News From The Queens Tourism Council
Say the genre and Queens has it. Catch a Rock & Roll, R & B or Rap concert this August, including Drake vs. Lil’ Wayne at Forest Hills Stadium.
If film is more your thing, try any of the outdoor screenings at Cunningham Park and Astoria Park, or the Museum of the Moving Image’s nine-film screening series featuring rare titles imported from Hong Kong. Plus, don’t miss a Mexican night with a costume contest, and an edible plant biking tour in the Rockaways.
Here’s the rundown.
– Tonight (Thursday) Aug. 14, Passport Thursdays: Cuba, 7 to 10 p.m. Explore a different country each week with live music, dance, and outdoor films. This week features Cuba and The Cimarron Project, an ensemble dedicated to showcasing the diversity of Afro-Cuban music and dance at its most traditional. Plus, the film Habanastation, which traces the lives of two Cuban classmates with different upbringings who form a strong friendship. Free. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows- Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.
– Thursday, Aug. 14, The Regulars, 7:30 p.m. A Rock & Roll band that proudly and defiantly stands up to trends and fads and makes the fist-pumping, lighterwaving music we all can’t live without. Free. Astoria Park Great Lawn, Shore Boulevard between the Hell Gate Bridge and Astoria Pool, www.centralastoria.org.
– Thursday, Aug. 14, Laughing Boy Review, 7 p.m. This Woodside group plays R&B as part of the Woodside Summer Concert Series, presented by the Northwest Woodside Coalition and Goliard Concerts. Free. Sgt. Collins Park, 58th Street and Broadway, Woodside, 1-718-205-1030.
– Friday through Sunday, Aug. 15-24, “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Cinema of Patrick Lung Kong.” The Museum of the Moving Image pays tribute to Hong Kong director Patrick Lung Kong, who made his first film nearly 50 years ago, and who had a profound impact on following generations of filmmakers, including John Woo and Tsui Hark. Lung Kong drew on the rich traditions of Cantonese cinema while bringing new social dimensions to genre filmmaking. In addition to the fourteen feature films he wrote and directed between 1966 and 1979, Lung Kong acted in 60 films between 1958 and 2002. Though scarcely shown outside of Hong Kong today, he endures as one of the most original and uncompromising auteurs Hong Kong has ever produced. This program will consist of seven features that he directed and one he produced. Patrick Lung Kong and Tsui Hark will be in person on Aug. 15 and 16.
– Friday, Aug. 15, Classic Monster Film Fridays: The Thing, 7:55 p.m. Horror-meister John Carpenter teams Kurt Russell’s outstanding performance with incredible visuals to build this chilling version of the classic The Thing. In the winter of 1982, a 12- man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing alien wreaks havoc, creates terror and becomes one of them. Free. Rufus King Park, Jamaica Avenue at 153rd Street, www.abetterjamaica.org.
– Friday, Aug. 15, The Story of a Discharged Prisoner, 7 p.m. The Museum of the Moving Image (MMI) is presenting “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Cinema of Patrick Lung Kong,” a nine-film screening series featuring rare titles imported from Hong Kong. Discharged Prisoner is Kong’s breakthrough action-melodrama shot on-location in the slums of Hong Kong. A prisoner is released after years of incarceration to find his family estranged and his ex-fiancée the mistress of a powerful triad boss. He tries to stay straight as he faces harassment from the violent triads and the hardened police. $15. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Friday, Aug. 15, Beach Flix, sundown. Bring a blanket or beach chair and watch the movie Pee Wee’s Big Adventure outdoors on the sand. Free. Beach 97th Street, Rockaway, www.RockawayCivic.com.
– Friday, Aug. 15, 3rd Space: Performing Poetry Workshop with Ngoma Hill, 6:30 p.m. A performing poetry workshop with legendary NYC spoken word artist Ngoma Hill. The workshop is designed to enhance poets’ ability to deliver poetry and develop stage presence through the use of drama techniques. Each participant should bring one memorized piece to the workshop. $30. Queens Council on the Arts, 37- 11 35th Ave., LIC, www.queenscouncilarts.org.
– Friday, Aug. 15, Irish Movie Night, 7:30 p.m. The New York Irish Center presents the comedy The Bachelor Weekend and the short Nietsche No. 5, which won best comedy at the 2011 Fastnet Short Film Festival. New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., LIC, www.newyorkIrishcenter.com.
