Trumpeter, singer and bandleader Wayne Tucker is bringing his group, Wayne Tucker and the Bad Mothas, to Oak Ridge in Forest Park on Sunday, October 25, for a free afternoon concert that pairs his own music with a tribute to Marshal and Ernie Royal of Ozone Park.

Who is playing

Tucker is a New York-based trumpeter, vocalist, composer and bandleader whose music draws on jazz, soul, gospel, funk, R&B and singer-songwriter traditions. NYC Parks lists his credits as including performances and recordings with Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, the Roots, Elvis Costello and Jon Batiste. With the Bad Mothas he leads his own band and writes his own material, and the Forest Park set mixes those originals with music by the Royals.

The Queens connection

NYC Parks identifies Marshal and Ernie Royal as being of Ozone Park, the neighborhood south of Woodhaven, which is what ties the program to this park. The set pairs Tucker's own originals with music by the Royals.

Where and when

The concert is at Oak Ridge, the NYC Parks building inside Forest Park. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and the music runs from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. Admission is free, and NYC Parks asks attendees to register through its events page.

The concert is supported by a grant from Flushing Town Hall, the Forest Park Trust, Council Member Joann Ariola and State Senator Joe Addabbo. Forest Park sits between Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Glendale. Buses on Woodhaven Boulevard and the J and Z at Woodhaven Boulevard serve the park's western side.

About Oak Ridge and Forest Park

Oak Ridge is a Dutch Colonial building put up in 1905 by the architecture firm Helmle, Huberty & Hudswell, the same firm that designed the Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower in Brooklyn. It was built as the clubhouse for the park's golf course and now serves as the administration building for Forest Park's staff.

Forest Park covers about 507 acres. Brooklyn bought its first parcel in 1895, and the park and Forest Park Drive were laid out by the firm of Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot. NYC Parks says it holds the largest continuous oak forest in Queens, along with a carousel, the George Seuffert, Sr. Bandshell, a bridle path, a 110-acre golf course and more than five miles of walking trails. A pine grove planted in 1914 replaced more than 15,000 trees lost to chestnut blight two years earlier. The Forest Park Trust, a public-private partnership, supports the park and is one of the concert's sponsors.

Also at Oak Ridge

The same building hosts Winter Lanterns, a free craft session sponsored by the Forest Park Trust and Council Member Ariola that Parks says is back by popular demand, in which participants decorate hand-built lanterns made from recycled materials. The NYC Parks events calendar for Forest Park lists upcoming sessions.

Plan your visit

  • What: Wayne Tucker and the Bad Mothas, Tribute to Marshal and Ernie Royal
  • When: Sunday, October 25. Doors 2:30 p.m., concert 3 to 4 p.m.
  • Where: Oak Ridge, Forest Park, Queens
  • Cost: Free, registration through NYC Parks

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