You are reading

Awkwafina, Daymond John to Celebrate Queens Public Library’s 125th Anniversary Tuesday

Awkwafina, who was raised in Forest Hills, is one of four celebrities from the World’s borough who will appear at the Queens Public Library’s virtual gala Tuesday

March 7, 2021 By Christina Santucci

Some of the borough’s biggest names in entertainment will help celebrate the Queens Public Library’s 125th anniversary at a free virtual gala Tuesday.

Actor, writer and producer Awkwafina, who is known for her hit show “Nora from Queens,” will make an appearance alongside “Shark Tank” star and FUBU clothing founder Daymond John, acclaimed author Min Jin Lee and Hari Kondabolu, a comedian, writer and podcaster.

Lee wrote “Free Food for Millionaires” and “Pachinko,” a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist for fiction, and Kondabolu starred in the 2018 Netflix standup special, “Warn Your Relatives.”

The virtual gala is scheduled to take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. and is free to watch online.

The entertainers participating have Queens roots.

Awkwafina was raised in Forest Hills, Lee grew up in Elmhurst, John hails from Hollis and Kondabolu is a former resident of Jackson Heights and Floral Park.

The featured celebrities also recorded “Happy Birthday” messages to Queens Public Library (QPL), which dates back to 1896.

The library system began when residents from Long Island City, Steinway and Astoria were granted a charter to form the Long Island City Public Library, the borough’s first multi-branch library. The charter was written with wording to expand service throughout Queens, and the Queens Borough Public Library was later incorporated in 1907.

The annual event, which was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, typically serves as a fundraiser for the library system.

“For over a century, Queens Public Library has been dedicated to building resilience and unity in our communities, and we know our neighbors are counting on us now and for the years to come,” officials wrote on the event page.

To help celebrate the library’s 125th anniversary, QPL is also asking patrons to submit their memories of the branches over the years. Those photos and stories will be added to an online map of Queens library locations.

A screenshot of the Happy Birthday video posted by Queens Public Library 

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

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

Brooklyn man charged in viral Belt Parkway crash scheme captured on victim’s dashcam: DA

A Brooklyn man was criminally charged with staging a car crash on the Belt Parkway in Rosedale last month that was captured on the dashboard camera in the victim’s car and went viral on social media after it was posted on TikTok, where it was viewed by millions worldwide.

Maikel Martinez, 28, of 14th Avenue in Dyker Heights, was apprehended by law enforcement Thursday at JFK Airport after arriving back in Queens on a flight from Ecuador, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Friday.

SUV explosion rocks South Ozone Park street, damaging homes and vehicles on Friday morning: FDNY

A quiet residential street in South Ozone Park was rocked by a thunderous explosion on Friday morning after an SUV filled with dangerous construction materials detonated in front of 131-16 133 St. five blocks west of the Van Wyck Expressway.

The massive blast damaged five homes and brought down Con Edison power lines on the block and obliterated the vehicle that belonged to a plumber who lives there. No one was injured in the blast but several residents of the block were near the vehicle just before it exploded, officials said..

Rosedale man sentenced to life for brutal murder and dismemberment plot inspired by crime TV shows: Feds

A Rosedale man was sentenced in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday to life in prison for murdering and dismembering a woman to collect $200,000 in life insurance proceeds after watching episodes of “Dexter” and “The First 48” for tips on disposing of the victim’s body and covering up a violent crime.

Cory Martin, 37, was convicted by a federal jury in March following a two-week trial on all counts, including murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire conspiracy, and other related crimes.

Bishop Brennan leads All Souls Day Mass at Flushing’s Mount St. Mary Cemetery

Nov. 7, 2024 By QNS News Team

Bishop Robert Brennan, head of the Diocese of Brooklyn, led All Souls Day Mass on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing, drawing a congregation of 450 to honor their deceased loved ones. The event, organized by the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Catholic Cemeteries office, brought together members of the community in prayerful remembrance.