Coach on the Rise: Isaiah Kablack Joins St. John’s Prep After Dominant Run at Martin Luther

Coach Isaiah Kablack, a 27 year old coach from Queens , New York has been making waves as a coach in his community over last several years. Coach was lead assistant at Martin Luther the school he graduated from on the Varsity level from ‘19 -‘25 & lead assistant on JV from ‘23-‘25.

In his time at the school the teams reached several playoff births, a visit to championship on Jv level , and the recruitment of over a dozen students to the school. Coach also worked at the Martin Luther Basketball Clinic since he was a freshman student in 2013 until last year of the camp in 2024.

This chapter for Kablack is coming to an abrupt close an will be moving on to a higher level this time in Catholic school premier league on the bench with the Reigning A division and Mayors cup champions St.John’s Prep. “I never would have imagined moving on being a possibility but with the Faith in God, support from my family, and friends I fully believe this life changing opportunity could not have come at a better time, the experiences I will gain from my new fellow coaches, and colleagues is priceless, and being in environment that wants you makes you show up and excited to go to work everyday.”

Coach Isaiah also coaches at Hot Shots Basketball an instructional organization that provides classes,training sessions, and scrimmages for ages 3-13 years old. This organization currently has over 36k followers on Instagram, and several notable sponsorships including the Jr Knicks and Prime Sports Drink. Coach Isaiah during the summer has been head coach of an AAU organization founded by his Father Jon Kablack and himself to help service the community both on and off the court.

Greenpoint Avenue is now “The Avenue of the World”

The Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District, working with the Queens Lighting Collective and Holiday Street Lights, funded by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) has unveiled a new lighting initiative on Greenpoint Avenue, one of the main commercial corridors of Sunnyside, Queens.

In 2024, the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District applied to the NYC Department of Small Business Services for their Public Realm Grant, a very competitive grant. Sunnyside Shines was selected to implement our Greenpoint Lighting Initiative and awarded $100,000.

The BID had just worked with the Queens Lighting Collective (QLC), a local group of Sunnyside lighting designers on our Urban Design Forum Grant, where they had crafted the Gateway to Sunnyside lighting installation in Sabba Triangle, which was up for five months and was very well received by local residents.  As such, Sunnyside Shines asked the Queens Lighting Collective to continue their collaboration and design an innovative and welcoming lighting project to bring Greenpoint Avenue to life at night – making it safer and brighter, and bringing more shoppers to the commercial corridor.  The initial design was very similar to the holiday lights the BID installs every November was not approved, but the Queens Lighting Collective went back to the drawing board and came up with a vibrant Sun design that could be attached to 12 light poles.  In getting these designs fabricated, Sunnyside Shines reached out to three lighting companies and one came in with a great proposal, one that was modern and affordable and which could be controlled via electronic devices – Holiday Street Lights.

Together, the team of QLC, Holiday Street Lights and the BID, worked with NYC Department of Transportation and NYC Department of Small Business Services to identify locations, secure approvals, finalize the lighting design, and then get fabrication completed.  Two community meetings were held with good turnout and vibrant discussion.  In addition to the Sun designs, a number of light polls will be wrapped in lights and will be able to be lit up in the colors of the flags of the countries of origin for many of the merchants along Greenpoint Avenue.  Merchants from Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Philippines, Korea, Chile, China and many more now have the ability to share their heritage in lights and the BID and the team are working together to make this a reality.  Greenpoint Avenue will henceforth be known as the “Avenue of the World.”

Over the last two weeks, the lights started going up on Greenpoint Avenue to excitement.

Credit: Cameron Blaylock

Dirk McCall de Palomá, Executive Director of Sunnyside Shines, declared, “We have heard from our merchants on Greenpoint Avenue that we need additional lighting and better marketing to attract more visitors.  This corridor is rich with restaurants and bars and now it is even brighter and more attractive!”

“Our city’s 77 Business Improvement Districts play a vital role in improving our vibrant and dynamic commercial corridors, and SBS is proud to provide them with the resources and support they need to make their communities thrive,” said NYC Small Business Services Commissioner Dynishal Gross. “I am excited to see how our Public Realm Grant can make a positive impact for the merchants along Greenpoint Avenue. It’s no question that these new lighting installations will put the ‘shine’ into Sunnyside Shines!”

“Effective street lighting creates a vibrant atmosphere that supports economic development and public safety by encouraging more people to be on our streets at more hours of the day,” said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.  “NYC DOT is proud to partner with Sunnyside Shines and business improvement districts across the city to provide public spaces that make New Yorkers proud to call our city ‘home’.”

Credit: Cameron Blaylock

“This new lighting on Greenpoint Avenue’s “Avenue of the World” shines a spotlight on the incredible diversity and energy of our small businesses,” said Council Member Julie Won. “It truly illustrates the vibrant cultures that come from the small businesses in the area and creating home in Sunnyside.”

“Sunnyside has long been a home for entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris. “This illuminating project will celebrate the diversity of each storefront and street.”

“This lighting initiative along Greenpoint Avenue is a big win for our Sunnyside community,” said Assemblymember Claire Valdez. “Improved lighting will support local restaurants and bars and create a more welcoming atmosphere for everyone. The additional plan to highlight the various countries and backgrounds represented by all the participating merchants is such a beautiful tribute to the diverse communities that power our local economy and make Queens and our district so special.”

