Fans of the band Pearl Jam are begging the band to come play for them at the newly-restored Forest Hills Stadium this summer, and they just might pull it off.

Inspired by a previously successful campaign to bring the Foo Fighters to Richmond, Virginia, a crowdfunding initiative was started two months ago, and already it has brought in $104,262 from 452 backers as of noon on Wednesday, January 7, 2015.

“This would be a unforgettable evening(s) for the band, the fans, the crew and NYC. We have the support of several PJ groups on FB and Twitter and will give our proposal to Pearl Jam management no later than 1/2015,” says the Tilt fundraising site dedicated to the crowd fund. “If The Beatles, The Who and Dylan can play Forest Hills why not add legendary Pearl Jam to the mix?”

So far, Pearl Jam’s management has not responded to requests for information as to whether the band will oblige their fans, but in November reporters were told that the band was on a rest break following a two-year tour cycle.

A fundraising event is scheduled to take place tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at Austin’s Ale House, located at 82-70 Austin Street in Kew Gardens.

The fundraising goal of the Tilt campaign $1 million, and unless the full goal is met – or the band decides to  play the show – no one will be charged, according to organizers.

Police are looking for a man who allegedly groped a 38-year-old woman on the southbound F train platform at the Queens Boulevard and 75th Avenue station in Forest Hills.

At around 7:40 a.m. on Tue., Dec. 30, police say a 5’9 Hispanic male grabbed the woman from behind, touching her buttocks and private parts before pushing her down to the ground.

He later fled the scene and ran eastbound along Queens Boulevard and then south on 76th Avenue, according to reports.

There were no reported injuries.

Officers say the man has a stocky build and was last seen wearing a dark colored jacket, dark colored backpack and had a green or camouflaged hat.

A column by Michael Perlman in the Forest Hills/Rego Park Times

The visual arts scene in Forest Hills is on the rise, with new galleries at OvoSodo Italian Bistro at 110-60 Queens Boulevard, Red Pipe Organic Café at 71-60 Austin Street, and La Boulangerie at 109-01 72nd Road.

Enter Katherine Liepe-Levinson, a 32-year Forest Hills Gardens resident and an award-winning magic-realist photographer, who coordinated an art exhibition and holiday party at Ovo Gallery on December 18.

The event was well attended by neighborhood residents, business owners, and some out-of-towners. The show featured eleven works from Liepe-Levinson’s recent “Pond Series.” The works, which were shot at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, are for sale and will remain on exhibition through February.

“I focused on some of the wondrous effects of water reflections, in order to make the ordinary pond strange and extraordinary, and have viewers ponder more deeply on the beauty and necessity of protecting our natural resources,” said Liepe-Levinson, who added that her ongoing endeavor is to capture freshwater ponds throughout Queens and Long Island as a means of conservation advocacy.

Guests felt her works resembled paintings, and referred to them as decorative, meditative, and thought-provoking.

“The vibrant colors and patterns are attributed to my use of camera angles to create natural polarization results, using high speed lenses to pause action, and carefully watching the play of the wind in the trees and on the surface of the water, creating reflections that look like abstract paintings,” the artist explained.

Contrary to popular belief, the use of Photoshop or related effects programs are not part of her palette, but rather a high-end digital camera, followed by processing the raw format images in Lightroom with traditional darkroom principles.

Liepe-Levinson hopes to promote other local artists. In a well-received presentation, she proposed the idea of establishing the Forest Hills Alliance of Artists and Restaurants/Cafes and called for volunteers. Ideally, the program would be launched in the early summer and feature an initial mini-art crawl.

“Many of our most desirable neighborhoods were first home to artists, such as in SoHo, Chelsea, and Williamsburg,” she said. “Forest Hills offers a great location and neighborhood feel, coupled with the nearby Queens Museum and entertainment choices. It’s a natural place to grow a more notable home for the arts and an even more desirable neighborhood.”

Visualizing two to three-month exhibitions featuring other artists at OvoSodo, Liepe-Levinson has already presented a contract to co-owner Roberto Lamorte for a plan of two to three-month rotating exhibitions.

Visit the Forest Hills/Rego Park Times for the full story.