Autumn foliage summons my family to visit Forest Park. We live a very short distance from this haven of natural plants and wildlife. The name Forest Park is totally appropriate. As a forest, there is a vast assortment of trees, particularly displaying a continuous oak forest of red oak, scarlet oak, and white oak. Autumn reminds the trees to remove their summer green dress, to clad their amber, russet, and gold attire, and finally to paint the foliage brown before its undressing. As a park facility, it boasts an arboretum, a bandshell, a golf course, tennis courts, numerous playgrounds, cement paths and picnic tables. Its vintage carousel, known as one of the hidden jewels of Queens, provides major pleasure to all the children who enjoy spinning round and round to the light, playful music. Forest Park spans 543 acres as a hilly natural delight for visitors.

After parking our car, we follow the sound of distant music. Surrounding the parking area, well-spaced picnic tables are available on a first come, first served system. Many of these seem to be staked out as families and friends lay claim. Clusters of colorful balloons announce the event, ”It’s a boy,” “Happy Birthday,” “Congratulations.” Tablecloths are already stretched on some tables.

We continue to follow the sound of music, while enjoying the crunching, crackling sound of the underfoot dry leaves. Bordering the cement path is an array of trees whose fallen leaves paint a colorful mosaic carpet.
Our walk leads us to a magnificent bandshell and to our surprise and pleasure, spread across in a well-spaced pattern there are about 30 Chinese women dancing in precision to the recording of Chinese music. Some were dressed in silk costumes; others wore ordinary street clothes. One friendly woman seated on a bench observing the dancers came over to offer us a sweet pastry. We learn that this is a Chinese women’s dance club that has been meeting here all summer and into early Autumn to practice a form of Chinese dancing that is popular, and the group is known as Dancing Grannies. The woman explains, “Every gesture brings the dancers closer together and leads them away from loneliness and even depression. It helps these women, aged from 50s to 80s free themselves from daily concerns and stress, and brings them much needed exercise and companionship.” It seems to me that at this point of time, they are so well rehearsed that they could qualify for an appearance on Radio City Music Hall stage as the Chinese Rockettes.

At noon, the dancers assembled around picnic tables. We expected them to partake in a meal of homemade Chinese food. Instead, we were surprised at the delivery of large white cardboard boxes with “D’Angelo’s Pizza” emblazoned across the top. We were invited to join in this repast. Sharing a humble pizza pie with these Dancing Grannies added to the richness of an Autumn bucolic backdrop, I can proclaim this was indeed a memorable meal on a memorable day.