Greetings, and welcome to the Woodhaven History Digest for September 2017! Click here if you are having trouble viewing this email! We hope everyone had a nice summer and is ready to have some historical fun! We kept busy over the summer. We had several cemetery cleanups and kept Woodhaven's historic burial ground looking sharp (top left); thanks to the generosity of the Josephine Foundation and the Friends of Maple Grove, a large group from Woodhaven attended a fun musical (top right); we had a nice walking tour of the old Union Course Racetrack (bottom left) and we had an Elvis Blue Hawaii Party (bottom right).
Woodhaven Historical Society Meetings in September
Tuesdays at the Avenue Diner - The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society meets on the 1st Tuesday Night of every month at 7 p.m. at the Avenue Diner (91-06 Jamaica Avenue). The next meeting will be Tuesday, September 5th. This month we will take a look at some real interesting pictures we acquired; we will also look back at the history of St. Anthony's Hospital; and we will give a sneak preview of the Museum of Woodhaven History.Cemetery Restoration - We'll be at the Wyckoff-Snedeker Cemetery on Saturday September 9th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The grounds are in good shape, but we could use some help raking up old leaves around the edges. Come out and be a part of a historical green project.Wednesday Lecture Series at Emanuel - We are resuming our weekday meetings this month on Wednesday September 27th at 1 p.m. at Emanuel United Church of Christ (91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard). This month, we're going to have a fun Woodhaven Quiz Game!
Other Woodhaven Historical Events/Appearances:
Richmond Hill Park Fair - The Richmond Hill Block Association will be hosting its 44th Annual Park Fair on Saturday, September 16th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Buddy Monument, located in Forest Park at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Park Lane South. There will be games, rides, vendors, food and fun! The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society will have a table at this event with a small sampling of our Museum of Woodhaven History. We will also be selling T-Shirts and Books to help support the organization.Woodhaven Lecture at Richmond Hill Historical Society - We are very honored to have been invited to give a presentation on Woodhaven's History at the Richmond Hill Historical Society on Friday September 29th at 7:30 p.m. at the Leonard Center (86-13 112th Street).
Infamous Crime Scenes in New York City - WCHS Board Member (and Woodhaven resident) Ike Ilkiw will be giving a presentation about infamous crime scenes at Neir's Tavern on Saturday September 30th at 2 p.m. And the great news is that the presentation doubles as a fundraiser for the WCHS! Come out and enjoy a thrilling presentation (Ike is a great presenter and a storyteller) and help the WCHS! By the way, have you been watching American Ripper on the History Channel? If so, Ike Ilkiw was interviewed about a NYC murder from 1891! Bonus: Click here to see Ike take about this infamous murder!
Wonderful Woodhaven Street Fair - We'll have a table at the street fair which is Sunday October 1st from 12 noon to 6 p.m. (on Jamaica Avenue from Woodhaven Boulevard to 80th Street). Come visit us outside the office of the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association at 80-20 Jamaica Avenue.
Fall Festival - This is a fun family event at Victory Field on Saturday October 14th from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Celebrate fall with this free event sponsored by CM Eric Ulrich with crafts, games, music, a great pumpkin patch (free pumpkins for kids), and more! The Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society will have a special COLORING TABLE at this event where kids can use crayons to color drawings of Woodhaven History!
A Very Special Announcement
The School Sisters of Notre Dame Educational Center for Women is holding their annual Harvest of Wine and Cheese on Sunday, September 24th from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. At this event they will be honoring Loycent Gordon, owner of Neir's Tavern and board member of the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society. Loy is being honored for his ongoing support of the center and for his support of the Woodhaven community. Everyone is encouraged to come out to this free event and tour the center at 87-04 88th Avenue and show appreciation for Loy Gordon.
