 |
P is for Poppenhusen, an old German gent He understood what the holidays meant Each year the institute puts aside a few days To honor old Conrad and his holiday ways Wilfredo Perez Jr. One of two Queens soldiers killed within the first few months of the Iraq War, Wilfredo Perez Jr. had his life taken July 26, 2003. As a member of the U.S. Army, Perez was guarding a children’s hospital in Iraq, when he was ambushed by insurgents. A 24 year-old Ridgewood native who later moved to Norwalk, Conn., Perez’ family set up the Web site www.perezjrscholarship.org, where visitors can donate to a scholarship fund. In addition, the site lists the many awards Perez has received from the Army, as well as the many dedications that have occurred since he died. According to the site, the Perez family received the last letter “Jr.” ever wrote the day after they learned of his death. In that letter, he wrote to his 15 year-old stepbrother Joseph, crouched in a Humvee and told him to finish school, so he could someday “be the man.” Pagan Holidays From Lughnasadh, the funeral games of Lugh the Irish sun god in July, to Oimealg, the festival of the lactating sheep in February, the Pagans have a slew of holiday and Yule falls in between the two. On Dec. 21, the winter solstice, it is customary for Witches to decorate the Yule tree, and adorn the house with holly, ivy and pine to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, which is the promise of spring and life even on this, the darkest day. Some Pagans even consider the 21st to be the New Year, but more importantly it is when Father Winter, a white bearded chap dressed in red and fur trimmed robes, arrives bearing gifts. Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, are typically noshed on while burning of the Yule log to give the Sun strength and the Germanic Pagan God of Yule, Kriss Kringle, is honored through various ceremonies. Hmmm, this guy sounds familiar.
Poppenhusen Institute The Poppenhusen Institute invites all of Queens to come out Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. to take part in their tree lighting ceremony, as guests gather at Poppenhusen Monument at the corner of 11th Avenue and College Point Boulevard. If the weather permits, everyone will march to the Institute while caroling and the program will continue there. Otherwise, after the monument program people can take their cars directly to the Institute for the rest of the program. Music and caroling will continue at the Poppenhusen Institute with Santa and hot apple cider. Anyone who has lanterns should bring them along. Pumpkin Pie Native Americans taught settlers who arrived in the New World in 1621 many uses for pumpkins – including ways to turn them into “sweets.” Settlers filled hollowed-out pumpkin shells with milk, honey and spices, and baked them in hot ashes. This was the first recipe for Pumpkin Pie. Families altered the recipe over the years to include an assortment of spices, but the tradition of serving Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving and during the holiday season dates as far back as Plymouth Rock. Plum Pudding Why is it called Plum Pudding when there are no plums in it? Plum Pudding dates back to medieval times, when plums and other fruits were boiled to fill pastry shells. In the 17th Century, the plums in Plum Pudding began to disappear in favor of raisins. By the 19th Century, the plums had completely disappeared. By 1858, when the first “Christian Plum Pudding” appeared, people were even referring to raisins as “plums.” Poor plums. During the Puritan reign in England, church fathers outlawed Plum Pudding because it was “sinfully rich.” Traditional English Plum Pudding began showing up as a holiday desert just before Dickens penned his Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol.” The confection plays a role in Dickens’ tale of Christmas ghosts and redemption. Renamed over the years as “Christmas Pudding,” the spicy mixture has remained a staple on holiday tables. In an English tradition, small silver charms are baked into the Christmas Pudding. To those who find them in the pudding, pieces of silver represent wealth in the new year, tiny wishbones mean good luck, silver thimbles stand for thrift, and an anchor represents safe harbor. It is also a tradition when making Christmas Pudding, for every family member to stir the mixture once with a wooden spoon – while they make a wish.
Panorama One of Queens’ most interesting leftovers from the 1964 World’s Fair, this large scale map, located in the Queens Museum at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, gives visitors an overhead of what New York City would like to Superman flying overhead on a clear day. Refurbished in the 1990s and again after Sept. 11, 2001 changed the landscape of Manhattan’s skyline, the Panorama allows people to walk around a ramp and view the entire city’s landscape from above and promises to be a breath taking experience for children of all ages. The model, like New York City, is a three dimensional view complete with buildings, waterfronts and passageways.
Michael Postal When Michael Postal visited his grandmother in Coral Springs, Fla. after his first tour in Iraq, she urged him not to go back. His response was, “Nana I’m a Marine,” and four months into his second assignment, Postal was killed fighting insurgents in Fallujah. A graduate of Martin Van Buren High School, Postal, 21, lived on Union Turnpike in Glen Oaks with his father, step mother and six year-old sister. Postal’s mother died from cancer five years earlier. Having aspirations of becoming a military police officer, Postal was able to join the Marines after losing a considerable amount of weight and became the third member of the Corps from Queens to have his life cut short in Iraq.
James Prevete Like many fallen heroes, James Prevete recently had a street renamed in his honor after being killed in the Iraq War, but for this Whitestone native, Fifth Avenue between 147th and 149th Streets meant much more than just the place he called home. In February, a number of Prevete’s family members and friends attended the Community Board 7 meeting to make their case on how important it was to have a permanent remembrance for their loved one. “Fifth Avenue was Jimmy’s home and we spent many nights hanging out on his porch doing things normal kids do,” said one of Prevete’s close friends and neighbors, Frank Rullo. “Jim always wanted to live on Fifth Ave.” Unfortunately, on Oct. 10, 2004 that all changed, when Prevete was killed in a vehicle crash during whiteout conditions just west of Baghdad. Prevete attended Holy Trinity Elementary School from 1987-1996, then St. Francis Preparatory High School, where he graduated in 2000. After brief stints at Sacred Heart University and Queens College, he joined the Army in 2003. |
 |
|||||
 |
|||||||
