This will be our first time at JJ’s Asian Fusion, but probably not your last. As you can see by their website’s menu there is a wide variety of Asian fusion cuisine to choose from. Please let us know if you are able to come or not, as there is limited seating. We ask that you please only RSVP Yes if you are really coming, so that we do not have to turn down others only to the people who said they were coming not show up.

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Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yule, or nothing at all, you’re sure to enjoy our annual Holiday Party. There will be a buffet, drink specials, gogos serving food, and surprises all night.

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Astoria’s podcasting drag queen, Candy Samples has just released her first musical CD entitled Sample This! The 5-song EP contains her unique original tunes (co-penned by fellow Astorians Alan Parker and Jesse Sklar) such as “Green Bean Casserole”, “Boy Crazy” — a hit at this year’s Queens Pride and “Slow Dance”, the poignant ballad that debuted in Astoria at the Athens Park Marriage Equality Rally.

Astoria audiences will remember Candy from her days at Albatross Bar as the original hostess of Friday Night Karaoke and more recently her summer with Lavish Lounge. Her podcast, The Candy Show, is in its third year as a free download on iTunes. She frequently interviews local Astorians and keeps us all ‘in the know’, with her political, entertainment and fashion reports.

Sample This! is available on iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon and is a great deal this holiday season — under $5 for the digital download.

Candy is a gal who shows no signs of slowing down and we are proud to have her as a member of the Out Astoria community. Sample This! will definitely satisfy YOUR sweet tooth! www.samplemycandy.com

Candy, Alan, and Jesse are all members of Out Astoria!

St. Andrew’s Center is a new shelter program partnership between the Ali Forney Center (AFC) and the Episcopal Community Services of Long Island (ECS). ECS and the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island put over $200K into renovating the space to enable AFC to offer safe and dignified shelter at the site. The opening ceremony will celebrate the kindness and generosity that ECS and the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island have shown to the LGBT community through this gesture, as well as AFC’s accomplishments in protecting and serving homeless LGBT youth.

It officially opened on 21 November on 31st Ave and 46th St, and for the holidays there are 16 residents.

It is a particularly difficult time for the teen residents at the center, perhaps the most marginalized of all the homeless. In a season often associated with family it is easy to see why young people would have feelings stirred up. The Center is asking for gift cards in only ten and twenty dollar denominations to McDonald’s, Target and CVS only. They want to limit gifts to these three places so teen jealousy does not appear. These gift cards will give these teens some buying power that they do not usually experience. Please send out an email to your family and friends asking for help as well.

Gift cards can be sent to Michael Meaney c/o Zion Episcopal Church 243-01 Northern Boulevard, Douglaston, NY 11363. It would be best if donations could be received early, before December 15th, so we know what we have to work with.

Additionally, training is available at through the Ali Forney Center for those who may be interested in volunteering with these LGBT youth at the Center.

Lavish Lounge contacted Out Astoria and asked that we share their new line-up. You can join their mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/lavishloungenyc.