Figgy Pudding Short Play Fest

Xmas Comedy at Café Marlene in Sunnyside

December 1, 2011 / Sunnyside / Theater in Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. Sofia Geier, founder of the Unity Stage Company, has put together a comedic treat of nine quick one act plays that draw upon holiday traditions, providing cheer by cynically poking fun at people, places and patches out of the spirit of Christmas past ... and present.

I attended one of their dress rehearsals several days prior to opening night. The plays included some sharp turns in the road and a small sag in the middle. But the general production quality, playwrights' humor and professional acting kept me amused for most of the hour and a half the plays ran.

Click here to read more about the Unity Stage Company’s nine one act plays in the Figgy Pudding Play Fest at Café Marlene running Thursday through Sunday, December 1 – 4, beginning at 8 pm.

Sunnyside Christmas Tree Lighting 2011

T'is The Season To Be Jolly

November 28, 2011 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. It's hard to believe another year has gone by. On Tuesday, the Queens Chamber of Commerce held its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Sabba Park on Queens Blvd and 50th Street, marking such an occasion.

It was a warm, wet night, with temperatures in the 60's. The rain came down lightly and intermittently, but just enough to ward off any sort of large gathering, like the one that had assembled last year.

Click here to view our report and photo slide show of the Sunnyside Christmas Tree Lighting of 2011.

Taste of Sunnyside

Restaurants in Sunnyside @ 2nd Annual Food Event

October 18, 2011 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Food & Wine / Queens Buzz. It was a fine night for a food fest in Sunnyside, New York. So I sauntered on down to the Sunnyside Community Service Center to see what delectables awaited me at the 2nd annual Taste of Sunnyside.

There were 20 Sunnyside restaurants and four beverage vendors this year. All of which are located in the Sunnyside vicinity. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to sample all of them before the end of the first seating.

There were two seatings this year, and both were pretty well sold out … click here to read the rest of our report on the Taste of Sunnyside, including a slide show with photos of the food, many of the restaurateurs, and the folks who’d come to sample the fare of the restaurants in Sunnyside.

Greening Western Queens

July 9, 2011 / Sunnyside / Eco-friendly In Queens / Queens Buzz. I went to check out the Greening Western Queens event which was held in Sunnyside on Saturday morning. I went, not knowing what to expect, and found the event provided a tree-mendous opportunity to learn more about what trees do for us, how to get involved in identifying places to have trees planted, as well as how to care for them.

The Con Ed blackout in 2006 hit areas like Astoria and Sunnyside rather hard. Following the blackout there were financial settlements made with Con Ed, one of which was a $7.8 million fund that went to NorthStar for the purposes of building more sustainable – and thus energy efficient – infrastructure in these neighborhoods.

I wasn’t aware that these two neighborhoods have far less tree coverage than the city average [which is 14% tree coverage] and hence require far more air conditioning to keep cool in the summer.

Click here to learn more about Greening Western Queens - including info about tree types, tree insects, tree mapping and tree care certification in Queens. You will also learn how you can become involved in selecting public and private tree planting locations in Queens.

Queen Of Angels Art Fair

Sunnyside Fair Becoming Established Art Sales Venue

June 18, 2011 / Sunnyside / Art Exhibits / Queens Buzz. It was a warm sunny afternoon in Sunnyside as I made my way down to the Queen Of Angels Church to view the work of about 30 artists. I went late in the afternoon, as last year there was a large crowd at the opening [after Sunday mass], and the numbers didn’t taper off until the end of the afternoon.

This art fair, like a fine wine, continues to evolve. The fair includes exhibitors from the Sunnyside, Woodside and other Queens neighborhoods, as well as from Brooklyn. The artwork on display is for sale, making it interactive so-to-speak, and it seemed like there was a fair amount of sales this year, although I can’t tell whether it’s because I know the artists better [and they feel more comfortable telling me such things] or because they sold more. In any case it’s for a good cause, as some of the proceeds also go toward the Queen of Angels Church. The eye shown in the photo to your left is the work of Casey Concelmo.

Later today click here to read more about and view photos of the Queen Of Angels Art Fair in Sunnyside.

