Project Woodhaven's 2010 Project Archive

Here are some projects that we've presented in 2010. 

 

August 2010

 

Lost & Found - The brief story of Venus the Dog, who ran away and was found again.

Tragedy in Woodhaven - A terrible tragedy occured in Woodhaven.  The breaking coverage can be read here, the media in Woodhaven can be seen here, and a candlelight vigil can be seen here.

 

July 2010

Mae West Comes Home - A Report from Neir's Grand Re-Opening Party!

STA's Jubilee Dinner - A report on St. Thomas the Apostle's Jubilee Dinner Dance.

An Ugly Pothole Gets Filled - A report on a massive pothole on Jamaica Avenue.

The Wizards are Coming! - An announcement about the Harlem Wizards, and their upcoming appearance at STA. 

Steps in the Right Direction - A report on the progress of the J Train Line repairs.  In this report, we look at the stairs on 95th Street.

The OIdest Bar in New York - A announcement about the re-opening of Neir's.

The Sign Warriors - When conventional methods failed, some mysterious avengers took matters into their own hands.

Vandalism Unchecked - A report on the deplorable state of graffiti vandalism in Woodhaven.

Save Our Library - Woodhaven rallies to save the community library.

PS 97 Parent Guardian Workshops - A report from The Forest Park School.

Bad Signs in Woodhaven - A report on the deluge of signs in Woodhaven and how the WRBA planned on getting rid of them.

WRBA Solving Problems - Details n a parking issue the WRBA stepped in and resolved.

Tending to Our Garden - The kids of FKL's ROTC gets the American Legion Garden of Remembrance ready for Memorial Day.

Sunset on Forest Park Drive - Some beautiful pictures in our Favorite Park!

Forest Park Summer Schedule of Events - The bandshell is almost finished and shows begin August 4th! 

 

May 2010

Visible Progress at the Band Shell - We've covered the bandshell more than a few times on Project Woodhaven, most notably here and here.  And we even had a separate page for our favorite 10 bandshell pics from last year  In this report, we give a progress report and see how the latest renovation is coming along.  Includes a 2nd Part with first pics of the new benches in place.

The Woodhaven Library Closing?  A plea for help from the Friends of the Woodhaven Library

The Trees Grow in Woodhaven.  We had this planned for a while -- and we started around the 2nd week of April.  We chose 3 locations and went there for nearly 24 straight days between 5 and 6 O'Clock.  There were two or three days we didn't go because of rain -- but we ended up with a nice batch of pictures of each location, showing the progression from bare trees to completely full.

PS97 Scrapbooking.  Parents and guardians joined together to for a scrap book workshop! Stories were shared as beautiful scrap books were created! Memories of days at the beach, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and school days were celebrated as a family. 

We Protest!  Coverage of the march and rally to protest the possibility that the city will be closing one of our local firehouses.

Woodhaven Flashback.  This will be a multi-part post as we have some good material to cover.  These are various glimpses into Woodhaven's past -- and some of the images will raise questions we don't have answers for . . . yet

Assemblyman On The Air.  Ever since we began our Friday Night web-based radio show, our Assemblyman Mike Miller has been a regular caller.  Our lines are open to everyone -- 646-378-1612 -- and some weeks we get more callers than others.  But Mike is always on the line, talking about what he's been up to and what's on the agenda for the weeks and months ahead.

Save Our Firehouse.  A call goes out to Woodhaven to help protest the potantial closure of one of our firehouses.

Savvy Cyclist.  Recently, on Project Woodhaven's web-based radio show, we spoke with Melissa Rosales, an urban cyclist -- and she told us about her experiences on the road.

 

April 2010 

April 2010 102nd Pct. Community Council Meeting. Almost every month, at the 102nd Precinct Community Council meeting, Captain Armando DeLeon presents the "Cop of the Month."  This is an award presented by the Times Newsweekly.  This month's awardee is Officer Robert Townsend, who apprehended some burglars.  These burglars would scope out a home -- and strike.

