Halloween Parade
1pm, Meet at the track Field House
Strut your stuff around the track
and join your friends for snacks at the park.
facebook.com // Astoria-Park-Alliance
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Halloween Parade treats early in Astoria Park [ Oct 19 1pm ]
Saturday, October 19
Strut your stuff around the track
and join your friends for snacks at the park.
facebook.com // Astoria-Park-Alliance
Strut your stuff around the track
and join your friends for snacks at the park.
facebook.com // Astoria-Park-Alliance
Saturday, October 19, 2013
5th Annual LEAF Fest ! Oct & Nov [ APA and GreenShoresNYC ]
GreenShoresNYC.org / 2013/10/ Leaf-Fest-in-Astoria-Park
Rake leaves with friends! Get some exercise! Care for your waterfront!
Join Green Shores NYC, The Astoria Park Alliance, Partnerships for Parks, the Friends of Queensbridge Park and BIG! Compost for our
5th Annual LEAF FEST!
Help ready our waterfront parks for the winter!
Leaves collected will be composted by BIG! Compost for use throughout the City's green spaces and street tree beds.
All materials & refreshments will be provided for volunteers.
ASTORIA PARK
19th Street & Hoyt Avenue North
Astoria, Queens
SATURDAY: October 19th
& November 9th
10:30am - 1pm
For more information: www.greenshoresnyc.org
mail @ greenshoresnyc.org
weheartastoria.com /2013/10/ linkage
Thank you so much to BIG! Compost, Chris, NY Cares and all the volunteers who came out today for Leaf Fest in Astoria Park! Leaves going to compost and not the landfill, yay!
For more information: www.greenshoresnyc.org
mail @ greenshoresnyc.org
weheartastoria.com /2013/10/ linkage
Astoria - LIC history 1913 / Oct [GAHS]
NYC Then/Now:
The history of the park begins in October 1913, when the park was called the William J. Garner Park. In December of that year, it was renamed to Astoria Park. At the beginning of the park’s history, the surrounding Astoria area was occupied by mostly Irish and Italian immigrants. After the boom of Greek immigrants in the 1960s, Astoria park became a cultural center for Greek and Italian people.
The new facility was equipped with two playgrounds, six tennis courts, an athletic field, three baseball diamonds, a wading pool, bandstand, comfort station and walks throughout. In 1926 community members gathered to dedicate the Astoria Park Memorial in tribute to the sons of Long Island City who died in World War I. Major improvements in Astoria Park were undertaken by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and the Works Progress Administration during the summer of 1936. ...
Annual Halloween Tour
Sat Oct 19, 12:00 pm
Celebrate the spirits of Halloween as we share the stories and legend of this historic waterway. Join us for a tour of murder and mystery along the Long Island City waterfront.
Our walk will take place along the treacherous East River as tales are told of those lost long ago among the churning whirlpools and electric eels.
Hear about the eerie goings-on in the area, from the history of the Hell Gate, the sinking of the HMS Hussar and the General Slocum, and events in and around the East River and Old Astoria Village.
Start under the Hell Gate Bridge in Astoria Park (Shore Blvd.) and walk along the waterfront to Socrates Sculpture Park (where you may find some more ghosts and goblins!)
...
RAIN OR SHINE.
$20 ...
New York Cares #VOLUNTEER [APA] Oct
New.York.Cares #VOLUNTEER
[APA] October
We thank our #volunteers and NewYorkCares for the regular efforts to revitalize
Astoria Park, our green space heart. <3 This of course is in addition to the
much needed care done by the NYCParks and staff. We appreciate the gardening,
weeding, debris removal, mulching, bench painting, and many other park activities
done for love of the environment and of the community.
Our cheers to each and all!
Thanks NY Cares !
www.newyorkcares.org/volunteer/volunteer_opportunities/search_projects
www.facebook.com//Astoria-Park-Alliance
www.facebook.com//Astoria-Park-Alliance
Getting Started
www.newyorkcares.org/volunteer/volunteer_opportunities/getting_started
Volunteers provide crucial services in every borough.
Here's how:
www.newyorkcares.org/getting-started
After you've been to orientation, you can get started signing up for projects.
Search online and find the best project for you!
PLEASE NOTE: You must be at least 18 years old to participate in New York Cares year-round volunteering.
See Oct 8 or Oct 22 for possible orientation in Astoria, Queens.
Here's how:
www.newyorkcares.org/getting-started
Getting Started
Start giving back in your community and make a difference.
After you've been to orientation, you can get started signing up for projects.
Search online and find the best project for you!
PLEASE NOTE: You must be at least 18 years old to participate in New York Cares year-round volunteering.
See Oct 8 or Oct 22 for possible orientation in Astoria, Queens.
APA and New York Cares volunteers continue weekend work sessions.
