Happy 70th Anniversary to Juniper Valley Park, 1941-2011. The park has a rich history as it evolved into our state of the art park it is in 2011 and young writer and Middle Village resident, Jessica Hanes, tells the story beautifully in the Juniper Berry.
Abe Shampaner of the Learning Tree in Middle Village had a Bake Sale at the School and raised $600. As he has done in the past, Abe very generously donated the $600 to the Juniper Park Conservancy for use in the maintenance of Juniper Valley Park. We thank Abe Shampaner for being so kind to the JPCA and in recognizing the work the JPCA does to maintain Juniper Valley Park. The money will certainly be put to good use.
Since the Juniper Berry has such a wide distribution The Korner received this important announcement from Timothy Rakiec, Pharmacy Manager at Walgreens Drug Store on Eliot Avenue and 80th Street in Middle Village for inclusion in the 9/11 Juniper Berry. It reads – Come join us on September 28th and arm yourself with a Walgreens Flu Shot. We accept Medicaid, Medicare, Cigna, United Healthcare and many other plans. Cash paying customers pay only $31.99. Free giveaways and a blood pressure reading by our pharmacist will also be included.

It’s good to report in the Korner that we survived the killer hurricane “Irene.” Everyone stayed calm, did the right thing and at the end of “Irene’s” menacing hit on our neighborhood we were all still standing tall after a very nerve-racking night of high winds and unrelenting rain. We like to think that “Irene” has been banished to Hurricane Hell!
Our Lady of Hope Hornets 4th Grade Girls Softball team won the CYO Brooklyn-Queens Diocesan Championship at Juniper Park. OLH pastor, Fr. Carrano and Fr. Peter Purpura congratulated the team as they presented their trophies. The coaches were Sal LaRosa, Christina Filip, Joe Cerillo, Jimmy Guarneri and Rich Werner. Congratulations Hornets!

As usual the JPCA Summer Concert series in Juniper Valley Park was a great success. All the bands had their unique sound but the Boston Burglars of Maspeth were a special hit with their variety of music. Italian Night, The Sounds of Italy, which featured Gio Venuto Band and Salvo Randazzo, was sensational with about 1,000 people attending. The audience got so into it that they wouldn’t let the band end the night and they didn’t! They continued to play well past their 9pm deadline. What a great night that was and we all hated to see it end. Several people asked if “we could have more Italian Nights!” Love to but it’s not easy booking such a popular attraction.

We thank Mary Innamorato and Edgar Alvarez of Bel Mondo Restaurant, at 79-32 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village for so generously making the party room available at Bel Mondo’s for the debate between the candidates for former Congressman Anthony Weiner’s 9th CD seat, which was scheduled to be held on August 29, 2011. At the last minute Candidate David Weprin cancelled and was unwilling to debate Bob Turner on August 29th.

The Frank Kowalinski Post of Maspeth, a Veterans Organization Chartered by the U.S.Congress since in 1931. is celebrating its 80th year anniversary on Veterans Day, November 11, 2011. Frank Kowalinski was the first U.S. soldier of Polish Heritage from Maspeth killed in WW I.  This was in France at the time of the “Great War.” Congratulations to the Kowalinski Post of Maspeth, a staple of our great town since 1931, 80 years!
Rose and Tony Minutoli’s grandson Brian made this incredible catch fishing in Montauk this summer. It weighed in at 35 pounds. Nice going, Brian!

Congratulations to all the coaches and kids on RGMVM Blues on winning the District 27 Championship. The happy team is pictured here in their victory photo. 
We received this great news from JPCA Member Patricia Manos – Cynthia Kaiser Manos of Maspeth has recently graduated from Upstate Medical University (SUNY). She has begun her residency position in pediatrics at Yale University Children’s Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut. Cynthia graduated both St. Stanislaus Kostka School and Christ the King High School as Salutatorian. She received the Kiwanis Club Academic Award and the Hess Miller Scholastic Incentive and Citizenship Award. Her undergraduate biology degree is from Providence College Rhode Island. We congratulate Cynthia Kaiser and it’s always great to see our local kids who go to our neighborhood schools becoming successful and giving back to the community. (pictured here is Cynthia Manos)
Premier Care, the new medical facility located in the Stop & Shop Center in Maspeth had their ribbon cutting ceremony on July 12th. In attendance were some elected officials and other community leaders including our very own Bob Holden, Tony Nunziato and John Killcommons helping them cut their ribbon. Premier Care is where you want to go if you have a medical problem that requires a doctor and you can’t get access to your own doctor. We know how inaccessible doctors can be after hours and on weekends. We have the solution – Premier Care right in our own town.
Jennifer Reyes of Maspeth has two children, Jaden and Kayla and they both had birthdays recently. Jaden is 6 and Kayla is 4. Happy Birthday, kids! Their Mom, Jennifer, is one of the friendly workers at the Met Food in Middle Village.
Great to see the handball courts in Juniper Valley Park reopen after being rehabilitated. A tournament in Juniper is scheduled for September 17th.
This was given to us by Lorraine Sciulli. We have a new business in town that just opened up on September 1, 2011 called Clipper's Barber Shop. Clipper's is owned and operated by Peter Musca, a young, local guy who grew up and still lives in the neighborhood and attended all our schools. Clipper's is located at 7318 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village and their hours are Monday to Sunday from 9am to 8pm. Their phone number is 1 917 774 2070. They perform the typical barber shop haircuts, hot towel shaves and father and son will be charged just one price, $12.00 for both! Quite a good deal!

Did you notice the beautiful 9/11 Memorial Banners all cleaned and rehabilitated surrounding Juniper Valley Park? They are also hanging on the periphery of the baseball field in the Park. We thank JPCA’s Ed Kampermann for the great job he did collecting all the banners and making sure they were displayed proudly around Juniper for the 9/11 10th Anniversary. Ed has been in charge of the 9/11 Banner program since its inception nine years ago. Great Job, Ed!

Sadly we mourn the loss of Middle Village resident, ex-NYPD Lt. Joseph Fullam who passed away on July 27, 2011. Joe, who was 75 years old, was awarded the Steuben Association’s highest honor at a City Hall ceremony in 1971 for his valor after shooting a rampaging man who was brandishing two 18-inch knives at a Harlem bar. He leaves behind his wife, Mary, and 7 children, Marie, Joseph, Anne, Patricia, Kathleen, Brendan and Michael. We send our deepest sympathy to all his family.

Former Middle Village resident, Thomas Corrigan, a retired NYPD detective who worked on high profile terrorist investigations, passed away on July 4, 2011. He was 55 years old. Tommy, as he was fondly remembered by all, served in the NYPD and FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. He worked on investigations into the TWA Flight 800 explosion and the Blind Sheikh case, which led to the conviction of the plotter in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He moved to the Hamptons 13 years ago with his wife, Colleen and 4 children, Thomas, Michael, Brian and Caroline. We send our deepest sympathy to his entire family.

Richard Polgar, sent this very timely news in to The Korner – “To commemorate the tenth anniversary of September 11th, the Maspeth Savings Bank on 69th street in Maspeth, will be displaying a photo exhibit by Frank Banoff who is a lifelong resident of Maspeth. In the display, which can be seen from the sidewalk, are 15 photos capturing the serene beauty of the Manhattan skyline before the tragedy, the vigils and the murals as a city copes with the sorrow of loved ones lost.”