“Greenpoint Avenue is one of our borough’s most diverse and dynamic dining and shopping corridors, and I’m excited about brightening up this strip of incredible small businesses with new lighting,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Making our streets safer and more inviting is always a sound investment on behalf of those who live, work and play in our communities. Thank you to the Sunnyside Shines BID for your advocacy on behalf of the businesses you serve.”

“The leadership at Sunnyside Shines assembled a dream team that was able to execute pivot and deliver amazing results. I am proud to be chosen as a part of that team,” explained Michael Laino, President of the Mobile Stage Network/Holiday Street Lights.

“The Queens Lighting Collective (QLC) is excited to continue developing lighting elements for our community, taking ongoing inspiration from our neighborhood’s Art Deco past while creating iconic and accessible imagery for residents and visitors alike. We were especially delighted by our first collaboration with Mobile Stages, who were enthused about reimagining what street lighting could be – a productive and affirming thought partner the whole way,” explained Masha Tsimring, a QLC leader and local Sunnyside resident.

Queens Teens Turn Neglected Wall Into Symbol of Unity

Local Teens Transform Queens Bridge With Vibrant Mural

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

What was once a neglected, graffiti-covered underpass beneath the Long Island Rail Road in Elmhurst is undergoing a colorful transformation, led by over 20 local teens determined to breathe life and hope into their neighborhood.

As part of City Mission NYC’s “City Positive Youth” summer program, the young artists—many of whom attend nearby high schools like Newtown and Aviation—are reclaiming the bridge at Whitney Avenue and Broadway with a vibrant mural that spans both sides of the underpass. Designed by local muralist and Elmhurst native Helen Xue, the piece is a striking blend of emotional resilience and cultural celebration.

“This is what we do with the local kids,” said Lester Lin, founder of City Mission NYC. “These are all like local high school kids and together they work on mental resilience, along with how that impacts, like, community engagement. So if you’re having trauma at home, you’re probably not going to care about the neighborhood.”

One side of the mural focuses on emotional healing—filled with bold emojis, a journal and mirror, and symbols of self-reflection and personal growth. “There’s a wall that is all about emotional awareness, there’s like chains, there’s self reflection,” Lin explained. “And on this side, it’s all about how the neighborhood comes together through food.”

The other side, titled A Taste of Elmhurst, showcases a colorful spread of local dishes, celebrating the area’s renowned culinary diversity. “Every piece of food on that wall can be found along these streets,” said Xue, who designed the mural. “It’s a high traffic area where people can pass through, take a moment to pause in their day and have it brighten up.”

Xue, now 35, grew up just blocks from the bridge. “When [Lester] first told me about it, I was like, Oh my gosh, this is crazy, and it’s humongous,” she said. “But I just love that he always has these huge, ambitious projects that improve Elmhurst. It’s been really inspiring.”

 

Xue designed the mural with two core themes: emotional resilience and cultural unity. She created digital mockups, overlaid a grid to scale the design onto the massive underpass walls, and coordinated a blend of volunteers—adult artists, local youth, and community passersby—to bring it to life. “I wanted to pick a color palette that was pop and bright, something also kid friendly,” she said. One side of the bridge features visual metaphors for emotional awareness—journals, mirrors, chains breaking, and expressive emojis—while the other side celebrates local cuisine under the title A Taste of Elmhurst, highlighting dishes found right on nearby streets.

For Xue, the most rewarding part has been watching the neighborhood come together around art: “It’s always cool to meet other artists. That was definitely a highlight part of this project.”

More than just an art installation, the project reflects City Mission’s larger goal of investing in youth development and community outreach. Alongside mural painting, teens in the program participate in mental health workshops and volunteer efforts such as cleaning streets and maintaining rain gardens.

Student participants say the experience has changed their perception of their neighborhood—and of themselves.

“As people walk by the streets, they seem to feel like embracing the community more,” said Zara, a local high school student who joined the project after hearing about it from a friend. “They feel like there’s like a change happening in the community.”

Zara also emphasized the value of the experience for her peers. “They’ll enjoy it and make new friends… just like, get to communicate with others and just like, have fun. Something to do in the summer.”

The bridge’s transformation has sparked interest—and pride—among passersby, including neighborhood residents and even fellow artists. “We had just random adults who passed by and told us that, hey, they’re also artists, and they wanted to help out,” said Xue. “That was so great to see.”

For Zadid Patankar, 19, the mural represents a full-circle moment. Once a student participant, he now serves as student coordinator for the project. “If you saw this wall prior, it was just graffiti, right?” he said. “That kind of imprints onto your mindset—it’s like, where you’re from suddenly isn’t worth as much.”

Elmhurst, often called the most diverse neighborhood in the world, has become a canvas for both art and unity. “We speak the most languages here out of anywhere in the entire globe,” said Patankar. “Things like this really uplift the neighborhood and bring us together.”

The mural is expected to be completed by early next week, but the impact of the project has already taken root.

“I want them to feel happier when they walk past here,” said Xue. “I’ve always been inspired by art scenes in other cities and I thought, that would be something really cool to have here.”

