Create your Halloween costume, dance the night away, learn more about pumpkins, and do more at these events around Queens.
Saturday, Oct. 17
See the rapidly changing streetscape of Dutch Hills through a special photography exhibit at the Greater Astoria Historical Society. In “We Will Be Here,” Salvador Espinoza’s images show surviving and former Dutch Kills residents among a haunting landscape of scaffolding and high-rise dig sites. As a lifelong resident of Dutch Kills, Espinoza used funding from Queens Council on the Arts to photograph subject matter that is startlingly close to home. Saturday, Oct. 17. Free admission. Quinn Building, 35-20 Broadway, Fourth Floor, Astoria. 718-278-0700, www.astorialic.org.
Join the Queens Museum for a weekend focused on architecture and urban design, as Queens Museum takes part in the 13th annual Open House New York weekend, organized by Open House New York. Housed in the historic New York City Building, site of both the 1939 and 1964-65 World’s Fairs and the first home of the United Nations, the Queens Museum has become the principal center for modern and contemporary art in the borough as well home to a collection of World’s Fair memorabilia. It also features the Panorama, a scale model of all five boroughs of New York City. Noon to 4 p.m. New York City Building at Flushing Meadows Corona Park near the Unisphere. www.queensmuseum.org.
Make this year’s trick-or-treating truly unique with a costume you made yourself at the New York Hall of Science. The costume creation workshop offers participants an array of tools and fun materials at your disposal. The hall’s trained staff of Halloween Engineers (Halloweengineers for short) will be on hand to help you make, sew and glue. They can also advise on next steps you can do at home (or at school) to create the costume of your dreams or nightmares. Recommended for ages 5 and older. $10 per adult/child pair, plus NYSCI admission. (Members: $8 per adult/child pair.) 47-01 111th St., Corona, www.nysci.org.
Ridgewood’s historic Onderdonk House will participate in “Open House New York” for the first time this weekend. The program features “Bloch” Swiss demonstration and procession in conjunction with Knockdown Center, tours of the Onderdonk House and activities for children. Free admission. 1820 Flushing Ave., Ridgewood. 718-456-1776, www.onderdonkhouse.org.
Help take care of Idlewild Park at a special cleanup hosted by the New York City Parks Department and the Idlewild Park Preservation Committee. Volunteers will meet up at the corner of 149th Avenue and Springfield Lane to spruce up the park. Materials will be provided 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 347-821-2301 or email tamaramitchell@easternqueensalliance.org.
Come dance the night away and stay fit during the “’70s vs. ‘80s fitness party” at the Puerto Havana Fitness Center in Long Island City. Guests are invited to wear their favorite decades gear for the evening. $10 per person. 5 to 9 p.m. 38-12 30th St., LIC. 917-503-3987, puertohavanalic@gmail.com.
Redeemer Lutheran Church/Lutheran School of Flushing & Bayside will hold its Oktoberfest and rummage sale celebration. Festivities include the Pilsener Brass Band, food and drink for purchase, fun games for children and a ticket auction. The rummage sale offerings include attic treasurers, household goods, decorations, furniture and other bric-a-brac. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 36-01 Bell Blvd., Bayside.
Follow a tree throughout the year and learn of its importance to the world during “Nature Tales: A Tree for All Seasons” at the Alley Pond Environmental Center. Open to children for ages 5 and 6, the session includes storytime, a visit with animals, snacks, crafts and a nature walk (weather permitting). Admission is $21 per child. 1:30 to 3 p.m. 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston. For more information on this and other programs, call 718-229-4000 or visit www.alleypond.com.
Sunday, Oct. 18
Celebrate fall fun while learning about pumpkins during the Alley Pond Environmental Center’s “Adventure Time Pumpkin Party.” The class offers toddlers and their parents or caregivers an opportunity to learn about nature and socializing in a relaxed environment. Classes include visits with live animals, art projects, outdoor play, trail walks and music. Limited to eight parent/child pairs, so pre-registration is required. $18 per child. 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston. For more information on this and other programs, call 718-229-4000 or visit www.alleypond.com.
