AFTER SUNSET

Queens has many places to spend some time after the sun sets and the stars begin to twinkle. So whether you're looking for something active or something relaxing, check out what the borough has to offer.

Avenue 30 on 30th Avenue and 36th Street in Astoria is a popular place to have a late night meal and drink.

Dancing Under the Stars
Forest Park, Wallenberg Square
Mondays, June 2-July 21, 6 p.m.
Ballroom dance lessons. Final lesson features live swing band.
(718) 235-4100

Karaoke
Forest Park, George Sueffert Bandshell
Fridays, July 18 and Aug. 22, 6 p.m.
(718) 235-4100

Rock N Skate
Rolling under the stars free of charge. Rent your skates there.

Cavo Cafe and Lounge, 42-18 31st Ave., has a beautiful courtyard to have dinner and drinks.

July 3, 6 p.m.
O'Donohue Park at B. 17th Street
6- 9 p.m.
Aug. 16, 6 p.m.
Gorman Playground, Queens
30th Ave. between 84th and 85th Streets

Lobster Bake
Aug. 2, 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Pavilion, Conf. House Park, Tottenville, Staten Island
Reservations required. Prepaid ticket includes hors d'oeuvres, meal, live music and house tours.
(718) 984-6046

Spaghetti and Bocce Ball IN QUEENS
By Josh Spiro

On a warm Corona evening at roughly 7 p.m., barring inclement weather, groups of elderly gentlemen gravitate towards the bocce courts of William F. Moore Park. The park, named after a local man who was killed in World War I, is also referred to as Joseph Lisa Park after a deceased local politician, and less formally, "Spaghetti Park."

But it's not just the long-time residents who stop by the park. A young boy in a blue Hawaiian shirt sits on a bench with his father for a few rounds, watching before he is offered the chance to lob a few balls between games while his dad shouts encouragement from the sidelines.

The players have attracted a good deal of curiosity tonight. A woman approaches them and asks what the game is called and what the rules are. It reminds her of a similar Chinese game she refers to as "sand fox ball." A family sits on the opposite side of the court beneath the suspended colored lanterns, looking on and eating colorful ices from the cattycorner Lemon Ice King of Corona.

The players are voluble amongst themselves, showing their approval for a good bowl in an enthusiastic mix of Italian and English.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg tries his hand at a game of bocce ball at Joseph Lisa “Spaghetti” Park in Corona. Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen

But the history of the park may be more rambunctious than the bocce players that gather there. It has been a fixture of the neighborhood since it opened in the mid-1920s when it was known as the Corona Heights Triangle. It is also the titular inspiration for "Spaghetti Park," an action drama set in New York in the 50s. The movie follows Nicky Carlucci's travails growing up in Corona and ultimately his decision whether or not to follow his brother to Hollywood to escape his chosen path as a mob wise guy.

Beginning in the 70s, the demographics of the area changed and the Italian population has shrunk in proportion to the influx of Asian and Hispanic immigrants. But it's as if Thomas Waite Howard foresaw this diversity. In 1868 he requested that the post office switch the area's name from West Flushing to Corona, because he deemed it the "crown jewel" of Long Island; incidentally the word means "crown" in both Italian and Spanish.

Even if we are in the twilight of the reign of bocce, the park has plenty to offer residents: benches, chessboards, shade. And who knows, maybe the court's existence will beckon a younger generation to take up the game?

Astoria Park
Lower Shore Blvd., 23rd Ave. & 23rd Road
(718) 626-8621

Cunningham Park
196-00 Union Tpke.
Fresh Meadows
(718) 740-6800

Ditmars Park
Steinway Street between
23rd Avenue & Ditmars Boulevard

Steinway Community
20th Road & 20th Avenue & 37th-38th Streets

William F. Moore Park
108th Street & 51st Avenue

Evergreen Park
Felix & Seneca Avenues & 75th Avenue

Juniper
North 77 Place, Juniper Boulevard South

Maurice Park
Maurice Avenue & Borden Avenue & 54th Ave. & 63rd Streets

Kissena Park
Oak Avenue & 162nd Street

Bowne Park
29th & 32nd Avenues & 158th -159th Streets

PO Nicholas Demutis Park
Liberty Avenue, 101st - 102nd Streets

Louis Pasteur Park
52nd Avenue between 248th Street & Marathon Parkway

Brookville Park
147th Avenue & 235th Street & Brookville Boulevard & S. Conduit

Dry Harbor
80th Street & Myrtle Avenue

Bulova Park
77 Street & 25th Avenue