City Mission NYC hopes this mural will become a permanent landmark—not just of creative expression, but of what happens when youth are empowered to shape the world around them.

For more information about City Mission NYC and its programs, visit citymission.nyc.

Blaze Breaks out in Middle Village Businesses 

A four-alarm fire tore through a row of one-story commercial buildings on Dry Harbor Road in Middle Village, Queens, late Monday night. The fire is believed to have started at 64-76 Dry Harbor Road just before 11:15 p.m. and quickly spread through the surrounding area, impacting a total of seven stores with fire and smoke damage. Arriving FDNY units encountered heavy smoke and visible flames, prompting a fourth alarm to be called for additional manpower as firefighters contended with both the blaze and the sweltering overnight heat.

As the fire intensified, crews were briefly pulled from the buildings when flames broke through the roof. FDNY’s Division 14 brought the fire under control at 12:25 a.m. Six firefighters sustained minor injuries; three were transported to Elmhurst Hospital and three to Long Island Jewish Forest Hills. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by FDNY Fire Marshals.

Dance Festival Celebrates Borough’s Cultures

Queens Dances Together in Long Island City

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

With the Manhattan skyline glowing across the river, the Queens Boro Dance Festival turned Gantry Plaza State Park into a lively celebration of culture, rhythm, and community on July 26.

Now in its 11th season, the annual summer festival tours outdoor spaces across Queens, spotlighting only Queens-based dance companies. Saturday’s performance brought together six of the 21 groups participating in this year’s borough-wide tour, each one representing a different cultural corner of Queens.

“We’re very proud to be a platform that really tries to represent a cross section of the world’s borough, because we all know that we are the biggest and the best borough,” a representative announced to the crowd as the show began. “We’re so proud to be able to connect with our communities throughout the borough through dance.”

The lineup opened with Las Machas, a high-energy Bolivian Caporales piece performed by San Simon Sucre New York, a nonprofit based in Forest Hills. Dancers in vibrant costumes stepped and spun to the rhythm of “Ciudad Blanca” in a performance honoring Bolivia’s Sucre region.

From Long Island City, Umami Playground Dance Inc. followed with XXXXS, a playful piece exploring how tight clothing affects movement. Blending street styles like popping and breaking with contemporary technique, the ensemble brought humor and spontaneity to the waterfront stage.

Mala’s Odissi, also from Forest Hills, offered a contrast with Battu Sandhya Tandava, a classical Indian dance rooted in ancient temple traditions. The choreography drew from traditional sculpturesque poses, connecting spirituality and movement with grace.

The tone shifted with Ridgewood-based VERBAL ANIMAL’s CONCRETE GULP, a raw and experimental work described as “an anarchist machine of resistance.” The piece leaned into collective power and sound as dancers moved in sharp, chaotic unison.

Astoria’s Saylit Dance Collective presented Women of the extraordinary, a personal and expressive blend of French jazz, Bolivian folklore, and hip-hop. Choreographer Litsie Monier, just 22, explored themes of femininity, vulnerability, and identity through movement.

Closing the evening was Sabar Rek! by the Kofago Dance Ensemble, led by Senegalese choreographer Kevin McEwen. The joyful and powerful performance transported the audience to Dakar through traditional West African rhythms and dance, bringing the crowd to their feet.

After the final bows, dancers from San Simon Sucre and Kofago returned to lead a community “Danceback,” offering mini dance lessons as the sun set over the East River.

Will the Real Mamdani Please Stand Up?

Robert Hornak

Robert Hornak is a veteran political consultant who has previously served as the Deputy Director of the Republican Assembly Leader’s NYC office and as Executive Director of the Queens Republican Party. He can be reached at rahornak@gmail. com and @roberthornak on X.

In the last few months Zohran Mamdami, the Democratic Party Primary winner in the race for mayor and leading member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has introduced himself to city voters. Well, at least one version of Mamdani.

The youthful Mamdani with his big grin has focused his campaign like a laser beam on issues surrounding affordability and quality of life in the city. His promises for an indefinite freeze for all rent stabilized apartments; free and fast buses; free childcare for every child over 6 weeks; and create a network of city-owned grocery stores offering discounted food; all sound appealing to anyone struggling to make ends meet.

He has plans to create a Department of Community Safety to “prevent violence before it happens by prioritizing solutions which have been consistently shown to improve safety.” Those solutions, however, don’t include putting people in jail for committing crime, as he intends to close down all the city’s jails, and alludes to crime being caused by “failures of our social safety net.”

He talks about these proposals with great passion, while ignoring how he will pay for or implement his agenda, and has managed to convince many voters that this is what will make their lives substantially better. That’s politics and he plays that game very well.

But there is another Mandani. The one that many say wants to initiate what would amount to a full communist revolution in America. Who expresses heavy support for the BDS movement. Who wants to eliminate the police and offer “therapy” to criminals.

Like many in his generation, Zohran has grown up posting every thought on social media. He has made over 16,000 tweets and one intrepid reporter at the Free Press read all of them. We have a strong record of the things he believes on these and many other issues. And they offer deep insight into what he would really like to do, in contrast to the sanitized, politically safe version he wants the voters to judge him on. Here are the highlights:

On capitalism, in 2020 he posted: “Socialism doesn’t mean stealing money from the rich. It means taking back money the rich stole from everyone else,” and “Taxation isn’t theft. Capitalism is.”