Saturdays Oct 05, and Oct 19. #volunteer
Saturdays Oct 05, and Oct 19. #volunteer
Take part in New York City's largest hands-on volunteer day by joining more than 6,000 volunteers as we paint a brighter future for New York City public school students.
Learn more and sign-up now by going to
www.newyorkcaresday.org.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Fall Citizen Pruner Tree Care Courses [ TreesNY ] October
Fall Citizen Pruner Tree Care Courses are Open!
Queens
Bohemian Hall
Community Room
from Thursday October 10
Trees New York (TreesNY) is an environmental and urban forestry nonprofit organization. Our mission is to plant, preserve and protect New York City’s urban forest through education, active citizen participation and advocacy.
Many dog owners and walkers are unaware of the harmful impact that
dog waste has on street trees. Help remind your neighbors to keep dogs
from "visiting" tree pits with TreesNY’s attractive, rust-resistant
“Curb Your Dog” signs.
Order a Curb Your Dog Sign for a tree in need!
Saturday, October 5, 2013
It's our Park Day - Thank You [APA facebook]
Thank You
Thank you, thank you, thank you! to all the volunteers who came out for It's My Park Day Shore Line Clean Up, City Harvest and The Yoga Room Studio on Sept. 28!
Multi thanks for the NY Cares volunteers who planted bulbs and mulched on Oct. 5th. For Tatiano of City Harvest handing out healthy snacks and teaching us all about wonderful NY State apples!
facebook.com // Astoria-Park-Alliance
Friday, October 4, 2013
[About.com] Astoria Park
A gem of the New York City Parks system,
...
Astoria Park is one of the biggest parks in the NYC parks system, at almost 60 acres of open space. It is also approximately one and a half miles in circumference. It boasts ...
Astoria Park has its own volunteer-run organization, ...
Astoria Park - one of the best reasons to live in Astoria!
wikipedia.org//Astoria_Park
Before the arrival of European colonists, a trail passed by the site, and an Indian village flourished at Pot Cove. Local inhabitants grew maize on the shores, fished in Hell Gate, and drew water from Linden Brook, a small stream that still flows under Astoria Park South. In the mid-1600s the Dutch parceled out this land to various owners, including William Hallet whose grant embraced hundreds of acres.
...
flickr.com/photos/catchesthelight
CatchestheLight
www.nytimes.com /2008/06/29/nyregion/thecity/29fyi
June 29, 2008
F. Y. I.
Hell Gate Classics
Q. My interest is piqued by the Charybdis Playground in Astoria Park, presumably named after the whirlpool-like monster of “The Odyssey.” How did the playground get such a terrifying literary moniker?
A. Around 2001, Henry Stern, then the parks commissioner, discovered that the tip of Wards Island beneath the Triborough Bridge was listed on official United States maps as Negro Point. He complained to the federal government and set about changing the name on city records.
In Greek mythology, the monsters Scylla and Charybdis guarded the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy. Like the strait, Hell Gate is a narrow, dangerous passage through which seamen must thread their way.
So the tip of Wards Island became Scylla Point, and Astoria Park on the Queens shore acquired Charybdis Playground. “I thought this would be a nice historic tie-in to teach people something,” recalled Mr. Stern, who was known for his fanciful namings as parks commissioner.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
APA : Oct 01
Astoria Park Alliance
meets Tuesday, October 1st
at 6:30 at Steinway Reform Church on Ditmars Blvd & 41st Street.
All are welcome!!!
Welcome, introductions, and Thank You for coming.
Minutes
- Old business / New business
- It's My Park Day debrief Sept 28 - Shoreline Cleanup
- Officers' meeting overview
- Safety in the park - Call 311 for any problems or issues
- Partnerships for Parks
- Leaf Fest 2013 Oct 19 and Nov 09, more details to come
- 2013 New York Cares / APA weekend work sessions
Oct 05, Oct 19, Nov TBD
- Fundraising discussion - Nov [Eventbrite; IOBY]
- Budget and Planning
- City Parks Foundation
- Astoria Park Shorefest [APSF] 2013 Thank You!
- 501 c 3 future steps & timeline
- 2014 Fitness Classes and programming
- Next meeting Nov. 05
"Throughout the centuries the stunning natural beauty of this location has attracted visitors and settlers. Before the arrival of European colonists, a trail passed by the site, and an Indian village flourished at Pot Cove. Local inhabitants grew maize on the shores, fished in Hell Gate, and drew water from Linden Brook, a small stream that still flows under Astoria Park South. In the mid-1600s the Dutch parceled out this land to various owners, including William Hallet whose grant embraced hundreds of acres. During the American Revolution, several British and Hessian regiments were stationed in the area. On Nov. 25, 1780 the frigate Hussar and its five-million-dollar cargo sank to the bottom of Hell Gate, where despite some removal of cannons, the treasure still remains."
