Community Dune Preserve Planting

Saturday, September 23, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 62nd Street & the Boardwalk

Rockaway residents of all ages are encouraged to participate in this community planting to establish Rockaway Dune Preserve at Beach 62nd Street, as part of the "Greater Rockaway" Coastal Plan.

Please dress accordingly for outdoor conditions. Students seeking community service hours are encouraged to attend. This event will take place rain or shine! Registration is encouraged.

Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Rockaway Market Street @ Beach 60th

Saturday, September 23, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway, under the elevated A-train tracks

You asked for it, and now you've got it! Spend the first part of your Saturday at Rockaway Market Street @ Beach 60th. It is the second season for the only outdoor farmers market on the Rockaway peninsula. Brian Smith, will be the musical performer on September 23, 2023.

Art Workshop: Paper-cutting

Saturday, September 23, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway, under the elevated A-train tracks

Amelia Marzec will host a paper-cutting workshop during Rockaway Market Street @ Beach 60th. Marzec is an artist focused on rebuilding and engaging with local communications infrastructure to prepare for an uncertain future.

Paper-cutting is a Slavic form of decorative folk art common in eastern Europe, and we are excited to share this art form to the Rockaway community!

Registration is encouraged. This is a FREE event and open to ALL!

Special thanks to National Endowment for the Arts/Artworks, Radical Imagination for Racial Justice by Hester Street and Surdna Foundation, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund.

Chair Yoga

Tuesday, September 26, 10:30 am to 11:15 am
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692

Ruth Graves, certified yoga instructor, teaches a FREE chair yoga class on Tuesday mornings, 10:30 to 11:15, at RISE. Ruth has practiced all kinds of yoga (chair, mat, Shivananda) for more than twenty years. She studied with Lakshmi Voelker, worked at Rockaway YMCA, and even refined her skills at Shivananda in the Bahamas.

All are welcome--from beginners to seasoned practitioners!

Community Dune Planting

Saturday, September 30, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 62nd Street & the Boardwalk

Join RISE for a dune planting to help establish a natural protective buffer to protect the Rockaway community against flooding and storm surge.

This event is part of “Greater Rockaway" Community & Shoreline Enhancement Plan. People of all ages are welcome to participate. Students seeking community service hours are encouraged to attend. Dress accordingly for outdoor conditions. Registration is encouraged.

Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

A-Train Serpent Sculpture Unveiling

Saturday, September 30, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway

Join RISE for the unveiling of Zaq Landsberg's A-Train Serpent Sculpture! (The photo is only a rendition of the project, not a final.)

The A train is an integral part of the Rockaways, and waiting on the platform for that glowing blue “A” is a unifying experience for all residents. This project takes a universally recognized object and twists it, to put it in a new context.

Landsberg is a New York City-based artist, who specializes in site-specific, large scale sculptures.

Special thanks to National Endowment for the Arts/Artworks, Radical Imagination for Racial Justice by Hester Street and Surdna Foundation, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund.

Art Workshop: Buena Onda Collective

Saturday, September 30, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway, under the elevated A-train tracks

Oneiromancy, divination through dreams, is an installation and animated augmented reality community world-building experience that transforms a multiblock path beneath the A train in Far Rockway (Queens), New York.

The first of a three-workshop series, Buena Onda Collective will teach residents and visitors, alike, how to build 3D models that explore their personal histories, dreams, and ecological
relationships to the Rockaways.

Registration is encouraged. This is a FREE event and open to ALL! 

Special thanks to National Endowment for the Arts/Artworks, Radical Imagination for Racial Justice by Hester Street and Surdna Foundation, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund. 

Daffodil Giveaway

Saturday, October 7, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692

It's almost planting time! Don’t miss out on New Yorkers for Parks 2023 Daffodil Project, a citywide living memorial, stewardship opportunity, and catalyst for transformative investment in our beloved parks and open spaces.

A living memorial to the victims of 9/11 and the largest civic effort in city history, the Daffodil Project gives out bulbs for free to plant in public spaces across all five boroughs. RISE will be hosting one of the Queens distribution sites.

Click here to reserve your free daffodil bulbs!

This event is hosted rain or shine. Bulb supplies will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Foraging Tour with "Wildman" Steve Brill

Saturday, October 7, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692

"Wildman" Steve Brill will lead a session on plant identification, the natural habitat of the Rockaways, and all the best wild foods of the seashore.

The sandy soil limits tree and grass growth, but it benefits other species that can take advantage of the sun and nutrient-poor soil. Wild greens and dozens of species thrive here.

This event is FREE and will happen rain or shine. If the weather is bad, we will move indoors. Registration is required.

Art Workshop: Printmaking

Saturday, October 14, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway, under the elevated A-train tracks

Kevin Sudeith will host a printmaking workshop during Rockaway Market Street @ Beach 60th. Sudeith infuses petroglyphs, an ancient art form of stone carving, with contemporary life.

We are excited to welcome Kevin back to the Rockaways! The photo depicts his petroglyph work from last year, and the boulder sits by the entrance of the Beach 60th Street subway stop.

Registration is encouraged. This is a FREE event and open to ALL!

Special thanks to National Endowment for the Arts/Artworks, Radical Imagination for Racial Justice by Hester Street and Surdna Foundation, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Development Fund.

10th Annual Hip-Hop Halloween & Harvest Celebration

Saturday, October 14, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692

Join RISE for the 10th Annual Hip-Hop Halloween & Harvest Celebration, as we celebrate with family and friends in Rockaway Hip-Hop Community Garden. Come and take part in decorating pumpkins, face painting, music, dancing, festive food, and more!

This event is FREE and open to all!

Sandy Anniversary Planting

Saturday, October 21, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 62nd Street & the Boardwalk

For the eleventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, RISE is bringing people of all ages together to care for our shoreline and create a natural protective barrier for the Rockaway community.

As we learned from the hurricane, the natural vegetation and dunes that exist off our shores serve as a buffer to the homes and businesses in the area. Many of these dunes are compromised by storms and shoreline erosion, and they need to be cared for to be effective.

Families, friends, and neighbors are welcome to participate in this dune planting and restoration project. Students can receive community service hours. This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged, in case of changes on the day.

Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

RISE Thanksgiving Feast

Saturday, November 18, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692

RISE is hosting a special Thanksgiving meal to give thanks and to celebrate our amazing community of family, friends, and neighbors. This FREE sit-down meal is for attendees who register in advance (no more than three per household).

The meal includes all the Thanksgiving favorites, prepared by local Rockaway partners:

• Cuisine by Claudette
• La Cevicheria
• Rockaway Tiki Bar
• Batesy's BBQ
• Rockaway Beach Bakery
• Cassey's Cookies & Cobblers