High Tide

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Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! We hope you have a nice, relaxing Sunday filled with hot dogs, cold beer, and good golf. Be sure to check out the photos we received on pages 18 & 19.

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And just like that the smoke has cleared. What truly peculiar times we live in…

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Are all four lanes on the Marine Parkway Bridge ever open? It sure does not seem like it. Every traverse, it seems that traffic is herded by cones, often protecting a completely empty lane, down to a solitary overcrowded lane.

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Meanwhile, across the other bridge, Adrienne’s opened its doors and we have been hearing nothing but outstanding reviews. From the food to the ambience, it appears Adrienne’s has it figured out. Good luck!

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We have a few new columns that you might have seen poppin’ up. Patrice Riordan McCann will be giving you the must-reads of the summer with her book reviews in Peninsula Pages and our newest addition, Kailey Aiken, will be breaking down the latest happenings as she sees it from atop the lifeguard chair in her new column. We are very excited to have both writing for us so please check them out!

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On Monday, June 19, we celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating emancipation of all slaves. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas and declared slaves free.  The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln, had freed slaves two years earlier but because it was during the Civil War, the confederate states did not honor the President’s order.

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Adaptive Surfing is back in Rockaway on Sunday, June 25, and although they are filled up with surfers ready to ride, they are still looking for additional volunteers to assist in the water. If you are interested in lending a hand and especially if you have some experience in the water, please reach out to keara.mcnair@rutgers.edu. For more information, please check out Keara’s write up on page 10.

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Not to jinx anything but it sounds as though good progress is being made on the uptown beach construction. According to Councilwoman Ariola’s office, groin work on Beach 125th Street has begun working back towards the beach and on Beach 130th Street, they are continuing to move outward. Beach access has been reopened on 117th, 120th and 121st Streets. Dune work is also underway between Beach 142nd and Beach 133rd. As work is completed, access will be restored block by block. The contractor hopes to continue dune work moving eastward in the coming weeks.

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The Rockaway Artist Alliance’s new visual art exhibit is opening this weekend at Fort Tilden’s T-7 gallery. The “Schools Out For Summer. School’s Out Forever…” exhibit, curated by Belle Harbor native, Chris Saucedo, sounds like it will be a must-visit this summer. The gallery will be open to the public every Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. until Sunday, September 3.

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The Rockaway Track Club will be hosting its Father’s Day 5K and half marathon on Saturday, June 17. To register, visit: RockawayTC.org

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Duggan family of Breezy Point, who suffered the unimaginable and unexpected loss of Caileigh Duggan, an 18-year-old who died peacefully in her sleep last weekend from an undiagnosed heart condition. She was a longtime dancer for the O’Malley Irish Dance Academy. You may notice orange bows around the peninsula and Brooklyn. They are in tribute to Caileigh, and are the color of the University of Tennessee, where she was attending college.