"During the 19th century, fashionable families like the Barclays, Potters, Woolseys, and Hoyts located their country houses on the heights along the shore. Although attempts were made to remove the dangerous rocks in Hell Gate in the 1850s and 1870s, the waters were the site of New York City's worst maritime disaster on June 15, 1904 En route Long Island's North Shore with the congregation of St. Mark's German Lutheran Church on board, the steamer General Slocum caught fire. At least 1,021 passengers out of 1,300 burned to death on the ship or drowned in the turbulent waters of the East River before the ship grounded on North Brother Island."
"As the Queens waterfront succumbed to industry after the Civil War, there emerged strong public sentiment for public access to the East River. In Oct. 1913 the City of New York acquired more than 56 acres of land along the river for a park. It was originally called William J. Gayner Park after the mayor (1910-1913) and later known as East River Park, but the Board of Aldermen officially named it Astoria Park in Dec. 1913. Stephen Halsey, who founded the village of Astoria in 1839, named the area for his friend, fur merchant John Jacob Aster (1763-1848)."
"The new facility was equipped with two playgrounds, six tennis courts, and athletic field, three baseball diamonds, a wading pool, bandstand, comfort station and walks throughout. In 1926 community members gathered to dedicate the Astoria Park Memorial in tribute to the sons of Long Island City who died in WWI. Major improvements in Astoria Park were undertaken by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses and the Works Progress Administration during a hot summer in 1936. The stunning pool complex opened on July 4 of that year and hosted the swimming and diving trials for the US Olympic Teams in 1936 and 1964."
"The 56-acre park was expanded twice. Parks acquired a 4.5-acre parcel beneath the Triborough Bridge in 1937 and a 5-acre strip (known as Ralph DeMarco Park) along the East River in 1969. A three-part project renovated the park in the 1980s. Phase one rehabilitated the playground in the park's southern section, the park fields, and the drainage system. Phase two restored the comfort station and installed new play equipment, swings, drinking fountains, and game tables. Phase three focused on restoration of the park's northeast section and included repaving all the roads and walkways, rerouting pedestrian entrances, installing new benches, and planting trees, shrubs, and groundcover. The inviting setting of Astoria Park remains rich in history and symbolic of an ever-changing New York City."
www.NYCgovparks.org/parks/AstoriaPark
Find A Park > Astoria Park > Highlights
Featured Facility
Charybdis Playground
Find out how this playground, built in conjunction with the pool in 1936, got its unique name.
Astoria Park
Charybdis Playground
Due to its proximity to Hell Gate, a turbulent area in the East River, this playground has been named for the monster Charybdis. According to Greek mythology, Charybdis was the daughter of Poseidon, the god of the sea. As a young nymph, she flooded lands to add to her father’s kingdom until Zeus, the supreme ruler of the gods, turned her into a monster.
Charybdis and her partner Scylla are personifications of the violent waters in the Straits of Messina, which separate Sicily from the Italian peninsula. Charybdis was said to dwell under a fig tree on the Sicilian shore and, three times each day, drink from the strait and spit the water back into the strait several hours later, creating perilous whirlpools and terrifying sailors. In The Odyssey, by Homer, the hero survived Charybdis’s wrath by clinging to a tree for hours until she spit out the water and his raft floated to the surface.
Hell Gate earned its reputation as a dangerous spot when the Dutch first explored this area in the 17th century. The channel, formed by faults deep underground, contains some of the deepest water in the New York Harbor. Its hazardous reefs bear quaint names such as “Hen and Chickens,” “Pot Rock,” “Bread & Cheese,” and “Bald Headed Billy.” On November 25, 1780, the frigate Hussar and its $5 million cargo sank to the bottom of Hell Gate, where the treasure still remains. Attempts were made to remove the dangerous rocks of Hell Gate in the 1850s and 1870s. One effort in 1870s, the world’s largest detonation at the time, shook windows as far away as Newark, New Jersey.
The waters were also the site of New York City’s worst maritime disaster. On June 15, 1904, en route to Long Island’s north shore with the mothers and children of St. Mark’s German Lutheran Church on board, the steamer General Slocum caught fire as it approached Hell Gate. At least 1,021 passengers out of 1,300 burned to death on the ship or drowned in the turbulent waters of the East River before the ship grounded on North Brother Island.
Charybdis Playground, situated on the western edge of Astoria Park, was built in conjunction with the 1936 construction of Astoria Pool, under Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981). Originally known as Astoria Park Lower Playground, Commissioner Stern gave it its present name in 1997. The following year, Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone funded a $400,000 renovation. In 2000, Mr. Vallone sponsored a $381,000 project which featured the reconstruction of the comfort station on its south end. With its striking views of both the Triborough and Hell Gate Bridges, this playground is a magical spot along the East River that serves Astoria’s children.