www.queensdistancerunners.org.
– Saturday, Mar. 29, Early Spring Bird Walk, 10 a.m. This tour is led by American Littoral Society naturalist Don Riepe in partnership with NYC Audubon and Gateway National Recreation Area. Free, but RSVP to NEChapter@littoralsociety.org or 1- 718-474-0896. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
– Saturday, Mar. 29, Exploring Clouds, 1 p.m. Fort Totten’s Urban Park Rangers discuss scientific concepts and weather phenomena, such as lightning, thunder, clouds, the water cycle, hurricanes and extreme storms. Free. Fort Totten Park, Bayside.
– Saturday, Mar. 29, Peace Through Understanding: The 1964 World’s Fair, 1:30 p.m. Film and discussion on the 1964 World’s Fair, which hailed itself as a “universal and international” exposition with the theme “Peace Through Understanding.” Free. Greater Astoria Historical Society, Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor, LIC, www.astorialic.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Moscow Festival Ballet: Swan Lake, 3 p.m. With music by Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake is based on a German fairy tale about a heroic young prince who labors to free the delicately beautiful swan maiden from an evil sorcerer’s spell. $42/$39. Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.visitqpac.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Dichotomies, 5 p.m. The Astoria Symphony Orchestra and Choir perform German masterpieces and the dichotomies of classical vs. romantic, choral vs. orchestral and Mendelssohn vs. Wagner vs. Mozart. Mount Carmel Institute, 23-20 Newtown Ave., Astoria, www.AstoriaMusic.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Harold Ramis Triple Feature, 2 to 9 p.m. Harold Ramis, who recently passed away, was involved in some of the funniest Hollywood movies of the past 35 years. As a tribute to the talented writer, actor and director, the Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) presents Animal House (2 p.m.), Groundhog Day (4:30 p.m.) and The Ice Harvest (7 p.m.). Free with admission. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Composition vs. Improvisation, 2 p.m. Latin Grammy nominee, pianist, educator and current composer-in-residence at Flushing Town Hall Gustavo Casenave presents a lecture/demonstration on composition and improvisation. Free. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Quaker Flushing, noon to 2:30 p.m. This guided walk visits the 1694 Quaker Meeting House and passes by the Bowne House (1661) as well as the sites of the Flushing Remonstrance and the George Fox monument. The tour ends at Kingsland Manor, home to the Queens Historical Society (QHS), to view the exhibit Practicing Equality, Quakers in Queens. This fund-raiser for the Queens Historical Society costs $15/$20 and includes QHS entrance and refreshments; fee collected at tour. Meet at northwest corner of Main Street and 37th Avenue. Reservations required at Jack Eichenbaum at jaconet@aol.com.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, National Women History Month Celebration, 2:30 p.m. The Latin American Cultural Center of Queens hosts music, art, food and the presentation of the Jovita Idár Award, named after a political activist, educator, writer and civil rights worker, to Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assemblywoman Nily D. Rozic, QPTV Community Development Manager Roslyn Nieves and Sisa Pakari Andean Folklore founder Fanny C. Guadalupe. Plus, Cardozo High School student Elsa Alvarado, who recently received the National Hispanic Heritage Award, receives the Leadership Youth Award. Free. Renaissance Charter School, 35-59 81st St., Jackson Heights, 1-718-261- 7664.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Spring Lawn Care Workshop, 1 p.m. Queens Botanical Garden Lawn Care Expert Patty Kleinberg teaches how to maintain a healthy lawn without the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. The last hour of the workshop is a hands-on demonstration. $5, register at 1-718- 539-5296 or compost@queensbotanical.org. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
– Sunday, Mar. 30, Spring Tide Walks, 10 a.m. Stroll the winterravaged beach with American Littoral Society naturalist Mickey Maxwell Cohen and learn beach dynamics. Check the flotsam and jetsam along the tide line while learning about the area’s surprising wartime history. RSVP to bmcohen2@gmail.com or 1-718- 474-0896. Meet at the parking lot near Entry Pavilion. Free. Jacob Riis Park, Rockaway Beach.
– Tuesday, Apr. 1, Rocket Park Mini Golf, 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Putt your way through a nine-hole miniature golf course that teaches the science of spaceflight. Players explore key science concepts such as propulsion, gravity, escape velocity, launch window and gravitational assist. $6 per person/$5 for children and seniors. Open on weekends through Dec. 31. New York Hall of Science, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.nysci.org.
– Tuesday, Apr. 1, Science Playground, 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Spring opening of the nation’s largest science playground, featuring 60,000 square feet of exhibits for children of all ages. Slides, seesaws, climbing webs, a water play area, drums, mirrors, sand boxes and more allow youngsters to explore science by playing. $4. New York Hall of Science, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.nysci.org.
“It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
