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Queens Night Market is thriving post-pandemic

webadmin on July 28, 2021

Since it’s opening in 2015, Queens Night Market has built a reputation for its large crowds, diverse vendors, and delicious cheap bites. Although the pandemic forced the food festival to limit capacity and enforce restrictions, it has now returned to full capacity and shows no signs of slowing down.
Queens Night Market founder John Wang and his partner, oral historian and author of the book The World Eats Here: Amazing Food and the Inspiring People Who Make It at New York’s Queens Night Market, Storm Garner, discussed the festival’s origins, success, and cultural importance.
“The really short story is that I was a lawyer, got tired of it, paid off the student loans, and wanted to try something new,” Wang explained. “There were a lot of ideas, but one that seemed really cool was to start New York’s first night market, modeled off the ones I experienced in Taiwan but also something that was uniquely New York.
“We also wanted something uniquely un-New York: being affordable,” he added. “That was the genesis of the $5 price cap.”
Although the food at Queens Night Market is inexpensive, it does a remarkable job of representing the many diverse communities living within the borough.
“The truth is that Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Bronx are all diverse, but Queens just happens to be the most diverse,” Wang said. “I think the year we launched was the year that Queen’s was named the ‘World’s Borough.’ It is, by some accounts, the most diverse place in the world.”
“I think it really is something unique,” Garner chimed in. “It felt a bit like an endangered species during the Trump era and certainly during the pandemic, but now it feels like it’s coming back.
“I challenge anyone to think of a place in all of New York, diverse as it is, where you can stand in the same place and within 50 feet of you in any direction talk to somebody whose life story is so different from your own and the person next to them,” she added. “The seven train is often just as diverse, but less happy.”
Located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the site of the famous 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, the Queens Night Market features over 100 vendors whose artwork, merchandise, and food celebrates the cultural diversity of Queens.
Yet like all of New York City’s institutions, the market was fundamentally challenged by the pandemic. Although many vendors are returning this year alongside the festival, others were not able to support themselves without a year’s worth of revenue.
“One of my favorite vendors, someone who I thought was really nice, lost her ability to be a vendor at the Night Market,” Wang explained. “ They lost their apartment because they couldn’t pay rent and had to move in with extended family out of town. We’ve been trying hard to get them back to New York.”
Despite these hardships, Queens Night Market continues to be a source of great joy for both Wang and Garner.
“There’s usually five or 10 or 15 minutes, usually when I have a beer or wine in my hand, that I can sit back and enjoy what has happened,” Wang said. “You stare around at all the smiling faces and it looks like all of New York City is in attendance.”
“If you come to the Night Market, especially in the last few weeks since the pandemic reopening, I have to say it’s just the most magical feeling,” Garner said. “It’s just so much joy. There are so many uncynical New Yorkers, who I’m sure they’re cynical in most of their lives, but for a few hours on a Saturday night everyone’s nice to each other.”
Queens Night Market is held at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park near the New York Hall of Science every Saturday night from 6 p.m. until Midnight. The market’s summer season lasts until August 21 and is followed by a fall season lasting from September 18 until October 30.

