We took our places onstage at Queens Theatre in the Park for our final dress rehearsal of “Bubba Meinsers,” an original musical tribute to Jewish grandmothers.We could hear the heavy rain outside pounding on the roof. And then we began to fee…

With the influx of thrift stores and minimalist cafes, Ridgewood has followed in its trendy Brooklyn neighbor Bushwick’s footsteps and become one of the most hip neighborhoods in Queens.The historic neighborhood strikes a balance between the …

Stepping into 94-15 Jamaica Ave. in Woodhaven is akin to entering a wonderland of sweets.Displays are stocked with confections of all sorts and chocolates galore in dark, milk and white varieties — whether your favorite is jelly-filled or has…

The Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center in Rego Park dates back to 1939, when the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration authorized $100,000 to construct a two-story structure on city property on Queens Boulevard to serve as a h…

It would be difficult to find a better example of the old proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” than the case of Stephanie Lee, a Korean folk artist and founding director of the Garage Art Center in Bayside.The garage in the venue’…

While describing Forest Hills to someone not from the area, one might paint the picture of Station Square’s historic Tudor and Arts-and-Crafts architecture, the feeling of an urban oasis in Forest Hills Gardens or the hustle and bustle of the…

Near the intersection of 85th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, you’ll find a few bodegas, the J train stop and a place that plenty of residents would call some of the best pizza in the area.Sal’s Pizza is a no-frills establishment with…

The Lewis Latimer House Museum in Flushing is a true reflection of the person it honors.Its mission to be a space for science, tinkering, art and inclusion is emblematic of Lewis Harold Latimer, born Sept. 4, 1848 in Chelsea, Mass., to escape…

As the oldest Baptist church in Queens, it’s no surprise that Flushing’s own Ebenezer Baptist Church, founded in 1870, has a rich history of its own.That’s clear from the moment one walks in the door. The walls are covered in framed photograp…

If you are looking for a community-oriented tavern, a venue to celebrate milestones or a family-friendly Italian restaurant, Queens has got you covered.Neir’s Tavern, Thomasina’s Catering Hall and Don Peppe, located in Woodhaven, St. Albans a…

If you grew up in Queens in the 1970s or 1980s, it wouldn’t have been uncommon to go on a first date or celebrate a birthday or a win in a youth baseball or soccer game at Jahn’s, where ice cream concoctions and hamburgers were two of the fou…

At the end of the opening sequence to the 1998 sitcom “The King of Queens,” Kevin James can be seen comically dropping a scoop of Italian ice.The storefront is The Lemon Ice King of Corona, founded by Nicola Benfaremo in 1944. And if you look…

Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s most famous monument is, without question, the Unisphere, to the extent that it has become practically synonymous with the park itself.But Gilmore Clarke’s prized work is just one of a number of monuments throug…

Flushing residents living near 72nd Road and Kissena Boulevard may pass by the triangle at that intersection almost every day — maybe they have even sat on one of the benches there. Yet they may have no idea who it is named for (or that it’s …

Where in Queens can one find musical concerts and exhibits featuring borough artists — and talk to local residents who date back to the 19th century?You may not have guessed Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens.

Christina Wilkinson is a veteran observer of history and civic engagement in Queens. But the president of the Newtown Historical Society was surprised recently when considering the organization’s own history.“I’m actually kind of shocked we’v…

According to the American Association of Community Theatre, a nonprofit corporation that serves as the voice of the amateur boards in this country, “Community theater occupies a peculiarly important position in the American theater picture.”I…

Finding volunteer firefighters to serve is harder to do in recent years, but those who start young often stick with it.When Nick Spinelli’s friend suggested to him that they join the local fire department after graduating high school, Spinell…

First-time homebuyers Eli and Hillary Dvorkin were looking to move from their Ridgewood apartment to a house, happening upon a small country cottage on the outskirts of Forest Park in North Richmond Hill, perfect to walk their newborn through…

It’s not hard to get Tony Nunziato, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, to brag just a little about what the group does, which is more than one might think.“We run the Juniper Juniors,” he said. “We clean up graffiti. We clean th…

Bobbi Giordano started sheltering animals when she was a preteen. Some years — she declined to share her age on the record — and thousands of cats and dogs saved later, she’s left with one feeling.“It’s not enough,” she said. “It’s just not enough.

