46 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • NOVEMBER 5, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Queens County Farm to host Autumn Dance Celebration
Ridgewood youth activists receive award for community service
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Ridgewood siblings and activists Jamie
Longo and Jacob Altamirano were recognized
by Acting Queens Borough
President Sharon Lee for their ongoing
community service during the months of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Siblings Jamie and Jacob could be
doing anything else this Saturday. But
here they are, handing out free food and
feminine hygiene products to their neighbors
in Ridgewood with Hungry Monk
Rescue Truck,” Lee wrote in a Facebook
post. “Queens couldn’t be prouder of our
youngest community leaders. Way to go!”
Lee presented the two with the citation
on Oct. 24 as they volunteered at the
Hungry Monk, where they’ve partnered
with previously to help gather donations
and deliver menstrual hygiene products.
Superintendent for District 24 Madelene
Chan also showed her support of Longo
and Altamirano.
“I am very grateful that Queens
Borough President Ms. Sharon Lee took
the time out in her busy schedule to present
me with the citation of honor award,”
said Longo.
Longo, a sophomore at Brooklyn
Technical High School, has partnered
with several food pantries across Queens
to help them stock up on menstrual
hygiene products to distribute this summer.
“I fi nd it very rewarding to help other
people especially, in their time of need. I
enjoy giving back to the community, and
especially to people whose hygiene needs
are sometimes overlooked,” she said.
Altamirano, who volunteers with the
Hungry Monk, said he was surprised to
receive the award from Lee.
“I was surprised and happy to meet our
Queens Borough President Ms. Sharon
Lee. I couldn’t believe I was fi nally meeting
her in person,” he said.
Altamirano said Lee was the fi rst person
he reached out to to help stock the
Hungry Monk in May, and she responded
with boxes of food donations.
“Now, being recognized for my work
and receiving a citation of honor, well
it just felt good,” he added. “It brought
a smile to my face and heart for simply
doing what I do best.”
Altamirano is a sixth-grader at P.S./
I.S. 128, and credits his mom, community
activist Connie Altamirano, for teaching
he and his sister to give back to their
community.
“I get it from my mom who has been
an inspiration to me, my sister and others,”
he said. “Th ank you, mom, for all
you have done and continue to do for us.”
Th e award marks six months of the siblings
and their mother volunteering at
food pantries and donating needed supplies
for families in need across Queens.
“As the mother, I feel blessed with two
young amazing human beings. What
Jamie and Jacob have done for their community
and others is remarkable. At their
age I would never have been able to do
this,” she said. “I’m glad to see them active
for the good of the community. It’s good
to see them thinking of other people and
not just themselves. I would like take this
opportunity to thank everyone who contributed
to their service project.”
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Celebrate American Indian culture
through music, dance, food, authentic
Native-made jewelry and other products
at the Queens County Farm Museum’s
upcoming Autumn Dance Celebration.
Queens County Farm is hosting the
event with the Th underbird American
Indian Dancers on Saturday, Nov. 7, and
Sunday, Nov. 8.
“Autumn Dance Celebration gives
thanks for the harvest this year,” said
Jennifer Walden Weprin, executive director
of Queens County Farm Museum.
“We are thankful for the opportunity to
partner with the Th underbird American
Indian Dancers for 42 years. We look forward
to celebrating these beautiful traditions
again this year.”
Among many Native American tribes, it
is a tradition to celebrate and give thanks
for each season of the year. In autumn,
the bountiful summer harvest is celebrated
and thanks is given through song
and dance refl ecting with reverence and
appreciation for the wonderful things we
fi nd in nature.
Th e special admission program will
feature eight Indian Nations represented
including: Hopi, Winnebago, Lenape,
Choctaw, Mayan, Seneca, Santo Domingo
and Chickahominy.
Th e program includes more than 20 different
dances that will be presented outdoors
over two days in front of a socially
distanced audience. Crop circles will help
mark where the audience can sit and face
coverings are required. Th e audience is
encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs
and picnic blankets since seating will not
be provided.
Th e program was created to reimagine
the farm’s annual Th underbird American
Indian Powwow which was canceled this
past July due to COVID-19 business closures.
Queens Farm will dedicate 3 acres to
the performers and the audience and limit
capacity as per New York Forward Safety
Guidelines.
A sample of the performances include:
Smoke dance (Iroquois): During the
winter months the people had to build
fi res in the longhouse to keep warm. On
certain days there wasn’t enough wind
that came in the doorways to help keep
the fi res burning. Th e people would get
together and dance near the fi res to create
enough wind to stoke the fi res, and they
called this dance the smoke dance.Grass
dance (Sioux): Before a group would
move into a new camping area to follow
the buff alo herds they would fi rst send
out a group of dancers to go to the new
camping area. Th e dancers would dance
to crush down the tall grass that grows
out on the Great Plains so when the other
members of the tribe arrived, they would
have a smooth area to erect their teepees.
Th ey called this dance the grass dance.
Buff alo dance (Hopi): Th is is a winter
dance the people perform to ask the
creator to help them have a successful
hunt. Th e movements of the dance copy
the movements of the buff alo, looking
for water, searching for grass, etc.Hoop
dance (Toas): Th is dance was created to
test the skills of the dancers – how well
they handle the hoops, how well they keep
in time with the music and how many
hoops the dancer uses. Th ey may use anywhere
from three to 30 hoops!
Th e dancers will perform in full regalia
and each dance will be explained to
connect the public to the origins of each
dance and these beautiful Native traditions
to experience how the original
inhabitants of this great land celebrate
their legacy.
Th e Autumn Dance Celebration will
also host an outdoor food and craft market
featuring Native American vendors.
A large selection of authentic Native
American art, craft s, jewelry and food
will be available for sale.
Social distancing and face coverings will
be required at all vendors and activation
points and when social distancing on the
farm’s grounds is not possible.Admission
tickets are $15 ($10 for ages 4 to 11) for
each day for the dance performances.
Tickets must be purchased in advance at
queensfarm.org.
Th ere will be two performance times
each day. Th e fi rst performance is noon to
1:30 p.m. and the repeat performance is
scheduled for 2:30 to 4 p.m. to limit daily
capacity in the pasture, but dance programming
will be unique to each day so
that visitors can enjoy the full scope of the
dancers’ repertoire.
Visitors can enjoy the food and craft
market from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each
day. General admission to the market and
Queens Farm is free. Th ere is free event
parking, neighborhood parking and bicycle
racks are available on site.
Photo courtesy of the Queens borough president’s offi ce
Photos courtesy of Queens County Farm Museum
/queensfarm.org
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