Darkness falls across the land…
And the Open Street hour is close at hand.
Just kidding — we’ll save the ‘Thriller’ lyrics for the dancefloor.
But in all seriousness: we’re thrilled by how many Astorians came out to celebrate our Trick-or-Streets pop-up on 32nd Street between 30th and Newtown Avenue last Friday. Local kids painted a total of 91 (!) pumpkins donated by our dear friends at United Brothers Fruit Market. And it was great to have our elected officials and local business owners in conversation about the future of public space here. We think that street would be a great contender for something bolder :) (We’ll have more to say there soon!)
In the meantime: if you missed out on the Halloween fun, don’t worry—the next Trick-or-Streets programming will be on the Open Street on Saturday, October 31st (the big day!). And we’ve got lots planned, which we’ll be teasing all of next week.
The Clips
Improving Rust Street would make getting to Ridgewood far easier. (Streetsblog)
Ooooooooh, new bus countdown clockssssssss. (NYC.gov)
We were there at the corner of Astoria Park to celebrate the 600th red light camera installed this year in the city. Thank you to Assembly Member Diana Moreno for the shout-out of the Open Street’s advocacy on safer streets, and to NYCDOT for the record-breaking work. (ABC7)
Weekend Plans
SATURDAY
NYCPS Adult Education School 2 Registration & Information Event: 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Western Queens Food Co-op: Buying Club distribution: 12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Indivisible Western Queens: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
West Coast Swing - Astoria Open Street BYOT Dancing!: 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
STARS Rehabilitation Astoria: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Tabletop Games with Queens Familiar: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Astoria Cyclists Gear Swap & Hang-out: 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
SUNDAY
CM Caban Participatory Budgeting Idea Collection: 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Astoria Farmers Market: 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Turath: 12:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Indivisible Western Queens: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Rate4B: Know Before You Rent-Community Game: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Astoria Reading Party: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
For more information and the most up to date schedule, including with weather cancellations, see our events page.
Special Events
Upcoming Markets
If you’re interested in selling on the Open Street, read our FAQs first here to learn more.
We’ll have the (very stacked!) November markets calendar next week!
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.
Every bit helps and we appreciate your support in making 31st Ave a better place for all! Thank you!
Join Your Neighbors!
All are welcome and no prior experience is required
Drop by 31OS this weekend to talk with the 31OS crew to learn more about Setup, Tabling, or Breakdown shifts along with all the other ways people get involved!
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.
Signing up is also not required! Dropping by the volunteer table anytime is the best way to find out what is happening.
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
Want to stay in touch with 31OS and your neighbors even when the Open Street isn’t active?
Send us an email! Address is available on our homepage, 31OS.org
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.
