Beachcomber

No, you didn’t miss Niall Connolly and his band. They will be performing this Sunday, July 20, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rockaway Artists Alliance T-7 gallery, with special guest Warren Malone. Last week saw a fantastic performance from Benior and the Long Beach All-Stars at RAA’s new Sunday Night Music series.

Danny Ruscillo, co-chair of Community Board 14’s Transportation Committee, was interviewed by NBC News about the fight to make the ferry permanent.

The Rockaway Beach Civic Association’s Beach Flix is now playing at a beach near you. This Friday, July 18, it’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” at Beach 106th Street. Next week it’s “Surf’s Up” on Saturday, July 26, on Beach 73rd Street. Go towww.rockawaybeachflix.com for the complete schedule. All shows start at sundown.

A recent headline on a television news report dubbed the East coast’s latest hurricane “King Arthur.” Floods, disasters, hurricanes, destruction and suffering may come and go. But apparently ‘media stupid’ is here to stay.

The Irish Fest is coming to Breezy Point at the Catholic Club Hall on August 21, starting at 7 p.m. All proceeds go to the Rockaway Point Volunteer Fire Department for the Senior Alert Program.

The Neponsit Adult Day Health Care Center on Beach 102nd Street, slammed by Sandy in October, 2012, had all its programs and registrants ‘temporarily’ moved to Brooklyn. On April 4, 2014, The Wave published an article about the still closed center and the hardships these seniors faced. All indications noted in an April 18 follow up were that the building was almost ready for the City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation to step in, finish everything off and move them back in. Over a month ago, The Wave sent an inquiry to HHC, asking about any progress or if there was any news. ‘We’ll look into that,’ we were told. As of today, July 18, 2014, we haven’t heard back. 

Credit where it is due: All agree that the NYC Department of Parks was instrumental in writing and presenting the grant proposal for the Sunset Cove Project in Broad Channel. Result? The US Department of the Interior awarded $4.85 million, to help turn what was once a 14-acre decaying boat yard into a lush natural park, environmental habitat and storm barrier. This was the largest sum awarded under the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resilience Grant Program. Go Parks!

Speaking of Parks, if you haven’t seen O’Donohue Park at Beach 17th Street in Far Rockaway, you really should. It is a beautiful example of what NYC Parks can do and what Rockaway’s beach areas can be.

Don’t walk your dog on the boardwalk. Tickets are being given even if you walk a dog before the beach opens. And even if you manage to ignore that piece of sound advice, here’s another; clean up after your dog. Even an inconvenience can be an opportunity. Young people (beach sherpas, anyone?), are making a little bit of change by offering to help beachgoers carry their coolers, chairs, umbrellas, etc. up and over the tall sand dunes created by the sand replenishment.

Some local Build It Back registered contractors have reported more meetings and more activity around the program of late. Sounds like big things are about to happen.

MoMA Curator Klaus Biesenbach, actor James Franco and singer Lana Del Rey (“Once Upon A Dream” from ‘Maleficent’) were spotted last weekend enjoying Rockaway Taco and the Rockaway! exhibition atFort Tilden.

“They Will Surf Again” is the free adaptive surf event that Wheeling Forward and Life Rolls On are bringing to the shore at Beach 67th Street on Saturday, July 27 from 8 to 3. Children and adults with all types of disabilities are invited to come down and, with special boards and dedicated volunteers to help, enjoy the waves.

What’s coming soon to the defunct Dunkin’ Donuts next to the old Peninsula Hospital site? A combined Domino’s Pizza and fried chicken place.

Under its new owners, the Peninsula Center for Extended Care and Rehabilitation is doing extensive interior renovations. Sounds like a long term plan.

Check the Looking Back section in this paper. Fifty years ago, yes 50 years ago, The Wave quoted a longtime resident as saying “Rockaway has gone to the dogs!” Was this an early sighting of that bird, the non-elusive, flapping Rockaway Naysayer?

Recently the deep depressions in the road at Beach 124th Street and Beach Channel Drivecaused a box of tools to bounce off a truck and spill all over the road. It also caused a broken axle which in turn caused a boat to be spilled out onto the road. Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder has sent a letter to Queens DOT Commissioner Dailia Hall stating this situation needs immediate attention. Let’s hope there is a swift and smooth reply.

“Me me me me!” For some people that’s a vocal warm up. For others it’s their entire repertoire. The Community Board 14 meeting on Monday, July 14, was a sight to be heard. A representative from Alma Realty, owners of the Dayton buildings between Beach 105thand Beach 108th Streets, was shouted at, jeered, and booed as he tried to present a proposal to build three 4-story combined retail and rental apartment buildings on the property. Oh, and then nearly everyone got up and walked out before the meeting’s next presenter began. This Rockaway story has been played out too many times. Whether you agree with this proposal or that, if Rockaway rudely can’t be bothered to listen to anybody, why should anybody bother listening to Rockaway?

There’s a new e-mail scam out. Supposedly from the “E-ZPass Service Center” it says (sic) “Dear customer, You have not paid for driving on a toll road. This invoice is sent repeatedly, please service your debt in the shortest possible time.” Then all you need to do is click a handy link (aha!) for the details. Aside from the not quite right wording, when is the last time a government agency reached out to you with an e-mail like this? And isn’t EZ Pass designed to automatically pay your “toll road” charges anyway?

Nice to see beachgoers in bathing suits enjoying the World Cup matches on the huge screen TV set up by Breezy BBQ at the Beach 96th Street concessions. Gooooaaaalllllllllll for Rockaway!

Finally, kudos to Judy, a Broad Channel resident who recently found a wallet. She made several inquiries to inform its owner she’d found it. One of those calls made it to The Wave, which happily connected the finder to the keeper. That’s paying it forward, people!