Community helps restore vandalized statues

webadmin on July 28, 2021

The statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Therese the Little Flower have been a cherished part of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills since it opened its doors in 1937.
On the morning on July 17, it took only minutes for a woman to drag them into the street and smash them. She is believed to be the same woman who toppled the statues on July 14.
Through the darkness came light, however, as community residents and organizations who joined forces to replicate the statues.
As of Monday, 129 people donated over $19,500 to a fundraiser posted on Go Fund Me started by Brian Allen on behalf of Knights of Columbus–Our Lady of Mercy Council and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy.
The goal is $25,000. In addition, donations can be mailed to Our Lady of Mercy Statue Repair at 79-01 Kessel Street.
As an lector and 14-year parishioner at the church, Michael Conigliaro (also a District 29 City Council candidate), is playing a significant role in fundraising, protecting his parish, and speaking up about hate and vandalism. Upon learning about the crime, he contacted Deacon Dean Dobbins. He said,
“I reached out to a 112th Precinct colleague with a request that a patrol car be parked outside the church and it was granted,” said Michael Conigliaro, a lector and 14-year parishioner at the church.
Replacing the statues shows that hate or disrespect aimed towards any house of faith will not be tolerated.
“For people who pass the parish, they will always see the beauty of the statues and understand what they represent,” added Conigliaro. “Before someone considers performing an act of hate, they should try to empathize and consider what the effect of the damage will have on the community.”
“The statues were such an important element for a young child who needed that gentle but strong maternal figure in their lives” said Lori Jarema, who was a student at Our Lady of Mercy in the 60’s. “I love the pictures we took in front of Mary from my First Communion and graduation.”
Nancy J. O’Connor and her family were parishioners from 1951 to 2006.
“Replacing these statues for the current members and people who recall Our Lady of Mercy fondly sends a message that we will not be intimidated by this type of behavior,” she said. “Each day we see more reports of vandalism and violence, and these actions must have consequences.”
Although Andreea Sudresianu is not a parishioner, she contributed to the fund to replace the statues.
“I used to stop for a few moments and say a little prayer every time I passed by, and I rediscovered this beautiful place on my daily walks during the pandemic,” she said. “I always felt safe on these streets, but I wonder where that woman is and how she dared to do such a terrible thing.”

Two arrests in attack of firefighter in Middle Village

webadmin on July 28, 2021

Two teenagers who were part of a crowd who attacked a 44-year-old man who was walking his dog near Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village have been arrested.
The names of the 14-year-old and 15-year-old suspects are being withheld by police because of their age. Both have been charged with gang assault.
The assault took place on Friday at 10 p.m., when the victim confronted a group of people lighting fireworks, yelling and screaming. A verbal dispute escalated into a physical encounter.
A video captured by a bystander that was posted to the Juniper Park Civic Association’s Facebook page documented the moments leading up to the assault. The victim can be seen backpedaling away from the crowd as members of the group take away his dog and press closer.
Seconds later, the off-duty firefighter was tackled to the ground and driven into the concrete by an assailant who managed to wrap his arms around both of the victim’s legs.
What appears to be a group of about ten men in their early 20s descend on the victim, who is physically overwhelmed by the crowd and unable to escape, unleashing a series of kicks and punches.
The victim sustained cuts and bruising, but refused medical attention.
“Last night, things spun completely out of control,” said Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. “You had upwards of 200 young adults rampaging through the park at different intervals, and then descended on a man walking his dog.
“Thugs and ‘thugettes’ know there are no consequences for their actions because almost nobody gets arrested any longer in this city,” continued Sliwa. “We’re going to try to bring some civility to a park that was always known as a peaceful sanctuary for the people in Middle Village and Glendale.”
While acts of violence are unusual, fireworks and late-night parties are not, said Paul Howells, a Middle Village resident who is fed up with the excessive use of fireworks throughout the summer in the park. “These people come around in cars, set them off and just leave all the trash there.”
Matthew Wenz, an 18-year-old student who will be attending Adelphi University in the fall and lives near the park, could not believe that kids from his neighborhood would attack a civil servant.
“It’s disgusting,” he said “It’s a horrible attack that shouldn’t happen anywhere, never mind this neighborhood.”
Councilman Bob Holden was quick to react following the attack and condemned the crowd’s behavior. Before being elected to the City Council, Holden was the longtime president of the Juniper Park Civic Association.
Holden met with the 104th Precinct’s commanding officer and representatives from the Parks Department to demand immediate action to keep the park safe.
“Quality-of-life crimes, like unreasonable noise, lead to more serious crime and it must be shut down so that our parks are peaceful and safe,” Holden said. “Deputy Inspector [Louron] Hall assured me that enforcement will be stepped up with added measures taken so that there will be no more incidents like the one at Juniper Valley Park.”

