Sunnyside Gardens Park

Pumpkin Patch and Oktoberfest 2011

Membership Benefits & Dues

October 10, 2011 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Green & Parks / Queens Buzz. This Saturday people from Sunnyside, Woodside, Astoria and further neighborhoods, made their way to the annual Sunnyside Gardens Pumpkin Patch and Oktoberfest. The day-long event attracted a larger crowd than I have ever seen there before.

Based on my photos and a quick and dirty head count, the event was likely attended by well over 1,000 people. We tried to photograph as many people as possible, as the slide show and photo album will attest.

Click here to view our report on Sunnyside Gardens Park including information about services, membership and dues, and the Pumpkin Patch and Oktoberfest event of 2011.

Sunnyside Shorts / Flicks In The Park

September 10, 2011 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. It was a comfortable Saturday evening as I headed into Sunnyside Gardens Park. Upon arrival I met Sherri Gamilin, one of the four producers of the event. A small crowd had already gathered and a local blues band was setting up. In the photo to your right are members of the audience who came to watch Sunnyside Shorts and Flicks In The Garden in Sunnyside Gardens Park.

Sherri talked about the changes made to the festival this year. They added live music, the Broken Hearted Blues Band, and joined forces with the organizers of the first annual ‘Flicks In The Garden’. Click here to read our full report, including synopses of the films shown and photos of the Sunnyside Shorts and Flicks In The Garden Film Festival.

Bix Beiderbecke Concert In Sunnyside

August 6, 2011 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. Things were done a bit differently this year at the annual Bix Beiderbecke Concert in Sunnyside. In past years the Bix Memorial Orchestra, which was first organized by Paul Maringelli of Sunnyside, played Bix tunes for a couple of hours in remembrance of Bix who was once a resident of Sunnyside in the 1920’s.

This year the Sunnyside BID, sponsors of the event, extended the play to include four musical groups, a cartooning workshop and a Summer Stock For Kids event. I dropped in on the afternoon-long event twice, seeing the first act and probably the last. While I was there The Brandee Younger Band played a few jazz tunes. The Brandee Younger Band is shown in the photo.

Click here to view a report on the Bix Beiderbecke Concert history which we published a couple of years ago. And click here for additional Sunnyside newsbriefs.

American Meat - Unfinished Film

Documentary About Current State Of Food & Farming

March 7, 2011 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Food & Wine / Queens Buzz. I managed to obtain an invitation to a screening of American Meat, which is an unfinished documentary film, at Cafe Marlene in Sunnyside. The screening was sponsored by Queens Harvest Co-op, which is an organization working to build an organic food cooperative in Queens.

The film is a rather eye opening look into how the economics of food / meat production in this country have taken us down an unsustainable path. A path which not only has significant health implications, but possibly even more dire consequences. The film provides an intelligent, behind-the-scenes look at how economics have been driving: 1) food production methods, 2) the composition of what's in the meat being sold at the grocery store, and 3) what we're feeding our children and ourselves.

The film was envisioned and began production in the spring of 2007 and the producers are hoping to finish it in 2011. Click here to view our preview of the unfinished documentary film entitled American Meat independent film at Cafe Marlene in Sunnyside and hosted by Queens Harvest Co-op.

Shenton, Shields, Spoletini & Wade

Perform At The Sunnyside Reformed Church

February 5, 2011 / Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. I attended one of the cultural events sponsored by the Sunnyside Reformed Church. The performance featured four accomplished musicians who gave standing ovation performances that included Italian opera, Broadway Musicals and classical jazz. In the photo above Baritone Giuseppe Spoletini is shown singing the Figaro Aria in Sunnyside.

The event sponsor, the Sunnyside Reformed Church, dates back over 400 years to the Dutch Calvinists, many of whom were early settlers of Queens during colonial times [circa 1600’s]. This report takes a look at both the musical performance and the sponsoring church, which is located at the corner of Skillman Avenue and 48th Street in Sunnyside.

Click here to read more about the jazz performance at Sunnyside Reformed Church.

Woodside - Holiday Lights 2010

Beware - Photos Of Kids' Cheer May Be Contagious

December 4, 2010 / Woodside / Queens Buzz. Woodside On The Move threw an enjoyable Christmas Tree Lighting event on Saturday. As you can see in the photo to your right, there was a look of anticipation as the kids awaited Santa's arrival.

