Beachcomber

The Q114 was inaugurated on Aug. 31. Anyone who remembers bouncing around fromFar Rockaway to Jamaica on the Q113 may appreciate the new limited bus line. Councilman Donovan noted that the original Q113 route had 77 stops toward Jamaica and 67 towards Far Rockaway. The new Q114 has 50 stops to Jamaica and 44 to Far Rockaway, skipping a total of 27 stops to Jamaica and 23 to Far Rockaway, cutting the commute time in half.

Best idea heard yet for storm resilience: Replenish the shoreline with clumping kitty litter. When the next storm surge comes ashore it will be instantly absorbed. Then it can be scooped up and thrown away. Take that, superstorm whatever!

Speaking of Fall Festivals, the Rockaway Beach Merchants Association is also planning one of its own, more details will be available shortly, but there will be food, pumpkin painting, martial arts demonstrations by CROM MT, live music and more. Oct.18 is the date, so check out www.rockawaybeachmerchants.org in the coming days.

The Beach 116th Street Partnership is throwing a festival. The Beach 116 Fall Fest will feature live music from local bands, a beer garden, local artists and more from noon to 6 on Sunday, October 5. As the say, “Beach 116th Street is back and we’re having a party!”

Two years in the making, but Broad Channel is getting a majority of its streets, damaged by Hurricane Sandy, milled down to the ground and repaved. Councilman Eric Ulrich, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, Dan Mundy Jr. and the Broad Channel Civic Association can rightly take credit for pushing to get this done.

A Rockaway chain variety store features interesting “As Seen On TV” products as the Potato Express, HD Vision Visor and the Bright Eyes Panda Bear Blanket (“The eyes glow in the dark!”), and Bullseye Wee Wee Pads. Dogs, the box claims, will wee wee in the center. One woman asked if they could make such a product for adult men.

The recent tragic suicide at the Dayton Beach Park apartments points out the silent difficulties many people face. “Look into my Heart and Mind, tell me what you see” is the theme of a suicide awareness and prevention tour that is holding events all over Queens.The next is a community luncheon at Seaside Library on Monday, September 29, from 11 to 1.

Check the cold beverage case of one Rockaway Beach deli and you will find cans of Red Bull, Monster energy drink and Ensure.

With October comes the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. As we approach the distance of two years from the event that shook our communities down to our roots, how will we consider where, win or lose, Rockaway is today? And how will we look at the road we have all traveled to get there?

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.” -Helen Keller

Late last week after much preparation, including blocking off streets, police escorts and a crane, the comfort stations — which were stored across from Scholars’ Academy – were finally moved. The modular trailers were then permanently mounted on piles on the beach at Beach 67th Street. Strangely enough, there were no marching bands present or crowds of Rockawayites throwing their hats up in the air.

Leading computer scientists and cyber engineers have concluded that yes, you cannot assume it is true because you read on the web or somebody posted it on Facebook.

Visitors were intrigued by Elegante Pizzeria’s advertisement tagline: “We deliver to the beach.” You can’t find that everywhere!

The St. Francis de Sales Quilters will have their annual blessing of the quilts on Sunday October 5 at the 10:30 Mass. Raffles for three baby quilts will be sold after the mass in the small hall. Raffles will also be sold at the street fair on Beach 116th Street during the day. Winners will be announced at 4 o’clock from the stage across from the firehouse.

If you’ve picked up a coffee at your neighborhood deli recently, you may have noticed the advertisement on the cup: “Sponsored by the City’s Office of Emergency Management.” In the ad, it shows a set of bright colored concentric circles against the backdrop of gray crashing waves. “Know Your Zone” it says, referring to NYC’s six hurricane evacuation zones. Visit NYC.gov/knowyourzone or call 311 the ad advises. And definitely get that coffee to go!

One wonders if the repaving of Rockaway Beach Boulevard will ever be finished, or if the broken sidewalks east of Beach 90th Street will ever be made whole again. Then again, if you put blanks in the previous sentence, many folks in Rockaway have their own projects that need to be finished and homes to be made whole again.

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