Inside The Creative Process

John Jasperse Open Rehearsal At Topaz Arts In Woodside

May 2, 2011 / Sunnyside & Woodside / Dance & Theater / Queens Buzz. I visited Topaz Arts in Woodside Monday night, to observe an open rehearsal presented by John Jasperse & Company. Jasperse is a highly regarded contemporary choreographer and dancer. He is the creator of a number of award winning works, the most recent of which is Truth, Revised Histories, Wishful Thinking and Flat Out Lies. He is currently working on a new dance to be presented at BAM [Brooklyn Academy of Music] this fall as part of their Next Wave program. Next Wave showcases innovative dance, theater and music.

The open rehearsal began with Jasperse showing what are essentially draft dance pieces of his new work. There were a number of dancers involved in the project who performed while we watched and listened to the accompanying music on a portable player. As the event was an Open Rehearsal, the dancers weren’t wearing any costumes or outfits, but rather loose athletic clothing, the kind you’d expect to see them wearing while practicing.

Click here to read more about John Jasperse & Company open rehearsal at Topaz Arts in Woodside.

St Pat's Parade 2011 Photos

Parade In Sunnyside, Woodside & Queens

March 7, 2011 / Sunnyside & Woodside / Queens Buzz. The St. Pat's For All Parade in Sunnyside marched up Skillman Avenue to Woodside in spite of a persistent rain and overcast skies. The event was headlined by the Mayor, the City Council Speaker, two city councilmen, a former police chief and a couple of guests from Ireland.

Of note was Christine Quinn's impassioned speech about eliminating discrimination. This speech was in response to a decision by the St. Patrick's Day Parade organizers in Staten Island to prohibit gays from marching in their parade. A similar decision was made about ten years ago by the Manhattan St. Patrick's Day parade organizers. The St. Pat's For All Parade in Sunnyside & Woodside does not prohibit gays from marching in its parade.

Given the inclement weather and shortened parade route [all parade routes have been shortened by 25% this year], there appeared to be far fewer parade watchers, but that didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits [pun intended]. Shortly after the parade ended a great downpour came, telling us all that the parade was over. I guess our Irish guests brought along a bit of weather from the old country.

Click here to view a slide show of St Patrick's Day Parade photos 2011 in Sunnyside, Woodside & Queens.

Turkish Cultural Center Celebrates Ashura

Noah's Pudding Commemorated

January 14, 2011 / Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. I just returned from an evening at the Turkish Cultural Center in Sunnyside, where I joined them in celebrating Ashura or Noah’s Pudding. Ashura is an ancient Turkish tradition that commemorates the landing of Noah’s Ark following the great flood. According to the Book Of Genesis, Mount Ararat in Turkey is where Noah's Ark finally touched dry land. A photo of Mount Ararat is shown in the photo to your right.

Mount Ararat is located in eastern Turkey along the Iranian border. The mountain is a dormant volcano that stands nearly 17,000 feet tall and is the highest point in that region of the Middle East.

Click here to learn more about the Turkish Cultural Center in Sunnyside and about the ancient tradition of celebrating Noah’s Pudding. This report also includes photos of the event which was held at the center.

Dance Competition Raises Thousands

Proceeds To Go To New Unit Of Variety B&G Club

Sunnyside / November 22, 2010 / Queens Buzz. On Satuday night I attended a fundraiser at St. Raphael's Auditorium in LIC / Sunnyside. As I walked in I found myself swept up by the magnitude of the crowd, as well as the energy and excitement for the event.

The auditorium was filled with an assortment of tables and chairs, nearly all of which were filled. Dazies Restaurant had catered the event and the food was going fast. The introductory remarks were made by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who had talked about the importance of programs for kids to which the proceeds of this event would go.

I met Vincent Renda and Vanessa Lockel who helped orient me to the overall program and upcoming dance competition. Click here to read our full account of the great Dance Competition Fundraiser for the new Sunnyside unit of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.

What Happened At The Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival?

Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival 2010

September 25, 2010 / Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. The Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival ended last weekend. After the festival there was animated chatter about the films which included a blend of comedy, drama, animation and documentaries.

So I set about to interview members of the audience to see which film they liked best. And to my surprise everyone seemed to favor a different film - including me. The photo to your right is a clip from 'Some Jobs Are Simple'. Click here to read our report and view photos of the Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival 2010.

