Greetings, and welcome the Woodhaven History Digest for May 2017. We're starting off with a reminder that we have a very special event TOMORROW - Tuesday, May 2nd, starting at 7 p.m. at the Avenue Diner (91-06 Jamaica Avenue). The 1st Annual Woodhaven Quiz-O-Rama will let you show off your knowledge of Woodhaven History and Trivia! People will be grouped together in teams, and we'll be using game-buzzers -- and the main goal is to HAVE FUN. We hope you'll come out and join us -- but if you need more convincing, here's a fun little commercial we produced for the event - click here to see how many of these questions you can answer!
And now, some news about the big historical event this month:
Forest Park Memorial Drive - As requested by the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society (WCHS) and American Legion Post 118, and thanks to a bill submitted by CM Elizabeth Crowley (which passed unanimously), Forest Park Drive be rededicated as Forest Park Memorial Drive in a ceremony at Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 20th starting at 12 Noon. It was almost 98 years ago to the very day that these young men were honored by our community at this very spot -- it's really special that we'll be coming together again to honor their lives and their sacrifices and we hope you will be able to make it. As soon as we have more details on the ceremony, we will send out a special e-mail. Many thanks to everyone who supported this proposal (click here to read the letters of support for this request). Bonus: Click here to read about it in the Queens Chronicle!
Special Announcement!
Voices of Woodhaven - We are in the early stages of collecting and recording Oral Histories of Woodhaven residents past and present. The idea is that 100 years from now, future historians will be able to hear about the early days of our community in the voices of the people who lived it. We will be making these recordings publicly available - and also donating them to the Queens Library for permanent storage (as part of their Queens Memory project). If you are interested in participating (and we know you are), get in touch with us. And to help you get the memory juices flowing, we have created this worksheet. You don't have to put any answers in writing - this worksheet is just to help you think a bit about what you want to talk about before we meet. And interviews are conducted over the phone, so it's very easy and convenient!
Cemetery Restoration Highlights for April
The WCHS celebrated Earth Day at the famous Wyckoff-Snedicker Woodhaven Founders Cemetery behind beautiful All Saint's Episcopal Church (96th Street and 86th Avenue), and we had a great time planting flowers, planting grass and received a lesson about composting from St. Thomas the Apostle's Patty Eggers. Click here for lots of pictures of the cemetery plus a nice video showing you highlights of the month of April!
Other Local Events (Given in Date Order):
Richmond Hill Historical Society - This month, the RHHS will meet on a Saturday (May 13th at 1:30 p.m) at the Leonard Center. The guest speaker will be James Greller and he will give a presentation called "Ridgewood/Glendale/Richmond Hill Before the Automobile." Some of you may remember Mr. Greller, he came to the Woodhaven Historical to speak about railroads and trolleys in Queens and he was very well-received!
Woodhaven Cemetery Cleanup - The monthly cleanup of the Wyckoff-Snedicker will take place on Saturday, May 13th. Please note that we are experimenting with a later start time -- the cleanup will start at 11 a.m. We are in need of volunteers to do some light cleanup work - some raking, picking up twigs, etc. And the gates (at 96th Street and 86th Ave) will be open until 2 p.m. for everyone who would like to come and visit this Colonial Era cemetery right in our backyard! Come out and we'll even hook you up with one of our tour guides!
Barry Lewis on Coney Island - Architect and Historian Barry Lewis will be giving a free lecture on Coney Island at the Kew Gardens Community Center (80-02 Kew Gardens Road, Suite 202) on Thursday, May 18th starting at 7:45. This presentation is sponsored by the Kew Gardens Council for Recreation and the Arts and they advise that seating is limited that that you will need to bring ID for building admittance.Emanuel's 140th Anniversary Party - The WCHS holds a lot of their events at Emanuel United Church of Christ, and we are happy to announce that they are celebrating their 140th Anniversary with an old fashioned pasta party - with old fashioned prices! For just $5 you get a spaghetti supper with bread, dessert and beverage all included! Saturday, May 20th at 5 p.m. Click here for more info and stay tuned for even more details. We'll be making a very special presentation to Emanuel - you won't want to miss it! Reserve your seats now - 718-849-1153!
Memorial Day Ceremonies - Memorial Day is Monday, May 29th. The GWDC/WBID will be holding their annual ceremony on the evening of Thursday, May 25th at Forest Parkway. And American Legion Post 118 will be holding their annual ceremony at their headquarters (89-02 91st Street) on Memorial Day morning. As soon as we have the exact times we will pass them along.
Woodhaven Wednesday Historical Lecture Series - Our next free daytime lecture will take place at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31st at Emanuel United Church of Christ (91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard). Our lecture this month will be delivered by June McCowan, longtime member of the WCHS, and she will be giving a lecture on some of her historic relatives, details to follow soon.
Dedication of Pine Grove Trees in Forest Park - Recently, 100 new trees were planted at the Pine Grove in Forest Park in Richmond Hill. There will be a dedication ceremony on Friday June 2nd at 11 a.m. at the Buddy Monument. This is right near where the Richmond Hill Memorial Trees were planted!
