Community fl ocks to
Astoria Park for holiday
festival and tree lighting
BY PAUL FRANGIPANE AND ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Community members and elected officials gathered at Astoria
Park to celebrate the ninth annual Holiday Festival and
Tree Lighting Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 5.
More than 100 people gathered on the great lawn at Astoria
Park to watch musical performances while they waited for the
sun to set and the Christmas tree lights to flicker on.
Kicking off the festivities was Academia de Mariachi Nuevo
Amanecer.
Following their set, Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards and Senator Chuck Schumer came on stage to say a
few words to the crowd.
Richards said that although it’s been a rough 18 months of
the COVID-19 pandemic, “it feels good to be outside, doing this
not on Zoom.”
Richards also noted that Queens leads New York City in
vaccinations, with over 1.7 million residents vaccinated to
date. He went on to encourage people to get vaccinated and get
their booster shot.
“I really urge everyone to do that so we can continue to
enjoy these festivities,” Richards said.
Schumer said Astoria and Queens “represent the best of
America” during his speech.
“Some people have lived here for so many generations, others
are new immigrants, but we welcome everybody,” Schumer
said. “We say everybody should have a chance. We say everybody
should be able to live the American Dream and create
a better life for themselves and a better life for their children.
That’s what Queens has always been about. That’s what Astoria,
generation after generation, has always been about.”
Laurie Anne Creus from Music For Aardvarks then took
the stage with music for children to enjoy.
Photos by Paul Frangipane
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