Season 6 Week 17
Photo by Bobby Feltault
The work doesn’t stop…
We were devastated by the news this week of a car crash that killed three people on 19th Avenue and 42nd Street—two pedestrians and the driver himself. We’re still learning the details of what exactly happened, but needless to say: we cannot end traffic violence without safer streets. And we remain steadfast in our mission to make that happen.
Because if it saves lives, it’s worth doing.
Now, onto this weekend:
News Clips
We’re disappointed to hear a lawsuit from several businesses to cancel a life-saving redesign of 31st Street earned them a pause on the project. Especially because the work thus far looks so good! (Our petition is also almost 3,500 signatures strong.) (Streetsblog)
We love 40 more miles of greenway. (Gothamist)
Okay, the Hallets Point Waterfront Esplanade is actually great. (TimeOut)
Weekend Plans
SATURDAY
Astoria Cat Rescue: 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Indivisible Western Queens Tabling: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Rover Coffee Company presents Strolling Saturdays: An Open Streets Market: 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Plant Swap: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Jinjoo Yoo Trio x Rover Coffee: 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Chess on 31st Ave - Hosted by Astoria Chess Club: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Rover Coffee Company presents Strolling Saturdays: An Open Streets Market: 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Astoria Fiber Collective: 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
SUNDAY
Astoria Cat Rescue: 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Children’s Book Sale for Gaza: 12:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Labor Block Party - Hosted by DSA and Brandworkers: 12:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Indivisible Western Queens Tabling: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Astoria Food Pantry Tabling: 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Queens Families for Palestine - Tarot Table: 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM
For information on each event, peek our events page, which stays more updated than this newsletter.
Newsletter Survey Now Live!
Our subscriber list has grown quite a bit over the last year and is now over 1,000 people, which is amazing! But sending that many emails per week ain’t free and we are on a budget at 31OS so we are asking our subscribers for their opinions. What do you find the most valuable in these newsletters? What would you like to see more or less of? We appreciate all the feedback, and want to thank our whole community.
Upcoming Markets - August
If you’re interested in selling on the Open Street, read our FAQs first here and join our Markets WhatsApp group to get the latest news as markets are being planned.
8/16 - Rover Coffee Company presents Strolling Saturdays: An Open Streets Market
8/30 - 31OS Community Market + Vendors United
Join Your Neighbors!
Sign up for a setup, breakdown or tabling shift this weekend and join the 31OS crew!
All are welcome and no prior experience is required. The most help is needed 12pm-1pm and 7pm-8pm but shifts are available all day for anyone interested in keeping an eye on things, meeting neighbors, and talking with members of the community who may have questions.
For more info on the types of shifts, or to see what sign-ups are available, check out our Volunteer page.
If you want to help, but can’t make it to the street in person, there are lots of other tasks and projects we’re working on throughout the week. Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form to share what you like to do and we’ll reach out if we have something!
Stay Connected via WhatsApp
Want to stay in touch with 31OS and your neighbors even when the Open Street isn’t active? Use our invite link to join our WhatsApp Community today!
Share Your Feedback
We strive to make the Open Street a pleasant experience for all, so if you have any feedback that you’d like to share with the volunteers we’d love to hear it! Our Feedback form is available 24/7 for members of the community to send their thoughts directly to our team.
Support the Open Street
It takes a lot to run the 31st Ave Open Street, such as renting storage space, paying for insurance, or buying supplies like extra chairs, sidewalk chalk, and trash bags to keep our street clean.
We list a few of the materials that we are in frequent need of on our donation page. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we also take tax-deductible donations via our Givebutter campaign for those who would like to contribute financially. We also launched a campaign to fundraise for this summer’s Community Cookout series! One more movie and barbecue left, folks — let’s make them happen.
Every bit helps and we appreciate your support in making 31st Ave a better place for all! Thank you!
