High Tide

Summer 2025 is officially here! Memorial Day weekend got off to a shaky start weather-wise, but Monday turned out to be a perfect day for parades and family barbecues. We couldn’t have asked for better.

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While Memorial Day weekend has become the unofficial start of summer, it’s important to remember what the day truly honors — those who gave their lives fighting for our freedom. Crowds lined Rockaway Beach Boulevard for the Rockaway parade, and there were plenty of onlookers in Breezy Point and Broad Channel for their local parades as well.

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Back in May 2024, the Seaside Library announced a 12-month closure for HVAC replacement. Well, here we are a year later, and The Rockaway Times has learned from the Queens Public Library that the project — handled by NYC’s Department of Design and Construction — is far from finished. Completion is now expected sometime this fall. After that, QPL says it will need about four more weeks to prepare the branch for reopening. This better be one incredible HVAC system!

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We’ve learned that St. Camillus Church is set to close later this year due to declining Mass attendance. This sad news comes six years after the Diocese of Brooklyn closed St. Camillus’ school in 2019.

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Over the weekend, many visited St. Francis de Sales Church to “meet” Pope Leo XIV — and grab a photo. Sure, it was only a cardboard cutout, but we saw tons of great snapshots on social media featuring folks “with the Pope.”

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Rockaway is buzzing these days! With so much happening around town, you might be wondering how to keep track of it all. Easy — just use your 2025 Rockaway Times Summer and Community Guide! Haven’t gotten yours yet? Don’t worry — it’s now available on our website and was sent out to our email list last week. More copies will be dropped off at all the usual bulk paper locations over the next few weeks. If they run out (this is the hottest ticket in town), stop by our office for a copy. And please, support our amazing advertisers — we couldn’t offer our FREE weekly paper or our FREE 2025 Summer Guide without them.

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With the short-lived bike ban on the boardwalk now lifted, cyclists returned in full force last weekend. Reinstating a solution from several years ago, the Parks Department has posted signs before and after each concession area, asking riders to dismount and walk through these high-traffic zones. Parks Enforcement Patrol has been helping to enforce it. Fortunately, most seemed willing to comply with the simple request.

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This Sunday, June 1, from noon to 6 p.m., the Beach 116 Merchants Association will host a Summer Kickoff — a day full of food, drinks, shopping, and sunshine on Beach 116th Street.

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Next weekend is the Annual Rockaway Beach and Breezy Point Irish Festival, hosted by AOH Division 21. Join the fun on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Camillus Church (Beach 100th St. and Shore Front Parkway). Admission is $15 per day for adults, and children under 12 are free. For more information, check out their ad on page 3 or visit www.IrishFest21.com

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The 45th Annual Buckley’s to Kennedy’s 5K Charity Run will be held on Sunday, June 8. Register at www.heartshare.org/event/buckleysrun

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The new apartment buildings on the east side of Beach 116th Street are starting to take shape. For those wondering whether they’re condos or rentals, you can find the answer at www.148beach.com

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Heads up! Broad Channel’s 20mph speed reduction zone is now in effect. Rockaway Freeway from the Mobil Station to Beach 108th also now has 15mph signs.