There was a full schedule of events, starting with a few short speeches by representatives from Woodside On The Move as well as local government officials. The crowd was then treated to quite a few musical numbers sung by kids from St. Sebastian's parochial school and public schools 152 and 11. Monsignor Hardiman then blessed the tree and the tree was lit [see tree in background of photo].

Click here for a full report including a slide show of photos of the Woodside On The Move Tree Lighting event 2010.

Turkish Cultural Center - Queens

Sunnyside / December 3, 2010 / Queens Buzz. I just returned from a visit to the Turkish Cultural Center in Sunnyside. I went there to view the Turkish movie, entitled Separation, which had English subtitles. The movie is highly philosophical and based on the writings of an ancient 13th century Turkish / Persian scholar, Mevlevi.

Foreign Films In Queens - Turkish Cultural Center

The tale is set in 1798 in what is today Istanbul, Turkey. The story is about a retired diplomat / ambassador who had served the Sultan by advising him on European affairs. The ambassador, Dede Efendi, is aided by a young scribe from whose perspective the story is told. The ambassador is drawn back into the world of diplomacy and intrigue because the French, under General Napoleon Bonaparte, are about to declare war on Egypt. One of Dede’s former peers calls upon him to inform the Sultan in an effort to pre-empt the attack and avoid a war. Framed within this tale of diplomacy, is a love story between a doctor who attends to the ambassador, and one of the servants in the empress’s entourage. The photo to your left shows the good doctor in the Turkish movie Separation.

Click here to read the rest of our report about the Turkish Cultural Center in Sunnyside Queens, including photos / slide show.

Sunnyside - Holiday Lights 2010

Holiday Lighting Ceremonies Abound

December 2, 2010 / Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. Over the past three weeks, there have been three 2010 holiday lighting ceremonies in Sunnyside.

Each ceremony appeared to attract crowds of between fifty and one hundred, ranging from the very young to the very seasoned. The first ceremony was the Greenpoint Avenue Lighting ceremony held on November 16th and sponsored by Sunnyside Shines BID, just over a week before Thanksgiving.

This week there were two holiday lighting ceremonies: one of which was a tree lighting ceremony held at Joe Sabba Park and another to commemorate the new holiday lights adorning Skillman Avenue. The tree lighting ceremony has been in existence for some time now, while the Skillman Avenue lights are new this year. Both events were sponsored by the Sunnyside Chamber Of Commerce.

And the upcoming ceremony is sponsored by Woodside On The Move and is scheduled to occur on Saturday at Sohncke Park in front of St. Sebastian's church [see Kids link in Queens Events section of the site]. Click here for links to slide shows / photos of holiday / tree / street lighting ceremonies in Sunnyside & Woodside 2010.

St Sebastian's Catholic Grade School - Woodside

One Of The Leading Grade Schools In Queens

Woodside / June 14, 2010 / Queens Buzz. I just returned from a tour of St Sebastian’s grade school in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens. The school is one of about 55 Catholic grade schools in Queens. St Sebastian’s has an enrollment of between 400 and 450 students from nursery through the eighth grade. And the school’s student body scores highly compared with the nation on standardized education tests covering math, reading comprehension and writing.

In this report we provide a brief history of St Sebastian’s, an overview of it’s academic, athletic and other programs, and include related information pertaining to Catholic grade schools in the Queens area. Included in this report is information about St Sebastian’s tuition, enrollment fees and a summary time line of the enrollment application process [scroll down / scan the headlines to find the information you’re seeking].

Click this link to read the rest of the story and view the photos of St Sebastian's Catholic Grade School in Woodside.

Illusion Or Reality?

Fun Photography Exhibit At Topaz Arts - Woodside

May 8, 2010 / Woodside / Queens Buzz. I visited Topaz Arts Saturday night to view the new photographic exhibit that opened tonight with a reception. I met the artist, Satomi Shirai, a long lithe Japanese woman who’d arrived on our shores some six years ago. She’s currently working on her MFA [Masters of Fine Arts] at Hunter College in Manhattan and her photography is currently being featured by Topaz as a one woman show.

I wandered the gallery, perusing her work. The exhibit includes about ten, large framed photographs; thoughtfully chosen and carefully placed for the show. On my own, I couldn’t really figure out what she doing with her work, so I asked her to help me understand by commenting on it.

