By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

This November, Flushing Town Hall is showcasing the vibrant and multicultural spirit of Queens through The World’s Borough Exhibition, a collection of diverse artworks made by more than 70 New York City-based artists. The exhibition, which runs through November 25, celebrates the rich history and evolving identity of Queens, a borough renowned for its distinctive neighborhoods, immigrant communities, and global influence.

Courtesy of Flushing Town Hall

Tell Me About Queens by Oba Iman (2024). Digital Art on Canvas with Acrylic

The exhibition marks Flushing Town Hall’s first open call in five years, expanding its invitation beyond the borough to artists from across New York City. Over the summer, the institution received submissions from artists working in various mediums including paintings, drawings, photographs, and mixed media. The result is a dynamic display of work that honors the borough’s legacy and the people shaping its future.

“From the flavors of local cuisine to the sounds of street life and the iconic landmarks that define the area, this exhibition offers a unique perspective on what makes Queens such an inspiring and exceptional place—through the lens of visual art,” said Flushing Town Hall’s Director of Arts Services Dan Bamba. “We plan to hold these open calls annually, on different themes, and we are excited to expand our visual arts program to be able to connect with and present more local artists.”

Our Family-Backyard in Queens Village-Celebrating 50 years plus by Julia D. Shaw, Mixed-media, collage, with acrylic paint

Curated by Stephanie Lee, a Flushing Town Hall Teaching Artist, the exhibition features a broad range of artists, from emerging talents to established figures in the art world.

 “We are thrilled by the incredible response from all the talented local artists to our open call,” said Lee.  “We invite visitors to embark on this visual journey through one of the most diverse regions on earth, as we celebrate its neighborhoods, history, and the people who call it home.”

Stephanie Lee, who has curated several exhibitions at Flushing Town Hall—including the popular Lunar New Year show—has long been involved with the institution. She noted that this year’s exhibition included a larger-than-usual number of artists due to the open call format.

 “We used to have about 30 artists in previous shows, but this time we expanded our reach and invited artists from outside Queens,” Lee explained. “That’s how we ended up with more than 70 artists participating.”

Many of the featured pieces depict scenes and symbols that are uniquely Queens—such as local grocery stores, subway stations, and the iconic Unisphere in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. 

“Some artists created art specifically for this show. You can see Queens as it is every day—its dynamic and cultural diversity reflected in the artwork,” Lee said.

One standout piece in the exhibition is Lee’s own work, Modern Wish, which draws on the tradition of Korean folk art.

Modern Wish by Stephanie Lee, Color pigment & ink on Hanji

 “I took the format that my ancestors used for painting and adapted it to reflect modern-day desires,” Lee said. “I incorporated luxurious, modern items that we aspire to have, which reflect our contemporary culture.”

The exhibition features artists not only from Queens, but also from Brooklyn and Long Island, showcasing the diverse artistic voices across the New York  metropolitan area.

Borough Check, Queens! by Sherwin Banfield, Resin, stainless steel, solar power light system, wood, mason jars, rhinestones

The exhibition is open seven days a week from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Flushing Town Hall, and visitors can also check the venue’s website for specific events and schedules. Admission is free, and the gallery is accessible to the public until November 25, 2024.

Flushing Town Hall hopes to continue expanding its visual arts program, encouraging a broad range of artists to submit work for future shows. The World’s Borough exhibition serves as a testament to all of the artistic talent and creative power of the borough.

In Lee’s words, “You can see so much art in one place, and it’s all local. You don’t have to travel far to experience something truly special. And there’s always something happening at Flushing Town Hall—so it’s definitely worth checking out.”

MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Samaritan Daytop Village, a nationally recognized provider of addiction treatment services, has launched a nutrition initiative aimed at improving the overall well-being of individuals in its recovery programs. With residential facilities in New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley, the organization is focusing on teaching residents how healthier meals and nutrition can support their recovery, both physically and emotionally.

The initiative is implemented across two residential programs in Queens: Van Wyke and Richmond Hill. At the heart of the program is a commitment to fresh, nutritious meals, led by a team of chefs who train clients in culinary skills. The ultimate goal is to help individuals not only improve their eating habits but also empower them to live healthier lifestyles long after they leave the program.

Daniel Mendoza, a cook and cook instructor at the Richmond Hill facility, emphasizes how the program has evolved to incorporate more nutritious ingredients.

“We’re trying to marry sobriety and cooking for medicine, which is a great concept,” Mendoza said. He explained that the kitchen now uses more garlic, fresh vegetables, and fruits to prepare meals, aiming to replace the simpler diets of rice, beans, and processed foods that many clients are accustomed to. “We try to make them healthy with the food,” Mendoza said, noting that many clients have spent years living on the streets with limited access to healthy food.