Another Very Special Announcement
2017 Woodhaven Dinner Dance - The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association is happy to announce the annual dinner dance will be held on Friday, October 6th from 7 p.m. through 11 p.m. at Roma View on Crossbay Blvd. This year's Man of the Year is familiar to WCHS Members, it is Walter Steffens, of Emanuel United Church of Christ. The WCHS is grateful to Walter for all of the help and assistance he has given us over the years and we are very happy for him. The other honorees are Charlotte Butler (Woman of the Year - President, K9 Korral Dog Run in Forest Park) and House of Holiday (Business of the Year). If you are interested in going, you can click here to purchase tickets. (We'd like all Historical Society members to sit together - make sure you add that notation when ordering tickets).
Other Events of Interests Outside Woodhaven
Music at the Gate - There will be a free chamber music concert at St. Mary Gate of Heaven Church in Ozone Park (103-12 101st Avenue) Saturday September 9th at 7 p.m.
Queens Mystery Writers - The Friends of Maple Grove is sponsoring a free event celebrating the grand opening of the Kew & Willow Bookshop on Lefferts Blvd. Beloved Queens mystery writers Lyndsay Faye & Alex Segura will come to Maple Grove to discuss how Queens has influenced their writing and how they have woven their tales of mystery. RSVP by clicking here! Free admission; handicap accessible, Light refreshments will be served. Thursday September 14th 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free parking on cemetery grounds - enter at 129th St. & Kew Gardens Rd.
Kew Gardens Community Arts Day - Sunday September 17th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Rain date Sunday October 1st). Outdoor arts fair on the streets of Kew Gardens (Lefferts Blvd, Austin Street & neighboring streets). Sidewalk chalk artists, Art demonstrations, Arts & Crafts Zone, Local Live Music! For more info, call 917-881-3358 or email [email protected]. Note: Artist Madeline Lovallo, famous for several Woodhaven paintings, will be at this event.
News From The Friends of Maple Grove
In September, the Friends of Maple Grove will begin their Fall 2017 season of exciting events! Most of these events are free. Detailed information on each of these events can be found on their website: https://www.friendsofmaplegrove.org/events Registration can be made by responding to [email protected] or info@ friendsofmaplegrove.org. Here are some of the items on the calendar for September at Maple Grove: 9/9/17 Saturday 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Free Group Conversation on 9/11 National Day of Service & Remembrance. Explore how New Yorkers and people everywhere were transformed and interconnected in the aftermath of 9/11. Venue: Victorian Admin Building. Advance registration required ~ limited seating. Sponsored by Humanities NYC.
9/17/17 Sunday 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Walking Tour featuring the Great Women of Maple Grove. Led by certified NYC Tour Guide and FMG Board Member Jo-Anne Raskin. $5 Fee (exact cash please). Meet at the Victorian Admin Building. RSVP requested.
9/23/17 Saturday 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Spirits Alive. Annual outdoor event with presentation of historical figures at Maple Grove in the Victorian Monument Park section. Free admission. No RSVP needed.
9/23/17 Saturday 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Music from the Movies Concert. Free admission at the Celebration Hall in the Center. Free admission. RSVP requested
9/24/17 Sunday 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Walking Tour featuring the Great Men of Maple Grove. Led by certified NYC Tour Guide and FMG Board Member Jo-Anne Raskin. $5 Fee (exact cash please). Meet at the Victorian Admin Building.
10/1/17 Sunday 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Fused Glass Jewelry Workshop with Naomi. Create glass jewelry designed with etching stencils! Victorian Admin Building. $25/$20 members. Advance registration required ~ limited seating.
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!The Woodhaven History Library Corner:
Feel like reading up on some Woodhaven History? Here a few articles about Woodhaven's History:Woodhaven's TB Hospital - Click here to read about St. Anthony's Hospital, the hospital started by the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor to combat tuberculosis. Below, some members of the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society tour St. Anthony's before it closed and was demolished. Come out Tuesday, September 5th at the Avenue Diner for more on St. Anthony's.
The Art of Stephen Csoka - We were happy to attend the opening of a retrospective of the art of artist Stephen Csoka, who lived on 87th Street in Woodhaven for several decades. Click here to read about Mr. Csoka, and his life.
Remembering Anniversary Day - One of the more fondly remembered annual traditions in Woodhaven. Click here to read more about it.
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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