WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 24, 2020 39
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
commenced with a fleet of motorcyclists leading those on foot to Juniper
Valley Park in the twilight. (Photo by Dean Moses)
JULY: HITTING THE BEACH
It wasn’t a typical summer season at Rockaway Beach, as city beaches were
not open to swimmers on Memorial Day Weekend. However, the best part of
summer wasn’t canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as beaches began to
open on July 1, welcoming crowds for swimming and sunbathing, at a social
distance, of course. (Photo by Dean Moses)
AUGUST: THE LOSS OF A
LEGEND
Former Queens Borough President
Claire Shulman, a true “trailblazer”
for the borough, died on Aug. 16, after
battling lung cancer and pancreatic
cancer. Shulman was the first woman
to be elected as Queens borough president,
a position she held for 16 years
from 1986 until 2002. During her tenure,
dozens of neighborhoods were
rezoned, generating development
which led to the economic revitalization
of downtown Jamaica, Flushing
and Long Island City. Shulman had
also secured 35,000 additional school
seats and the completion of Queens
Hospital Center, the largest healthcare
provider in the borough.
SEPTEMBER: TEACHERS RALLY FOR HELP
Teachers held a rally outside of Bayside’s Benjamin Cardozo High School
on Sept. 17 calling on the DOE to address their staffing needs before the start
of the school year, which was set for Sept. 21 after it was delayed from Sept.
10. They were joined by Senator John Liu and Councilman Barry Grodenchik.
While staffing was one of their worries, the teachers said they were also
concerned about students without tech at home, the Wi-Fi capability at the
school and having to share a room with fellow teachers during live instructions
due to classroom ventilation. (Photo by William Artuso)
OCTOBER: A
‘SPOOKTACULAR’
HALLOWEEN
The Vanbrunt family
dressed to impress as horror
movie all-stars at the
socially distanced Halloween
celebration for children
at the Queens County Farm
Museum’s trick-or-treating
event on Oct. 31. Parents
and their children were
transformed into monsters,
superheroes and even first responders. In addition to collecting candy,
visitors enjoyed exploring a spooky corn maze, hayrides on large tractors,
feasting on roasted corn shish kabobs, and taking selfies in a flower garden
housing animal-shaped plants and walls overgrown with vivid flowers.
(Photo by Dean Moses)
NOVEMBER: THANKSGIVING DONATIONS
Throughout the pandemic, there were long lines at food pantries throughout
Queens, as residents lined up to pick up a bag of groceries. For the
Thanksgiving holiday, La Jornada Food Pantry and the Food Bank of NYC
donated 4,000 turkeys to Corona residents. Dozens of volunteers handed
out bananas, chips, milk and other materials for daily use and special treats
for Thanksgiving. The pantry has been working tirelessly to help feed food
insecure families suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Dean
Moses)
DECEMBER: A NEW BOROUGH PRESIDENT
Former Councilman Donovan Richards became the first Black man to serve
as Queens borough president. Richards was sworn in on Dec. 2 after the
results of the November general election for the Queens borough president
race were certified by the New York City Board of Elections. Richards beat
out Republican challenger Joann Ariola in the election, receiving 518,840
votes to Ariola’s 205,893 votes. The former southeast Queens councilman
takes over the office from Sharon Lee, who served as acting borough president
since January 2020, when former Borough President Melinda Katz was
sworn in as Queens district attorney. (Photo by Mark Hallum)
/WWW.QNS.COM
