Rockstock Returns June 24

Put it on the calendar! The 17th Annual Rockstock & Barrels Festival is coming up on Saturday, June 24, and it’s going to be one for the books.

2PM HARRY & CO.

630PM DAVID KELLAN 930PM DJ SEAN OHARA

In addition to the already fun live music, boardwalk vendors, skate contest and surf contest, there are some awesome additions this year at the annual festival presented by St. James, Boarders and Into the Whip Records. NY nonprofit Surf For All is bringing in A Walk on Water, a California-based nonprofit that uses surf therapy to help special needs kids. During the festival, they’ll be sharing a one-hour expression session, showcasing their surf therapy.

Speaking of surf, the Eastern Surfing Association and Skudin Surf are hosting the surf contest this year and the purse is already at $5,000 and growing. The skate contest is shaping up to be another great one and this year, there will be a free skate clinic in the morning to teach kids who want to learn, how to skateboard.

Walker Hornung is once again curating the music and he’s got a lineup of young, energetic bands with original music taking the stage on Beach 90th all day long. Plus those who keep the party going and head to the afterparty at the Beach 97th concession at 6 p.m. are in for a special treat as local band Indaculture reunites for the first time since 2019. There will even be an afterparty to the afterparty, with the fun continuing at Connolly’s with DJ Brother Rich spinning tunes.

Rockstock, on Saturday, June 24, is held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from the skate park to the boardwalk to the ocean on Beach 90th Street. There’s still time for vendors to sign up, sponsorships and more. For more info, see: Rockstocknyc. com

Living in one of the largest cities in the world, most people are not expecting the cleanest air, but this is ridiculous. A few days that looked like they were going to be beautiful this week have been marred by a thick layer of smoky haze from raging Canadian wildfires up north. The poor air quality is affecting much of the Northeast and has NYC officials urging those with respiratory issues to stay indoors. It even led to Wednesday’s Rockaway Beach Volleyball League games being scrapped. *****

Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Michael Costa. Mike was a retired firefighter for Engine 328 who succumbed to 9/11 related illness on June 3.

Tuesday, June 6, not only marked the 79th anniversary of D-Day, but also the 30th anniversary of the Golden Venture. Many from Rockaway will never forget when the infamous ship, smuggling nearly 300 Chinese immigrants into the United States, ran aground off of Fort Tilden.

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Congratulations to our friend Eric Peterson of NYC Parks, who was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Brooklyn by Bishop Robert Brennan on May 27. Eric will serve his parish of Most Holy Trinity-St. Mary Parish in Brooklyn. Rockaway local Michael Pearce, who was also ordained a deacon with Eric, will serve right here at St. Camillus-St. Virgilius. Congratulations and best wishes to both Eric and Michael! *****

Remember when Rockaway Solutions Not Shelters raised funds to stop the homeless shelter on Beach 101st Street? Even though the shelter opened, word on the street is that litigation is underway. After delays due to Covid, court proceedings against DHS and operator Black Veterans for Social Justice are allegedly taking place this week. Stay tuned for more.

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Rockaway is getting trendy! The Rockaway Hotel was on Page Six of the New York Post last week as celebrities Kate Bosworth and Justin Long secretly married there in early May after they attended an event at the hotel. They fell in love with the place and decided to get married right there the next day.

This Sunday, June 11 is the 43rd annual Buckley’s – Kennedy’s 5K Charity Run. If you don’t have it in you to participate in the run, stop by the post-run Family Fun Day Picnic. It’s always a great day! Register at: www. heartchare.org/event/buckleysrun/

Look Dad, you made it! Want to put a nice picture of Dad in the newspaper? Send your photo to mail@rockawaytimes.com and we’ll do our best to put it in next week for Father’s Day.

NYC Parks and Joann Ariola are hosting “Movies Under the Stars” on Tuesday, June 13 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., screening “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” at Beach 94th Street and Shore Front Parkway.

Councilwoman Ariola is also hosting a Street Co-Naming Ceremony in honor of Lew M. Simon on Sunday, June 11 at 11 a.m. on the southeast corner of Beach 116th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard.

The Rockaway Republican Club is holding its Flag Day fundraiser at Jameson's on Beach 129th Street on Wednesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. The meeting will feature a handful of notable speakers. There will also be a red, white and blue best-dressed contest and voter registration drive focusing on young adults coming home from college.

On Saturday, June 10 at 7 p.m., Active Pickleball and Tennis Center will be hosting a pickleball fundraiser for Alzheimer's care, support, and research at Queens College Tennis located at 150-35 Reeves Avenue in Flushing. The event is organized by DJ Mugsy (aka Adam Funtleyder) and honors his father, Elliot Funtleyder, who passed away from Alzheimer's last year.