C R Y D E R P O I N T 16FEBRUARY Out & About Here are ideas for Valentine’s Day and the rest of the month as we impatiently await the arrival of spring. Valentine’s Day Dining Sunday, February 14 Various locations It’s fitting that “The World’s Borough” will have many cuisines represented with special menus on Valentine’s Day. Here are a few ideas to whet your appetite: How about dusting off your castanets at Marbella, the Spanish restaurant in Bayside? Their Valentine’s Day offering includes dancing till 11pm along with a full buffet. More in the mood for Italian? Vivaldi is devoting the entire weekend to this romantic holiday with special menus on both Saturday and Sunday. German pub Jagerhaus in Whitestone will also have a Valentine’s Day menu, as will Donovan’s in Bayside. Valentine’s Day Jazz at the Castle Sunday, February 14, 12pm-2pm Bayside Historical Society, 208 Totten Ave., Bayside www.baysidehistorical.org 718-352-1548 Think restaurants will be too crowded for dinner? Do brunch at the Castle instead. This historic 1887 Gothic Revival building is a national registered landmark and home to the Bayside Historical Society, which will be hosting a brunch with a live jazz trio. $25 per person for BHS members/$30 per person for non-members. Pre-paid reservations are required. Update: Westminster Kennel Club – 140th Annual Dog Show Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16 Okay, so this isn’t about going out, it’s about staying in. If you decided not to risk the fickle February forecasts to attend the dog show in person but still long to see insert name of your favorite breed here, have no fear. You can still enjoy the competition, even chat about it and—bonus!—stay in your pj’s if you want to. The WKC will be streaming the event starting at 8am all day, both days, on wkclive.com. If that seems like a lot of doggone time, the regular TV schedule has also been announced: Monday, Feb. 15, 8p-11p on CNBC and Tuesday, Feb. 16, 8p-11p on USA. Arf! Whitestone Boy Scout cleans up local churchyard 16 cryder point courier | FEBRUARY 2016 | WWW.QNS.COM In honor of Valentine’s Day, I share with you this touching quote: “I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” – Anonymous Open Mic Night Thursday, February 18, 6pm-7pm Douglaston/Little Neck Library 249-01 Northern Blvd., Little Neck www.queenslibrary.org/branch/douglaston 718-225-8414 This one’s for the brave, the proud, the few: The Douglaston library invites all “poets, writers, musicians and comedians” to present five minutes of original material to a live audience (I wonder if this is how Billy Crystal got started). The Midtown Men Sunday, February 21, 3pm-5:30pm Colden Auditorium at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Queens College 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing 718-793-8080 Jersey Boys, the musical based on the lives and careers of Frankie Valli and his troupe, opened on Broadway back in 2005. Four guys from the original cast broke out on their own after a couple of years and formed The Midtown Men. Avid fans of music from the ‘60’s, they sing a selection of hits from that decade including songs by The Beatles, The Rascals, Motown and, of course, The Four Seasons. I haven’t seen them myself, but reviews are stellar. This from The New York Daily News: “The Midtown Men sound as crisp as their Rat Pack-inspired suits. Their voices blend together so flawlessly on stage, in fact, even music maestro Paul Anka couldn’t believe his ears when he saw them live…” Sounds pretty groovy to me. Tickets range from $35 to $59. Itzhak Perlman Filmed Concert Monday, February 29, 2:30pm-3:30pm Fresh Meadows Public Library 193-20 Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing www.queenslibrary.org/branch/freshmeadows 718-454-7272 Looking for something cultural? You need go no further than the Fresh Meadows library. In partnership with Lincoln Center, the library will be presenting a free concert film of virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman playing some of his personal favorites, accompanied by none other than the New York Philharmonic. Classy! – Compiled by Jill Davis BY ALINA SURIEL A Whitestone teen improved a local churchyard with the help of members in his local Boy Scout troop. Hunter Brink, 17, organized a cleanup of the courtyard in Whitestone’s Immanuel Lutheran Church as part of his project to achieve the Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts of America. Hunter was able to gather 25 volunteers from the Boy Scout troop and the church congregation to take part in the cleanup. The group made improvements to the courtyard so it can be better utilized for functions and events during warmer months. Hunter chose the church courtyard as a way to give back to the house of worship, which permits his Boy Scout troop to use its on-site school for weekly meetings. His family has been members of the church for four generations. “It feels great to know that I was able to help my church who has supported me and helped me grow spiritually and as an individual,” Brink said. So far, they have installed more than $1,000 worth of donated PVC fencing, built a 50-foot retaining wall, leveled the ground, pruned trees and removed debris, old fencing and overgrown hedges. To complete the project, they are still looking to buy picnic tables and some limestone material to build a step to improve senior citizen access to the courtyard. Brink has been involved with the Boy Scouts of America since taking part as a Cub Scout at the age of 5. With two younger brothers who are also Boy Scouts, the elder Brink boy serves is a role model as the senior patrol leader of the local troop — a position that requires him to have a hand in planning field trips and lesson plans. Hunter said that being in a Boy Scout leadership role is a lot of fun in a close community such as Whitestone. “I love the outdoors, working with people my age and doing things that youth in the city don’t normally get to do,” Brink said. Brink is also a superstar student. He is currently in the middle of his senior year at Francis Lewis High School with a 93 percent average and three advanced placement classes on his schedule. While he has not yet finished college applications, he aims to study biochemistry and eventually become a doctor or professional in the field of medicine. Photo courtesy of Hunter Brink Hunter Brink (in maroon sweatshirt) with volunteers who took part in a local churchyard cleanup.
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