On July 7, 2026, AYLUS Oakland Gardens held its 236th event. We celebrated the memorable Time Capsule Sealing Ceremony for America’s 250th Anniversary, also known as the Semiquincentennial. The Ceremony was held at the Flushing Library, also known as the largest libraries in Queens. The event began at 11:00 AM and ended around 12:30 PM with around 10 members showing up for this event.
During the event, AYLUS volunteers greeted guests, helped elderly attendees with translation, and assisted visitors throughout the program. A small booth with a podium and chairs was set up inside the library where we welcomed guests and provided assistance as they arrived. We also gave up our seats to ensure that other Flushing community members, especially elderly attendees, had a place to sit and comfortably participate in the ceremony.
The ceremony began with the opening remarks from Senator John Liu. He introduced many distinguished guests including President and CEO of Queens Public Library Dennis M. Walcott, New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, Chief Librarian of Flushing Nick Buron, and Assembly Member Nily Rozic. Next, Senator John Liu recognized students who participated in the essay contest. Claire Chen spoke about her contributions to the Flushing Library and shared what she hopes her life will look like in 50 years. The essay contest winner, Kim, shared her inspiring essay about the changes she hopes to make in the future. Her essay focused on protecting the environment, showing respect to others, and choosing peace.
The ceremony then concluded with the official sealing of the 50-year time capsule. Senator John Liu then carefully placed each plastic bag containing these memorable items in the capsule, including commemorative pendants, metal keepsakes, letter, stacks of index cards with messages from Flushing community members, a book written by Senator John Liu about years ago, a letter written by a student to their parents, a 3D paper model of the Flushing clock tower, a New York Knicks flag, and many other keepsakes. Silica gel packets were added to help preserve the contents for the next 50 years before the capsule was officially sealed. The time capsule is made entirely of steel except for the removable top. Senator John Liu and library representatives secured the capsule by tightening a total of 18 screws. The completed capsule was then placed on a red silk cloth and covered with a glass display case. It will remain on display in the library where visitors can remember this historic celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary and look forward to opening it 50 years from now.
We would like to thank Senator John Liu, Queens Public Library, Dennis M. Walcott, Julie Su, Nick Buron, Nily Rozic, and everyone who helped organize this meaningful event. We would like to thank all of our AYLUS members, parent advisors, and families for their continued support and dedication in helping preserve this special moment in history for future generations.
Our Volunteers:
Austin Li : 1.5 hours
Brandon Lin : 1.5 hours
Derrick Gao : 1.5 hours
Iokting Lin : 1.5 hours
Nerissa Xu : 1.5 hours
Paxton Xu : 1.5 hours
Sophia Gao : 1.5 hours
Vicki Lin : 1.5 hours
Zhiheng Zhou : 1.5 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Fannie Li: 3 hours
Karen Liao: 3 hours
Faye Liu: 3 hours
Report Written by: Sophia Gao