Bingo!  St. Thomas held a night of "Supermarket Bingo" at Monsignor Mulz Hall and they had a very nice turnout.  It was our first time at Bingo ever, and we had a terrific time.  And judging by everyone else's take on the evening, there are a lot of people hoping that they'll do it again. 

Biography Fair.  PS 97 celebrates Black History Month with a Biography Fair!

Addabbo-Vision.  On Thursday April 22, 2010 NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., brought his once-a-month series of free eye exams by Pearle Vision's Ozone Park staff to the Forest Park Senior Center

Senior Center Finds a Home.  The Woodhaven Adult Senior Center was housed at St. Thomas the Apostle for 35 years.  That relationship ended last year and the senior center found themselves looking for a new home.  Unfortunately, the necessary space was hard to come by in Woodhaven and, in the interim, the seniors had to shuttle back and forth to a center in Richmond Hill.  Last week, a call went out to the seniors of Woodhaven to gather at the Ambulance Corps for a press conference, and they hoped they would hear some good news.

WORKS 2010 Parade.  It's a yearly Woodhaven tradition -- the little league parade down Jamaica Avenue (click here to see last year's parade).  WORKS Little League (formerly Rich Haven) had their parade last weekend, but it's understandable if you missed it -- they were forced to take a little detour this year.  The original marching route was long.  Very long! 

Beautiful Minds.  Over the past 18 months, we've spent a lot of time at Project Woodhaven looking at Woodhaven's past.  This weekend, we spent some time looking at Woodhaven's future.  At Public School 97 - The Forest Park School - their motto is "We grow beautiful minds."  But beautiful minds need room to grow, room to run around and play -- and this weekend, PS 97 unveiled their newly re-constructed playground areas for the children to enjoy.  

Sunrise.  Here's the first in a series of photographic experiments.  We took these photos this morning (Sunday, April 11, 2010) on the steps into Forest Park at Forest Parkway and Park Lane South.  

Changes - Spring 2010 Edition.  We're living through rough economic times, so one would expect a number of closures. But in a good sign that our business district is pretty resilient, many of these locations do not appear to be vacant for too long. Here's what we saw on our most recent tour down Jamaica Avenue.

Track Work.  The MTA has began repairs on the J Line that runs through Woodhaven resulting in congestion and limited parking on certain areas of Jamaica Avenue.

 

March 2010 

Wheelies.  On a drive through the park last weekend, we came across a young fellow riding his bike through Forest Park, in and around the bandshell parking lot.  He had more than a few spectators watching as he sped back and forth, popping wheelies. 

Remembering Jimmy Young.  Woodhaven remembers one of its own -- resident, businessowner, and friend to many -- Firefighter Jimmy Young.  On Saturday, March 27th 2010 the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association along with St. Thomas the Apostle commemorated "Jimmy Young Day" by hanging a wreath at the corner of 87th Street and 88th Avenue directly after the 4:30 Mass.

March 2010 102nd Pct. Community Council Meeting.  There are a number of community meetings each month -- and this one is usually very interesting.  The 102nd Precinct Community Council meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 8:00 PM at the Moose Hall (across the street from the 102nd) at 87-34 118th Street. All are invited to attend. 

More Storm Pics.  More pictures from the powerful storm that slammed Woodhaven.

Stormy Weather.  Remember the saying from that old commercial?  Don't mess with Mother Nature, or something like that.  A weekend like this reminds us all how powerful a force nature can be.  And this is small scale compared to what we see on the national news -- but even a small disaster is huge when it happens in your front yard.  4 days of high winds and rain, that's what they predicted -- and they were right.

Oscar Flashback! Adrien Brody.

What a View!  Some gorgeous shots of Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, as seen from Forest Park on a lovely day.

 

February 2010

Mardi Gras.  Coverage of St. Thomas the Apostle's 6th Annual Mardi Gras event. 