The transition to healthier eating can be difficult for some clients, but Mendoza has seen positive changes. “As we go by, they’re starting to enjoy it,” he said. He’s seen firsthand the impact the program has had on individuals, not just in terms of nutrition, but in providing hope and skills for the future. Mendoza, who has been sober for over 30 years, views the program as a way to give back, sharing the lessons he learned from his own recovery journey.

The program has already seen success, with two clients graduating from the cooking instruction program. Mendoza works with clients not only to teach cooking skills but also to help them build confidence and prepare for employment in the culinary field. “With a job, you have hope,” he said. “I’m hoping that when they leave here, it’s not Chinese food and pizza. They can make brown rice and other healthy meals on their own.”

For clients like Wayne Kostu, the changes in the kitchen have had a profound impact. Kostu, who has been in the program since August 2023, describes his experience in the kitchen as a transformative one.

“Being in the kitchen has been a good experience,” Kostu said, noting that he’s seen a positive shift in the types of meals being prepared. “You can see that what Danny is doing in there, he’s passionate about what he does.” Kostu points out that the kitchen has not only provided a source of nourishment but also a sense of community and involvement in the recovery process.

Tawana Spriggs, the program administrator, highlights the broader importance of the initiative in the recovery process.

“The purpose of this is to train our staff on nutrition and wellness, so that we can then pass that training on to the clients,” Spriggs said. She stresses the significance of educating clients about how nutrition impacts their recovery, particularly with regard to chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, which are common among people with a history of substance use.

“The initiative will hopefully carry itself beyond the treatment program, so when they’re returning home and back into the communities, you have the education to continue the work of healthy living and having a healthy lifestyle,” Spriggs said.

For some participants, like Jose, the program has become a lifeline. Jose, who joined the program four months ago, was struggling with a lack of direction before getting involved in the kitchen.

“Before, I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “Now I want to be part of the kitchen, working here or outside.”

Jose credits Mendoza for his guidance, saying the chef has helped him feel valued and capable. “He teaches me how to cook different, healthy food,” Jose said. “Now I feel like I’m somebody. I can help another client. I can make it easier for people.”

The initiative is not just about nutrition, but about building a sense of self-worth and hope. As the program continues to grow, its impact is felt both in the kitchen and beyond, offering participants the tools to rebuild their lives and health.

With the ongoing support of donors and partners, including a recent grant from Valley National Bank, the program is set to expand, providing even more clients with the opportunity to learn valuable skills and embrace healthier lifestyles. For Samaritan Daytop Village, the nutrition initiative is an integral part of its mission to support individuals in their recovery, helping them build a foundation for long-term health and success.

This bronze plaque stands outside American Legion Post 118 listing the names of all the young men from Woodhaven that went off to fight the Great War (World War 1) and never came home. That brutal war ended 106 years ago this week.

Ed Wendell

Five hundred and eighty-five days. That’s how long the United States was embroiled in The Great War, or as it is known today, World War 1. Although it officially began on August 1st, 1914 it wasn’t until nearly three years later, on April 6th, 1917, that the United States joined by declaring war on Germany.
During those first few years, while the war raged overseas, Woodhaven was still a neighborhood in development, not too far removed from the mostly rural farming town it was in its infancy. The elevated train had just been built on Jamaica Avenue, silent movies were the norm, as were wooden school houses and Woodhaven ‘Avenue’ was still just a sleepy single-lane dirt road.
Public opinion was originally against joining the war, but that began to change with the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in May 1915. Locally, residents of Woodhaven were horrified by a first-hand account of the sinking by Tom Adamson of Leggett Avenue (now 80th Street) who barely survived the sinking.
“We were just eating lunch when we heard the first shot,” he wrote home. “We knew they had got us. The Lusitania immediately listed to starboard; it was almost impossible to get up the companionway. When we got to the boat deck, the forward part of the ship was completely under water.”
Adamson’s legs were crushed after he plunged into the ocean and he was sucked underwater. He had given up any hope for survival when he miraculously grabbed onto a rope and pulled himself to the surface. There he described a horrific scene of an overturned boat which he had just helped fill with women and children moments before. All of them drowned.
Though the United States joined the war in April of 1917, it wasn’t until later in the year that we saw our local boys go off to war with rousing support from an enthusiastic press and public (’41 More Sons of Woodhaven Gayly Go To War’ was an actual headline in November 1917).
But by May of the following year the war began to take its toll on the locals. At first there were a few isolated casualties. But as the weeks wore on, readers of the local papers would nervously look at each week’s headlines to see the latest news and grim announcements that more local boys had been killed.
The first recorded death from Woodhaven was Chief Boatswain’s Mate Frederick Zahn of Rector Avenue (now 77th Street). Zahn never made it overseas, dying instead in Fort Lyons, Colorado of “disease.” Ironically, though he was the first reported casualty, he is last (alphabetically) on the monument that sits outside American Legion Post 118 today.
One of the more famed casualties was Arthur Engels, who lived on Jamaica Avenue and was well-known around the neighborhood for his early morning long distance runs. He made headlines as a 17-year old, smashing world hurdling records at races in Madison Square Garden. He earned the nickname “King of the Eastern Hurdlers.”
Engels lived at 4088 Jamaica Avenue (right off Woodhaven Boulevard, above what would later be well-known around Woodhaven as Carlo’s Pizza). Less than one year after racing at the Garden, Engels was badly wounded in action, developing gangrene in his right leg. Doctors amputated his leg in an attempt to save his life but he died shortly afterwards.
On the day that the armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918, ending the war, Woodhaven celebrated. All of the shops were shut at midday. Automobiles were turned into impromptu parade floats and rolled down Jamaica Avenue celebrating the news.
Residents flooded out into their streets and embraced their neighbors. People checked in with friends whose sons were still overseas. Together, they prayed that the war ended soon enough, before any more boys from Woodhaven had lost their lives.
In the end, seventy young men from Woodhaven had lost their lives. The neighborhood, and the entire nation, had been battered from our brief but brutal involvement in this war, which ended 106 years ago this week.

