Summertime brings large crowds out to enjoy the facilities of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Millions of people a year attend events at Shea Stadium, Arthur Ash Tennis Stadium, Theater in the Park, the Queens Zoo, the Queens Museum, the Queens Botanical Gardens, organized team activities, music fairs and ethnic food festivals.

Some people come just to enjoy a sparkling day out doors. Family picnics and company get-togethers are popular park happenings. Camping on the park's vast lawn-scape has become a civilized way to pass a warm summers day in the city.

Most people think sports when Flushing Meadows comes to mind. While the park's many sports fields and ball courts are bristling with activities (even the lake has boat races) in the summer months, huge crowds turn out merely to watch the games in play.

Music and food lovers turn out in droves to enjoy the many festivals and fairs that take place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Since Queens has the largest ethnic diversity in the United States, it follows that some of these events are like none other seen in the entire country.

Flushing Meadows inherited several unique buildings and facilities from the two New York World's Fairs that took place here. The Fountain of the Fairs was recently restored as part of an eighty-five million dollar renovation project, and is now used recreationally. The sad news is that the city is acting penny wise and pound foolish. The fountains were not utilized on weekends and holidays. Water was no problem, since 2002-2003 were the wettest years on record. Apparently, the city bureaucrats would not hire a weekend attendant to turn the water on and off. This is no way to treat hot sweaty kids spending their summer in the city.