44 The Queens Courier • kids & education • OCTOBER 27, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Scare the yell out of everyone ▶KIDS & EDUCATION at fun Halloween events BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF editorial@qns.com/@QNS Get your ghost on and enjoy an array of Halloween parades and parties scheduled to take place across Queens this weekend and Monday, Oct. 31. Here’s a rundown of some of the fun things happening across the borough for Halloween: Astoria: Check out the Annual Astoria Family Halloween Parade on Sunday, Oct. 30, at noon on Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street. The parade has been a staple in the community for 10 years and was started by mothers. At 11:30 a.m., gift bags will be handed out and the parade will head to the Great Lawn in Astoria Park at noon. Bayside: The Bayside Village BID will sponsor a Halloween Family Fun Day on 41st Avenue off Bell Boulevard by the LIRR Bayside station on Sunday, Oct. 30. Bring the little ones for a dance party, pumpkin patch, rides and contests. The event will run from noon until 4 p.m. Bay Terrace: Fort Totten Park will be home to a Halloween Festival which will feature crafts, games, rides, music and more! The event takes place on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the park’s parade grounds from noon to 3 p.m. The festival is sponsored by Park Administrator Matt Symons, Councilman Paul Vallone and the Friends of Fort Totten Parks. Glen Oaks: The Queens County Farm Museum will hold a Children’s Fall Festival for kids of all ages on Sunday, Oct. 30. Guests are encouraged to dress in costume and play games, meet characters, pet the farm animals, jam out to live music and much more. The event runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for all ages; free for museum members. The museum is located at 73-50 Little Neck Parkway. Glendale: The Glendale Kiwanis Club will host its annual Halloween Parade on Monday, Oct. 31. The parade will kick off at 7 p.m. at the Stop and Shop located at 64-65 Myrtle Ave. The costumed participants will make their way down to the St. Pancras school yard where there will be a costume contest and prizes. Howard Beach: Ghouls and goblins in Howard Beach will get an early start to the Halloween fun with the community’s annual Halloween parade on Saturday, Oct. 29. The march takes place at 11 a.m., with participants heading along Cross Bay Boulevard from 159th Avenue to 165th Avenue. Kids will be able to enjoy food, rides and refreshments. In the event of inclement weather, the parade will take place the following Saturday, Nov. 5, in the parking lot of St. Helen’s Church. Long Island City: The annual Trick or Treat March will begin at 50th Avenue between Fifth Street and Vernon Boulevard on Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m. There will be a photo booth, dunk tank, pumpkin patch and Halloween games. Jackson Heights: The second biggest Halloween Parade takes place in Jackson Heights every year. This year, the parade will take place on Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. It starts at 89th Street and snakes through 37th Avenue to 77th Street. Maspeth: On Halloween night the Maspeth Ragamuffin Parade will begin at the main gate of Mount Olivet Cemetery located at 65-40 Grand Ave. at 7 p.m. Participants will march to the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank parking lot at 56-18 69th St. There will be prizes for best costume and free treat bags. Woodside: Bring your pets to the annual Woofside Pet Parade on Nov. 5. This parade starts at 49-16 Skillman Ave. and allows owners to get creative with their pets’ Halloween costumes. Enter the costume contest for $10 to win a prize. Registration for the contest begins at 11 a.m. and the parade starts at 11:30 a.m. YOUNG LOCAL ACTRES FILMS AD WITH GAGA By Suzanne Monteverdi smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 A young actress from Whitestone is the face of a national campaign against bullying — and this is only her first gig. Singer Lady Gaga and Mattel toy brand Monster Photo courtesy of Hannia Upton High recently joined forces to release a Zomby Gaga doll: a likeness of the pop star featuring skeleton makeup, long pink hair and a tuxedo. All proceeds from the doll go toward the singer’s Born This Way Foundation, a not-for-profit committed to supporting young people and empowering them to create a kinder and braver world. Whitestone’s own Mairen Upton, 10, played the role of “Hero Girl” in a commercial promoting the doll’s launch. It premiered nationwide on Nickelodeon on Sunday, Oct. 23. It was her first audition and her first role. “I was a little nervous, but I said to myself I could do it, and I did,” Upton said. “She’s fearless; she really is,” said Hannia Upton, Mairen’s mother. “Hero Girl” is only the beginning for the young performer. Since accepting her first acting part, she has been asked to audition for roles in Stephen King’s “Gerald’s Game,” “Jurassic Park 3,” “Lucky Logan” starring Channing Tatum and as the voice of Cindy Lou Who in an upcoming adaptation of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” She is also mentored by actress Dena Tyler, a native New Yorker who has appeared in shows like “Homeland,” “Louie” and “Bull.” An all-around performer, Upton is also an accomplished dancer skilled in lyrical, jazz, ballet and Irish dance forms. She attends the Patti Schmidt Dance & Exercise Center in Douglaston, In Motion Dance Center of New York in College Point and Doherty Petri School of Irish Dance in Franklin Square. She is also a part of the NY/NJ Rose of Tralee Organization and the Irish American Young Leaders (IAYL) program, through which she was able to meet the president of Ireland, Michael Higgins. “When I was a little kid I always liked to get the attention and the spotlight on the stage and make stories up,” Upton said. “On the stage I feel happy that I don’t have to sit down and I’m able to dance. I feel free.” First and foremost, Upton’s mother and father encourage Mairen to succeed at her school: Holy Trinity Catholic Academy in Whitestone. “She’s a straight-A student,” Hannia Upton said. “Her school is very academically challenging, and we’re very happy about that.” Upton said her favorite subject is creative writing and hopes to pursue drama and screenwriting in the future. In fact, right now she’s working on a screenplay about a girl in Nashville on a treasure hunt. Be sure to stay tuned.
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