By Maryam Rahman
A birthday candle was attached to each letter of the bright blue “Queens, the World’s Borough” sign located in MacDonald Park. The year’s first sixty-degree day brought out hundreds of Queens residents, as they crowded into all nooks and crannies of the park. Dozens lined up to take photos with Mr. and Mrs. Met, joined in on dance performances, and bought Girl Scout cookies by the handful. Since it was International Women’s Day, cheers even went out to Mrs. Met, who blew kisses to the crowd.
The Queens Sign Block Party took place on Sunday, commemorating the first anniversary of the sculpture created by Larry Ng. The event was produced by Northwell Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital, and kicked off with remarks from Ng, president of LIJ Forest Hills Lorraine Chambers Lewis, and representatives such as Councilmember Lynn Schulman and Congresswoman Grace Meng.
Ng’s original vision for the sign was for the diversity of Queens to be highlighted. He used the same font as Milton Glaser’s I ❤ NY logo, along with the colors of the Queens flag. Ng attributed the turnout to everybody being “sick of the snow and storm.” Still, he said, “I think it’s just a great day for Queens.”
Booths of small businesses, community organizations, and local services were set up across the park. In the center, DJ Nett and several young DJs from the nonprofit The Nettwork Inc played back-to-back hits, like Master KG’s “Jersualema” and Elvis Crespo’s “Suavemente.” Immediately next to them, the Forest Hills Girl Scouts attracted major foot traffic as one of the most popular tables.
Dancers from Queensboro Dance Festival and Move Make Bloom also held live performances, in addition to holding mini dance classes. Even the littlest parkgoers practiced their moves, either rushing headfirst onto the dance floor or clutching a parent’s hand as they were coaxed on.
Attendees snacked on a variety of foods, including tostones rellenos at Ence’s booth, which promptly sold out, sourdough treats from Angie’s Artisan Sourdough Goods, and full meals from the Bad Mon Jerk Chicken & Waffles truck.
When asked how the event was for her as a business owner, Letaisha King, owner of the perfume oil brand Ah’lure Scents said, “Nothing short of amazing.” King spoke of how the event provided an opportunity to meet and make plans with other business owners as well as meet community members across cultures and walks of life.
“It’s a great turnout, plus the sun is coming out, and it was gloomy,” King said. “It’s like it was meant for today to happen, especially on a Sunday.
Other small business owners agreed. For Tiffany Huff, who runs 3Dimension Studio NYC alongside her husband, she said “for us, it means everything” to be able to come out to events like Sunday’s. Meeting community members in-person has allowed the business to become a viable source of income for Huff’s family.
It took Stancy Saji, government and community relations manager at Northwell LIJ Forest Hills, four months to plan the event alongside her team. Northwell Health had sponsored the sign and its unveiling last year, and Saji called Ng with the intent to do a birthday party reflecting the diversity the sign celebrates.
“For people to come out and meet each other in this kind of environment and space, I think we need that more than ever,” Saji said. “We have double dutch going on there, right? That’s from Southeast Queens. We have so many other unique elements that represent so many different zip codes.”
Visitors also stopped by to learn about resources at tables for Northwell Health, Community Board 6, Ridgewood Savings Bank, and more.
“Local access to care doesn’t mean anything if people don’t know about it,” Chambers Lewis said. “Doing things like this really bring the community together and organizing it. But then as well informing them so that they can have richer, longer lives.”
Both vendors and those just passing by expressed gratitude for the event.
Candice, a parkgoer visiting with her son and his friends said, “I hope it occurs next year as well for the second anniversary.”
Artist Yamilet Almonte, had set up her booth at nine in the morning, not expecting how loud it would soon get. “I was born and raised in Queens, so I feel like I’ve never seen these type of block parties. I find it more in other boroughs,” she said. “It’s finally nice to see that representation for Queens.”