Queens Of Angels Art Fair - Sunnyside

June 13, 2010 / Sunnyside / QueensBuzz. I just returned from a very diverse and interesting Queen Of Angels Art Fair in Sunnyside. This is the year it seems everything went rather well, with the exception of a few warm raindrops near the end of the day.

I enjoyed the show a bit more this year because they opened up the room so that one could see across the entire room from any angle. This not only helped ventillate the show but also provided for a more interesting experience in terms of crowd watching, while enabling one to view the art from many different angles. And food and wine were served, like on my last visit, adding to the overall art and dining experience.

Click here to read our full report, including dozens of photos, of the Queens Of Angels Art Fair 2010 / Show in Sunnyside.

Unity Stage Company - Six Cylinder Love

Old Script Strikes Contemporary Chord

Sunnyside / June 3, 2010. Unity Stage Company opens Six Cylinder Love on Thursday, June 3rd. I had the opportunity to preview the play the night before the opening.

I went into the review quite skeptical, perhaps because the name of the play just didn't resonate with me. Nor did some of the descriptions I'd read beforehand. It sounded too old and too corny to be of interest.

While everything during the dress rehearsal wasn't quite perfect, there was a lot in this production that made it incredibly relevant to the very times we live in today. The professional cast did a superb job of bringing the characters and themes to life, and I later discovered that this play was written by playwright William McGuire who had won the 1936 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Click here to view our preview of Six Cylinder Love by the Unity Stage Company in Sunnyside.

Queens Green Drinks Events In Sunnyside NY

Queens Green Drinks Springs Into 2010

April 26, 2010 / Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. After about a six month hiatus, Queens Green Drinks has resumed making the rounds. The first event was co-sponsored by Queens Harvest Food Coop and held at the Claret Wine Bar in Sunnyside. Helen Ho, environmental activist, eco-super model and academic was on hand to greet the newly energized group of offline environmental social networkers. You can find more about Helen in other stories such as the Queens Is Green Fashion Show [sorry MIA], prior Green Drinks events, the Tour De Queens and other eco-friendly events, by using the search function at the end of each story or in the upper left corner of the site. Click here to view the first of the Queens Green Drinks events in 2010.

St Pat's For All Parade Photos

St Pat's Day Parade Growing In Stature

Sunnyside / March 8, 2010. By all accounts the St Pat's Day Parade in Sunnyside and Woodside was a big success. We estimate that on this fine day the audience count was easily in the thousands [two to three thousand is our estimate]. This was significantly up verus last year, quite possibly due to the nice sunny weather which included temperatures in the fifties, although there was a cool breeze.

The St Pat's For All Parade in Sunnyside and Woodside has been in existence for eleven years now. It's interesting to note that the parade legacy only goes back little more than a decade, given that Sunnyside and Woodside were considered the Irish sections of Queens for the better part of the last century.

The parade began out of a controversy in the late nineties. The Manhattan St Pat's Day Parade forbid non-heterosexuals to march in their New York City parade. Click here to read the rest of this story including a slide show and a link to our album which contains many photos of the St Pat's Day Parade 2010 in Sunnyside and Woodside.

Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival

Sunnyside / Updated September 7, 2009. I had the opportunity to join the film screening committee of the Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival for an afternoon of watching movies. They were in the midst of making their final first cuts as they watched through nearly fifty submitted films that they received over the past year. It was an interesting process as they made judgments based on production quality, story lines, appropriateness for the audience, acting quality and length of film. The festival will be held on Saturday, September 12th in Sunnyside Gardens Park from about 7.30 pm to 10 pm. Click here for a preview of the Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival in Queens.

Shakespeare In The Park - Queens

Shakespeare In The Park came to Woodside Thursday evening August 13th, with all of the beauty and pageantry and acting of an old time Shakespearean theater company. Hip To Hip Theatre Company performed the event which was organized by Woodside On The Move. It is also being performed in Sunnyside Friday, August 14th in Sunnyside Gardens Park under the sponsorship / organization of Sunnyside Shines. To read a brief report of the performance as well as to view a number of photos of the event, click this link to Hip To Hip Theatre Company & Woodside On The Move present Shakespeare In The Park.