The Queens Museum invites children 5 to 12 and their adult companions to its drop-in family workshop, where adults and children can explore different works on view each week through a variety of fun, hands-on art making activities. Children with special needs welcome, adaptations available. No fee or advance registration required. Just show up and stay for as long as you like. This week we will sketch still lifes from fall foods and plants. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., New York City Building at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Studio A, near the Unisphere. www.queensmuseum.org.
A sweet tale for the youngest of audience members, ages 0 to 6, will be told at Flushing Town Hall through a performance from “Hatched! Tree House Shakers.” The show features delightful visuals, music, puppets, little human dialogue and the exploration of baby animals on a farm. Hatched is a first introduction to the theatre, with lots of audience interaction and play. A newly hatched chick is met by a feisty old rooster, a wobbly calf learning to walk, a gaggle of dancing chicks, a lamb and a noisy nest of baby birds. Shows at 1 and 3 p.m. $13 per person, $10 for members, $8 per child, $6 per member child. 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing. 718-463-7700, www.flushingtownhall.org.
Bella Italia Mia will hold its 18th annual celebration at the Christ the King Regional High School CNL Anne and Henry Paolucci International Center. The Italian-American cultural group will feature entertainment from Gianvito Bottalico, Fernando Caruso, Alba Mazza, Daniela Taormina and Giuseppe Taormina. Guests will also enjoy a full meal catered by Phillies Catering of Middle Village. $35 for members, $45 for non-members. Noon to 5 p.m., 68-02 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village. For more information, call 718-426-1240 or email bellaitaliamia@mail.com.
Have a wonderful time during the Wonderful Woodhaven Street Festival along Jamaica Avenue sponsored by the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation. The street fair features pony rides, games, food and retail vendors and entertainment including the Mary Lamont Country Western Band and the Malaysian Lion Dancers. Noon to 6 p.m., rain or shine, Jamaica Avenue between 80th Street and Woodhaven Boulevard, Woodhaven.
Monday, Oct. 19
The Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District begins tonight its third annual “Sunnyside Restaurant Week.” Twenty-nine local restaurants are participating in the event and will serve a three-course dinner menu for $25; some have also opted to create a special lunch menu. In addition to the delicious food, the arts organization No Longer Empty in partnership with Queens World Film Festival has curated video/film installations in several of the restaurants. For a list of participating restaurants, visit www.sunnysideshines.org.
St. Barnabas Church will hold its annual fall rummage sale on Monday and Tuesday. Sponsored by the St. Barnabas Women’s Fellowship League, the sale features clothing for children and adults, jewelry, electronics, books, toys, furniture, housewares and much more. Sales will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and on Monday night from 7 to 9 p.m. 159-19 198th St., Howard Beach. For more information, call 718-843-7028.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
The Howard Beach Senior Center will hold a presentation on cardiac issues such as hypertension (high blood pressure), hypotension and heart attack symptoms. Nursing students from Queensborough Community College will provide the presentation. Admission is free. 10:30 a.m., 155-55 Cross Bay Blvd. For more information, call 718-738-1889.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Queens Museum continues its Senior Film Series today with a screening of the 1956 classic “The Searchers,” directed by John Ford. John Wayne stars as a man in a quest to find his niece, who was abducted as a child during an Indian raid. Filmmaker Mark Ethan Toporek will introduce the movie and then hold a discussion following its conclusion. 2 to 5 p.m., New York City Building at Flushing Meadows Corona Park near the Unisphere. www.queensmuseum.org.
Learn more about the relationship between environmental medicine and human health during the “Beyond Toxicity” lecture at the Alley Pond Environmental Center. Dr. Peter Rouvelas, a board-certified physician, will speak about common environmental toxins in the home, air, water and land; connections between environmental toxin exposure, diseases and health disorders; an integrative approach toward healing and support; and various resources to help reduce toxicant exposure. Free admission, but pre-registration is required. 228-06 Northern Blvd., Flushing. For more information on this and other programs, call 718-229-4000 or visit www.alleypond.com.
Mental health issues will be front and center during a special “Ask the Doctor” session presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Queens/Nassau at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks. Dr. Stephen Geisler, clinical director of adult ambulatory services, will speak about his work with various medications used to treat schizophrenia and answer questions from the audience. Admission is free. 266th Street and 76th Avenue. For more information, call 718-347-7284 or visit www.namiqn.org.