On housing, he posted: “People often ask what socialists mean when we say we want to “decommodify” housing. Basically, we want to move away from a situation where most people access housing by purchasing it on the market & toward a situation where the state guarantees high-quality housing to all.”

On law enforcement, he posted: “In NYC, 99% of officeholders are Democrats, yet they refuse to defund cops who murder with impunity. Electing Democrats isn’t enough. We need a political revolution” and “From Minneapolis to NYC, cops brutalize & murder us because they can do it w/ impunity. We don’t just need more account- ability – we need fewer police. But we won’t get either until we break their political power.”

On prostitution, he posted: “We need to repeal the #Walking- WhileTrans ban, decriminalize sex work & get the cops out of people’s lives.”

On the October 7 terrorist attack, he posted his official statement: “I mourn the hundreds of people killed across Israel and Palestine in the last 36 hours. Netanyahu’s declaration of war, the Israeli government’s decision to cut electricity to Gaza, and Knesset members calling for another Nakba will undoubtedly lead to more violence and suffering in the days and weeks to come. The path toward a just and lasting peace can only begin by ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid.”

No condemnation or even mention of Hamas, with the blame apparently falling entirely on Israel.

There is an entirely different Mamdani that he isn’t introducing to the public, and when confronted he denies allegations of antisemitism and communism. He eloquently declared at a 2021 DSA conference, “the end goal of seizing the means of production” while unpopular should still be championed. This appears to be the real Mamdani, the one he doesn’t seem to want the voters to look too closely at.

All Faiths Cemetery Moves Forward With New Board and Renewed Vision

By Sofia Montagna

All Faiths Cemetery, located in Middle Village, NY in Queens, is entering a new chapter. 

Once the subject of a state investigation into financial misconduct on behalf of the cemetery’s previous board, the 501(c)(13) nonprofit cemetery is now under new leadership. The cemetery’s new board members say they’re working to restore the cemetery’s grounds and be “good neighbors” for the community.

The shift followed the New York State Attorney General’s 2019 lawsuit against several board members of the cemetery after an investigation revealed financial misconduct. The previous board was consequently replaced with a new leadership team.

When asked about the state investigation, James McClelland – the cemetery board’s treasurer and a longtime resident of the area – commented, “The state attorney general did come in. They did an investigation. They did find wrongdoing. Restitution was made to the cemetery, and we took over. There were some forensic financial audits [the new board dealt with] that went back from 1999 onwards.”

“The new board was constituted in 2021, so it started off with three people,” McClelland further noted. There are currently four board members.

When the new board was appointed, the cemetery was in need of repairs. Since stepping in, they have launched several projects, including reconstructing multiple blocks of sidewalk along Metropolitan Avenue in front of the cemetery, paving the roads inside the cemetery, and large-scale landscaping and repairs inside the cemetery.

According to McClelland and the cemetery’s co-president, Brian Chavanne, the stretch of crumbling sidewalk that the board had reconstructed (an approximately $500,000 project) had been in need of repairs since at least 1987. McClelland explained that prior to the repairs, “If you had a wheelchair or had a shopping cart, you couldn’t walk on this side [of the sidewalk].”

Much of the restoration work, McClelland and Chavanne explained, was driven by safety concerns. Crumbling sidewalks and interior paths created a safety and accessibility issue, making it difficult for visitors to visit their departed loved ones in the cemetery.

The board is also looking to strengthen ties with the surrounding community. Hopes for the cemetery’s future include offering historical tours of the cemetery, having community events, and engaging the Boy Scouts and veteran groups to make sure that on holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, the cemetery recognizes the men and women of the service who are buried in its grounds.

“We want to make sure that we are good neighbors, that we are responsible neighbors, and that we provide a safe environment,” McClelland noted.

RUN & REFRESH 5k Returns to Ozone Park with Community, Music, and NIKE Giveaways

Community energy is set to take over Liberty Avenue this weekend as RUN & REFRESH by @bowlbitesnyc returns on Saturday, August 2. Now in its second event, the community 5K run is all about movement, good vibes, and coming together for a fun, energetic morning.

Hosted by Bowl Bites, a Caribbean fusion fast-casual restaurant located at 102-16 Liberty Ave. The 5K will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m., with check-in starting at 9:15 a.m. The first 75 runners to sign up will receive a free exclusive event T-shirt, so early registration is encouraged.

Participants can expect free refreshments and small bites at the finish line, a live DJ keeping the vibe upbeat, and a strong sense of community throughout the morning.

Adding an exciting twist, Nike will be joining the event with a special lineup of giveaways, including running sneakers, apparel, accessories, and performance running glasses. Attendees will also have a chance to test run Nike’s newest sneakers, but spots are limited and must be reserved in advance through @bowlbitesnyc on Instagram.

“This run is about more than fitness, it’s about showing up for each other, celebrating health, and making memories,” said co-founder Amir Aldoais.

Whether you’re a dedicated runner or just looking for a fun way to connect with the neighborhood, RUN & REFRESH is the perfect way to kick off your weekend.