Woodhaven Historical Party at the Carousel - Save the Date!! Our big event of 2017, our party at the Forest Park Carousel! Friday, June 23nd from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., $10 gets you unlimited rides on our NYC Landmarked Carousel and the Woodhaven Express Train Ride! A great bargain, and all proceeds go to the WCHS - many thanks to the Forest Park Carousel for their generosity!
Other Interesting News
Citizen's Committee 2017 Award - We are very proud to announce that the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society has won a grant from the Citizen's Committee for New York City for the 3rd consecutive year! The 2015 grant went towards the cemetery; and the 2016 grant went towards the production of a history booklet for young students who volunteer at the cemetery (click here to read about it); the 2017 grant will be going towards the Museum of Woodhaven History!
WCHS Raises $400 for Kids With Special Needs - Many thanks to all of the donors and hard workers at the cemetery that came together and raised $400 for WORKS Little League's Challenger Division. We recently visited the ball field on opening day and presented them with a check (click here to read more about it).
Neir's Tavern in the NY Daily News - Did you see the article about Neir's in this week's Sunday Daily News (in the Queens section). It's not online yet, but thanks to Jim Beck for sending us a photo (click here to see it).
Woodhaven's NYC Tour Guide - Woodhaven's Ike Ilkiw is the founder of New York City Adventure Tours, which offers such tours as the “Law and Order Walking Tour (Cops and Robbers) of Lower Manhattan,” the “Twin Bridges Walking Tour” (which takes you over the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges by foot), and “Crime and Vice in New York’s Old Five Points,” in addition to a tour of Green-Wood Cemetery. Click here to visit New York City Adventure Tours, and click here to read more about Ike in an article we wrote in the Leader-Observer before he gave a great presentation at one of our meetings. From the Rumor Mill: We hear that Ike (a former NYPD Detective) will be giving his Infamous NYC Murders presentation pretty soon at a famous local watering hole - we'll pass along details as soon as we can confirm!
Famed Woodhaven Artist Exhibit Opens - Here's a real Woodhaven treat out on Long Island -- an exhibit of artwork by Stephen Csoka, who lived on 87th Street for nearly 3 decades. The artist's son, Frank Csoka, was on hand today's well-attended grand opening, where we took the above photo. You'll be able to see the life of the artist and his family depicted in "Marital Milestones," small paintings the artist created for his wife Margaret on each wedding anniversary (there are more than 50 in all). The exhibit will be open through Tuesday, June 6th at the Shelter Rock Art Gallery at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock (48 Shelter Rock Road in Manhasset, NY 11030). Since the art gallery is a multi-purpose room, call ahead to ensure it will be open 516-472-2933. Make sure you grab one of the handouts to read along as you go through the exhibit -- and keep your eye out for the one where the family makes the move to Woodhaven!! Bonus #1: Click here to read our article in last week's Leader-Observer! Bonus #2: Click here to HEAR our interview with Frank Csoka.
Richmond Hill Seeks Historic District - The Richmond Hill Historical Society is looking to preserve their community's many beautiful structures by applying to have a large area designated as a Historic District. There is an online petition you can sign to show your support (click here). Bonus: Click here to listen to our discussion on this with RHHS Vice President Helen Day.
Headlines - From 1917
Here are some headlines from the Leader-Observer, May, 1917 -- 100 years ago! They were planning a cleanup of Woodhaven to protect residents against diseases such as infantile paralysis. Some young boys smashed a penny-candy machine and made off with chewing gum! One of the controversies of the day was the creation of a new playground (the one we know today as Mary Whalen Playground). And 100 years ago there was enough empty ground around PS 97 that students were using it to farm vegetables! Come out to our monthly meeting of the Woodhaven Historians (7 p.m. on the 1st Tuesday of every month at the Avenue Diner, 91-06 Jamaica Avenue) to find out more about your community's past!
The Woodhaven History Library Corner:Feel like reading up on some Woodhaven History? Here are 2 articles of Woodhaven History we enjoyed writing:
A Woodhaven Christmas Miracle - This month, we will honor the sacrifices made by young men who died in World War 1 (and a tree was planted in each of their names along Forest Park Memorial Drive). There was one young man who was almost one of those lost in that war - and his story is a true Woodhaven Christmas Miracle. Click here to read all about it!
A Forgotten Woodhaven Pond - Here's an interesting story about a long-lost pond in Forest Park that many older Woodhaven residents remember well. Once we visited it, we began digging around and found out that it may have had a name - and was quite probably the location of a tragic accident 99 years ago this very month! Click here to read about Woodhaven's Crystal Lake!
Keep an eye on this spot as our Library Grows! Here are our past entries:
That's it for now - but we will leave you with one last thought.... we are currently working on The Museum of Woodhaven History *and* a brand new Woodhaven History Book. If you have any interesting photos squirreled away that you think would be of interest to either project, please get in touch with us! In the meantime, click here for a little teaser video we produced about the Museum!
The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society
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