FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 3, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 15
ernment amid an ongoing partial shutdown
that took eff ect on Dec. 21 —
the result of an impasse with President
Trump on the border wall he wants to
fund.
Seven people represent Queens in the
House of Representatives, and Jan. 3
marks the fi rst day in offi ce for the lone
rookie in the delegation: Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated 10-term
incumbent Joe Crowley last year for
the right to represent the 14th District,
which includes much of northwest
Queens and the Bronx.
Beyond politics, there are plenty of
other notable dates ahead for Queens.
Here are just a few of them:
Feb. 5 marks the start of the Asian
Lunar New Year. Tens of thousands of
Asian residents across Queens will celebrate
the arrival of the Year of the Pig,
the 12th in the 12-year zodiac cycle.
Flushing will once again play host to
the borough’s annual Lunar New Year
Parade, on Feb. 9, featuring music and
traditional dragon dancers.
Queens plays host to three spectacular
St. Patrick’s Day Parades in March.
On March 2, thousands will gather in
the Rockaways for the Queens County
St. Patrick’s Day Parade; the following
day, March 3, thousands more will line
the streets of Sunnyside and Woodside
for the annual St. Pat’s for All Parade.
Bayside will also host its second-annual
St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 30.
Expect plenty of marching bands, dancers
and the wearing o’ the green at each
of the three marches.
Baseball fans across Queens are
already gearing up for the start of the
2019 season, but they’ll have to wait a
few more weeks before seeing the Mets
and Yankees play a meaningful game
here in the city. Opening Day is March
28, and the Yankees will open up their
campaign in the Bronx that day against
the Baltimore Orioles. Meanwhile, the
Mets will be on the road in Washington
to take on the Nationals on Opening
Day; their home opener is April 4 at Citi
Field, also against the Nationals.
Easter and Passover will be celebrated
in mid-April this year in Queens
and around the world. Passover will
fall this year at sundown on Friday,
April 19; Jews across Queens will gather
at the dinner table for the traditional
Seder commemorating the Israelites’
escape from Egyptian enslavement.
Christians across Queens, meanwhile,
will celebrate Easter Sunday two days
later, April 21; the holy day marks Jesus
Christ’s resurrection three days aft er his
crucifi xion.
Back by popular demand, Th e World’s
Fare will return for its second stint at
Citi Field in Flushing the weekend of
May 18-19. More than 100 vendors representing
cuisine from all corners of the
world will be serving up delicious treats
to thousands of guests. Th ere will also
be a huge beer garden with sampling
sessions as well as an array of entertainment
acts. Visit worldsfare.nyc for more
details.
Memorial Day celebrations in late
May mark the unoffi cial start of summer
in Queens and the rest of the country.
Before you head out to the beach or
fi re up the grill, be sure to take the family
to one of the many Memorial Day
parades and ceremonies held across
the borough on Sunday, May 26, or
Monday, May 27, and salute those who
served and gave their lives in defense of
the country.
Th e colors of the rainbow will fl y
through Jackson Heights on Sunday,
June 2, during the Queens Pride Parade
and Festival. Members of the LGBTQ
community will parade through
the streets celebrating love and freedom.
Th is year’s march will include a
50th anniversary commemoration of
the Stonewall Riots in 1969, a pivotal
moment in the LGBTQ equal rights
movement.
Muslims across Queens will celebrate
Eid al-Fitr, the conclusion of the holy
month of Ramadan, on Tuesday, June
4. It marks the end of 30 days of dawnto
sunset fasting during the most spiritual
time of the year for Muslims.
Families will gather together for large
feasts celebrating the breaking of the
fast. Th e holy day is also observed as a
public school holiday.
Saturday, June 8, marks the 151st
running of the Belmont Stakes, the third
jewel in thoroughbred racing’s Triple
Crown. Th ousands will pack the stands
at Belmont Park, and with any luck, get
the chance to see history being made
once again. In 2018, Justify won the
Belmont Stakes wire-to-wire to become
the 13th Triple Crown Winner, and the
second horse to complete the sweep in
four years.
Queens plays hosts to two spectacular
fi reworks shows in the days leading
up to Independence Day, July 4.
Th e Central Astoria Local Development
Corporation holds their fi reworks
extravaganza near Astoria Park, while
the Bayside Historical Society and
City Councilman Paul Vallone sponsor
a similarly colorful pyrotechnic display
at Fort Totten in Bayside. Further
details about both shows will be posted
on QNS.com at a later date. Of
course, thousands of people will gather
in Long Island City on the night of
July 4 to witness the Macy’s Fourth of
July Fireworks Extravaganza on the East
River waterfront.
Aug. 3-4 marks the return of the Hong
Kong Dragon Boat Festival at Flushing
Meadows-Corona Park. Th ousands will
converge on the park for two days of
exciting boat races on Meadow Lake as
well as a wide variety of food, music and
entertainment. Th e Queens Courier is
among the event’s sponsors.
Th e best tennis players in the world
will compete at the Billie Jean King
National Tennis Center in Flushing
Meadows during the U.S. Open. Th e
two-week tournament begins on Aug.
26 with opening round matches and
concludes with the women’s and men’s
fi nals the weekend of Sept. 7-8.
Queens will again pause on Sept. 11
to mark the anniversary of the terrorist
attacks that occurred 18 years ago at
the World Trade Center, the Pentagon
and on board United Airlines Flight 93.
Th e borough lost hundreds of residents
at the Twin Towers on that day of infamy
in 2001, and will host a number of
vigils and memorial services in the days
leading up to the anniversary.
Th e high holy
days on the
Jewish calendar begin with the fi rst day
of Rosh Hashanah on Monday, Sept. 30,
the start of the Jewish new year marked
with sweet celebrations. Th e following
week, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, Jews
across Queens will observe Yom Kippur,
the day of atonement.
The streets of Queens will host
numerous Halloween parades in the
days leading up to All Hallows Eve, on
Thursday, Oct. 31. Parades are typically
held in Glendale, Jackson Heights
and Howard Beach, featuring ghosts
and goblins of all ages enjoying some
not-so-scary fall fun.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, but
there are two key races in Queens to
watch all year long. One is the contest
for Queens district attorney. Th ree candidates
— Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, retired Judge Gregory
Lasak and City Councilman Rory
Lancman — have already announced
their challenge to incumbent DA
Richard Brown, who’s been in offi ce
since 1991. Th e Democratic candidates
will square off in a September primary,
and the winner will advance to the
Nov. 5 general election. Th e other contest
centers on the race to fi ll the Public
Advocate seat being vacated by Attorney
General-elect Letitia James. Mayor
Bill de Blasio is expected to declare a
non-partisan special election for sometime
in February; the winner of that
contest must run again in November for
the right to remain in the seat for the
duration of James’ term, which expires
in 2021.
Th anksgiving falls on Th ursday, Nov.
28, and the following day, Nov. 29,
Queens residents will run out to shopping
malls across the borough to take
advantage of lucrative Black Friday bargains.
Th ey’ll also hit their local shopping
strips to do the same on Small
Business Saturday, Nov. 30.
And for those who are counting,
there’s still 358 shopping days till next
Christmas, Dec. 25.
From our entire staff , have a happy,
healthy, prosperous and peaceful new
year!
Photo by Dean Moses
Vendors selling treats at The World’s Fare in 2018
File photo/QNS
A young girl waves the rainbow fl ag during the 2018 Queens Pride Parade in Jackson Heights
2019 preview
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