News From The Queens Tourism Council
Is Queens a ghost town? A fascinating, open-invitation paranormal investigation is set for a Bayside cemetery this weekend.
Other out-of-this-world fun includes opera, modern dance, a walking tour of Astoria Village, a genealogy workshop and a tasting event featuring healthy food.
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday) through Sunday, June 5-8, St. Luke’s Carnival. Exciting rides, games, arts & craft market, food, entertainment, Irish Day, Italian Day. St. Luke Church, 16-34 Clintonville St., Whitestone, June 5, 5 to 10 p.m.; June 6, 5 to 11 p.m.; June 7, 2 to 11 p.m.; June 8, 2 to 10 p.m.
– Friday and Saturday, June 6-7, Take Root with Lisa Parra, 8 p.m. Now it its fifth season, Take Root aids in the continued development and performance of new dance work by providing choreographers with the opportunity to be produced in a fulllength or paired evening of work. This month features Lisa Parra, a choreographer, performer and video artist. Her piece, Ana, is an investigation into the relationship between language and movement and the transformations that occur within dialogues. $15. Green Space, 37-24 24th St., LIC, www.GreenSpaceStudio.org.
– Saturday, June 7, Paranormal Investigation of the Lawrence Cemetery, noon. Join the Seekers Club as they perform a live investigation explaining the tools and techniques used to discover paranormal activity at an historic cemetery. The event will be rescheduled if it rains. $10, by reservation only at 1-718-352-1548. Bayside Historical Society, 208 Totten Ave., Fort Totten, Bayside, www.baysidehistorical.org.
– Saturday, June 7, Walking Tour of Astoria Village, 11 a.m. This tour features several impressive and idiosyncratic mansions, two quaint, late-19th century churches, a model working-class housing development and breathtaking views of the East River waterfront. $15. Meet at Socrates Sculpture Park’s main gate at Vernon Boulevard and Broadway, www.astorialic.org.
– Saturday, June 7, At the Opera, 4 p.m. The Forest Hills Choir performs Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, which features a tremendous piano solo, as well as music from operas such as Carmen. The Churchin the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, www.fhchoir.org.
– Saturday, June 7, Corona Plaza Clean-up Day, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteer to help with plantings, flowers, clean-up and painting. Meet at plaza at Roosevelt Avenue and 104th Street. Equipment and refreshments are provided. Contact the Queens Economic Development Corporation if you would like to lend a hand at 1-718-263-0546 or rc@queensny.org.
– Saturday, June 7, The Lady of Musashino, 5 p.m.; The Woman of the Rumor, 7 p.m. The Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) is honoring Kenji Mizoguchi (1898- 1956), who produced 85 films that spanned the silent and sound eras in Japan. The Lady of Musashino is about the unhappily married daughter of an old samurai family. The Woman of the Rumor is about the proprietress of a Kyoto geisha house. Her profession is a source of humiliation to her daughter, who returns home shamefaced after a suicide attempt. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Sunday, June 8, Genealogy Workshop, 2:30 p.m. Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelley from the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Queens chapter leads a workshop. $5. Queens Historical Society, Weeping Beech Park, 143-35 37th Ave., Flushing, www.queenshistoricalsociety.org.
– Sunday, June 8, World’s Fair Voices: Hear Our Stories, Share Yours, 2 to 4 p.m. A special afternoon with the curators of the ongoing exhibit Harvesting Our History: The Story of Queens Botanical Garden (QBG). The daughter of one of the garden’s founders will be on hand, and attendees will share stories about the World’s Fair. QBG, 43-34 Main St, Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
– Sunday, June 8, Fertile Ground New Works Showcase, 7 p.m. This monthly new works showcase for emerging and established artists is now in its eighth season, producing pieces by over 50 choreographers each year. This non-curated performance features five or six choreographers each evening, and includes a post-performance discussion with wine and cheese, moderated by Artistic Director Valerie Green. $10. Green Space, 37- 24 24th St., LIC, www.GreenSpaceStudio.org.
– Sunday, June 8, Forest Hills Choir, 2 p.m. Listen to works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schubert, Ivanovici, Waldteufel and Vivaldi. Forest Hills Jewish Center, 106-06 Queens Blvd., www.fhso.org.
– Sunday, June 8, Tales of the Taira Clan, 2 p.m; Women of the Night, 4:30 p.m. The final night of the Museum of the Moving Image’s retrospective on Kenji Mizoguchi, who produced 85 films that spanned the silent and sound eras in Japan. Returning to Kyoto after great military successes, a captain is snubbed by courtiers in Tales of the Taira Clan, and the family’s hopes fall on his son. The saga takes place against a backdrop of internecine struggle between the decadent aristocracy and the insurgent monks who are roving the countryside. Women of the Night is Mizoguchi’s response to the cinematic challenge issued by Italian neorealism. Japan’s troubled fate is reflected in the stories of two sisters. One loses her husband and child from the war and its aftereffects, the other becomes her boss’s mistress; together they go into the depths of Osaka’s red-light district, where violence is the only law. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Wednesday, June 11, A Taste of Healthy Queens, 6 to 9 p.m. An estimated 400 participants will walk around, sampling products from almost 20 vendors. The focus is on preservative-free, artisanal, traditional foods prepared in a healthy manner. There will be cooking demonstrations, music, raffles and more. The guest host is Tomica Burke of TomCookery Catering, the winner of Cut Throat Kitchen. Gina Keatley, who hosts WNYC-TV’s Healthy Soul cooking, is another invitee. Elmhurst Hospital Center, 79-01 Broadway, Elmhurst, www.nychhc.org.
“It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s attractions.