Netflix opening new NYC studio

webadmin on July 28, 2021

Streaming giant-turned-production company Netflix announced it is bringing a massive new studio to Bushwick.
The facility will be over 170,000 square feet and comes equipped with six sound stages, editing suites, and meeting and screening rooms. Netflix estimates that they will be able to film two television shows simultaneously or one feature-length film in the new building at any given time.
Netflix has steadily produced more and more projects in New York City over the past decade, thanks in part to New York State’s tax incentive program that allocates $420 million a year in breaks to attract film and television productions.
“This is really important for New York,” said Anne del Castillo, commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “It’s not just nice to have, it’s a real economic driver.”
In addition to the new studios, Netflix has pledged to spend over $100 million in New York City and create thousands of new jobs. In response, New York State pledged $4 million in tax credits to the streaming company over the next 10 years, contingent upon the amount of jobs Netflix creates and retains.
Michael Manas, Netflix’s head of operations in Brooklyn, sees the new studio as a win for the local community and the film industry as a whole.
“It’s such a critical time for industry to say, ‘we’re here and we’re back,’” said Manas. “This really is a neighborhood project.”

Two arrests in attack of firefighter in Middle Village

webadmin on July 27, 2021

Two teenagers who were part of a crowd who attacked a 44-year-old man who was walking his dog near Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village have been arrested.
The names of the 14-year-old and 15-year-old suspects are being withheld by police because of their age. Both have been charged with gang assault.
The assault took place on Friday at 10 p.m., when the victim confronted a group of people lighting fireworks, yelling and screaming. A verbal dispute escalated into a physical encounter.
A video captured by a bystander that was posted to the Juniper Park Civic Association’s Facebook page documented the moments leading up to the assault. The victim can be seen backpedaling away from the crowd as members of the group take away his dog and press closer.
Seconds later, the off-duty firefighter was tackled to the ground and driven into the concrete by an assailant who managed to wrap his arms around both of the victim’s legs.
What appears to be a group of about ten men in their early 20s descend on the victim, who is physically overwhelmed by the crowd and unable to escape, unleashing a series of kicks and punches.
The victim sustained cuts and bruising, but refused medical attention.
“Last night, things spun completely out of control,” said Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. “You had upwards of 200 young adults rampaging through the park at different intervals, and then descended on a man walking his dog.
“Thugs and ‘thugettes’ know there are no consequences for their actions because almost nobody gets arrested any longer in this city,” continued Sliwa. “We’re going to try to bring some civility to a park that was always known as a peaceful sanctuary for the people in Middle Village and Glendale.”
While acts of violence are unusual, fireworks and late-night parties are not, said Paul Howells, a Middle Village resident who is fed up with the excessive use of fireworks throughout the summer in the park. “These people come around in cars, set them off and just leave all the trash there.”
Matthew Wenz, an 18-year-old student who will be attending Adelphi University in the fall and lives near the park, could not believe that kids from his neighborhood would attack a civil servant.
“It’s disgusting,” he said “It’s a horrible attack that shouldn’t happen anywhere, never mind this neighborhood.”
Councilman Bob Holden was quick to react following the attack and condemned the crowd’s behavior. Before being elected to the City Council, Holden was the longtime president of the Juniper Park Civic Association.
Holden met with the 104th Precinct’s commanding officer and representatives from the Parks Department to demand immediate action to keep the park safe.
“Quality-of-life crimes, like unreasonable noise, lead to more serious crime and it must be shut down so that our parks are peaceful and safe,” Holden said. “Deputy Inspector [Louron] Hall assured me that enforcement will be stepped up with added measures taken so that there will be no more incidents like the one at Juniper Valley Park.”

