By Madina Toure
City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing), state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) and the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce announced a free music and movie night in Kissena Corridor Park in Flushing later this month.
The event, which will take place Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. in the park at Main Street and Elder Avenue, will start with live music by Grammy-nominated artist Tony-O and His Band and conclude with a showing of Disney’s “Big Hero 6.”
Rozic and Koo each allocated $2,000 in discretionary funding for the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting the event, and the Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association, an event sponsor. New York-Presbyterian/Queens, Messer Law Group, Dime Savings Bank and HealthFirst are also sponsors.
Rozic said the event is an affordable entertainment option for residents and a way for people to enjoy the borough’s outdoor space, noting that it costs nearly $30 to see a movie, between tickets and food.
“Last year’s event was wildly successful and we’re hoping to repeat that,” she said.
For Koo, the movie night is a way for people in the neighborhood to get to know one another in light of the growing dominance of communication through technology.
“Everybody gets together and we watch the same movie and you get a chance to meet people,” he said.
Don Capalbi, president of the Queensboro Hill Flushing Civic Association, said he recalls taking a photo of seven Chinese kids listening to blues music at last year’s event, saying that it captures the essence of the tradition.
“We all get to share together at the same time,” Capalbi said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
