C RY D E R P O I N T 18 JUNE OOuutt & A Abboouutt FATHER’S DAY is on Sunday, June 18 this year. Since you were treated to a history lesson about Mother’s Day last month, it seems only fair to do the same for dear ol’ Dad. In 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington and one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910, and in 1916 Woodrow Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. Did you know…During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement arose to scrap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day altogether in favor of a single holiday, Parents’ Day. Every year on Mother’s Day, pro-Parents’ Day groups rallied in Central Park–a public reminder, said Parents’ Day activist and radio performer Robert Spere, “that both parents should be loved and respected together.” The Great Depression derailed those efforts to combine and de-commercialize the holidays. Struggling retailers and advertisers redoubled their efforts to make Father’s Day a “second Christmas” for men, promoting goods such as neckties, hats, socks, pipes and tobacco, golf clubs and other sporting goods, and of course, greeting cards. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend over $14 billion on Father’s Day gifts each year. That’s a lot of neckties! The Belmont Stakes – 149th Running Saturday, June 10 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont 718-641-4700 belmontstakes.com I don’t think that most folks who follow the ponies were surprised that Always Dreaming, the Kentucky Derby winner, came up short in the Preakness even though he was the heavy favorite. What was surprising was that Cloud Computing pulled an upset with 13-1 odds. As of this writing, their owners haven’t decided if they’ll be at Belmont; regardless, we’ll have to wait another year for the hope of a next Triple Crown. The good news is that tickets, which start at $25, should be easier to come by, and at 1 ½ miles, the Belmont Stakes is always one of the most exciting horseraces of the year no matter what. Kevin Spacey as Clarence Darrow Thursday, June 15 and Friday, June 16 Arthur Ashe Stadium 124-02 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing Meadows Park Ticketmaster.com Kevin Spacey will be hosting the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 11, and then head over to Queens to prepare for this 90-minute solo show. Spacey reprises his performance of Darrow, the famous civil rights lawyer, in a role that Spacey first presented to critical acclaim at the Old Vic Theatre in London. Tickets are $89 and up. 18 CRYDER POINT COURIER | JUNE 2017 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM Father’s Day at Citi Field Sunday, June 18, 1:10pm 120-01 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing newyork.mets.mlb.com When it comes to the Mets, you just never know. At press time, several players are due to resume play shortly (except for Noah Syndergaard, who unfortunately isn’t expected back on the mound until July). But die hard Mets’ fans move forward undeterred. This Father’s Day the Mets take on the Nats at home, and Dads and kids under 12 receive the traditional free Father’s Day cap. At press time, available tickets start at $25 and top out at an out-of-the-park price of $475. Huey Lewis and the News Wednesday, June 21, 8pm Westbury Theater 860 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury 800-901-4092 Come on, it’s hip to be square! Huey Lewis and The News will be coming to the area for one date only this year, so show them that your heart of rock ‘n’ roll is still beating. The band has been around for over 35 years (how old do you feel now?), has sold well over 20 million albums worldwide, and has won a Grammy in the process. That’s the power of love! Tickets start at $74 each. Independence Day Celebration Wednesday, June 28, 6:00pm-9:30pm Bayside Historical Society 208 Totten Avenue (at Fort Totten), Bayside Baysidehistorical.org 718-352-1548 Get ahead of the crowd and celebrate Independence Day a little early at Fort Totten. The Bayside Historical Society is hosting an Independence Day Celebration with a free concert and fireworks display by Grucci. The event is free and is sponsored by Councilmember Paul Vallone. Bonus: food vendors will be on site, so you don’t have to cook dinner! BY JILL DAVIS
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