Bodypainting Day in New York

webadmin on July 27, 2021

The eighth annual Bodypainting Day was celebrated in Union Square over the weekend. The event was hosted by Brooklyn artist Andy Golub and his nonprofit Human Connection Arts (HCA), and featured a number of 26 artists painting 45 nude models.
The year’s theme was resilience, as well as a focus on body positivity.
“I think it’s important to show that New York City is getting better,” said Rocket Osborne, a New York City-based architect.
For four hours, models of all shapes and sizes served as human canvasses, as bystanders took photos and video.
After getting painted, the group marched to Washington Square Park for a photo shoot at the iconic arch. The group then took a double-decker bus to an afterparty at HCA in Greenpoint.
Golub is known for his human canvas paintings, often painting numerous models and then arranging them for an even bigger piece of art.
“We painted a whole bunch of people and it’s going to look like an Andy Golub at the end because he’s going to go over with his black lining,” said Tom Sebazco, an Astoria-based artist.

Queens Night Market is thriving post-pandemic

webadmin on July 27, 2021

Since its opening in 2015, Queens Night Market has built a reputation for its large crowds, diverse vendors, and delicious cheap bites. Although the pandemic forced the food festival to limit capacity and enforce restrictions, it has now returned to full capacity and shows no signs of slowing down.
Queens Night Market founder John Wang and his partner, oral historian and author of the book The World Eats Here: Amazing Food and the Inspiring People Who Make It at New York’s Queens Night Market, Storm Garner, discussed the festival’s origins, success, and cultural importance.
“The really short story is that I was a lawyer, got tired of it, paid off the student loans, and wanted to try something new,” Wang explained. “There were a lot of ideas, but one that seemed really cool was to start New York’s first night market, modeled off the ones I experienced in Taiwan but also something that was uniquely New York.
“We also wanted something uniquely un-New York: being affordable,” he added. “That was the genesis of the $5 price cap.”
Although the food at Queens Night Market is inexpensive, it does a remarkable job of representing the many diverse communities living within the borough.
“The truth is that Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Bronx are all diverse, but Queens just happens to be the most diverse,” Wang said. “I think the year we launched was the year that Queens was named the ‘World’s Borough.’ It is, by some accounts, the most diverse place in the world.”
“I think it really is something unique,” Garner chimed in. “It felt a bit like an endangered species during the Trump era and certainly during the pandemic, but now it feels like it’s coming back.
“I challenge anyone to think of a place in all of New York, diverse as it is, where you can stand in the same place and within 50 feet of you in any direction talk to somebody whose life story is so different from your own and the person next to them,” she added. “The seven train is often just as diverse, but less happy.”
Located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the site of the famous 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs, the Queens Night Market features over 100 vendors whose artwork, merchandise, and food celebrates the cultural diversity of Queens.
Yet like all of New York City’s institutions, the market was fundamentally challenged by the pandemic. Although many vendors are returning this year alongside the festival, others were not able to support themselves without a year’s worth of revenue.
“One of my favorite vendors, someone who I thought was really nice, lost her ability to be a vendor at the Night Market,” Wang explained. “ They lost their apartment because they couldn’t pay rent and had to move in with extended family out of town. We’ve been trying hard to get them back to New York.”
Despite these hardships, Queens Night Market continues to be a source of great joy for both Wang and Garner.
“There’s usually five or 10 or 15 minutes, usually when I have a beer or wine in my hand, that I can sit back and enjoy what has happened,” Wang said. “You stare around at all the smiling faces and it looks like all of New York City is in attendance.”
“If you come to the Night Market, especially in the last few weeks since the pandemic reopening, I have to say it’s just the most magical feeling,” Garner said. “It’s just so much joy. There are so many uncynical New Yorkers, who I’m sure they’re cynical in most of their lives, but for a few hours on a Saturday night everyone’s nice to each other.”
Queens Night Market is held at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park near the New York Hall of Science every Saturday night from 6 p.m. until Midnight. The market’s summer season lasts until August 21 and is followed by a fall season lasting from September 18 until October 30.

For more information, visit queensnightmarket.com.

