High Tide

Next Monday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day! Like many great things in Rockaway, we love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day twice. So, enjoy the corned beef once more and another round of Guinness. And congratulations to Rockaway’s very own Mike Benn, who will be leading the NYC parade as grand marshal. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Sláinte!
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Daylight Saving Time may wreak havoc on the body’s routine but there is no denying how nice it is to have an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day.
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Calling all advertisers! I repeat, calling all advertisers! Start thinking about your ad for The Rockaway Times Summer & Community Guide, the one can’t-miss publication of the year. Our annual summer magazine comes out the Thursday before Memorial Day. Advertising deadlines will be in early May. Thank you for your continued support and participation!
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Tickets are still available for the Rockaway Special Olympics 50/50 raffle. Tickets can be purchased at Rogers Pub, Kings Pharmacy and The Gift is Love. The final drawing will take place on Sunday, March 16 at Rogers. Help support one of Rockaway’s truly great organizations.
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Congratulations to Ryan Hyland of Breezy Point, Head Coach of the John Jay College Bloodhounds basketball team, who won the CUNYAC Basketball Championship by beating the Baruch Bearcats. They then went on to the first round of the NCAA Division 3 Basketball Tournament where, unfortunately, they lost to the Christopher Newport University Captains last Friday night. Congratulations to Ryan and the Bloodhounds on a great season.
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You don’t need to go to the Met or the Museum of Modern Art to see beautiful artwork in New York City — all you have to do is hop on the subway right here in Rockaway. The MTA’s Arts & Design program, which turns 40 this year, brings intricate pieces to stations across all five boroughs, including many on the Rockaway peninsula. With free shuttle service during the Rockaway Line service outage (and warmer weather finally making its way to the city), now’s a great time to view the art along the Rockaway Shuttle, including Duke Riley’s nautical-themed “Be Good or Be Gone” at Beach 98th Street and Ingo Fast’s “On and Off the Boardwalk,” a series of colorful illustrated panels at Beach 67th Street.
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Applications for the free #SummerRising summer camp opened last week. This free, full-day camp is open to NYC students in grades K-8. It includes fun, enriching activities and field trips, as well as free breakfast and lunch. Apply by March 28. Learn more at http://schools.nyc.gov/SummerRising
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NYC Parks & Recreation Queens Summer Camp 2025 lottery registration is also open. This camp program is a chance for children ages 6 to 13 to have a fun-filled summer! Activities include arts and crafts, field games, sports clinics, computer classes, STEAM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), cultural and educational trips, and nature exploration with the Urban Park Rangers. Lottery registration is open until Saturday, March 22. Camp Dates are July 7 to August 22. For more information and to register your child(ren) in the lottery, go to: https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/summer-camp
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The Rockaway Times 2025 Photo Contest submissions are rolling in, and the photos look fantastic so far! Keep them coming! For contest details, check out page 14. Remember to submit your contest entries — up to four per person — to Contest@Rockawaytimes.com. If you’re sending photos for our Local Color pages, please continue to submit them to Mail@Rockawaytimes.com.