Queens Gazette

It’s In Queens! (February 16 to February 22)




Children are on school break, and it’s cold this week. No problem in Queens, where puppet slams, matinees, and workshops mix happily with concerts, plays, lectures, and a backyard bird count. Here are the details

Feb. 16, The Jackie Robinson Story, 10:30 am. With music by Mad River Theater Works, this play explores Jackie Robinson’s character, his struggle, and the obstacles he overcame while transforming the national pastime. $8. Colden Auditorium, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, bit.ly/2lxFA0m.

Feb. 16, The Case of Ben Peres, 6 pm. Stockton University adjunct faculty member Mary Maudsley discusses Holocaust reparations. Free. Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, bit.ly/2kYq7tB.

Feb. 17, Disco Night, 11 pm. A live performance by R&B singer and disco diva Linda Clifford. Resorts World Casino New York City, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., South Jamaica, bit.ly/2l27HI6.

Feb. 17, Gaelic Folk Music, 7 pm. Uilleann piper Cillian Vallely and flautist Kevin Crawford perform. $20. New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., LIC, bit.ly/2kBDbnN.

Feb. 17, Farhad Darya, 8 pm. Darya is the most influential musician in Afghanistan since the mid 1980s. Along with folk-pop, he was the first Afghan to write a rock song. He sings in languages such as Farsi-Dari, Pashto, Uzbek, Hazaragi, Urdu, and English. $35-$65. Colden Auditorium, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, bit.ly/2kRboOI.

Feb. 17, Lunar New Year Puppet Slam, 7 pm. Chinese Theatre Works presents short adult pieces ranging across the traditional and cutting edge shadow theater, animation, and video. $13. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., bit.ly/2kY8tpT.

Feb. 17, Wildlife Photography Walk, 11 am. In the winter, leaves are off the trees and it’s easier to frame great photos of birds unobstructed by branches or greenery. Meet near Meadow Lake. Must RSVP to vickie.karp@parks.nyc.gov.

Feb. 18, Great Backyard Count, 11 am. This 20th annual event gets volunteers to count birds and submit the results to the Audubon Society. Free. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, bit.ly/2lt0LF5.

Feb. 18, Back Number Budd, 1 pm. Ellen Gruber Garvey, a professor at New Jersey City University, talks about Back Number Budd, a fascinating African American man from Ravenswood who opened a business in the 1870s sorting and organizing back issues of newspapers for sale to journalists and lawyers. Free. Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, LIC, bit.ly/2kuRisL.

Feb. 18, HAPI, 6 pm. NYC native Taaqiy Grant debuts his documentary which explores African commerce and empires. Panel discussion follows. $25. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., bit.ly/2kuxBRK.

Feb. 19, Winnie the Pooh, Feb. 26. Matinees of the 2011 hand-drawn animation film of A.A. Milne’s children’s book about Christopher Robin and his stuffed animals. Screenings are daily at 12:30 pm. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District, bit.ly/2lsNvQH.

Feb. 19, Community Day, 10:30 am to 6 pm. Crafts, tours, performance, and panel discussion on Islamic art held in remembrance of the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Free. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, bit.ly/2kcBkre.

Feb. 19, Romantic Classics, 4:30 pm. The Con Brio Ensemble (violin, cello, piano) performs works by Brahms, Mahler, and Dvorak. $12. The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, bit.ly/2kdIUgg.

Feb. 19, Korean Traditional Marching Band, 5 pm. A folk drumming performance and interactive workshop. $5. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., bit.ly/2l2ssDI.

Feb. 19, 3-on-3 Corporate Basketball Challenge, 10 am to 2 pm. A friendly, three-on-three basketball tournament with teams from Queens businesses. Main goals are networking and fun. Free registration. Variety Boys & Girls Club, 21-12 30th Rd., Astoria, tinyurl.com/varietycbc.

Feb. 19, Kimi Maeda, Bend, 3 pm. Kimi’s solo act tells the story of her father, Robert Maeda, who was forced into an internment camp at age nine. Kimi weaves together live-feed projections of sand drawings with archival footage from the 1940s to explore the relationship between Robert and Isamu Noguchi, who was in the same camp voluntarily. Free. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, bit.ly/2kcIWKh.

Feb. 19, Inspired by Geometry in Islamic Arts, 2:30 pm. A panel discussion on geometry, science, and art with presentations by physicist Peter J. Lu and exhibiting artists Samantha Holmes and Armita Raafar. Free, but RSVP to rsvp@dorsky.org. Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45th Ave., LIC, bit.ly/2l2W83n.

Feb. 21, George Washington Carver Workshop, 1 pm. The Wizard of Tuskegee made significant contributions to the field of botany. Participants follow Carver’s steps to create a healing lotion from plants. $6. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, bit.ly/2ckMgPB.

Feb. 21, Resistance and Memory in Belgium, 1940-1945, May 26. Cooper Union professor Anne Griffin’s documentary installation evokes the courage of those who resisted Nazi occupation in Belgium. Portraits by French photographer Jean-Marc Gourdon and testimonies gathered by Griffin present some of the last living members of the resistance. Queens College Art Center, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, bit.ly/2lxX50I.

Feb. 22, Midwinter Break Family Workshop, 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Children (ages 5-12) and their adult companions explore works on view through fun, hands-on activities. No fee or registration required. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, bit.ly/2kR80Dn.

Feb. 22, From Genocide Orphan to Human Rights Activist, 12:20 pm. Jacqueline Murekatete, a Rwandan genocide survivor who founded the Genocide Survivors Foundation, gives a lecture. Free. Kupferberg Holocaust Center, Queensborough Community College, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, bit.ly/2lxX9xs.

Feb. 22, Anna Azrieli: Mirror Furor, Feb. 25. Interpretive show performed by a dancer, an actor, a child, and a choreographer. Every night at 8 pm. $20. The Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49th Ave., LIC, bit.ly/2ly2SDq.

The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions. More info at www.itsinqueens.com.



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