Phish to Rock the Iconic Forest Hills Stadium

Extravagant stage settings with dramatic lighting at Phish concerts, MSG New Year’s Eve 2024 photo by Scott Harris

Phish will Add to Longtime Music & Tennis Tradition

By Michael Perlman

Forest Hills history will be taken to new heights when Phish comes to town, to the delight of everyone from longtime fans to fans-in-the-making, traveling from far and near. The stage of the historic horseshoe, arched colonnade, eagle-adorned Forest Hills Stadium, which offers premier sightlines and acoustics, as well as a balance of intimacy and monumentality, awaits Phish’s footsteps. The band’s distinctive jams, musical improvisation, and memorable harmonies will take place in a rare surviving outdoor venue, where an audience’s chorus under a crisp blue sky often transitions to a brilliant sunset and starlit sky, casting a relationship with lighting and special effects. After-parties are bound to be held at nearby restaurants centered around Station Square and Austin Street.

A two-day extravaganza on July 22 and July 23 at 6 PM will signify Phish’s first concert in Queens, nicknamed “The World’s Borough.” Forest Hills will feel like a storied destination on their 30-gig “Summer Tour 2025,” which began on June 20 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and concludes on September 21 in Hampton, Virginia. The band consolidates multiple genres, spanning experimental rock, jazz fusion, alternative rock, progressive rock, bluegrass, country, funk, reggae, and psychedelic rock. The repertoire of no two shows is predictable.

 

Danny Clinch photographing Phish in New York City on March 26, 2024.

Forest Hills Stadium became America’s first tennis stadium as of August 11, 1923. There is a native debate as to whether tennis placed Forest Hills on the map, or if Forest Hills Stadium placed tennis on the map. On a similar note, music came into a league of its own in New York, thanks to the Forest Hills Music Festival at the Stadium as of 1960, and placed Forest Hills into a neon lights league. Now Phish will be further diversifying the Stadium’s timeline of unique achievements.

Phish’s history originated in 1983 in the city of Burlington, Vermont. Today’s members are guitarist and primary lead vocalist Trey Anastasio, drummer Jon Fishman, keyboardist Page McConnell, and bassist Mike Gordon. Each member is a vocalist, and their music at large is co-written by lyricist Tom Marshall and Anastasio. An original guitarist was Jeff Holdsworth (along with Anastasio), who pursued other horizons as of 1986.

A series of firsts transpired on the Stadium’s hallowed grounds. Among the standouts were Maureen Connolly Brinker being the first woman to win a Grand Slam in 1953. This was also the U.S. Open’s birthplace. Since tennis was a segregated sport, racial color barriers were broken when Althea Gibson was the first African American to win a U.S. National Tennis title in 1957, and Arthur Ashe was the first African American man to achieve the U.S. Open title in 1968. Singles and National Championships, and the Davis Cup made history. The nearby storybook style Tudor clubhouse features an extensive tennis player “wall of fame” with portraits of Bill Tilden, Helen Jacobs, Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King, and John McEnroe.

The “who’s who” in music entertained fans from the 1960s into the mid-1980s, and briefly in the late 1990s. An extensive list includes “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra, Simon & Garfunkel, Tony Bennett, Donna Summer, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, “Peter, Paul and Mary,” The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow, Sammy Davis, Jr, Count Basie, and Trini Lopez. One of the most dramatic moments was The Beatles’ helicopter landing on grass courts before performing in 1964. The Stadium also became a cinematic backdrop of Alfred Hitchcock’s film, “Strangers on a Train” (1951) and “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001).

Phish in NYC, 2024, Photo by Danny Clinch Photography

After the West Side Tennis Club faced financial challenges, an unoccupied Forest Hills Stadium, which resembled a Colosseum amidst lush greenery, was on the verge of being sold in 2010 for a condo. It underwent a rebirth after this columnist spearheaded a PR and preservation campaign, encompassing creative reuse and economic benefits to rescue an icon that was no match for the landfill, but rather a chapter of continued rackets and high notes. The Club rejected the redevelopment proposal. Then Mumford & Sons launched a new era of Stadium concerts with their concert on August 28, 2013. To this day, dynamic concert manager Mike Luba, a partner with Tiebreaker Productions, works around the clock year-round.

Since the Stadium’s rebirth, a miniscule percentage of the legends that graced and rocked its new stage consist of Bette Midler, The Village People, Ed Sheeran, Robert Plant, Santana, Hall & Oates, Tears For Fears, Roger Daltrey performing The Who’s “Tommy” with The New York Pops, Sutton Foster and Pink Martini with The New York Pops, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, David Byrne, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with Peter Wolf, Van Morrison and Tom Jones, Jethro Tull, Zac Brown Band, Pitbull and T-Pain, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, and Hozier.

There is no shortage of bonding and creative opportunities when it comes to ecstatic Phish fans, who become an extended family. Brian Weinstein, who resides with his wife in Forest Hills since 2019, is the host of “Attendance Bias,” a popular Phish fans podcast: www.linktree.com/attendancebias

He discovered Phish in 1996 at age 13, and was a fan ever since. He reminisced the launch of his podcast during the pandemic. “At the time, there were a few good ones available for Phish, but none contained what I wanted to hear; stories from fans about their favorite shows. Phish’s summer tour was canceled, and I had no one to talk to about my favorite band. As I walked through Forest Park, I listened to a podcast on podcasting, polished my idea, got in touch with people who loved the idea of telling their favorite stories, and I launched the first episode in August 2020.”

