Last week, Hurricane Sandy whacked The Noguchi Museum, located near the East River in Long Island City. Nevertheless, Director Jenny Dixon has just informed that staffers and volunteers – small in number, but huge in spirit – are working as hard as possible so Noguchi can re-open to the general public on Nov. 10. The Queens Tourism Council is profoundly aware that many residents, businesses and cultural organizations are still reeling from storm. In fact, QTC members spent three days aiding relief efforts last week. QTC will continue to provide assistance to those in need, but there is also time celebrate the borough’s resilience and enjoy some fantastic upcoming events. Noguchi and many other agencies have made great efforts to provide programming and make sure that the show goes on, and they deserve attendance.
- Nov. 8, Alexandre Dumas, 10 am. Marcus Chong gives life to the Renaissance man who wrote the Three Musketeers in this play. $30/$10 schools. Black Spectrum Theatre, 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard in Roy Wilkins Park, Jamaica, 718.723.1800. Additional shows: Nov. 9, 10 am and 8 pm; Nov. 10, 8 pm; Nov. 11, 4 pm, www.blackspectrum.com.
- Nov. 9, Colombia de Fiesta, 8 pm. Watch an uplifting journey through Colombia’s favorite music and dance traditions with Mestizo Dance Company and Harold Gutierrez his Band. Shows will run until Dec. 9, Fridays Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 4 pm. $30/$25 with group rates. Thalia Spanish Theater, 41-17 Greenpoint Ave., Sunnyside, 718.729.3880, www.thaliatheatre.org.
- Nov. 9, Homesick Hound Dogs, 9 pm. A night with an alternative country/Americana band. A Californian banjo player, a songwriter/guitarist from North Carolina, a mandolin player from Vermont and a Texan on harmonica play high-energy original songs about love, whiskey and other things that make life awkward and wonderful. The Queens Kickshaw, 40-17 Broadway, Long Island City, 718.777.0913, www.thequeenskickshaw.com.
- Nov. 9, Trumpeter Eddie Allen, 7 pm. Eddie Allen plays everything from Jazz to RB to Pop to Latin to Symphonic to Broadway. He’s currently leading a quartet, a quintet, a Latin/Brazilian project and a large ensemble which brings together acoustic and electric/electronic instruments. He also leads a big band which plays his compositions and the music of Jazz greats. $20/$10 for students and seniors. York Performing Arts Center, 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Jamaica, 718-262-8240, www.york.cuny.edu/centers-institutes/performing-arts/performing-arts-center.
- Nov. 9 10, Eighteenth-Century Tavern Nights, 8 pm. Enjoy an 18th-Century dinner prepared on an open hearth with recipes from the 1770s and served on period tableware. Reservations required. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Glen Oaks, 718.347.3276, www.queensfarm.org.
- Nov. 10, The Grand Diwali Motorcade Cultural Show, 3 pm. Known as “The Festival of Lights,” Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Hindus and some Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains observe the holiday. At the Arya Spiritual Center Grounds, 104-20 133rd St. in Richmond Hill, the program begins at 3pm with the annual Hawan dedicated to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of light. At 4:30 pm, vehicles in the motorcade line up on Liberty Avenue and 133rd street. The motorcade begins at roughly 5:30 pm. Free.
- Nov. 10, From Morocco to Veracruz, Root Branches of Latin Music, 7 pm. Follow the migration of Latin music around the globe with extraordinary performers and an open dance floor. On tap: Layali El Andalus, one of the leading exponents of Moroccan, Andalusian, Arab and Jewish Sephardic music; stunning Spanish songstress Lara Bello, a new voice from Granada who echoes Spain’s Islamic Past; and the Mexican Roots ensemble Jarana Beat, which combines elements of Mexico’s African and Amerindian traditions with other Latin American rhythms. $20/$15 members and students with I.D. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, 718.463.7700, www.flushingtownhall.org.
- Nov. 10, Tribute to Bangladeshi writer Humayun Ahmed, 2 pm. Humayun Ahmed wrote about his country in simple, unostentatious language and with spellbinding intimacy. He won many prestigious awards, and his novels have been adapted successfully for television, movies and theater. This program will include discussions about the author’s life, a documentary, dance, musical interpretations and drama. Free. Queens Library Central Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, www.queenslibrary.org.
- Nov. 10, Garden Book Talk, 2 pm. Rosemary Verey was a world-renown English gardener who advised notables like Prince Charles and Elton John and lectured throughout the U.S. Author Barbara Paul Robinson, who worked alongside Verey, will share insights into the life of this horticulture icon. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, 718.886.3800, www.queensbotanical.org.
- Nov. 10, Native American Storytelling Workshop, 2 pm. Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with Taino and Puerto Rican storyteller and poet Bobby Gonzalez, who will share stories that celebrate his indigenous heritage, hope, pride and love of diversity. Participants will be invited to create stories drawing from their own personal heritage. $5/free for members. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., 718.463.7700, www.flushingtownhall.org.
- Nov. 10, Noguchi re-opens to public, 11 am. After devastation from the storm, the museum opens with its first artist-in-residence weekend, featuring Paul Discoe, a San Francisco-based Japanese Master Builder and Zen Buddhist teacher. Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd., Long Island City, 718.204.7088, www.noguchi.org.
- Nov. 10, Explore Your Inner Zen, 6:30 pm. First, a lecture on Zen practice by Zuiho Matthew Perez, the resident monk at New York Zendo Shobo-ji and a student of the Urasenke Way of Tea. Then, a Zen-inspired art/music/dance performance by Kawaguchi KenYa, a Japanese shakuhachi musician from Hiroshima; Michiru Inoue, a Tokyo born Japanese Butoh dancer; Bomb Sun, a Japan native who plays upright bass and creates original musical compositions; and Ayakoh Furukawa, a Japanese multi-media artist, well-trained calligrapher and Sumi-e instructor. $5. Resobox Gallery, 41-26 27th St., Long Island City, 718.784.3680, resobox.com.
- Nov. 12, Lecture on Cairo’s Lost Jewish Community, 1:30 pm. Lucette Lagnado, a writer and investigative reporter for the Wall Street Journal, will speak about her new book, The Arrogant Years. Coming of age in Cairo’s dusty alleyways and grand villas inhabited by pashas, Lagnado’s mother, Edith, later witnessed radical changes in Egypt. A city that had once been exotic and cosmopolitan, host to a Jewish community for over 1,000 years, turned hostile. Forced to flee, Edith and her family went to America, where they struggled as strangers in a strange land. Lagnado’s book focuses on the intertwined stories of two generations of women, finding their way from the Old World to the New. Suggested donation: $6, refreshments will be served. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St., Forest Hills, 718.268.5011. www.cqy.org.
- Nov. 13, Race: The Power of an Illusion, Part I, 7 pm. Based on the PBS documentary, this is the first in a three-part screening and discussion on “Race: the Power of an Illusion.” This facilitated discussion will be an open dialogue about identity, race and cultural differences. $5/free for members. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., 718.463.7700, www.flushingtownhall.org.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions.
