32 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JULY 30, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Drive-in theater to open at York College Performing Arts Center
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Park your car and enjoy a premier
Queens Botanical Garden reopens to visitors
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Since closing in March to help
stem the spread of COVID-
19, Queens Botanical Garden
reopened its gates to the public
on Tuesday.
“Aft er being closed for over
four months — a truly sad experience
for our staff , members,
and visitors — it is such a relief
and joy to be open again,” said
Susan Lacerte, executive director
of QBG. “It was wonderful
to see people and their smiling
faces come through the gates
on our opening day. We look
forward to welcoming more to
enjoy this outdoor treasure in
Flushing, Queens.”
QBG was able to reopen as
the city moved into phase four,
which allows low-risk outdoor
venues like zoos and botanical
gardens with strict capacity limits
— only a third of standard
capacity — and mandatory precautions
in place.
Queens Botanical Garden is
operating with limited hours
from Tuesday to Sunday from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; free hours are
available Wednesday from 3 to
4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 to
11 a.m.
Th e garden has enforced a visitation
capacity to ensure that visitors
can safely distance themselves.
Consequently, entrances
may be temporarily closed if and
when the garden is at capacity. If
visitors arrive during that time,
they will be asked to wait on a
socially distanced line or return
at a later time.
Th e Visitor and Administration
Building (Gift Shop and Gallery)
will be temporarily closed until
further notice. Indoor facilities
are closed to the public.
For the health and safety of all
visitors, everyone must wear a
mask and maintain a 6-foot distance
from others in order to
enter and remain in the garden.
Hand sanitizer dispensers are
available at multiple stations
throughout the garden. Visitors
are welcomed to inquire with
staff to help locate the nearest
dispenser.
Th e restrooms are accessible
by the ramp next to the Visitor
and Administration Building.
All guests must follow on-site
instructions on how to enter the
restrooms.
All high-touch surfaces are
also disinfected throughout the
day. QBG is continuing to off er
live virtual group programs this
summer with skilled and enthusiastic
instructors leading participants
through a fun and personalized
lesson and hands-on
activities.
Each session is approximately
45 minutes each and costs $70
per workshop with a capacity of
up to 30 students.
Th e live online workshops
include: Animal Architecture,
Bugging Out, Buzzworthy
Desert, Plant Adaptations,
Fantastic Flowers, Growing
Together, Kitchen Gardening,
Plants, Patterns and Math,
Rainforest Plants, Trees and Me,
and Water Cycle.
outdoor entertainment
experience with the grand opening
of Bounce Playground’s
Movies in Your Caron July 30
at the York College Performing
Arts Center in Jamaica.
Th e reimagined drive-in theater
will provide excitement for
family and friends of all ages,
featuring a curated list of Black
American fi lms along with selections
for children, all on giant
infl atable screens.
“As we embrace a world of
new social regulations, our goal
with Movies In Your Caris to
bridge the gap of yesterday’s and
tomorrow’s new normal,” said
Chris Worthy, chief executive
offi cer. “Th is event allows family
and friends to experience a
retro movie experience in a safe
and fun atmosphere during trying
times of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Movies In Your Caris produced
by Bounce Playground,
the architects behind the new
all-infl atable traveling amusement
park. Spearheaded by
Worthy and Kevin Barchus, they
both bring over 15 years of event
production experience, creating
memorable and unique exchanges
between people and brands.
Event partners include Beam
Suntory’s Makers Mark, Hornitos
Tequila and Courvoisier Brands,
Czen Restaurant, Happy Face
Photobooths, Red Bull and Curls
Hair Care.
Th e grand opening lineup
schedule includes the following:
“Girl’s Trip,” Th ursday, July
30, 8 p.m.
Planning a girl’s night out?