From a letter to a march to a meeting to a movement ... this is how one mother’s love for her son led to the formation of PFLAG, the first and largest organization in this country that unites parents, families and friends with members of the …

More than three decades in, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group’s priorities may have changed over the years, but that’s only because of the progress it has made.Founded in 1988, the group lists a number of community accomplishments on i…

1964 gave Queens The Beatles at Kennedy Airport, the Mets at Shea Stadium and the World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Before it all, in January of that year, the Bayside Historical Society was founded by a neighborhood icon who wore…

Before the early 20th century, most birdwatching in America was done through a gunsight. Hunting birds was common sport and the fashion industry coveted their feathers.By the 1920s, however, many began to drop their rifles and shotguns in fav…

On a citywide level, Greater Astorial Historical Society Executive Director Bob Singleton says interest in preserving historical landmarks and areas of historical significance piqued after the destruction of the old Penn Station in 1963.“I th…

The Queens Public Library has long served as a vital institution throughout the borough, as each branch delivers a variety of services that far exceed providing internet access or helping locate a copy of the latest Sally Rooney novel.Many of…

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Legend has it that the farming village of Whitepot may have gotten its name from housewares that 17th-century Dutch settlers traded to native American tribes for a deed to settle the land.Even though the English took over the area in Colonial…

Bayside has a rich history dating back thousands of years.It was the home to the Matinecock tribe first and foremost. The Native Americans can date their history on the land back to 2000 B.C., but they were largely massacred and displaced by …

“We’re a vibrant, visually interesting community,” said Petra Gelbart, a longtime resident of Jackson Heights. “It’s like visiting 20 different countries.”In fact, the neighborhood is the most diverse community in the whole world, according t…

In the early 19th century, diseases like smallpox, yellow fever, measles, malaria and tuberculosis plagued New York City.There was also a torrent of heat waves throughout the late 1880s that killed thousands of people.

For many, the history of Jamaica, a middle-class mixed commercial and residential neighborhood, dates back to 1656, when it was first established as Rustdorp (rest-town) by Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch director general.Before Dutch coloni…

Like many places in Queens, what is now Ridgewood was the subject of disagreements between the descendents of English settlers to the north and Dutch settlers in Brooklyn.But beginning in the late 19th century, it was German immigrants who pu…

What’s in a name? Before settling on Queens Village in the 1920s, the middle-class to upper-middle class neighborhood in Eastern Queens had a few. It was called Little Plains in the 1640s because of its geography. It was named Brushville in t…

Long Island City’s spirit of innovation and creativity can be traced back to its earliest days. It was destined to be an urban hub since its residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of consolidating with New York City in 1897 as a rejection of…

Enjoy the articles from our 42nd Anniversary Edition:

It’s hard for people who lived through Superstorm Sandy not to remember the post-apocalyptic scenes witnessed throughout South Queens and the Rockaway peninsula on Oct. 29, 2012.Homes in Hamilton Beach were left under 10 feet of water; the Na…

September will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Like many people who will commemorate the anniversary, the 9-11 Candlelight Vigil Committee of Queens is planning a few special features for its annual ceremony in Juniper Valley P…

On Thanksgiving Eve, almost exactly 70 years ago, 78 people were killed and twice as many injured when a Long Island Rail Road express train slammed into the back of a stalled local in Kew Gardens.It was the worst disaster in the history of t…

Before the sinking of the Titanic on its way to the city or the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the General Slocum disaster, though not as infamous, marked the greatest loss of life in New York City until Sept. 11, 2001.To this day, the Jun…

When the power grid went out this summer for thousands of Woodhaven residents during Tropical Storm Isaias, it wasn’t the first time that neighborhood became the focal point of an extreme weather event.The area’s first known encounter with na…

The 1962 Mets were so bad that people joked man would walk on the moon before the National League club would win the pennant. It turned out that they were correct, but only by a few months.Miraculously, the team that went 40-120 in its first …

It has been over a decade since the incident that came to be known as the “Miracle on the Hudson,” and the aviation industry’s need for pilots like Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger waned.Sullenberger’s heroic emergency water landing in 2009, desc…

American Airlines Flight 587 took off from runway 31L at John F. Kennedy International Airport at 9:14 a.m. on Nov. 12, 2001, bound for the Dominican Republic.It never got anywhere near it.

It was 1979 when a young nurse from Forest Hills named Ellen Matzer was confronted with what she recently described as “the first cluster of young men who died suddenly.”At the time, she was employed at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan and she…

A potential COVID-19 vaccine in its final phase of testing was announced Nov. 9 as the pandemic rolled into its eighth month, but doctors warn that the overly cautious way of life we’ve grown accustomed to may last a good deal longer.“When th…