Sunnyside NY - Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Concert

 Bix Biederbecke Concert Swings Sunnyside

Sunnyside NY / August 8, 2009. This afternoon and into the early evening, residents of Sunnyside and passersby along Queens Blvd at 46th Street, were treated to an excellent jazz concert commemorating Bix Beiderbecke.

Bix Biederbecke you ask? Who is he? He is a one time Sunnyside resident and one of the best jazzmen in the 1920's, the age of jazz. Biederbecke was a contemporary of Louis Armstrong and his improvisational style has been compared to Armstrong's, but Bix was a cornet player while Louis played the trumpet. The cornet is also a valved instrument and member of the trumpet family. Click here to read a full story of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Concert in Sunnyside Queens including a link to the photo album or click here to go directly to view photos of the Bix Beiderbecke Concert in Sunnyside NY.

Woodside Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremonies In Woodside

Woodside NY / 2008 and 2009. These are our reports on the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies in Woodside, taking place in Sohncke Park. In 2009, due to inclement weather, the ceremony went inside the St Sebastian school auditorium. The event was sponsored by Woodside On The Move and featured a number of school groups who sang Christmas songs.

Click here to view our reports on the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies in Woodside.

Christmas Tree Lighting In Sunnyside

Running Account Of Xmas Tree Lightings In Sunnyside

The following includes our reports from 2008 and 2009 of the Sunnyside Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies in Joe Sabba Park in Sunnyside. The event was sponsored by the Sunnyside Chamber Of Commerce.

Click here to view our reports on the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremonies in Sunnyside.

Halloween Parties In Sunnyside Queens

Halloween Party at Maggie Maes bar on Queens Blvd in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens NY.

Voting & Election Day In Queens

Voting on Election Day 2008 finally arrived. This story reports on voter turnout at polling places in the neighborhoods of Woodside and Sunnyside in Queens NY.

Super Tuesday 2008 - U.S. Elections

This is a brief story about the primary voting and the 2008 primary elections in Queens.

Snowfall In Queens NY

There are two stories on snowfalls in the Sunnyside section of Queens NY. Both of them occurred in February - but one in 2009 and one in 2008.

St Patrick's Day Parade Queens NY

St Pat's Parade Evolving Into People's Day Parade

Sunnyside & Woodside Queens NY / March 2008 and March 2009. Every first Sunday in March, the St Patrick's Day parade traverses Sunnyside and Woodside. These two neighborhoods, once the home to a large concentration of Irish immigrants [and still many today], has grown to become one of the more ethnically mixed sections of metro New York City. Hence when the Manhattan St Patrick's Day parade banned gays from marching in their parade, the Sunnyside / Woodside St Patrick's Day Parade filled in the breach by opening the parade to gays and anyone else who wished to join in celebrating Irish culture.

The following are brief reports of the parade the past two years including a photo slide show. Click here to view our report on the St Patrick's Day Parade in Sunnyside & Woodside Queens.

St Pats For All Parade Woodside

St Patrick's Day Parade In Woodside, Sunnyside

March 1 2011 / Sunnyside & Woodside / Queens Buzz. Click here for the time, route, map and history of the St Pat's For All Parade in Woodside, Sunnyside & Queens.

Halloween Parties In Sunnyside Queens

The Sunnyside nieghborhood of Queens NY celebrated Halloween a bit early on the weekend of October 26th and 27th.

Sunnyside Events / Woodside Events

Sunnyside / Woodside. This is the Sunnyside and Woodside events section of the site.  In this section you'll find past, present and future events and things to do in the neighborhoods of Sunnyside and Woodside in Queens.

Click here to view the Sunnyside Events / Woodside Events section of this site.

Sunnyside Neighborhood Woodside Neighborhood

Sunnyside Neighborhood & Woodside Neighborhood

Sunnyside / Woodside. This is the front page to the Sunnyside neighborhood / Woodside neighborhood section of QueensBuzz.com. This section contains news and information about events, attractions, restaurants and shopping in the Sunnyside & Woodside neighborhoods. Sunnyside and Woodside having thriving artist and musician communities, a wide array of authentic ethnic restaurants and accessible parks, with good commuting distances to the city and other parts of the borough.

Click here to view the Sunnyside Neighborhood / Woodside Neighborhood section of this site.