High Tide
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A week after it sounded like the Biden administration would be bucking Governor Hochul’s request to house migrants in Floyd Bennett Field, a deal has been reached. The Department of the Interior has agreed to allow New York to house migrants in the former airfield just over the Marine Parkway Bridge. The announced plan is for Floyd Bennett Field to house 2,500 single adult migrants. Many local civic leaders have expressed concerns for the plan and several rallies were planned throughout the week to protest. While the situation is still evolving, there are many unanswered questions — questions that don’t appear to have answers coming any time soon.
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In a beautiful ceremony yesterday, Wednesday, August 23, Beach 129th Street was appropriately dedicated “Firefighter Timothy Klein Way.” Timmy was such a great representative of the Rockaway community, and it is only fitting that the main thoroughfare (and the block he called home) be named in honor of him.
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Last week’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” presented by Shakespeare on the Beach was a hit! The show’s talented actors put on a performance that would have made even the immortal bard himself proud. The new amphitheater was the perfect setting for it all. We hope that this will be the first of many productions!
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Tomorrow, Friday, August 25, we’re naming the winner of the 2023 Rockaway Times Photo Contest. We’ve invited all photographers who earned a spot in the Top 30 and the Honorable Mentions. They’ll be able to take home the enlarged photo that has been on display on the boardwalk and the ferry landing since Memorial Day Weekend. The winner will receive $500 as the Grand Prize and earn bragging rights for at least a year. Congratulations to all who participated!
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Also, tomorrow, Friday, August 25, head up to the St. Francis de Sales schoolyard for what has turned into an incredible summer tradition — the 3 on 3 By The Sea Basketball Tournament. The annual tournament was started by Rockaway legend Clare Droesch and is now continued in her memory.
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Get your costumes and floats ready because the Poseidon Parade is right around the corner! The annual Rockaway celebration will be held on the boardwalk on Saturday, September 16 starting at 1 p.m. Registration is open and can be done at poseidenparade.com
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Tatyana Koltunyuk, who was attacked by a shark on Beach 59th Street earlier this month, is recovering from her injuries but has a long road ahead of her. According to a statement from her family, in the first eight days after the attack, she underwent five surgeries. We and everyone else in Rockaway is pulling for her for a speedy recovery. A GoFundMe has been started by the family to fund her medical care. The attack was the first on the shores of Rockaway in 70 years.
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Correction: the article “Op-Ed: Beach Access is Necessary for All” from the August 17 issue incorrectly stated that The Edwin B. Forsythe National Refuge located on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, is open to the public all year. According to their website, the Holgate Beach Wilderness Unit section of the refuge is “closed to all public beginning April 1st until August 31st to protect the federally listed piping plover and other species of shorebirds who depend on the beach during the summer season for nesting activities.” Additionally, the founder of the Plover Project would like it known that, although he is a native of New Jersey, he has lived in NYC for the last 30 years.