Community helps restore vandalized statues

webadmin on July 27, 2021

The statues of the Blessed Mother and St. Therese the Little Flower have been a cherished part of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Forest Hills since it opened its doors in 1937.
On the morning on July 17, it took only minutes for a woman to drag them into the street and smash them. She is believed to be the same woman who toppled the statues on July 14.
Through the darkness came light, however, as community residents and organizations who joined forces to replicate the statues.
As of Monday, 129 people donated over $19,500 to a fundraiser posted on Go Fund Me started by Brian Allen on behalf of Knights of Columbus–Our Lady of Mercy Council and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy.
The goal is $25,000. In addition, donations can be mailed to Our Lady of Mercy Statue Repair at 79-01 Kessel Street.
As an lector and 14-year parishioner at the church, Michael Conigliaro (also a District 29 City Council candidate), is playing a significant role in fundraising, protecting his parish, and speaking up about hate and vandalism. Upon learning about the crime, he contacted Deacon Dean Dobbins. He said,
“I reached out to a 112th Precinct colleague with a request that a patrol car be parked outside the church and it was granted,” said Michael Conigliaro, a lector and 14-year parishioner at the church.
Replacing the statues shows that hate or disrespect aimed towards any house of faith will not be tolerated.
“For people who pass the parish, they will always see the beauty of the statues and understand what they represent,” added Conigliaro. “Before someone considers performing an act of hate, they should try to empathize and consider what the effect of the damage will have on the community.”
“The statues were such an important element for a young child who needed that gentle but strong maternal figure in their lives” said Lori Jarema, who was a student at Our Lady of Mercy in the 60’s. “I love the pictures we took in front of Mary from my First Communion and graduation.”
Nancy J. O’Connor and her family were parishioners from 1951 to 2006.
“Replacing these statues for the current members and people who recall Our Lady of Mercy fondly sends a message that we will not be intimidated by this type of behavior,” she said. “Each day we see more reports of vandalism and violence, and these actions must have consequences.”
Although Andreea Sudresianu is not a parishioner, she contributed to the fund to replace the statues.
“I used to stop for a few moments and say a little prayer every time I passed by, and I rediscovered this beautiful place on my daily walks during the pandemic,” she said. “I always felt safe on these streets, but I wonder where that woman is and how she dared to do such a terrible thing.”

Reflecting on a serene spot in Woodhaven

webadmin on July 27, 2021

Now that summer is in full swing, a lot of people will be taking advantage of the good weather and take walks through Forest Park. And is there a more beautiful spot in town than Strack Pond?
Because it’s not entirely visible from the road through the park, as well as completely hidden from Woodhaven Boulevard, you can be forgiven for not knowing where it is.
Strack Pond sits directly across and below the Bandshell and the Forest Park Carousel at the bottom of a deep depression left behind by glacial movement over 20,000 years ago.
It has always been a pond, except for a brief period of time when it was filled in an ill-fated attempt to create baseball fields.
So now you know where it is and a bit about its history, but where did the name Strack come from?
As a young boy during the early 1960s, Lawrence Strack played baseball for several local little leagues including the Cypress Hills Bombers, Little Fellers League and Rich-Haven Little League.
Strack joined the Army and went through basic and paratrooper training in Georgia. He returned home before shipping out to Vietnam to marry his childhood sweetheart, Theresa Shannon of Woodhaven. He began his tour in Vietnam in November 1966 and died in combat on March 3, 1967.
When the city converted this pond, which was unnamed for all those many years, into a pair of ballfields, American Legion Post 118 in Woodhaven petitioned to get them named after Strack. Although Strack never played on those ballfields, he did ice skate on the pond that was there.
“Lawrence Strack lived in the tradition of American Youth and was an avid sports fan and participant,” the resolution to rename the fields read. “In the true tradition of an American, Lawrence made the supreme sacrifice that any American can make for his Community and Country when he gave up his life in Vietnam.”
Much was made of the fact that Lawrence Strack played on local ballfields as a boy, but it was also noted that Private First Class Lawrence Strack was not far removed from being a boy himself when he was killed.
Lawrence Strack was only 18 years old.
Just before the second anniversary of his death, legislation passed through the City Council and the new field was dedicated as PFC Lawrence George E. Strack Memorial Field.
However, the fields themselves would be short-lived. Because they sat at the bottom of this natural depression in the ground, one that had housed a pond for many years, it held on to any water it received.
Even a small amount rain could cause the field to get muddy, and after a heavy rainstorm it could take days to recover.
During the late 1970s, the fields were badly damaged by vandals. Over the winter, some drove their automobiles over the field through the mud. By the time teams showed up for their first practice a few months later, all of the deep grooves in the mud were rock solid.
Assemblyman Frederick D. Schmidt came up with a solution, arranging to have a fire truck at the top of the hill connect to a hydrant and soak the field. Once it was muddy again, the coaches and managers did their best to rake it smooth.
It was playable, but no one who ever played on that field trusted a ground ball.
The ballfields were eventually converted back to a natural pond in a project that took two years to complete. When PFC Lawrence Strack Memorial Pond was opened to the public in May 2004, his family attended the dedication.
Since then, Strack Pond has become one of the more beautiful and most photographed locations in Woodhaven. It is very popular with hikers and bird watchers.
It is a beautiful spot, a great place to enjoy nature and the steep hill is a small price to pay for that kind of peace and tranquility. Although Woodhaven Boulevard is just a stone’s throw away, you can hardly hear it.
Take a walk and enjoy the peace and quiet and remember the young man, a boy really, whose all too short life ended so violently.