Call your girlfriends, get dressed
and head over to the drive-in
theater to catch the 2017 comedy
fi lm “Girl’s Trip,” starring Regina
Hall, Queens Latifah, Tiff any
Haddish and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Th e four best friends travel
to New Orleans for the annual
Essence Festival, where their
sisterhoods are rekindled, wild
sides are rediscovered, and
there’s enough dancing, drinking,
brawling and romancing.
“Training Day,”Th ursday, July
30, 11 p.m.
Denzel Washington delivers an
Academy Award-winning performance
opposite Ethan Hawke
in the 2001 American crime
thriller fi lm “Training Day.” Th e
two actors star as LAPD narcotics
offi cers over a 12-hour period
in the gang-ridden neighborhood
of Westlake, Echo Park and
South Central Los Angeles.
“Minions,” Friday, July 31, 8
p.m.
Make it a family night with the
kids and watch the “Minions,”
a 2015 animated comedy fi lm,
which serves as the spin-off prequel
to the “Despicable Me”
franchise.
Th e trio — Kevin, Stuart and
Bob — embark upon a thrilling
journey that leads them to their
next potential master, Scarlet
Overkill (Academy Award winner
Sandra Bullock) the world’s
fi rst-ever female supervillain.
“Belly,”Friday, July 31, 11 p.m.
Belly is a 1998 American crime
drama fi lm written and directed
by music video director Hype
Williams, in his fi lm directing
debut. Filmed in New York
City, the fi lm stars rappers DMX
and Nas, alongside Taral Hicks,
Method Man and R&B singer
T-Boz.
“Sonic The Hedgehog,”
Saturday, Aug. 1, 8 p.m.
Th e world needed a hero — it
got a hedgehog. Powered with
incredible speed, Sonic embraces
his new home on Earth —
until he accidentally knocks out
the power grid, sparking the
attention of uncool evil genius
Dr. Robotnik. Now, it’s supervillain
vs. supersonic in an allout
race across the globe to stop
Robotnik from using Sonic’s
unique power to achieve world
domination.
“Harlem Nights,” Saturday,
Aug. 1, 11 p.m.
“Harlem Nights” is a 1989
American crime comedy-drama
fi lm written, executive produced
and directed by Eddie Murphy.
Murphy co-stars with Richard
Pryor as a team running a nightclub
in late-1930s Harlem while
contending with gangsters and
corrupt police offi cials.
“Transformers,”Sunday, Aug.
2, 11 p.m.
Based on the popular 1980s
transforming robot toy line and
animated TV series, Michael
Bay’s explosive live-action spectacle
stars actor Shia LaBeouf as
Sam Witwicky, a teenager who
gets caught up in a war between
the heroic Autobots and the villainous
Decepticons, two factions
of alien robots who can
disguise themselves by transforming
into everyday machinery.
Tickets for Movies In Your
Carare priced per-car starting
at $40 for general admission and
$60 for VIP. Th e VIP experience
will allow for cars to be parked
in the fi rst three rows of the
theater for a better view of the
screens, receive an at-your-car
photo experience along with a
snack and drinks package.
Additionally, all attendees are
able to pre-order meals through
the Movies In Your Carwebsite
– from burgers to custom cocktails,
elevating the traditional
drive-in experience. To embrace
the community, food will be
sourced from local restaurants
and spirits will be provided by
Beam Suntory for all non-driver
passengers to enjoy. Movies
In Your Carencourages all of-age
guests to drink responsibly and
to never drink and drive.
With the safety and wellness of
guests and staff a top priority for
Movies In Your Car, all employees
will adhere to CDC guidelines,
such as wearing face coverings
and gloves. Th ere will be
multiple hand sanitizing stations
for attendees to use.
For more information
and weekly schedule, visit
MoviesInYourCar.com and follow
on Instagram, Facebook and
Twitter.
Movies In Your Car, a re-imagined drive-in theater by Bounce Playground, opens
Thursday, July 30 at the York College Performing Arts Center.
Photo courtesy of Queens Botanical Garden
Queens Botanical Garden is now offi cially opened to the public.
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