High Tide
Holy blizzard. Last week, Rockaway went from a very quiet winter break—with schools closed and many families away—to ending the week with a blizzard that seemed to come out of nowhere and shut down the city on Monday. We’re not sure of the exact total here on the peninsula, but it looked close to two feet in some places. Whatever the final number, we got a lot of snow. Hopefully, with warmer temperatures ahead, it won’t linger the way January’s snow did.
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With the storm came power outages, and many residents woke up Monday morning cold and in the dark. Power was restored for some of the “lucky ones” by late morning, but for others, outages lasted most of the day or remained sporadic throughout.
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On the bright side—for kids and teachers—it meant a snow day on Monday! But many were less than thrilled that NYC public schools reopened Tuesday, especially after officials warned people to stay off the roads while still expecting students and staff to make their way to school.
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Looking ahead, we really need this snow to melt before next Saturday, March 7—Rockaway St. Patrick’s Day! Get your green ready. It’s always a great day and a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. Fingers crossed!
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Artist Patrick Clark’s Richard Mott House, which we featured in our January 22 issue for making the New York State Register of Historic Places, has officially been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of February 11. Now, Clark is putting his full focus on fundraising and restoring his 9/11 Mosaic in Tribute Park ahead of the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. With that includes several fundraising events, including one at the Richard Mott House on June 6, a ticketed event open to 45 guests. For more info, see the ad on page 3.
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Perfect Piece of the Puzzle, Inc. and Frenchy Cutz are teaming up to offer free haircuts for neurodivergent individuals on Mondays starting in March. Those with sensory issues or developmental disabilities can benefit from this opportunity to get a haircut with this safe, accommodating, enjoyable experience. To make an appointment, head to https://tinyurl.com/FreeHaircutsPPoP
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The next meeting of the Rockaway Beach Civic Association will be held Thursday, March 5, at 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus (333 Beach 90th Street). This week’s guest speaker will be Queens Borough Planner Emanuel Evans from the NYC Department of Transportation. There will also be updates from the NYPD 100th Precinct and elected officials and/or their representatives.
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The Olympics have officially concluded—and what a finish it was! Both the U.S. women’s and men’s hockey teams defeated Canada to take home gold. It made for an especially great Sunday morning (before the storm) watching the men’s game. The emotion was palpable. Goal scorer Jack Hughes, in his post-game interview, humbly credited his teammates and goalie while expressing his love for his country—a true class act. The entire team represented the USA proudly. We were all hockey fans—and proud Americans—that day.
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Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Maureen Hayes, Assistant Principal of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Academy. We are all praying for her continued healing.
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The 2026 Rockaway Times Photo Contest opened last week, and submissions have already been coming in hot. Keep them coming! To be eligible, photos must be emailed to Contest@RockawayTimes.com. We will continue to run our regular Local Color pages, but those photos should be sent to Mail@RockawayTimes.com. We look forward to reviewing your submissions. For more details, see page
