You are reading

Event Showcasing Astoria’s Greatest ‘Characters’ Planned for Next Month

Aug. 24, 2018 By Tara Law

A free event showcasing the talents of some of Astoria’s most gifted and interesting people will take place on Sept. 23 at the Variety Boys and Girls Club.

The second annual event, “Astoria Characters Day,” was inspired by a weekly column that journalist Nancy Ruhling publishes on AstoriaCharacters.com. 

The event will include a show featuring some of the 450 people Rubling has profiled over the last nine years, including a poet, a harpist and dancers. Attendees will be invited to meet and socialize with the “characters” and their other neighbors.

The event will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the club, located at 21-12 30th Rd. After the show, free lunch will be provided by Bareburger and Salt & Bone.

The event will feature eight performances, including an act by comic Ben Rosenfield and dance by the Long Island City Ballet and Broadway Dance Studio.

Other performers include Simona Radano, the “Italian Fairy,” a singer and dancer who performs for children in Italian, and Queens Poet Laureate Maria Lisella.

For more information, visit www.astoriacharacters.com.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.