Flushing Meeting House (Facebook)
May 1, 2018 By Tara Law
The historic Flushing Quaker Meeting House will host an open house this weekend featuring a book talk, a spiritual choir performance and guided tours.
The open house will take place on May 5 and 6 at Flushing Quaker Meeting House at 137-16 Northern Blvd. The event is part of the “Sacred Sites Open House” program, a project by the New York Landmarks Conservancy that aims to promote architecture, art and the history of sacred places.
Guided tours of the meeting house, the oldest house of worship in New York State, will be available throughout the weekend. In its 300-year history, members of the community have congregated there to discuss movements to abolish slavery, establish public education and advance women’s rights.
The meeting house will also host a book talk at 1 p.m. Saturday led by Joe DiStefano, author of “111 Places in Queens That You Must Not Miss,” as well as the photographer for DiStafano’s book, Clay Williams. They will discuss the history and culture that makes Flushing unique.
The meeting house will host a performance of spiritual songs on Sunday by Farah Chandu and the Willow Interfaith Women’s Choir, titled “Sacred Sounds and Settings.” That event starts at 1 p.m.
That same day, John Choe, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, will lead a walking tour of Downtown Flushing. The tour, “Flushing Fantastic: Past, Present & Future” will take place between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The tour will start at the meeting House and end at the Dumpling Galaxy restaurant at 42-35 Main St.
