16 THE COURIER SUN • JANUARY 26, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Polaroid pics relive glory days of a beloved Fresh Meadows restaurant BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI [email protected] @smont76 Immortalized on film by a Queensbased artist, a recently closed and beloved Fresh Meadows restaurant will live on at a photo gallery within a Manhattan hotel this month. Images of now-departed restaurant King Yum, taken by photo artist Nick McManus, can be seen in an art gallery within the lobby of the Ace Hotel. The photos are part of the artists’ “Where’s My Polaroid?” retrospective exhibit, which contains 720 Polaroids he took over the course of 2016. After 63 years of service, Cantonese eatery King Yum closed for good in August 2016. Longtime customer and art photographer Nick McManus, whose family had a special connection to the restaurant owners, decided to capture the final days of the restaurant on Polaroid film. A piece of a larger project, McManus travels the city documenting the final moments of businesses and institutions throughout the five boroughs. “The exhibit will feature the r e c e n t milestone to Queens’ history that the closing of King Yum was,” McManus said. “It was the crown in the middle of its long block on Union Turnpike, that now seems that much emptier with it gone. I might have brought my art photography to its goodbye, but the facade and interior were pieces of art themselves, with a style that became more unique as the years went on.” McManus’ art will be on display in the lobby of the Ace Hotel, located at 20 W 29th St., until Jan. 31. An opening reception was held there on Saturday night, Jan. 21. For more information about the exhibit, visit the event page. To see more of McManus’ work, visit his website or Instagram. Help this author create a historic mural in Forest Hills BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport One local historian is working hard to bring a historic mural to Forest Hills and has created a fundraising event this weekend to help bring the project to fruition. Michael Perlman, author of the book Legendary Locals of Forest Hills and Rego Park, is an expert in everything Forest Hills, and wants to see the history of his neighborhood enshrined in a mural, much like many of the other murals he has seen in his home town and neighboring communities. “After noticing and appreciating other recent murals in our neighborhood, I was a man on a mission to play a major role in the creation of a new mural that bears homage to our local history in a way that has not been pursued before,” Perlman said. “It will be generate community pride, beautify our community, commemorate our history and enhance our local culture while benefiting education.” According to Perlman, the mural will pay tribute to Ascan Backus, who is regarded as the most successful farmer in the northeast in his time. Ascan lived in Forest Hills before 1906, back when it was known as Whitepot. The history mural will also feature the founding of Forest Hills Gardens in 1909, which became America’s earliest planned garden community, Perlman said. The rest of the mural will be a surprise for the community, Perlman added, but it will feature other local notables and historic scenes including some architects and developers. Although the mural is almost done, Perlman and the artists who helped work on the project do not want to give away the location of the work of art just yet. “Since the rendering is nearly complete, the well-known artists and I cannot yet reveal the site of the mural, but we can assure the public that it will be a testament to our history, beautify our neighborhood, and serve as a boost to local education and the arts,” he said. In order to get the mural created, Perlman has relied heavily on the support of Forest Hills residents, local businesses and fundraisers, such as the one held on Sunday, Jan. 22, which featured best-selling comic book artist John Stanisci — a resident of Forest Hills. Stanisci sold and signed prints of his work on Marvel and DC characters including Spider Man, Batman, Star Wars, and Captain America. “So far, the mural has been funded through donations by community residents and visitors, as well as organizations including Knish Nosh, London Lennie’s, Ridgewood Savings Bank, Ripe Juice Bar, Exo Cafe, Banter, Cipollina Gourmet, the West Side Tennis Club, Belle Arti Center for the Arts and Portofino Ristorante,” Perlman said. “During the holiday season, Century 21 Dept. Store in Rego Park donated gift cards and wreaths, which were distributed to donors as a means of gratitude at my two prior fundraisers at Knish Nosh and Roast n Co.”
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