1964 Music Festival poster, Courtesy of Michael Perlman

Weinstein feels the magic behind the Stadium can be attributed to its rich history. “It has seen athletic greatness, as well as some of the greatest musical artists of the past 100+ years. It feels modern, yet classic,” he said. Its quality as a music venue is another draw. “The concourse is wide and comfortable, the concessions are mostly local businesses, and the sound is outstanding in every seat.” As for Phish’s first gig at the Stadium, it is a dream come true for Weinstein among fans. “When I saw my first show at the Stadium in 2018 (David Byrne), I thought, ‘Phish would never play here; it’s too small, local, and intimate. Phish made its NYC home at Madison Square Garden, but they’re not big enough for Citi Field, so Queens seems out of the question.’ These will be special shows.”

Weinstein values Phish’s rapport, which is somehow stronger than mostly any other bands that he has seen live, considering that they play large arenas and stadiums. He also praises how they do not step on stage with a pre-determined setlist. He explained, “They communicate with the audience through their song choices, the styles of music they choose to play that night, and the pacing of the concert. The band rarely speaks directly to the audience, and yet an attentive fan can formulate an entire narrative from the show. As a fanbase, we are excellent listeners, and the band responds to the crowd’s enthusiasm and attention.”

Phish undoubtedly represents distinction. Weinstein continued, “They maintain their ‘cult’ status while simultaneously being able to draw 40,000 to a festival, or selling out four consecutive nights at MSG. They can do something as typical as playing a 22-gig summer tour, or they can play 13 nights at Madison Square Garden without once repeating a song. They have accomplished what extremely few other musical artists have; creating their world in tandem with their audience, and continuing to challenge themselves and their audience creatively for four decades, without settling for anything less than the best.”

America’s Tennis Stadium ad, MIT’s The Technology Review, November 1922

Rego Park resident Patrick Owens, a fan for over 25 years, attended countless Phish concerts through his teens and twenties. “It is exciting that Phish will see our neighborhood. I hope they like it so much, they decide to move here,” said Owens, who embraces their jam band and is drawn to their psychedelic rock. “Like with the Grateful Dead, there is a pseudo-spiritual happy-go-lucky subculture that follows Phish. Their performances are typically enhanced by elaborate light shows.”

“Phish’s iconic jam band melodies usually have me twirling in whatever stadium or venue they’re at,” said Rego Park resident Lisa Hakim, who has been a fan since living in Arizona in the early 1990s. “The Forest Hills Stadium news takes me back to my college days.”

“Phish is a journey, musically and geographically, and I’m thrilled that everyone is traveling to this national gem in Forest Hills,” said Setauket, NY fan Tedd Kanakaris, who owns Sandpiper Wealth LLC, a financial planning and advisory group named after two Phish songs. He has likely attended 80 shows since August 1998.

Kanakaris explained a unique Phish culture, where longtime fans love to see them at various venues along tour, and the venues are consistently part of the show and that show’s history. “The band will often have a notable song and improvisational section/jam on a given night, and then we will forever refer to that specific performance as ‘The Tahoe Tweezer’ (played on 7/31/2013 at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys in NV) or ‘Riverport Gin’ (played on 7/29/1998 at the Riverport Amphitheater in MO). The venues are hallowed grounds where history occurs, so there’s always our pilgrimage near and afar. They become meeting places; a temporary Phish metropolis, which also includes the town with its restaurants, hotels and Airbnbs.” He provided the analogy of a show to a keynote conference speaker, since much unfolds day and night.

Phish friends Gotta JiBrew Traveling Brewery Club, Top row, Tedd Kanakaris on left & Phish Lyricist Tom Marshall, 3rd person, & Musician Peter Cottone, bottom, 2nd person, played in jam bands with Tom in 1990s & is mentioned in Phish song ‘Wilson’

Throughout his upbringing, he would hop on the train to Manhattan from Port Jefferson, which meant passing by Forest Hills station. He would get glimpses of the Tudor-style Forest Hills Gardens and the unique Forest Hills Stadium. “I always wondered what that magical European oasis was. Years later, I sponsored a women’s challenger series tournament at WSTC, and finally saw the Stadium up close. I played in it, and while the echoes of our shots pinged around the decaying seats, I kept thinking, ‘The Beatles played here.’” He recalls the Stadium’s endangerment in 2010.

Fast-forward to 2025, and Nectar’s in Burlington, VT, a bar which hosted Phish’s earliest gig in 1984, is endangered due to an ongoing municipal construction project on Main Street, leading to its closure, at least for now. Kanakaris has high hopes that fans among preservationists will “save the day” along the lines of the Stadium campaign. Nectar’s seemed like a second home for Phish in the mid-1980s, since they would perform regularly, and even the band’s 1992 album, “A Picture of Nectar” is named in its honor. He explained, “When historical places close, much history dies alongside it, and when economics is at the root, cultural institutions are often replaced by commercial business opportunities. People can make a difference through learning and sharing with others that an important cultural institution has shut down. This builds the community that wishes to rescue it, followed by the donors that invest to make it a reality.”