Click here to view / read the rest of the story about the Home and Home photography exhibit at Topaz Arts in Woodside.

FDNY Memorial Service Woodside

Engine 325 & Ladder 163 Remember Fallen

April 17, 2010 / Woodside / Queens Buzz. Today I attended a memorial service dedicated to the men of the Woodside Fire Station who lost their lives in the line of duty. The service was held at St Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church in Woodside.

There were about one hundred people in attendance, most of whom appeared to have some connection with the firemen. The service was given by FDNY chaplin, Father John Delendick in collaboration with Father Gerard Sauer from St Sebastian’s. Two firemen did readings prior to the chaplin’s sermon. Click here to read the rest of the story about FDNY Memorial Service at St Sebastian's in Woodside.

Thalia Theatre Bridges Cultural Divide

Sunnyside / November 13, 2009. I enjoyed a dance performance by the Mestizo Dance Company last  Friday evening at the Thalia Theatre in Sunnyside. The show, which runs weekends through December 6th, is a panoply of colorful costumes, music by an accomplished eight piece band, all in support of  an impressive performance by a full troupe of talented dancers. All tolled they performed nearly twenty  dances from various parts of Latin America which the audience seemed to greatly enjoy.

Click here to view a story about the Best Of The Mestizos at Thalia Spanish Theatre in Sunnyside Queens.

Sunnyside Gardens Park

Private Park Continues Tradition Of Community Service

Sunnyside / January 25, 2010. Over the course of this past year I had occasion to meet and converse with various members of Sunnyside Gardens Park. The park is privately owned - one of only two such parks in the city, with the other being Gramercy Park in Manhattan. While membership in Gramercy is closed, membership in Sunnyside Gardens Park is open to local residents. Membership in the park fluctuates, and there are currently about 300 members, most of which are family memberships.

Click here to read the rest of our report about Sunnyside Gardens Park.

Topaz Arts In Woodside

Woodside / August 17, 2009. This weekend Topaz Arts hosted a series of 13 readings about the impact the transformational experience of immigrating into this country had on the readers' lives. The readings were of a personal nature and provided some insight into a sort of shared immigration experience, as nearly half of Queens borough's population was born in another land.

Later that same day, Topaz Arts hosted a photography exhibit entitled 'The Divide'. The Divide drew contrasts between north and south [America], black and white, rich and poor, the here and now and the afterlife ... and so much more. While I did not see the connection between these two events at the outset, it later dawned on me. Click here to read the full report of the readings and the photography exhibit at Topaz Arts in Woodside.

Sunnyside Gardens Park Octoberfest

This is a brief report on the Octoberfest sponsored by the Sunnyside Gardens Park in Sunnyside Queens NYC which was open to the public. Some events at the park are for members only as the park, like Gramercy, is owned privately by the residents of Sunnyside NY.

Queens Of Angels Church - Sunnyside

There was an Art Fair held in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens NY. About 25 local artists prepped artwork to sell at the event.  Hundreds of people attended the event, many of whom walked away with some new artwork for their homes or offices. The photo to your left is by, and includes Anthony Buczko.

Windmuller Park and Virgilio Playground

Virgilio Playground in Windmuller Park was bustling with activity on Memorial Day in the neighborhood of Woodside Queens NY.

Farmers Market In Sunnyside Queens

The Farmers' Market in Sunnyside opened in April 2008 for the Spring, Summer and Fall seasons. At the market they sell freshly caught fish and other seafood, fresh produce and meat, and baked goods.

Doughboy Park In Woodside Queens

About an inch and a half of snow blanketed Doughboy Park in the Woodside neighborhood of Queens NY.

Sunnyside Gardens

Section Of Neighborhood Now A Landmark

The City Council approved a landmark designation for Sunnyside Gardens in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens NY.

Things To Do In Sunnyside & Woodside

Attractions In The Sunnyside & Woodside Neighborhoods

This section is about the attractions and things to do in the Sunnyside and Woodside neighborhoods of Queens NY. Attractions include Thalia Theatre, the now landmarked Sunnyside Gardens, St Sebastian's Catholic School, Sunnyside Gardens Park, Topaz Arts as well as a number of parks and nascent arts / theater groups.

Click here for Things To Do In Sunnyside & Woodside - Attractions.