Turkish Cultural Center Celebrates Ashura

Noah's Pudding Commemorated

January / 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.

Sunnyside Chamber Honors The Givers

Sunnysider of the Year 2012 Goes To Catholic Priest

November 5, 2012 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Queens Business / Queens Buzz. My father once told me that the world is made up of two kinds of people: the givers and the takers. On Monday evening the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce honored one of its givers: Father Brian Dowd, the Catholic priest of Queen of Angels Church.

The award was the brainchild of Chamber member Patricia Dorfman, and named in honor of Luke Adams, who has been a Sunnyside community giver since the 1970’s. The dinner was sponsored by the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce at Dazies Italian restaurant on Queens Blvd.

Click here to read more about the second annual Luke Adams award given by the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce.

Holiday Tree Lighting In Sunnyside

Where Old & New Stand Side By Side

November 27, 2012 / Sunnyside Neighborhood / Queens Buzz. I attended the Christmas Tree lighting at Sabba Park at Queens Blvd and 50th Street in Sunnyside on Tuesday evening.

It’s a traditional holiday celebration that has gone on for many years and includes performances by the Sunnyside Drum Corps, a choral performance by the LIC YMCA, hot chocolate, several short speeches by local dignitaries, an appearance by Santa and … [drum roll] … the tree lighting.

As usual, the weather was drizzling for the occasion. And while it was damp and cold, there was some warmth in the air that came from those who attended.

Click here for the rest of our report, including photo slide show of the Christmas Tree Lighting in Sunnyside.

Maspeth Antique Auto Show in Queens

Preserving The Past, While Promoting Good Causes

September 25, 2012 / Maspeth NY Queens / Queens Business / Queens Buzz. I attended the Maspeth Antique Auto Show on Sunday. It was my second such venture into the world of antique auto collecting in Queens; and first time visiting the show held in the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank [hereafter abbreviated to FSB] parking lot off Grand Avenue on 69th Street.

The purpose of this show, as well as several other antique auto shows in Queens [see upcoming auto show date & time below], is to have a little fun while raising money for good causes. The proceeds from this auto show would go to Maspeth Town Hall.

I saw vintage cars from the 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s. Some were four door sedans, others two door coupes, a number of convertibles and even a kit car. The classic design and styling are some of the hallmarks of the older cars, but the men who preserve and take car of them, do it because …

Click here to read our report and view photos of the Maspeth Classic Car Show / Autos in Queens.

St Pat’s Day Parade In Queens

St Pat’s For All Parade & Political Pageantry

March 5, 2013 / Ethnic Culture in Queens / Sunnyside & Woodside / Queens Buzz. I attended the St Pat’s For All Parade in Queens on Sunday afternoon. It was a crisp Spring day, with temperatures in the 40’s, and even warmer in the ample sunshine. They had scheduled an Irish cultural celebration to begin at 12.30 pm, followed by the parade which was to begin at 2 pm.

The celebration included a number of Irish dances performed by Niall O’Leary’s School of Irish Dance and Caroline Duggan and the Keltic Dreams of PS 59 in the Bronx [see photo]. There were also musical performances by several groups, including the Brian Fleming Band which has been a regular performer at the St Pat’s For All Parade for years.

And of course there were speeches ... click here to read the rest of our report about, and view our photos of the St Pat’s Parade in Queens, including a photo slide show.

Flicks in the Garden

Moonlit Night Creates Enchanted Evening For Kids At Sunnyside Gardens Park

September 22, 2012 / Things to do in Sunnyside / Queens Buzz. The weather was nearly perfect this past Saturday evening. Temperatures were in the high 70’s and it was dry as I made my way to Sunnyside Gardens Park to take a look into the second annual Flicks in the Garden event.

Last year Flicks in the Garden was done in tandem with the organizers of the Sunnyside Shorts Film Festival [which this year goes on indefinite hiatus], and this year the event morphed into an animated film series for the kids. The event organizers, Emilie McDonald and Tammy Arnstein, are both moms as well as members of Sunnyside Gardens Park; where the event was hosted. It’s also worth mentioning that both Emilie and Tammy are independent filmmakers.

