On Sunday, October 25, after dark, NYC Parks' Urban Park Rangers are taking a group into the intertidal zone at Fort Totten with nets to see what lives under the East River at night. It is one of several free things happening in Bayside's two waterfront parks over the next week, along with a weekly community 5K and an evening yoga class in Crocheron Park, and, the following Sunday, Civil War re-enactors returning to the grounds of Fort Totten's Castle.

Nocturnal seining at Fort Totten

Seining is fishing with a long net pulled through shallow water, and the rangers use it to teach the ecology of the city's waterways. On this program participants get their hands wet, help pull the net and look at what comes up from the intertidal zone after sunset. All equipment is provided.

The program runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, and meets at the Fort Totten front gate, at Totten Road and the Cross Island Parkway. It is free, no registration is required, and Parks recommends it for ages 8 and up.

A free 5K every Saturday at Crocheron Park

NYRR Open Run, the New York Road Runners' free weekly community run, meets at Crocheron Park every Saturday. The next one is October 24, with participants gathering between 8:45 and 11 a.m. at the entrance to John Golden Park, 215th Place and 33rd Avenue, where there is also a parking lot. The 5K is open to runners and walkers of every pace, and sign-up is through NYRR.

Crocheron Park takes its name from the Crocheron family and its summer house, and today holds running paths, baseball fields and a four-court tennis center.

Monday evening yoga in Crocheron Park

On Monday, October 26, from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., instructor Ambeka Khadse leads a free yoga class at the park's entrance at 215th Place and 33rd Road. NYC Parks describes it as a mid-intensity flow from sun salutations to a final peak pose, with a focus on inversions and breath work. Registration is open through the NYC Parks events page until the day of the class.

Next Sunday: Civil War living history at the Castle

On Sunday, November 1, the Bayside Historical Society welcomes back the Civil War re-enactors of the 67th New York Infantry, First Long Island Volunteers, for a day of living history on the grounds of the Castle, the society's home inside Fort Totten Park. The society's events page has the schedule.

The society also runs guided tours of the Castle and its exhibitions, with a November tour now taking reservations, and its book club is reading a dark fantasy horror novel by a Queens-born author for its next meeting.

The week at a glance

  • Sat., Oct. 24: NYRR Open Run 5K, Crocheron Park, gathering from 8:45 a.m. at 215th Place and 33rd Avenue. Free.
  • Sun., Oct. 25: Nocturnal seining and shore exploration, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Fort Totten front gate. Free, ages 8 and up.
  • Mon., Oct. 26: Yoga with Ambeka Khadse, 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., Crocheron Park. Free, register with NYC Parks.
  • Sun., Nov. 1: Civil War living history with the 67th New York Infantry, the Castle at Fort Totten.

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