Keeping Track Of All Woodhaven Happenings
There is a lot going on in Woodhaven-sometimes more than one person can easily keep track of.
We at the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) try to make it easier for you to remain on top of all the neighborhood’s events. We discuss them at our Town Halls, and the Times Newsweekly regularly reports upcoming events. But we also use the Internet to help you stay on top of it all.
First, we maintain an online community calendar of events. You can visit it by entering this address in your internet browser: https://bit.ly/WoodhavenCalendar (keep the capitalization the same). If you are aware of any Woodhaven events that are not on the calendar, send us an e-mail at info@woodhaven-nyc.org or call us at 1-718-296-3735 and let us know.
We can’t promise we’ll include it-certain categories of occasions aren’t a good fit-but most of the events we hear about make it on.
Second, we have an e-mail newsletter that we send every couple of weeks. This newsletter, called The Grapevine, is chock full of information. E-mail or call us if you are not yet subscribed and would like to start receiving it. We will not give your address to anyone else or bombard you with spam.
Third, we maintain an active presence on Facebook. Facebook is not for everyone, but more than 800 people are following us there, so it’s an important channel for getting the word out about Woodhaven news. If you’re on Facebook and would like to follow, just search for Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association and click “like.”
Fourth, we’re on Twitter, another social network. Like Facebook, it’s not for everyone, but we have hundreds of followers there too. If you do use Twitter, head over to https://twitter.com/WoodhavenNYC and follow us.
Now that you know what you can do to avoid ever missing a worthwhile happening in Woodhaven, let me mention three that I hope you already know about.
The WRBA will be hosting its 43rd Annual fundraiser on Friday, Oct. 10. This fundraiser provides crucial financial support for the WRBA. The Man of the Year will be Allan Smith, a historian of Woodhaven who has long been involved in the community. The Woman of the Year will be Margie Schmidt, the owner of Schmidt’s Candy on Jamaica Avenue. The Business of the Year will be The Avenue Diner, owned by Paul Vasiliadis. This year’s inductee into the Woodhaven Hall of Fame will be Lewis’ of Woodhaven.
To buy a ticket to the fundraiser with a credit card, please visit https://bit.ly/Wdhvn3 (keep the capitalization the same). To purchase an advertisement in the Fundraiser Journal with a credit card, please visit https://bit.ly/Wdhvn4 (again, keep the capitalization the same). You can also e-mail or call us to buy tickets or an ad.
On Saturday, Sept. 20 at 5 p.m., we and our elected officials are holding a pasta fundraiser dinner to help save the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps. It should be a lot of fun, but more importantly, all proceeds will go to the ambulance corps, whose existence is threatened by the collapsed building next door (which I wrote about in my last column). Tickets are $20. Call or e-mail the WRBA for a ticket, or purchase online by visiting https://bit.ly/WRHVACfundraiser.
And on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., we will hold the Great Woodhaven Yard Sale. This is a coordinated date when households across the neighborhood will have yard sales all at the same time.
The WRBA will distribute maps (with locations but without specific addresses) so that shoppers can visit them all and make a day of it. Call or e-mail the WRBA if you’d like to join in, either as a shopper or a seller.
There’s a lot going on in Woodhaven, and the WRBA wants you to know all about it.
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Editor’s note: The next Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association meeting is on Thursday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, located at 89-02 91st St. Blenkinsopp is a member of Community Board 9 and director of communications for the WRBA. For additional information on the WRBA, visit www.woodhaven-nyc.org.
