The much anticipated re-opening party for Neir's Tavern took place last week, and it was an event that was attended by many past and present Woodhaven residents. It was an evening of great food and music and a lot of good feelings. These folks have put a lot of time and energy into this place. It would have been so easy to just renovate -- you know, rip everything out and replace with new material. Instead, these guys lovingly restored this historic tavern, and have re-opened with a splash, claiming the title of the oldest bar in New York!
Of all the former residents of Woodhaven, none is more beloved than our very own Mae West. A former resident of 88th Street (where a historical marker identifies her former house), Ms. West used to perform at Neir's before she hit the big time. And she was back, in the flesh, last week -- charming everyone in sight.
There was some local press and photographers in attendance and Ms. West wasn't shy at all. Here she poses in front of the painting of Mae West that has been a fixture at Neir's for decades.
Our local elected representatives were unable to attend as they were all stuck in budget deliberations. But Mayor Bloomberg sent along a letter of congratulations (which co-owner Alex Ewen read to the crowd). They had a great turnout and everyone mingled and shared tale and memories about Neir's and Woodhaven in general. If you are a fan of Woodhaven nostalgia, this was the place to be!
There was also some great music to entertain the crowd. Every Wednesday Night is Jam Night, and every Friday is Karaoke. Check out Neir's official website and calendar to see what's coming up. Here is our video report from Thursday Night:
We had a terrific time and look forward to seeing some more live music. As you know, Project Woodhaven has a web-based radio show every Friday Night. We plan on taking the show on the road for a very special episode chock full of live music from Neir's -- we'll be making an official announcement soon!
Here are the guys behind Neir's restoration -- and they deserve lots of credit. From left to right, Andy Bigan, David Eng, Alex Ewen, and Loycent Gordon. Not only have they restored a piece of Woodhaven's history, they have created an artistic haven here in our community. Besides the music, there are plans for regular Poetry and Writing Nights, along with our movie nights (2nd Tuesday of every month).
Here is some more video coverage of Thursday night, courtesy of our good friend Bobby "The Flash" Gennaro:
Over the weekend, the celebration continued with a BBQ Party. Unfortunately, we had a lot of shopping to do -- but we stopped by to say a quick hello in time to catch Assemblyman Mike Miller giving the folks at Neir's a Proclamation.
Here are the guys receiving their award.
And the friends and family of Neir's owners came over -- this was a large group effort -- they all deserve credit.
It was a great weekend for Woodhaven -- a piece of Woodhaven's history has been restored. And now a lot of people outside of Woodhaven know that right here in our little community, we have the most historic tavern in New York. Let's wrap up this report with one more video from our friend, Bobby "The Flash" Gennaro -- this time, he's at the BBQ:
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com .
