Sunnyside Shines
SUNNYSIDE SHINES LAUNCHES
FREE EVENT SERIES IN PLAZAS
www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I MAY 2018 17
Sunnyside Shines has officially kicked
off summer with its plaza events series,
featuring an array of games, crafts, work-shops,
fitness activities and live music
for the whole family on Tuesdays and
Saturdays every week starting in May.
“Beats in Bliss Plaza” launched on
May 1 with giant games and live dance
performances by the Manhatitlan Mexi-can
Folk Dancers and Panambi Vera
Paraguayn Folk Ballet. The family-friend-ly
event series will continue every Tues-day
from 4 to 7 p.m. through Sept. 25,
and is part of Sunnyside Shines’ effort
to promote and enhance Sunnyside’s
business district. Area businesses are
active participants in the Beats in Bliss
Program, with two to three businesses
offering special limited-time coupons,
promotions and giveaways each week.
Many of Sunnyside’s favorite perform-ers
from past years are scheduled to ap-pear
throughout the summer, including Pa-tricia
McManus and McManus Irish Dance,
Sunnyside Ballet School, Ali Bello and the
Sweet Wire Band, the Afro-Latineers,
Quenia Brazilian and more. For the first
time, Beats in Bliss will also partner with
the Queensboro Dance Festival on two
performance dates to feature Queens-based
dance acts. Artists & Craftsman
Supply will be returning as a major crafts
sponsor for the series, providing materi-als
from workshops ranging from hand
drum-making to jewelry making.
Beats in Bliss Plaza will also include
the return of the neighborhood’s beloved
Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Concert on
Tuesday, Aug. 7. The jazz festival is a
memorial to Bix Beiderbecke, a 1920s
jazz musician who lived on 46th Street.
Starting in June, Sunnyside Shines
will also be hosting activities for a sound
body and mind with their “Midsummer
Moves” programs in Lowery Plaza at
40th Street and Queens Boulevard.
Programming will include weekly Zumba,
Punk Rope, neighborhood history walks
and more, in partnership with the Long
Island City YMCA. Midsummer Moves
will take place throughout June and July,
every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.
All Sunnyside Shines events are
free of charge. Those who wish to stay
informed of upcoming programming
are advised to visit the Sunnyside Shines
events page at www.sunnysideshines.
org/events, or to join the e-newslet-ter
mailing list by signing up at www.
sunnysideshines.org/contact.
Photos courtesy of Sunnyside Shines
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