Northeastern Towers Annex to provide senior housing

webadmin on July 27, 2021

An affordable housing development in Jamaica is providing seniors of all backgrounds in Queens with living space that is clean, safe and enables them to age gracefully, but just as importantly is affordable.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony last week marked the completion of an annex that adds an additional 158 units to Northeastern Towers, including 56 homes for formerly homeless seniors.
It is comprised of 58 studios and 100 one-bedroom apartments, each designed with the mobility of its residents in mind.
There are two sets of wide elevator doors on each floor and handrails lining the hallways. It also has amenities, including an exercise and wellness center, gardens, personal care room, and an office for social services.
Through the Housing Choice Voucher program, tenants will pay only 30 percent of their income in rent.
“We are delivering on our promise to put seniors first and create deeply affordable housing with on-site services to help them age with dignity,” said Louise Carroll, commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
District attorney Melinda Katz allocated $3 million in discretionary capital funding while serving as borough president to the project, which allowed for the inclusion of a solar canopy, roof deck, and other amenities that will support seniors.
“This project is a shining example of what can be accomplished when local government and community organizations work together,” she said.
The Northeastern Towers Annex fits with the broader initiative of addressing housing instability among low-income New Yorkers that is partially due to gentrification and rising rents. It was financed jointly by the HPD and HDC with a total of $93.6 million in public and private investment.
“No senior should ever be priced out of the neighborhood they love and proudly call home,” said current borough president Donovan Richards. “With more than 300,000 seniors living here in The World’s Borough, we look forward to more such ribbon cuttings as we work tirelessly to make sure that Queens is an affordable place to live for all, but especially our seniors.”
The project broke ground in 2018. Approximately 90 percent of the apartments are already rented.
“If you have the land, you should certainly be looking to model and duplicate this because we need to get ahead of the problem that we have over 60,000 people sleeping in shelters tonight,” said Richards. “We know when this eviction moratorium is lifted in September, we are going to see these numbers jump astronomically.”
Stephen Julty, 63, is a native New Yorker and one of the first to move into the annex. He said his new home is much better than the assisted living facility he was placed in by a hospital before being accepted to Northeastern Towers.
“I’m very emotional right now,” he said. “I realize how lucky I am as I hear the numbers, considering that I’m one of 28,000 applicants to this building.”
One of the building’s standout features is its central air conditioning system and the ample amount of natural light in each room, two features that are less likely for low-income seniors living in rent-stabilized apartments.
The project was developed in partnership with the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Fifth Avenue Committee and Mega Development.
“May the North Eastern Towers Annex and original building, be a great representative of Christ’s ministry, in healing, preaching, teaching,” said Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, who is president of the Seventh-Day Adventist World Church. “Let us remember that we are to do that which is right in helping people here in the city.”

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