Fourteen Hours.  This 1951 film was the screen debut of Grace Kelly and is the real-life story of Woodhaven resident Officer Charles Glasco. 

Snow.  The snow started in Woodhaven around 2 AM.  And by the morning's commute, the snow was falling heavily.

Revisiting the DomeOne a recent evening trip around town, we found ourselves up at Forest Park, at the Seuffert Bandshell -- or as it was popularly known as back in the day -- The Dome.  I'm not sure if the kids today still call it that.  Great old pics.

The Blizzard That Fizzled.  Initial forecasts were calling for 18 to 24 inches.  Then it got downgraded to 6 to 12 inches.  And finally, as Friday evening approached we were told to expect anywhere up to 8 inches.

The Voice of Woodhaven - Feb/March - WRBA's Newsmagazine.

Assemblyman on the Line. Each Friday Night, Project Woodhaven takes to the "airwaves" for 90 minutes, from 10 PM to 11:30.  Click here for Project Woodhaven On The Air.   We usually have a guest, and talk about the news, what's happening around town, and we mix in a little history and memories.  Every Friday Night since we started, we've been happy to hear from our Assemblyman, Mike Miller.  Mr. Miller has looked for ways to reach out to the communities he serves, and this is one additional way he can reach you.  And you can also reach out to him.  If you have a question for Mike, or a comment -- please feel free to listen to the show and call in when he's on the line.

WORKS Little League - For over 5 decades, WORKS Little League (formerly known as Rich-Haven) has brought our community together, and taught children how to play with each other and the value of teamwork.  And even though there's snow and ice on the ground, it's not too early to start thinking about the Spring -- in fact, WORKS Little League (formerly Rich-Haven) is currently gearing up for their 2010 Season.  You can click here to visit their Official Website -- or you can click here to visit their brand-new Facebook Page. 

Woodhaven's February Town Hall - Coverage from Woodhaven's monthly meeting.  Historically, the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association would pack it up for the winter, and not meet during the months of November through February.  This past winter, the WRBA broke that tradition, and held Winter meetings on Saturdays -- and the turnout for each meeting was really good

 

January 2010

Schmidt's Candies.  Whenever folks from Woodhaven are reminiscing about their youth, or the old days, one thing you can guarantee is that someone will mention Schmidt's Candy Store.  Located at 94-15 Jamaica Avenue, Schmidt's is dear to all of our hearts because it has been around all of our lives.  Founded in 1925, and entering its 85th year, Schmidt's Candies is still going strong -- and it's still got that classic old-fashioned look.  

Wolf Moon.  Yesterday, folks in the East were treated to a "wolf moon" -- on this night, the moon will be closer to Woodhaven than usual, making it appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger.  Because of its uneven orbit, the moon's distance from Woodhaven varies -- and its closest point each month is called its' perigee.  On the rare occasion the perigee coincides with a full moon, that moon is called a wolf moon. As soon as we read about it, we were pretty sure we'd be out there, snapping pics. 

Our Transit Lines Saved - For Now.

A Lost Cat Finds a Home - PW tries to help a lost cat.

Walking Up Forest Parkway.  Forest Parkway is one of the more interesting streets of Woodhaven.  Only six blocks long, but instantly recognizable, this broad street stretches from a T-Junction at Jamaica Avenue up to the mouth of Forest Park Drive.  

Theater Returns to Woodhaven.  Theater returned to Woodhaven in the form of the classic macabre comedy "Arsenic and Old Lace," as performed by The First String Players at St. Luke’s Church in Woodhaven. 

Predators.  Woodhaven's Adrien Brody is currently filming Predators, an entirely new chapter in the Predator series.  It's a nice catch for Predator, getting an actor of Brody's stature -- and it's a nice treat for Woodhaven sci-fi fans.  Clearly, Mr. Brody was born for this role, having been raised a mere stone's throw from the jungles of Forest Park :-)     

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com .  

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