High Tide
Happy Rockaway St. Patrick’s Day to all! Get your green ready! The Rockaway St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place this Saturday, March 1, at 1 p.m., with celebrations continuing throughout the peninsula. It’s always a fantastic day in Rockaway! A big thank you to everyone who makes it happen, and congratulations to this year’s honorees!
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Advertiser Alert! As you may know, Rockaway’s St. Patrick’s Day also marks the unofficial start of spring around these parts, regardless of what the thermometers and the weather people say. With the thought of warmer weather also comes The Rockaway Times Summer & Community Guide! Back by popular demand, The Summer Guide, which has been a hit year after year, will be returning for its 11th year! Time is flying by, so start planning your Summer Guide ad now!
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Congratulations to the 5th and 6th grade girls’ basketball teams from St. Francis de Sales, who both won their Diocesan Championship last weekend. Great job, girls and coaches.
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A new sign has gone up at the vacant warehouse next to Madelaine Chocolate’s building on Beach Channel Drive, announcing the arrival of Rockaway Beach Pickleball! The facility will feature indoor pickleball courts, golf and more and it is all coming in the next two to three months. Local families are bringing it all together. It’s exciting to see new investments in Rockaway — we can’t wait to check it out!
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There’s still time to become an NYC lifeguard! Each summer, NYC Parks faces a critical shortage of lifeguards, putting Rockaway’s beaches at risk. So far, about 420 candidates have passed the initial qualifying test — an improvement from last year but still far short of the 1,400 lifeguards needed to fully staff city beaches. The first step to becoming a lifeguard is passing the qualifying test: candidates must swim 50 yards in 50 seconds. The final test will be held at Far Rockaway High School on March 12. To learn more or to sign up, visit: https://www.nycgovparks.org/reg/life-guard-test
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The Rockaway Times 2024 Photo Contest opened two weeks ago, and the submissions have been coming in hot. The photos are looking great so far! But keep them coming. And be sure to follow the rules ladies and gentlemen! Remember, submit contest photos to Contest@Rockawaytimes.com only. And only submit up to four entries! Have a few extra? Submit them to our weekly Local Color pages by sending those photos to Mail@Rockawaytimes.com
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RISE (Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity) is running a raffle to help support some of their great local programs. For just $100, you could win prizes from Vino By the Sea, Skudin Surf, Kennedy’s, or JetBlue — all while supporting RISE’s youth programs: Shore Corps, Living Classroom, and Environmentor. The drawing will take place on April 11 at 10 a.m. For tickets, visit: riserockaway.org and click on “Events.”
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On Friday, March 7, EHS/St. John’s will host an Empowering Men’s Minds panel discussion at the Queens Community Justice Center (1027 Beach 20th Street) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Experts will discuss key mental health issues affecting men in our community. To register, visit: https://forms.gle/pZxQfeXDsgd22ies6.
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