WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 29, 2019 25
Come to the R.H. Park Fair this September
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
PARADE, a Queens-based public
art program, is collaborating
with teen artists from Sunnyside
and Woodside and community arts
and cultural groups to present a live
variety show in Windmuller Park on
Saturday, Aug. 31.
The event, directed by the artist
collective Whoop Dee Doo, will be
free and open to the public starting
at 6:30 p.m.
Using Windmuller Park as
venue and inspiration, the project
celebrates the heavily-used public
space and the diverse cultures of its
visitors. Partnering with Whoop
Dee Doo in the production are
the Tibetan Community Center of
NY & NJ, Woodside Dance Troupe,
Bula Arts & Culture, Queens Music
Academy, D.A. Sokol Gymnastics,
Los Herederos, and The Colombian
Dance Company of New York.
PARADE Co-founders Nancy
Kleaver and Paddy Johnson,
who live on opposite sides of the
sprawling park and playground
located at 39th Road between 52nd
and 54th Streets in Woodside, were
inspired to launch a public arts
project there after years of enjoying
the park and witnessing all the
creative ways their neighbors make
use of the space.
“Because folks use Woodside
Park as their local arts center we
thought inviting all kinds of local
groups to perform in a Whoop Dee
Doo production would be a wildly
creative and unifying project
for the community,” Kleaver
said. “We’re looking forward to
celebrating the beautiful diversity
that exists here in Woodside.”
This will be the first time
Whoop Dee Doo, which has been
commissioned to create similar
variety shows at such renowned
institutions as The High Line in
Manhattan, Maspeth’s Knockdown
Center and SFMoMA, will bring
their project to a public park
in Queens,
The prospect was attractive
to them, bringing exciting
opportunities to reach more
diverse audiences and create new
creative challenges.
“Whoop Dee Doo is ecstatic to
work with the cultural groups that
use the park and cannot wait to see
the magic unfold as we collaborate
with eight insanely talented local
teens,” Whoop Dee Doo Co-founder
Jamie Warren said.
Known for their big colorful sets,
and a near endless supply of fun
kid spin on historical and folkloric
performance, past performances
included a Mount Rushmore
staring contest, a spider orchestra,
and a teenage break dancing
grim reaper.
High school students from
the Sunnyside and Woodside
neighborhoods have worked to
develop the shows theme and
structure, build sets, make
costumes and props and rehearse
with the participating performing
groups at the Sunnyside Reformed
Church on Skillman Avenue and
48th Avenue.
“I fully anticipate a show that
puts forth the craziest version of
Woodside we’ve ever seen,” Johnson
said. “I don’t know what that means,
exactly, but I imagine it will involve
a lot of cardboard, paper mache,
and laughter.”
Audience members are
encouraged to bring chairs and
blankets to sit on in front of the
Windmuller Park bandshell, along
with water and other aides for
keeping cool.
BUZZ
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
The Richmond Hill Block Association is inviting the
community to its 46th Annual Park Fair on Saturday,
Sept. 14, for a fun-fi lled day of games, food and more.
The fair will be held in Forest Park at the Buddy Monument
near the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Park Lane South
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Park Fair will feature local vendors, carnival food,
rides, games, live music, a flea market, raffles, and much
more for friends and family. Rain or shine, admission
is free.
“It’s rare that a local community event celebrates a 46th
anniversary,” said Paul Bankert of the Richmond Hill
Block Association. “Volunteers from the Richmond Hill
Block Association manage and set up this entire event for
the benefit of the community. The Park Fair is the RHBA’s
primary fundraiser each year, allowing them to continue
their community focused work.”
For more information and applications call (718) 849-3759
or email RHBA@att.net. You can also visit The Richmond
Hill Block Association office at 110-08 Jamaica Ave.
An eclectic variety show in Woodside this Sat.
The Richmond Hill Block Association 46th Annual Park Fair usually welcomes a few
thousand people each year. Courtesy of The Richmond Hill Block Association
Cynthia Tolento and Sean Li work on sets and props at the Sunnyside
Reformed Church in preparation for an Aug. 31 variety show in Windmuller
Park. Courtesy of PARADE
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
link
link
link