Author Andy Smith in center among Phish fans at Mondegreen, 2024

“I’m so excited for this hometown show! I love it that Phish is playing a new venue, and is still interested in trying new things,” said Andy P. Smith, an author and longtime fan from Brooklyn. He wrote a book, “100 Things Phish Should Know & Do Before They Die” with co-author Jason Gershuny. “It was an amazing opportunity to fully immerse myself into the world of Phish, consisting of the history, the lore, the nuances of their performances across a 40-year career, and interviewing other fans, collaborating with illustrators and photographers,” said Smith. They were fortunate to release an updated second edition last year. “As a writer and a Phish fan, this is the intersection of my two largest passions, and it resonated with the fans. I’m proud to say that we’ve now sold over 10,000 copies.”

Smith can vividly relive his earliest Phish performance from when he was a teen in 1998, and is forever grateful to his mother, who drove him and three friends from Seattle to The Gorge. “It was truly a magical experience. While the band was playing, the sun was setting behind the stage. For the last minute of the sun descending behind the horizon, Fishman played a drum roll, and the whole crowd roared.” Now Forest Hills leaves much to be desired.

He references Phish as “the most generous band in the world.” “From a fan’s perspective, the more you invest in Phish, the more you’re rewarded. I met Trey for the first time this summer, and he was so kind and engaged in our conversation. It was an incredible experience to meet one of my heroes and be overjoyed,” said Smith.

In an elated manner, he asked, “What band plays from midnight to sunrise to ring in the new year in a swamp with 80,000 people? Even Mondegreen… What a rich experience! Phish doesn’t have to play multiple sets across multiple nights in an environment they build from the ground up to support 50,000 fans… The Baker’s Dozen? Thirteen shows without a single song repeated? It’s not that other bands don’t do that, but that other bands can’t. Phish is constantly pushing the envelope… Gamehendge on New Year’s?”

Jumping to Vermont, but universally serving fans in honor of Phish is resident Lauren Pinto, who tirelessly dedicates her time. “Girltour,” a collective of creative female friends was born in 2016, in response to encountering a male dominated scene. “We piece together tours with opportunities set up by others. We create and sell our merchandise on the road to cross-promote and support each other. It became a full-time gig for a number of us,” she said.

Pinto’s relationship with Phish began in 2011 while attending their gig at PNC Banks Arts Center in New Jersey. Reflecting upon the past 14 years, she attributes her nights seeing Phish to some of her best life moments. “I wasn’t an artist or creator before I started seeing Phish. I discovered this community, and learned from other amazing creators that I could be on tour and make a living. I owe everything to my predecessors and to Phish. Most of the people I know and love I met on the road. My life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll,” she said.

She feels inspired by Phish as a community conscious band. “They don’t just play a rock concert and leave. They make a positive impact wherever they go,” said Pinto. “I joined ‘Green Crew’ in 2013, a club of fans who pickup recycling after each concert. I joined volunteer efforts with ‘The WaterWheel Foundation.’ At each tour stop, they partner with a local foundation, raise funds, and participate. I painted NYC schools, bagged lunches, weeded community gardens, and blazed trails in whatever community we visit for that weekend.”

Some members of Girltour under a rainbow, Broomfield, CO, Courtney Westerkamp, Amanda Burgess, Sara Shabany, Lauren Pinto, Claire Christenson, Photo by Michelle Carnella

 

Fans were polled on their favorite Phish songs:

 

Brian Weinstein: “Glide” demonstrates their musical prowess juxtaposed with their trademark wordplay and silliness. “Tweezer” is their strongest improvisational song.

 

Tedd Kanakaris: “Sneaking Sally Through The Alley” ~ Phish famously performs covers, but given their improvisational nature, will make them their own with jam sections. It’s the first song that I heard Phish play, which sparked my interest in them.

 

Lauren Pinto: “Harry Hood” covers much range. It’s light and floating, and dark and grimy. It features crowd involvement with a sing-along. You can feel good!

 

Andy P. Smith: “The Squirming Coil” ~ The theme, melody, potential for a jam, and of course, Page’s piano outro. There’s nothing that hits me in the feels harder than that!

 

Patrick Owens: “Guyute” is a bright tune and the music sounds happy, but the story is really terrifying. It is a reminder to cultivate positive energy, even in dire circumstances.

 

Lisa Hakim: “Hoist” is my favorite album. I love the endless riffs and extended jams. “Divided Sky” is at the top of my song list.

Joseph Hernandez Launches Bid for Mayor

Joseph Hernandez stopped by the Ledger’s offices last week to talk about his mayoral campaign.

By JACK DELANEY | jdelaney@queensledger.com

New York City’s mayoral brawl has another boxer.

Joseph Hernandez, a hyper-educated scientist and prolific investor, is running for mayor as an independent on a centrist platform that includes hiring more police officers, raising salaries for teachers, and integrating artificial intelligence into the fabric of the city.

