Astorian Weekend Edition 08.11.07

Well, life got overly crazed this week, and JIA friend John Roleke gave us some weekend fun to start our Astorian Weekend Edition off:

There's only one event I can give my full love to -- a walking tour of Old Astoria. Join Kevin Walsh of Forgotten NY and Richard Melnick of the Greater Astoria Historical Society lead an exploration of Old Astoria Village. See it before disappears, replaced by six-story boxes. Sunday at 1pm. Call 718–278–0700 for exact meeting place and additional information. Tour will last about 2 hours.
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Thursday through Sunday, the 5th Queens International Film Festival is going on at various Astoria locations, including the Museum of the Moving Image, Cup and Cavo, among others. There will be plenty of special screenings and parties going on, all celebrating independent films. It looks like a great lineup, so check it out.

Friday night brings us a performance of the Lost Dog Ensemble, Astoria's own new music ensemble. They'll be performing at the intimate space that is Waltz-Astoria (23-14 Ditmars Blvd), with works by Michael Hersch, Paul Yeon Lee, Gordon Beeferman, and Per Norgard. No cover and 2 drink minimum.

At the Beer Garden this Saturday from 8pm-midnight, join Chickenhead live in concert. $10 gets you in for music and dancing. Plus all that great bohemian grub. And speaking of Czech food, consider stopping at Koliba one of these days, just a short ways away from the Beer Garden (31-11 23rd Ave). I hear they have the most amazing lentil soup.

And the Hunters Point/LIC Greenmarket is still up and running. It's located at 48th Avenue between Vernon Blvd and 5th Street in Long Island City and runs from 8am-3pm on Saturdays.

Photo (c) Joy Victory

Greenmarket! Greenmarket!

So, about a month ago, a group of concerned Astoria residents met with representatives from the Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC, for short - they oversee most of the greenmarkets in the five boroughs) to discuss the possbility of bringing a greenmarket to Astoria. I mean, there's a litty itty bitty one down near Ravenswood, but it's way out of the way for most Astoria residents. One of the issues that came up was where the greenmarket could be held, and after much discussion, we settled on Athens Square Park (30th Avenue near 30th Street).

Now, part of the process is going to the Community Board and stating our case for the greenmarket in this space. And this is where you come in! If you support the idea of a greenmarket in Astoria - a source of fresh, locally grown, organic produce, cheese, bread, and the like - please sign the petition before May 1! As I see it, this can only enhance life in Astoria. Thumbs up!