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Start Summer in Queens With Ice Cream, Solstice Rituals and a Free Concert

 Several free events will mark the official start of summer this weekend in Queens.
Celebrate Summer Solstice this Weekend in Queens
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QUEENS — Queens families can celebrate the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, this weekend at several free events that will feature a workshop on making ice cream, face painting, traditional rituals and a concert by the Queens Symphony Orchestra.

On Saturday, King Manor Museum in Jamaica will kick off summer with its Solstice Festival for kids.

During the event, children will learn to make vanilla ice cream the old fashioned way and use a hand crank machine to mix the ingredients, according to Kathy Forrestal of King Manor Museum, located in Rufus King Park (153rd Street and Jamaica Avenue).

Kids will take turns churning the ice cream, which they will get to taste once it's ready.

They will also work on several "sun-inspired" projects, the organizers said.

“We are celebrating summer solstice with some colorful crafts,” Forrestal said. The projects, she said, will include making flowers out of tissue paper and creating sun prints on a special paper which is sun-sensitive and develops shapes after being exposed to the light.

During the free festival, which will run from noon to 4 p.m., children will also read stories about summertime fun, blow giant bubbles and learn several historic games, such as hoop rolling, Forrestal said. They will also get a chance to visit the museum.

On Sunday, Summer Solstice Celebration will take place at Long Island City's Socrates Sculpture Park on the East River waterfront (32-01 Vernon Blvd). There will be face-painting, art-making workshops and solstice rituals performed by Urban Shaman Mama Donna, who will spray water on the crowd as the sun starts setting, the organizers said. 

Composer and instrument builder Paul Rudolph and his group Glank will also offer an instrument-making workshop and perform using percussion instruments made from recycled materials such as artillery shells and saw blades, the organizers said.

The event which starts at 5 p.m., will culminate with a performance by the Queens Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m.

Also on Sunday, Queens residents can participate in a Summer Solstice event at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing (43-50 Main St.), which will include solstice-themed crafts for kids, garden tours and story time.

The event, which is free with garden admission, will run from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m.