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Friday, April 11, 2014

Broad Channel Bits



By Dan Guarino

I have worked for The Wave for just about a year and a half now. Surprisingly, except for some experience in college, I’ve never done newspaper work before. It seems to be a good fit so far.
It has been my privilege to work with, write about and photograph Rockaway andBroad Channel. In turn it has been my pleasure to, here and there, receive compliments on what I do from people I respect. One of the best was in a letter being called “pro-Rockaway” and by extension “pro-Broad Channel.”
You’ll read about this elsewhere in the paper, but let me say two things. One is that I am so proud to share that our newspaper, The Wave, was recognized with five awards from the New York Press Association.
The second is, ‘thank you’. I could not think of a better place to write about and for than Broad Channeland Rockaway. I do not think this newspaper could be what it is without being a part of this great community.
So, Broad Channel and Rockaway, from me to you, thank you, and congratulations to us all.
Well, there are things going on around town.
Palm Sunday services start this Saturday, April 12 at 4 p.m. and on Sunday at 10 a.m. at St. Virgilius. At St. Camillus, the Saturday service will be at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 and 11:30 a.m.
Confession will be heard at St. Camillus on Reconciliation Monday, April 14, from 3 to 6 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Virgilius.
Christ Presbyterian Church is holding a Good Friday Tenebre service on Friday, April 18, at 8 p.m. Easter services will be at the church on Sunday, April 20, at 9 a.m.
Celebrate on Sunday, April 13, with an Easter egg hunt at the VFW. This is for kids 9 and under. The Easter bunny will be there, too, plus games and prizes. Call 646-344-2640 and RSVP. Mark your calendar also for VFW Bingo on April 27. Doors open 12 noon. Games start 1 p.m.
The American Legion Auxiliary is hosting Palm Sunday Brunch on April 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come enjoy eggs, bacon, pancakes, omelets and more, plus all the BC good company you could find in one place.
This will be their last brunch of the season.
You don’t have to be from Broad Channel to enjoy all this. The Legion Hall is at 209 Cross Bay Boulevard and the VFW is at 713 Shad Creek Road.
By the way, on Sunday, April 6, our VFW hosted the veterans from St. Albans at the Post. They treated them to a brunch, horse racing and entertainment.
The Broad Channel Beautification Committee wants to add more tree boxes to the Cross Bay median. You can sponsor a box, which the committee will plant and even water over the summer. Contact Judy Zack atJudy.Zack@yahoo.com or 718-634-5679.
The BC Beautification Committee’s Annual Adopt- A-Tree and Spring Planting will be on Saturday, May 10. Kick off time will be at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome to “join in and dig in.”
By the way, with so many trees coming down in the Channel, a survey by the committee found that just from Noel Road to 20th Road, both east and west Side, there are a total of 42 that need to be replaced.
What can WE do about it? The committee is asking everyone to call 311. Let them know we need new trees. The more voices joining in, the louder our voice will be all together.
Father Ahlmeyer noted on Facebook that this year marks the 100 anniversary of St. Virgilius.
Like many things Broad Channel, more than a few people had something to add to that thought.
Jane Murray wrote, “I remember Sr. Daniel Marie. She was at St. Virgilius forever. At least it seemed that way.”
“I think everyone in Broad Channel had her in third grade! LOL” Helen Collery Williams added.
Pat Wagner noted, “My great grandfather built the church. By bringing wood and supplies by boat. Chris Hoobs.”
There’s major work going on all along Cross Bay Boulevard. And major traffic slowdowns. Looks like they are replacing every light pole, from the concrete ground up. Looking forward to more details.
How’s this for action? On March 30 Corinne Anne W posted “Caution to all Broad Channel residents and guests: please note the turn on red sign at 20th Road has been taken down and cops were issuing tickets. Not sure if any other lights were affected.” The message was greatly appreciated.
Just below that, this message popped up from the Broad Channel Civic. “Missing sign at West 20th Road. I want to thank Assemblyman Goldfeder for moving quickly to get the missing sign replaced …as it is leading to residents getting summonses.” Dan Mundy Jr. quoted Goldfeder’s message to him who said, “We reached out to DOT and will hopefully have a timeline on new sign very shortly. We also called the precinct and the TBTA to inform their officers.”
There were also a few choice comments below which questioned the validity of tickets issued because of a missing sign.
If you haven’t heard, filmmaker Dan Hendrick is looking for footage shot during the hurricane in Broad Channel for possible inclusion in his documentary “Jamaica Bay Lives.” ContactJamaicaBayLives@gmail.com.
The Iroquois Yacht Club is coming back! Out on the end of the 12th Road boardwalk, work is going on to rebuild all the hurricane wrecked. The club was officially organized a century ago, but actually goes back into the late 1800s.
They are planning on a big grand re-Opening Day celebration on Saturday, July 12. More details to come.
Finally, you can help Christ Presbyterian re-open its church hall. You can give $20 to donate a new chair or $80 for a table to help make new what was destroyed by Sandy. Check your mailbox for a recent flyer and more info. More details to follow next week.
Got BC news? Send it to workingstories@aol.com.
Thanks for reading!

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