26 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 14, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Despite pandemic, organizers fi nd safe way
to celebrate Three Kings Day in Flushing
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th is year, Martha Flores-Vazquez’s
Th ree Kings Day – or Día de los Reyes
– community celebration looked diff erent
from years past due to COVID-19
restrictions. In the wake of those changes,
the district leader for the 40th Assembly
District had to reinvent the celebration.
In years prior, the event was held at
Flushing Hospital, drawing between 300
and 500 community members. But due
to the pandemic, Flores-Vazquez, who
also serves as the executive director of
Community Prevention Alternatives, had
to come up with a viable alternative to
ensure the community’s safety.
In its 19th year, the event was held outside
on Saturday, Dec. 9, on 41st Avenue
in Flushing.
“I feel scared. It is not easy to have this
event,” Flores-Vazquez told QNS. “But we
are doing something good.”
While the group “Bomba Y Plena En
La Calle” entertained the crowd playing
bomba — a music style signifi cant to the
cultural history of Puerto Rico — on their
drum barrels,families lined up at a table
where two volunteers handed out one
ticket per child.
Kids and their parents got to choose
their present from two tables — with help
from volunteers and NYPD offi cers from
the 109th Precinct — fi lled with toys,
games and stuff ed animals donated by
the Community Prevention Alternatives,
National Latino Offi cers Association, the
Cervantes Society, Councilman Peter
Koo, Congresswoman Grace Meng and
the NYPD.
Norma Castillo, who attended the event
with her family, was grateful that they
could celebrate the tradition of Th ree
Kings Day considering everything that’s
going on in the world.
“It is really nice that they are doing this
for the kids who are home and get to go
outside,” Castillo said.
State Committeewoman Sandra Ung,
who co-sponsored the event, felt it was
important that the Th ree Kings Day festivities
take place during this unprecedented
crisis and help out families in
need.
“It’s nice to bring a little joy to the families
and the community that needs it,”
the City Council candidate said. “Even
though this year it’s a little bit harder than
other years, I’m still very happy that it
worked out.”
Th e sentiment was shared by Jerry
Filippidis, president of the 109th Precinct
Community Council.
“Th is year is a tough year,” Filippidis
said. “We are always trying to do our part
to build our relationship with the community,
so we felt it was important to support
this event as well because the kids and the
families are going through tough times.”
Anthony Miranda, who recently ran for
Queens borough president, saw the silver
lining despite the challenging circumstances,
pointing out that communities
are rising to the occasion and are helping
each other out.
He also was grateful to celebrate Th ree
Kings Day as part of his heritage.
“Th is celebration is rich in culture
and tradition and brings the community
together in harmony and joy,” Miranda
said. “It’s part of that diversity that we
have in Queens, is how we educate each
other about diff erent cultures and different
activities. And this is one of those
activities that is very well-acknowledged
and celebrated, especially in the Latino
community, but now all over Queens as
well.”
buzz
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
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