– Friday and Saturday, Aug. 15- 16, Craftsmen Days, noon to 4 p.m. Meet artisans and watch demonstrations of 19th century crafts. Learn about broom making, tinsmithing, woodturning and more. Enjoy traditional music featuring instruments like hammered dulcimer, fiddle and banjo. Take a tour of King Manor and see rarely-displayed crafts from the collection. Free. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave, Jamaica, www.kingmanor.org.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Gordon Au & The Grand Street Stompers, 2 p.m. Part of the Hot Jazz/Cool Garden summer concert series. Complimentary sample of red beans n’ rice and sweet tea. $18. Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th St., Corona, www.satchmo.net.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Music in the Garden: The Ebony Hillbillies, 6:15 p.m. NYC’s only African American string band plays all-American jazz, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, rock and roll and country. Free with admission ($4 adults/$3 seniors/$2 students with ID and children over three.) Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Teddy Girls, 3 p.m.; and A Better Tomorrow, 7 p.m. Part of “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Cinema of Patrick Lung Kong,” a nine-film screening series featuring rare titles imported from Hong Kong. Teddy Girls is a revenge thriller about a youth sentenced to an all-girl reform school after a violent bar brawl. She escapes to the streets and an even more hostile environment. A Better Tomorrow is of the same genre, as a gang member gets out of prison and finds his old friend to settle the score with his adversary. $15. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Choban Elektrik, 3 p.m. Balkan and Roma/Gypsy beats soar from this Brooklyn-based electric dance band whose repertoire draws from the folk music of Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, and the Romany people. In this multi-lingual program, the band incorporates the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s and 1970s with its vintage keyboards and creates a high-energy dance party with its powerful rhythm section. Featuring guest vocalists trained in Balkan tradition, the musicians recreate the songs of the great Esma Redzevopa, the acclaimed Macedonian singer. Traditional line dancing will be demonstrated and encouraged amongst the audience. Suggested for ages 7 and up. Free. Queens Library at Ridgewood, 2012 Madison St., Ridgewood, www.chobanelektrik.com.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Picnic Days, noon to 6 p.m. Enjoy the beautiful Onderdonk House gardens and picnic area. Groups limited to 10 individuals. Visitors supply charcoal, food, supplies, additional chairs, additional tables, blankets, portable grills, umbrellas, pop up shelters. (No alcohol). Tours included: $5; 12 and under are free with an adult. 1820 Flushing Ave., Ridgewood, www.onderdonkhouse.org.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Kids Singer Dave Jay, 1 p.m. Great live music for youngsters as part of the shopping center’s Children’s Summer Entertainment Series. Free. Rego Center’s Galleria, 61-35 Junction Blvd., Rego Park, www.regocenter.com.
– Saturday, Aug 16, History Roundtable: First Lady of the United States, 1 p.m. Dolley Madison was said to be the first president’s wife to be referred to as “First Lady.” The position of the First Lady is not an elected one, carries no official duties, and receives no salary. Nonetheless, First Ladies have held a highly visible position in U.S. government. A look at the First Ladies through history as public woman, political celebrity, political activist and political interloper in the “highest unelected office” in the country. Free. Greater Astoria Historical Society, Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway, Fourth Floor, www.astorialic.org.
– Saturday, Aug. 16, Mexican Night, 6 p.m. Live Mariachi band, Mexican food, drinks, gifts, and surprises. Award for best Mexican costume. La Adelita, 52-22 Roosevelt Ave., Woodside, www.laadelitany.com.
– Sunday, Aug. 17, Ping Pong in the Park, 1 to 5 p.m. Back for a sixth year, this fun event includes ping pong on tables that Build it Green, a salvage warehouse, made from trashed materials. Free. Astoria Park, 19th Street between Astoria Park South and Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria.
– Sunday, Aug. 17, Rockspot Bike Tour, 10 a.m. Join for an edible plant biking tour. You will explore the open space of the eastern end of the Rockaway Peninsula to discover the natural vegetation and edible plants growing in the area. www.rwalliance.org.
– Sunday, Aug. 17, Astoria Park Shore Fest, 1 to 6:30 p.m. Third day of a festival held on three consecutive Sundays. With the theme “Make Shore BoulevART,” groups will paint, play music, dance and let the nearby inspired their creativity. Shore Boulevard between Astoria Park South and Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria.
– Sunday, Aug. 17, Hiroshima 28, 3 p.m.; Love Massacre, 6 p.m. Part of “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: The Cinema of Patrick Lung Kong,” a nine-film screening series featuring rare titles imported from Hong Kong. Hiroshima 28 is a bittersweet melodrama about the months following the bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. A young tour guide and a reporter research the tragic effects of the atom bomb. Love Massacre is a highly stylized slasherthriller about a vivacious student whose boyfriend turns into a dangerous stalker after his sister’s suicide. $15. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
– Monday, Aug. 18, Dirty Dancing, 8:30 p.m. Outdoor screening as part of Central Astoria LDC’s 2014 Movies on the Waterfront series. Free. Astoria Park Great Lawn, Shore Boulevard between the Hell Gate Bridge and Astoria Pool, www.centralastoria.org.
– Monday, Aug. 18, Hair, 8 p.m. (rain date: Aug. 19). An outdoor movie on a giant screen sponsored by City Council Member Mark S. Weprin and Friends of Cunningham Park. Free. Cunningham Park, vicinity of bocce courts, Union Turnpike and 196th Place, Fresh Meadows, 718-468-0137.
– Tuesday, Aug. 19, Drake vs Lil Wayne, 7 p.m. The Forest Hills Stadium, where the Beatles and the Rolling Stones once played, is revamped and hosting this rap concert. Tickets $69 to $400, 1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills Gardens, www.foresthillsstadium.com.
– Wednesday, Aug. 20, Live at the Gantries: Gerardo Contino Y Los Habaneros, 7 p.m. A salsa concert is part of Live at the Gantries, a series of outdoor performances featuring Queens-based musicians. Free. Gantry Plaza State Park, a 10-acre waterfront oasis between 49th and 50th avenues along the East River. www.liveatthegantries.com.
– Wednesday, Aug. 20, Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees, 7:30 p.m. This tribute band plays as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of summer concerts hosted by Maspeth Federal Savings. Free. Main office parking field, 69th Street and Grand Avenue, Maspeth, 1-718-335-1300.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s many attractions. More info available online at www.itsinqueens.com.
