Beachcomber

Dueling politicians? We see Phil Goldfeder issue a press release about having a forum with the Arverne East developers and about 15 minutes later Donovan Richards announced on Facebook that he’s holding one. Hmmm….

Investigators are still looking into the cause of a fire that engulfed three ambulances atFirst Response Ambulance off Sheridan Boulevard in Inwood. Initial reports said an electrical fire in one of the ambulances was the reason.

The heavy, heavy rain on April 30th caused some flooding in Rockaway but parts ofHoward Beach really got socked.

Fore! A new indoor virtual golf entertainment center (and bar) will be opening at 219 Beach 101 Street this summer. Steve and Christian Stathis who helped Rockaway Beach become one of the hot spots in the city with Boarders surf shop, are launching this new venture. Of course, Boarders will stay.

The amazing Klaus Biesenbach of MoMA who brought the VW PS1 Dome to Rockaway Beach last year is working with NPS and the Rockaway Artists Alliance to bring something special to Fort Tilden this summer. Klaus and another equally amazing local, Patti Smith, are doing their part in making the Rockaway renaissance real. Stay tuned.

If you missed it in his column last week, Kevin Boyle announced that he’ll be leaving The Wave. This is his last edition as editor. A new editor will be named shortly. And just for the record, upon his return to The Wave after Sandy, he wrote Boyleing Points, many front page stories, every editorial (well, not the backslapping one in this week’s paper) and every Beachcomber (including this item!) Oh, and he ran Twitter and the Facebook page.

We deserve no credit but we like it when our predictions come true. In December we said about the first Taste of Rockaway, the sample tour of Rockaway Beach eateries: “We hope there will be another in the spring. In fact, we’re convinced this will become a great tradition that will draw crowds from all over.” Well, Sunday was a HUGE hit with lines outside many of the places. Hats off to all the places which were so welcoming and generous.

And speaking of things we hope continue, BattleRock, the Muay Thai fight night at Beach Channel on Saturday was a great event which drew hundreds of people. The CROM folks, Chris and Sarah Romulo, do great things to make the sport fun and available. They’ve put on daytime exhibitions at the beach concessions and run a very popular gym on Beach 92nd Street.

Remember the boatel? For a couple of summers, an artist tied some abandoned boats together and ran bare bones overnight accommodations at the Beach 59th Street Marina. The boatel got great press and sold out most nights. Now, comes truck-a-float, a floating pod. Or four pods. The accommodations are available for rent this summer. You can find out more on their Facebook page.

Lock your cars and don’t leave valuables (including loose change) in view. Car break-ins are happening (bike thefts too) on the West End. Report incidents to the 100th Precinct. The police need to hear if there’s an uptick in criminal activity.

Services for the UnderServed (SUS) reopened Beach 85th Street, a 71-unit affordable housing residence with support services for individuals with mental illness a year and a half since being damaged by Sandy. The site is the old Rockaway Hospital. The public relations firm for this outfit, Group Gordon, also handles communications for Ron Moelis who heads up the Arverne East development. We wonder if this PR firm will be busy with affordable housing announcements. Michele Titus, the assemblywoman we could never find in the months after Sandy, called The Wave to say she was in Rockaway every day. And then she defended her record saying she has a 100 percent attendance in Albany assembly sessions. Uh, which is it, Michele? You were either here or in Albany.

The 34th Annual Buckley’s- Kennedy’s 5K Charity Run and Family Fun Day Picnic will take place on Sunday, May 18. The run starts, rain or shine, at 10 a.m.

Caracas, on the boardwalk (did we say boardwalk? well you know what we mean) at Beach 106th Street will be opening Friday, May 17. Music lovers and beach revelers can’t wait!

The Irish Circle will be closing its doors once and for all on Sunday. The famous Rockaway landmark, operating since 1940, couldn’t weather various storms surrounding partnerships, bartenders, Mother Nature (Sandy) and Off- Track Betting. Big crowds are expected this weekend.

Quick question: who’s the Lieutenant Governor of New York? Ok, times up. Did you guess Bob Duffy? Don’t commit the name to memory, he just announced he won’t be running for reelection.

Happy Mother’s Day.