On Friday, May 15th, the Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation held their 30th Annual Spring Dance. The event, held at the newly renovated Le Cordon Bleu, was well attended with many Woodhaven residents and some special guests. A number of folks were also honored during the evening. Mrs. PW and myself were in attendance and had a wonderful time, and we'll be bringing you various reports on the evening over the next few days - there was too much going on to file just a single report.
First up was a surprise guest who showed up early on in the evening, the Mayor of New York City, Mike Bloomberg. We didn't know that the Mayor was coming - and we were sitting talking to some folks when we saw cameras flashing like mad across the room.
Ms. Maria Thomson, Executive Director of the GWDC escorted Mayor Bloomberg around the room, introducing him to a number of Woodhaven's residents. The Mayor was relaxed and took his time with each person he spoke with. Later on, one of the folks who spent a few minutes with the Mayor said they were surprised how they didn't feel rushed when speaking with him. True enough, he's a busy man and had a full schedule - but he graciously spent time with everyone who wanted to speak with him. And a lot of folks wanted to share a few minutes with the Mayor. This would have been an excellent time to hit the buffet table as the line had evaporated - but we had a job to do. Such are the sacrifices we make for Woodhaven! By the way, speaking of the buffet table, the food was excellent. They really did an outstanding job with the renovations. Below, Mayor Mike meets Mr. Joseph Virgona and his lovely wife. Project Woodhaven knew Joe via the Woodhaven Yahoo Group and were very pleased to meet him for the first time last night. If you are looking for a place to communicate with current and former residents of Woodhaven, a family-oriented site where you can reminisce about the old days and discuss current events, we heartily recommend it. Here, Mayor Mike poses with Captain Charlie McEvoy of the 102nd Precinct, Eric Ulrich, newly elected member of the City Council (District 32), and Ms. Maria Thomson. There were a number of people surrounding the Mayor taking pictures. If you watch the following video, you'll see the flashbulbs going off over and over.
I guess that's part of being a public figure. I imagine that when you get home after a night like this and you close your eyes, you still see the flashbulbs inside your eyelids. Something to think about. Here, the Mayor poses with some of this year's honorees, their friends and family. The Mayor made his way slowly through the crowd, stopping for pictures and conversation. We didn't think of it until afterwards, but we probably could have gotten our picture with the Mayor. Instead, I'll have to Photoshop our heads in there someplace! Below, the Mayor presents one of this year's honorees, Ms. Maureen Bermingham, with a lovely bouquet of flowers. We will be covering the presentation of honors of each honoree of the coming days. And here, Maureen poses with her family and Mayor Mike. Below, Mayor Mike poses with some lovely young women. It's good to be the king! As I stated earlier, Mayor Bloomberg was pretty jovial throughout his appearance and everyone was very appreciative that he took time out of his busy schedule to visit us here in Woodhaven. Here, the Mayor meets Vance Barbour, President of the Woodhaven Residents' Block Association. People even had their cell phones out taking pictures. Being a public person means that you are always on camera. Below, at right, is Mr. Barbour and his lovely wife Christine meeting our Mayor. Christine is a life-long resident of Woodhaven. 
Here, Mayor Bloomberg catches up with State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. Sen. Addabbo was also on hand to receive the GWDC's Man of the Year Award.
Here, the Mayor poses with Joe and his mom.
Joe's dad, Joseph Addabbo was a beloved figure in politics for many years ago, a torch his son has picked up and carried forward.
We'll have a number of further reports to file on Friday evening's festivities over the next few days, with lots more pictures and video.
Note: If anyone sees themselves in one of the pictures and wants the original full-sized file for printing, drop us a line, telling us which photo(s), and we will gladly e-mail it to you.
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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