It’s no secret that Queens has the best trick-or-treating in New York City. But it’s worth nothing that the borough finds other fantastic ways to celebrate Halloween and the fun continues afterward with plays, movies, lectures, art and music. Here’s the rundown.
(New York, NY) Oct. 31, Halloween Re-Mixed, 4 pm to 7 pm. Celebrate Día de los Muertos, Halloween and All Saints Day with hands-on, festive fun for all ages. Wear a costume and enjoy mask making, All Saints Day medallions, Mexican sugar skulls and ghost stories. Free. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, www.flushingtownhall.org.
Nov. 1, Mexican Surrealist Art Show, 6 pm to 9 pm (and Nov. 2, 2 pm to 9 pm). Puebla native Carlos Amador (aka Honexl) displays his murals about culture and history. Free. Gear Art Gallery, 61-08 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, 718-386-2812.
Nov. 1, RW Haunted Halloween Concert and Party, 9 pm.Live performances by Taylor Dayne and Exposé. Come ready for a costume contest, prize giveaways and pleasant surprises. $20. Resorts World Casino NYC, 100-00 Rockaway Blvd., South Jamaica www.rwnewyork.com.
Nov. 2, Dead or Alive, 1 pm to 6 pm (and Nov. 3, same time). Pumpkin chucking, live wolves and bats and Frankenstein-like projections are part of the fun at this two-weekend celebration of Halloween and Día de los Muertos. $8 child/$11 adult. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Corona, www.nysci.org.
Nov. 2, Guys and Dolls, 8 pm (and Nov. 3, 3 pm). Watch a tremendous production by an amateur group whose mission is to present high-quality theater with an intergenerational, all-inclusive cast. $18-$20. Community Theatre Group of Bay Terrace Jewish Center, 13-00 209th St., Bayside, www.theatrebythebayny.com.
Nov. 2, Ceiling Zero, 2 pm, El Dorado, 4:30 pm. The Museum of the Moving Image is hosting a 39-feature retrospective on quintessential Hollywood director Howard Hawks. In one of his strongest roles, James Cagney plays Dizzy Davis, an experienced but irresponsible aviator whose sex drive gets him into trouble when he falls for a younger pilot’s girlfriend (June Travis). MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
Nov. 3, Barbary Coast, 2 pm, The Road to Glory, 5 pm. The Museum of the Moving Image is hosting a 39-feature retrospective on quintessential Hollywood director Howard Hawks. In Barbary Coast, Mary Rutledge (Miriam Hopkins) goes to work at the roulette wheel of a rowdy gambling house, hoping to marry rich. The casino’s powerful, corrupt boss (Edward G. Robinson) tries to win her by making her a star performer. The Road to Glory is a story of trench life during World War I through the lives of a French regiment. As men are killed and replaced, jaunty Lieutenant Denet (Fredric March) becomes more and more somber. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
Nov. 3, 19th Century Guidebooks, 2 pm. New York City described in 19-century guidebooks is a place of extremes: intimidating yet inspiring, bustling yet relaxing. Join Rebecca Mir in learning more about urban tourism and the books that recorded and influenced perceptions of the city, and how they shaped the city we know today. Mir will bring examples from her collection. $5 suggested donation. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing, www.vomuseum.org.
Nov. 4, Philip Roth’s Controversial Career Discussed by Biographer, 1:30 pm. In 1962, Philip Roth faced vitriolic anger from the Jewish community after publishing Portnoy’s Complaint. Since then, Roth has written some of the most inventive novels in American literature. New Yorker writer Claudia Roth Pierpont will speak about her new biography of Roth. Pierpont, who knows Roth personally, will delve into his work and controversies, adding anecdotes about his family and friends, inspirations and friendships. $7 suggested donation. Central Queens Y, 67-09 108th St. Forest Hills, www.cqy.org.
Nov. 5, Deconstructed Flowers Art Show Opening. H. David Stein’s unique mosaic of flora is distinctively detailed in this exhibit, a series of intricate photographs that pull out the detailed beauty of flowers, using a special technique that layers several photographs into a single picture for a view of amazing depth. Free with admission, and on display until Jan. 25, 2014, Tues. to Sat., 8 am to 4 pm. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
Nov. 5, The Work of Philip Roth, 7 pm. Over the past 50 years, Roth has won a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award and a National Book Critics Circle Award. Queens College will host a discussion on this author’s career led by writers, educators and critics, including Claudia Roth Pierpont, author of a biography on Roth. $20. LeFrak Concert Hall, Reeves Avenue, Flushing, www.qcreadings.org.
Nov. 6, Monthly Jazz Clinic, 5 pm to 7 pm. Open to professional jazz musicians, graduate students studying jazz, music educators and the general public. Meet new contacts, hone your chops, jam or simply listen. House band and jam session led by Queens Jazz OverGround. $10/Free for musicians. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, 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. More info at www.itsinqueens.com.
