McGowan explains, “This street runs through the two square blocks which today are the Celtic Park apartments. A hundred years ago, this block ran between the Celtic Park grandstand and the track & field of the Irish-American Athletic Club, a training ground for dozens of Olympic champions.”

Initially, McGowan had sought to post a plaque commemorating the athletes, but there was some controversy.
McGowan continues, “The renaming will be making an… effort to acknowledge the men who won more than 50 Olympic medals for the U.S., and were known affectionately as the ‘Winged Fists of Celtic Park.

As well as Van Bramer and his staffer Joe Kenton, McGowan thanks the many local supporters of the renaming, and local officials and groups, particularly Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan for her early support, Congressman Joe Crowley, State Senator Mike Gianaris, the United Forties Civic Association and Queens Community Board 2.

Courtesy of the American Irish Historical Society, Winged Fist Org.: 1909 - Athletes in front of former Celtic Park track, renamed "Winged Fist Way/43rd Street"

Image courtesy of Sunnyside Shines

Lance Corporal Thomas P. Noonan Playground at 43rd Street and Greenpoint Avenue, near the MTA  40th St./Lowery station in Sunnyside,  is the site of family entertainment Friday night, August 5,  from 8-10PM as Sunnyside Shines/BID helps sponsor a presentation of 1920-1940  jazz cartoons. The show is part of a weekend festival presented by the Bix Beiderbecke Sunnyside Memorial Committee.

The cartoons at Noonan Playground kick off  “Summer Streets,” a month of weekend events from Sunnyside Shines which will usually occur under the Sunnyside Arch. The arch is at 46th Street and Queens Boulevard, next to the #7 train 46th St./Bliss Station. For additional information, visit Summer Streets 2011 program.

In addition to the BID, the committee partners for the cartoon festival are the Kiwanis Club of Sunnyside, Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, Queens Council on the Arts and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer.

BID Executive Director James Bray reports, “We have a good line up of summer entertainment and activities.  The arch will become a pedestrian plaza on Saturdays. ” He urges, “But tonight is at Noonan Playground. We hope to see everyone tonight at 8pm. Bring snacks, chairs and blankets!”

For more information about the group– and when it next meets–call (718) 784-8437.

The group is best known for organizing Sunnyside’s Flag Day Parade each June.

The group’s located at 45-25 47th Street, Woodside, NY 11377.

The phone number is 718-784-2468

The group is based on the northern side of Queens Blvd and is advocating for a dog run at Torsney Park (Skillman Ave. btwn 41st and 43rd Sts). Many of its members– with their dogs– can be found at that park between 8:30 pm and 9:30pm each night.

According to the group:

“One of the great things about organizations like ours is that we look after one another. We watch one another’s dogs when we go on vacation and don’t want to leave them cooped up in a kennel. We also help each other when we are sick, need someone to listen to us in good times and bad. We ARE a family….that just happens to have a huge pack-o-dogs in tow!”

The group’s website is : http://www.sudsmutts.com/

For more information: http://www.sudsmutts.com

Don McCallian, an aide to Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, is the president of the association. To get a flavor as to what the group does, the United Forties accomplished the following in 2010.

• Organized the political debates leading up to the 2010 New York state and Congressional elections
• Discussed monthly crime figures with members of Police Precinct 108.
• Supported the local food pantries and adopted a toys-for-children program
• Recruited Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, Assembly woman Cathy Nolan and Community Board 2 chairman Joe Conley to speak to the group and field questions.
• Supported the movement for a plaque to be placed at the Celtic Park co-op that celebrated an Irish American Athletic club that existed on that site about 100 years ago.
• Recruited members of City Planning to discuss zoning proposals in Sunnyside and Woodside

The group meets monthly at St. Teresa’s church. It has about 50 members.

It organizes spring and fall events where about one hundred residents go out and clean up the graffiti in the neighborhood. Residents also are given the paint and equipment to clean graffiti all-year round.

The Group’s Goals:

To sponsor neighborhood cleanups throughout the year bringing together local volunteers to remove graffiti whenever it appears in our community.

To manage maintenance teams to remove graffiti on an on-going basis. This is what makes the biggest impact, and where it needs the most help from volunteers.

In a partnership with the Postal Service, it helps residents to “adopt” mailboxes and supply them with special paint to keep them graffiti-free.

For property owners, it offers low-cost power washing services throughout the year.

Please go to the group’s site to find out more, http://www.sunnysideunited.com

Members typically meet at Dazie’s Restaurant  for a 12:30 lunch on the second Tuesday of every month. A guest speaker is usually invited.

For more, go to: http://www.sunnysidechamber.org/beta