The animated films were curated by an avid animation print collector, Tommy Jose Stathes of Flushing. Click here to read the rest of our report about Flicks in the Garden at Sunnyside Gardens Park.

Turkish Cultural Center Queens

Ramadan Celebration 2012 in Sunnyside

August 19, 2012 / Sunnyside / Ethnic & Religious Culture / Queens Buzz. Ramadan 2012 began on Friday, July 20th and ended Saturday, August 18th. Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic year and it is a time when all Muslims fast. There are a number of similarities between the Ramadan thirty day fasting period and the six week Christian Lenten period of abstinence.

At the end of the fasting period, Muslims celebrate for three days by both welcoming and visiting family and friends in their homes. The end of the fast is called Eid al Fitr, and it began Sunday, August 19th this year.

The Turkish Cultural Center [TCC] of Queens invited the Sunnyside and surrounding community to share in a Ramadan celebration last week at Noonan Park in Sunnyside. I attended the celebration on the last evening, where I met and spoke with Oguztan [pronounced O ooh zan] Turan, president of the TCC Queens.

The goal of the Ramadan Celebration, like many of the Turkish Cultural Center’s programs, is to foster cross cultural interactions to enhance cultural understanding. This has a dual impact, as it helps Turkish immigrants adapt to their new homeland by providing venues for interactions with their American neighbors; and conversely it offers Americans an opportunity to better understand the rich tapestry of the ancient Turkish culture from which the immigrants come.

Click here to read more about the Turkish Cultural Center Queens and the Ramadan Celebration in Sunnyside.

Donnie Wahlberg Makes Arrest In Woodside

Crime In Woodside Is Back Under Control Thanks To Detective Reagan

July 20, 2012 / Woodside Neighborhood / Woodside News / Queens Buzz.  On Friday, CBS began shooting scenes for the 2012 fall season of its action / drama series entitled Blue Bloods.  Blue Bloods is a detective series that is shot on location in NYC and on Friday, July 20th Woodside became one of those locations.

The Blue Bloods series revolves around an Irish American family of police officers and detectives.  One of the central characters is Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck, who is the son of a former police commissioner and is now one himself.  I had hoped to photograph Selleck … 

Click here to read our report and photos of the filming of Blue Bloods in Woodside, including a photo slide show.

Queens of Angels Art Fair in Sunnyside

Community Art Show Evolving

June 19, 2012 / Sunnyside / Art Shows in Queens / Queens Buzz. The fifth annual Queen of Angels Art Fair was held on Sunday, June 17th at the Queen of Angels Church on Skillman Avenue. The annual art fair is organized by the Sunnyside Artists, which caters to neighborhood artists, but space permitting welcomes artists from other neighborhoods.

While this art fair is always good, it somehow seems to get better with the years, aging gracefully like some of the free wine donated by Lowery Wine & Liquors that is served at the annual event. There were somewhere between 30 and 50 artists at the event, offering a variety of works for viewing and sale. Works included watercolors and oils on canvas, prints & post cards, sculptures and photography. To above right is Virgina Asman whose work has taken a turn toward pop art.

Click here to view our report with photos of the Queen of Angels Art Show in Sunnyside.

Memorial Day Parade in Woodside

Memorializing A Century Of Neighborhood Service To The Nation

May 28, 2012 / Woodside / Ethnic & Religious Culture in Queens / Queens Buzz.  On Monday I attended the 64th annual Memorial Day Parade in Woodside.  The parade, which dates back to 1948, is sponsored by St. Sebastian’s Catholic War Veterans Post 870.

The Woodside Memorial Day Parade turned out to be a journey back through the last century of wars, in which many of the enlisted men of Woodside played heroic roles.  I found the event was really more than a parade.  It’s a blend of religion, culture and patriotism all rolled up into an historic journey to four Woodside memorial sites, that are dedicated to those who died fighting for the country.

Click here to read the rest of our report and view a slide show of the Memorial Day Parade in Woodside 2012.