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THE NEWSPAPER OF FLUSHING, AUBURNDALE, KEW GARDENS HILLS & FRESH MEADOWS
75 cents
Nov. 6-Nov. 12, 2020
Trick-or-treaters head to Queens County Farm
for a socially distanced Halloween celebration
“We moved to Queens last
year, and I’ve been here as a
teacher and as a child, and I
wanted to bring my daughter
this time for the first time this
year,” said Niaren DeSilva, who
originally planned to take her
1 ½-year-old pumpkin picking
at the Queens County Farm
Museum, but when the tickets
sold out, she was happy to learn
about this Halloween event.
“I was definitely worried
that we wouldn’t be able to
trick-or-treat and do all of the
fun seasonal things, but I was
happy to find this and be able to
socially distance and have fun,”
said DeSilva. The highlight for
DeSilva was seeing the animals
on the farm and observing the
children’s intricate costumes,
and, of course, being able to
trick-or-treat during these uncertain
times.
In addition to collecting all
things sugary, visitors could
enjoy exploring a massive and
rather spooky corn maze, embarking
on rumbling hayrides
pulled by large tractors, feasting
on freshly roasted corn
shish kabobs, and taking selfies
in a flower garden housing
animal-shaped plants and walls
overgrown with vivid flowers.
This laundry list of activities
made Queens Country Farm
Museum the place to spend Halloween,
bringing such famous
faces as Pennywise the clown
from Stephen King’s novel and
terrifying Camp Crystal Lake
resident Jason Voorhees.
The Vanbrunt family were
dressed to impress as horror
movie all-stars.
Their 14-year-old son, Andy
Rodriguez, donned a classic
“Friday the 13th” hockey mask.
While only being permitted
to watch a few of these slasher
flicks, the costume was inspired
by the online multiplayer video
game of the same name.
“We were all dressing up
as scary characters and Jason
is the coolest scary character
to me. I like the game and I
watched the 2008 film,” Rodriguez
said.
Karina Vanbrunt has taken
her children to the Queens
County Farm Museum for
many years, and usually in October
they enjoy the fall festivity
of pumpkin picking.
“This is the first time we’ve
done the Halloween on the
farm though, we always come
pumpkin picking so when we
saw they were having a Halloween
thing we decided to give it a
try,” Karina Vanbrunt said.
She added that she was uncertain
how the holiday was
going to turn out for her children.
“We were hesitant about
physically trick-or-treating,
usually around Glendale, where
I live, it gets really crowded every
year. So, we wanted to find
a place that was outdoors and
had an open space where we
could decide to leave if it got
too crowded. That’s the reason
why we decided to come to the
farm.”
Their youngest son, 7-yearold
Caden Rodriguez dressed as
Pennywise the Dancing Clown
the latest adaptation of the
horror classic “IT,” while his
3-year-old sister, Maya, wore a
yellow raincoat with white face
paint and blood to represent the
departed Georgie who meets
his demise at the hands of Pennywise.
“I like Pennywise because it
is horror and I like horror movies,”
Caden Rodriguez said.
Vol. 29 No. 45 44 total pages
BY DEAN MOSES
For many, the scariest thing
about Halloween this year was
the prospect of it being canceled
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, much to the delight
of Queens children all over the
borough, the Queens Country
Farm Museum held a trick-ortreating
event on Oct. 31.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the
iconic farmland played host to
a sold-out ticketed affair which
allowed children to explore
the 47-acre grounds and safely
trick-or-treat while maintaining
social distancing protocols.
Children of all ages barreled
through fallen auburn
leaves, touting buckets shaped
like pumpkins brimming with
chocolate. Parents and guardians
scrambled after kids that
had — just for one day — been
transformed into monsters,
superheroes, and even first responders.
Like zombies craving brains,
these mini ghouls and ghosts
had one objective in mind: candy.
After months of uncertainty,
Halloween was underway.
Tabletops decorated with
bite-sized confectionery were
peppered around the estate,
creating pitstops for children
to procure sweets beside barns,
chicken coops, cow pastures,
flowerbeds and a pumpkin
patch. Some of these makeshift
stands held other treats,
too, such as bubble bottles and
worms families could take home
and place in their gardens to
improve the soil and plant life.
Whereas some were apprehensive
to take a coffee cup filled
with earthworms, a mother
and daughter combo dressed as
two bright, pink sharks jumped
at the chance to see everything
the farm had to offer.
Photo by Dean Moses