A family in Woodhaven poses with their loved one before he ships off to war. Seventy young men from Woodhaven went off to war and never came home.

Ed Wendell

The son of a shoemaker, John R. Pitkin left home at the age of 12 to seek his fortune. A hard working young man, Pitkin worked on different farms for several years, his earnings starting at $5 per month and soon reaching $11. Having put aside his money for school, Pitkin soon had an education and began a dry goods business.
Within a few years, Pitkin’s business was earning $100,000 a year and he had the capital to enact his dream of a new city, called East New York, stretching from Brooklyn all the way to Jamaica. One by one, Pitkin began purchasing the land from the old Dutch settlers – the Lotts, Van Siclens, Wyckoffs, and the Snedickers among them.
Pitkin’s plans crumbled during the Panic of 1837, when banks were shuttered, factories went out of business, and thousands of people lost their jobs. He was forced to sell off everything except the piece he called Woodville, established July 1st, 1835.
Woodville turned out to be a good investment. The railroad from Brooklyn to Jamaica ran through it (along Atlantic Avenue) as did the main road from Flushing to the Rockaways (today’s Woodhaven Boulevard). And the Jamaica Plank Road was yet another road from Brooklyn to Jamaica going directly through Woodville (and would eventually become known as Jamaica Avenue).
These three well-traveled roads through Woodville brought businesses and workmen and the population began to grow. Between the roads in and out of Woodville, and the traffic generated by the popular Union Course racetrack, hotels and restaurants began to open up and flourish.
Woodville grew so much so that in 1853 the village applied to the U.S. Government to establish a post office. However, the petition was rejected because there was already a Woodville, in Jefferson County in upstate New York, and the law stated that there could not be two post offices with the same name in the same state.
And so, being determined to have their own post office, the citizens of Woodville contemplated a change of name. One popular suggestion was Edgewood, due to the fact that the village’s borders were thick with heavy timber. Ultimately, however, Pitkin’s suggestion of Woodhaven was selected as the new name of the now nearly 20-year old village.
In those days, the original village of Woodhaven stretched much further south than it does today. Maps of this era show that most of the village of Woodhaven was south of Atlantic Avenue. The land between Atlantic and Jamaica Avenues was slow to develop, but houses eventually began to crop up all over the place.
The land between Jamaica Avenue and Park Lane South was the last of Woodhaven’s farm lands to fall victim to the population boom. Real estate developers began to create sections within Woodhaven – Wyckoff Park, Simpson Park, Columbia Park, Napier Park, Eldert Park, Belmont Park and Chester Park  among them.
All of those names have been lost to history, but two sectional names in Woodhaven did manage to survive for a time. One section, Brooklyn Manor, was east of Woodhaven Boulevard and North of Jamaica Avenue. It shared a name with the Long Island Rail Road’s Rockaway Beach branch station at Jamaica Avenue on the border with Richmond Hill.
The station was demolished in 1962 but the Brooklyn Manor name still pops up on maps from time to time and the name is still visible in a few businesses, most notably the near century old Manor Delicatessen on Jamaica Avenue between 94th and 95th Streets.
The other section was a small 4 to 6 square block area known as Ozone Park, allegedly called such because of its healthy ocean breezes. Built surrounding the Ozone Park station of the same Rockaway Beach branch, the name not only survived, but the area grew and developed its own identity.
Regarded as a section of Woodhaven for many years, in the mid to late 1920s newspaper accounts began referring to the area as Ozone Park and the borders began to take shape and match what we are accustomed to today.
So, although Pitkin’s original plan of a new New York City ultimately failed, it did bear fruit with the birth of Woodhaven (and Ozone Park), with Woodhaven celebrating its’ 190th birthday next year!