WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 24, 2021 25
Queens Theatre events to honor the legacy of Stonewall
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
The Queens Theatre will be
holding free virtual events on
Thursday nights in June and
July honoring the legacy of Stonewall,
the 1960s uprising that led to the gay
liberation movement.
The virtual shows will be led by
LGBTQIA+ artists who will share art
and experiences and create a safe
space for conversations about the
Stonewall riots.
After time in isolation due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers
felt that holding these events was
necessary.
“Queer art and queer spaces have
been threatened and diminished
during the time of COVID,” Queens
Theatre’s Director of Community
Engagement Dominic D’Andrea said.
“Holding space for queer art and uplifting
the artists is essential right
now.”
The Stonewall Legacy Project includes
free events every Thursday
at 7 p.m. from June 17 to July 15. Each
event will include a discussion with
the artist after their show.
Guests can RSVP tickets for each
event at queenstheatre.org/thestonewall
legacy-project.
Queens Theatre QNS fi le photo
Ava Davis, a Black trans artist and
activist, said that queer space has
always been important, but is more
so now coming out of isolation.
“We need these safe spaces for healing,
for growing, for reconnecting,
and for creating amongst those with
whom we share similar queer experiences,”
Davis said. “At the start of
the pandemic, I consoled myself with
the fact that there would be an explosion
of creativity once we started to
return, and we are beginning to see
that, and it is beautiful.”
The Stonewall Legacy Digital Drag
Project on Thursday, June 24, will include
a 90-minute drag performance
featuring Wanda Whatever, Prinx
Silver, Vagenesis, Nancy Nogood,
Boudoir LeFleur and China Moon.
The video shows fi lmed performances
created during COVID-19 isolation.
“For many queer people, including
drag artists, these venues are not
only financial lifelines, but lifelines
of mental health, community, being
seen, feeling validated,” said Jordan
Stovall, also known as Wanda Whatever.
“The very art of drag shows
others out there that they are not
alone.”
“Invisibility: A Journey of Pasta,
Prayer, Protest & Peru” on July 1
will showcase a live Zoom solo from
Richard Cardillo. This show takes
viewers through Cardillo’s childhood
growing up in an Italian-American
family and his experience coming out
as a gay man.
Cardillo also sees the urgency in
reviving spaces for queer artists and
voices.
“As we have seen more isolation
than ever, it is incumbent on queer
artists to re-ignite the spirit of Stonewall,
recommit to elevating the voices
of our queer family, and give witness
to the power that our queer community
possesses,” Cardillo said. “My
sincere hope is that ‘Invisibility’ can
be a catalyst for increased visibility
and the celebration of ourselves.”
Second Helping on July 8 will
feature Kelly Dunham, and the last
event on July 15 will showcase awardwinning
Queer Latinx short films.
For more details and social media
information about presenters, visit
Queens Theatre’s website.
Cuomo announces completion of new ramps at Kew Gardens Interchange
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced
the completion of two
new exit ramps at the Kew Gardens
Interchange that will enhance
safety and reduce congestion at the
infamous bottleneck.
The new ramps were constructed
as part of the state Department of
Transportation’s ongoing $365 million
project to enhance safety at the
confluence of the Grand Central
Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway,
the Jackie Robinson Parkway and
Utopia Turnpike.
“We are not only rebuilding our
infrastructure across New York,
but building it back better and creating
a 21st-century transportation
network that will allow our economy
to flourish,” Cuomo said. “These new
ramps, along with other improvements
we are making as part of the
Kew Gardens Interchange project,
will enhance safety and ease travel
through one of the most complex
and heavily traveled corridors in
New York City, keeping people and
goods on the move for many years
to come.”
The new eastbound Grand Central
Parkway Exit 13W ramp creates
a new, easier to navigate traffic
pattern for motorists heading to
JFK International Airport and other
destinations. The new southbound
Van Wyck Expressway Exit 7 ramp
provides access to westbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway, westbound
Union Turnpike and Queens
Boulevard.
“Congestion has blighted the Kew
Gardens Interchange and caused
headaches for drivers and folks in
the surrounding neighborhoods, so
I’m glad to see significant progress
being made at alleviating that chronic
issue while improving safety,”
state Senator Leroy Comrie said. “My
thanks to Governor Cuomo and the
state Department of Transportation
for their continued focus on enhancing
the Kew Gardens Interchange.”
The new Exit 13W ramp removed
a notorious bottleneck that had
existed because motorists on the
eastbound Grand Central Parkway
had to access the westbound Jackie
Robinson Parkway via a ramp that
was in close proximity to the ramp
connecting the Grand Central Parkway
to JFK and the southbound Van
Wyck.
Under the new traffic pattern, the
Exit 13W ramp has been relocated
from the right side of the parkway
to the left and moved approximately
a quarter mile east of its previous
location.
Motorists wanting to access westbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway
from eastbound Grand Central Parkway
will now remain in the left lane
as the old Exit 13W ramp is closed.
The relocation of the Exit 13W
ramp and the elimination of a stop
sign where eastbound Grand Central
Parkway merged with westbound
Jackie Robinson Parkway will significantly
enhance traffic flow and
reduce congestion, state Senator
Joseph Addabbo Jr. said.
“This project will allow motorists,
both local and tourists, to navigate
through our borough easier and
with better access to John F. Kennedy
International Airport and other destinations
in Queens,” Addabbo said.
Construction on the project is
expected to be fully completed next
year.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says back-ups in the Kew Gardens Interchange
will improve with the completion of two new exit ramps on the thoroughfare.
QNS fi le photo
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
