FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com july 10, 2014 • The Queens Courier 29 New bar Judy & Punch coming to Astoria BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected]/@aaltamirano28 Astoria will soon be home to a new bar with a city punch to it. Sunnyside resident Gerard Leary, owner of the Lower East Side’s One Mile House bar, has come together with two other Manhattan bar owners to open up Judy & Punch at 34-08 30th Ave., a site that used to be home to a video rental store. When it came to choosing the location, Leary said that he and his partners wanted to become part of the thriving western Queens neighborhood and were surprised to see how much “Astoria loved Astoria and everyone wants to talk about Astoria.” “It just seemed like the right fit,” said Leary, who is opening the bar together with Barry Spellman, who owns bars DTUT and Biddy’s Pub, and Mike Higgins, co-owner of Professor Thom’s in the East Village. LIC nonprofit reaches Kickstarter goal BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected]/@aaltamirano28 One Long Island City nonprofit will be able to keep its home after a successful online campaign. Local Project, a nonprofit arts organization, started the fundraising on Kickstarter last month with a goal of raising $6,100 in order to help pay two months of rent. As of Tuesday, June 8, with three days still left in the campaign, the group surpassed the goal. “I feel extremely accomplished. I’m extremely happy and super hopeful that everything is going to continue to go great,” said Carolina Peñafiel, founder and director of Local Project. “This is just a great thing for people to feel empowered and driven to continue working on our plan. It feels safe for a little bit.” After having to move from its headquarters located at 45-10 Davis St. in Long Island City inside the warehouse of 5Pointz building, the group faced a 50 percent rent increase when making the move to a new site at 11-27 44th Rd. Now with having met the goal, the organization will have time to move to its next step in creating a strategic plan and put it into place to ensure it thrives for more years to come, Peñafiel said. Even with the Kickstarter campaign coming to an end on July 12, the group will still continue to collect money through fundraising and also an “El Hot Dog Boogie Rent Party” on Friday, July 11, starting at 7 p.m. “Anything that comes in is extra and it helps us even more. It’s not over, that money will go to a safe place and keep us safe for a little longer,” Peñafiel said. The party will feature music by local DJs, hot dogs and sauces by Pao & Cha Cha restaurant located at 23-03 Astoria Blvd., bread from Tom Cat Bakery located at 43-05 10th St., and beer from Lagunitas Brewing Company. There will be a $20 deal for two hot dogs and unlimited beer. “It’s a way of celebrating to say thank you to people and celebrate. It’s part of the summer season at Local Project,” Peñafiel said. Local Project also has a brand-new shared office/ studio/co-working space for rent. The space was built using recycled materials and created by Long Island City artist Cristian Torres. For more information visit www.localproject.org/what-we-do/shared-studio-coworking space/. Since starting in 2003, Local Project has offered exhibitions, mentoring programs, classes, co-working space, residencies for artists and much more. Future plans for Local Project includes year-long exhibitions, events, a co-working space, mentorship for new curators and artists, a continuing partnership and student internships with the Information Technology High School in Long Island City and MoMA, and affordable creative workshops. To donate to the Kickstarter until July 12, visit www. kickstarter.com/projects/1668670197/buy-a-brick- 2-months-of-rent-at-lp-community-art-s?ref=discovery. “Astoria has always been a great area and that part of Astoria especially is on the rise.” Trying not to give much information away, Leary said the approximately 13,000-square-foot bar, slated to open in August, will be craft-focused featuring 14 lines of draft beers as well as libations in bottles and cans, classic cocktails with the bar’s own twist, and small “light” bar bites. Judy & Punch will also include a 25-foot-long bar, garage doors in the front, dining space and a backyard patio expected to fit about 12 people. Leary also hopes to organize a lot of events at the bar, getting the neighborhood involved in these events and building the bar’s brand. The name of the establishment, which Higgins came up with, comes from the traditional puppet show called “Punch and Judy.” This will also lead to a small carnival theme for the bar’s look and menu, said Leary. “I can’t wait to see what we got in store for these guys,” Leary said. “I think we’re going to have a great product that everyone in Astoria will be proud of. We’re taking what we learned in Manhattan and bringing it to Astoria, without being too pretentious.” Photo Courtesy Local Project Nonprofit Local Project will be holding an “El Hot Dog Boogie Rent Party” on July 11 to continue raising funds and thank supporters who helped reach a Kickstarter campaign goal of $6,100. Photo Courtesy of Gerard Leary
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