Though Hernandez’s campaign started only a month ago, it’s already gained a surprising amount of traction: his team aimed for 4,000 petitions and ended up with over 15,000, plus endorsements from industry associations for bodegas, small businesses, and supermarkets.

Hernandez, a late entrant to a field of buzzy names — Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams, Curtis Sliwa, and Zohran Mamdani — is still a long shot. But he likes it that way, at least for now: “I was born an underdog,” he told the Ledger.

In Hernandez’s case, that’s no hyperbole. Born in Camagüey, the third-largest city in Cuba, much of his family fled in 1959 when Fidel Castro came to power. Yet his dad, a businessman, stayed, a decision that proved fateful when he ran afoul of the regime and fell into an encephalitis-induced coma for six months while in prison. 

The family joined a mass exodus to the U.S. in 1980, but had to start from scratch. His father recovered enough to wash dishes, while his mother cleaned homes. Only a few decades later, however, their son would be a successful biotech financier with five degrees — and in contention for NYC’s top job.

“[My parents] taught us to work hard, to have faith, to get educated, and to love our adopted country,” recalled Hernandez. “That, they said, would change the course of my life. And they were right.”

More Police, Cheaper Housing

To this day, Hernandez expresses an unshaken belief in the American Dream. But in an echo of Cuomo’s messaging, his current assessment of New York is grim: “We think the city is unsafe,” he said, highlighting what he viewed as lenient sentences for violent crimes. “There’s no law and order.”

If elected, Hernandez plans to hire an additional 10,000 police officers — the NYPD currently has about 35,000 uniformed employees — and foot the bill by reforming the department’s overtime pay, a hot-button issue. 

If Hernandez views public safety as mostly doom, the affordability crisis is all gloom. Like Mamdani — who has campaigned on a promise to freeze rents — he stressed the urgent need to lower housing costs, though he disagreed over the fix. 

“He’s not wrong,” Hernandez said of Mamdani. “This city is expensive. [Especially] if you’re a young person — no question about that. But I don’t think it’s a rent control issue. It’s a supply issue; it’s a very basic economic question.”

As mayor, Hernandez’s strategy would be to speed up the conversion of empty offices into apartments, while reducing the length of time that affordable units distributed through the city’s online portal sit unoccupied. 

All-In On AI

Nuances aside, Hernandez’s positions on policing and housing are unlikely to turn heads in a campaign cycle saturated with similar platforms. What might is his heavy focus on tech, and the resume he brings to back it up.

Hernandez received three degrees from the University of Florida — a bachelor’s in neuroscience, and graduate diplomas in molecular genetics and finance — before studying epidemiology at Yale and public health at Oxford.

From there, Hernandez worked at the pharmaceutical giant Merck, and would go on to found at least eight companies tackling a range of diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Covid. (In 2020, he also helped fund an early attempt to sequence the genome of the dodo bird, in hopes of reviving the species.)

Those experiences help inform Hernandez’s sense that New York City could benefit from a more high-tech approach to government. Since moving to the city in 2011, he’s observed a wide array of possible applications for artificial intelligence, some of which have been adopted by metropolises like Dubai and Singapore: traffic light synchronization, garbage pickup, pothole management, and predicting crime, among others.

Beyond city services, Hernandez aims to make NYC a global hub for AI. “New York City has some of the cheapest power, because of Niagara Falls,” he noted. “We can compete better than any other city for AI and high-energy consumption technology. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be a center of excellence: create jobs, create opportunities, and create the next generation of AI kids who live in Queens and Harlem.”

As cities around the world rush to cash in on the AI boom, many have been forced to confront an uncomfortable fact: the technology requires data centers that guzzle water and energy on a massive scale. Consider Ireland, where “dozens of massive data centers humming at the outskirts of Dublin are consuming more electricity than all of the [country’s] urban homes,” wrote the AP last December, and are “starting to wear out the warm welcome that brought them here.”

But Hernandez argues that issues such as water usage will eventually be solved, and that data centers and server farms are net positives, despite concerns. The same goes for AI itself, which he maintains would reduce inefficiency: “On the privacy side, you have to be sensitive. You have to listen to people about this,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a technology you have to embrace.”

Suing the City for Ranked Choice

While Hernandez is confident that there’s still time to reach voters with his message, last week his campaign upped the ante by suing the city over what it views as an unfair impediment to independent candidates: the lack of ranked choice voting (RCV) in the general election.

In 2019, New Yorkers voted to adopt a new system for primaries, which allows residents to rank up to five candidates rather than choosing only one. Supporters of the change said that it would boost turnout and reduce attack ads, as candidates could benefit from forming alliances. Others asserted that it would diversify voters’ options, by giving them the peace of mind to vote for the candidate they truly wanted, not just the one they believed had a chance to win.

However, the system was not extended to the general election, a decision Hernandez said violates both state and federal law. 

“A two-tiered election system is fundamentally unfair,” he expanded. “Every New Yorker deserves a vote that counts, and every candidate deserves a level playing field—regardless of party affiliation. RCV ensures majority support and real choice. Without it, the system is rigged in favor of political insiders.”

The general election will take place on November 4. The last day to apply online or by mail is October 25 — early voting starts that day, and continues through November 2. For more information, visit vote.nyc.

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