Iris Almario
Age: 31
Height: 5’6"
Weight: 117

Iris Almario has craved, sought, and basked in the spotlight for years. Whether auditioning members for a teenage pop band, competing in beauty pageants, or hosting a television show, she has always been at home when performing.

Winning a photo shoot in Latina magazine and a modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models are simply the latest results of her drive to succeed. The national photo search chose Almario and two other winners out of 5,000 contestants. She will appear in a summer issue of Latina magazine.

“The photo shoot was really fun,” she said.  “We were pampered. We got our makeup and hair done. It was a long day, but wonderful.”

Almaro, a 23-year resident of Jackson Heights, recently moved to New Jersey. She still visits her old neighborhood at least once a week, either for dinner at Latin restaurants such as Tierras Colombiana and Natives, or to stock up on cosmetics at Ingrid’s Beauty Salon on Roosevelt Ave.

She said the move across the Hudson actually placed her closer to Manhattan, where she is fulfilling her dreams not only as a model, but also as a television host on the new NBC show “Latin Access.” So far, the show has given her the opportunity to interview stars like singer Mark Anthony and Bon Jovi band member Tico Torres.

The entertaining bug first struck Almario at 14, when she became infatuated with the Latin boy band Menudo. Years of watching their videos and listening to their beats motivated her to cast her own all-girl singing group. One of the girls she chose for the group had an uncle who happened to be a talent agent. He got her into commercials, and behind a camera for the first time.

She won several contests in the 90s, including Ms. USA Latina and Ms. Puerto Rico, for the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York, but gave them up to choreograph dance performances for churches, parties, and beauty contests.

When it came to school, she stuck to her passions by studying dance at Hofstra University and acting at the School for Film and Television. She attributes her college years to giving her the concentration she needed to achieve the success she now enjoys.

“Right now I’m all focused on my work,” Almario said. “If you’re going to do this career you have to be full force. There’s a tremendous amount of competition out there. If you see yourself doing something else, you should probably go do it.”

The World's Yard

Ramon Gonzalez has the world in his front yard. The East Elmhust resident has a seven-foot, steel model of the Unisphere from a display at the 1964’s Worlds Fair.

The Unisphere in Ramon Gonzalez's Elmhurst yard.

When the World’s Fair closed,  Woolworth's in Times Square bought the model and placed it as a display. “I always look at this thing and fell in love with it,” said Ramon Gonzalez, 73, a retired postman. 

In 1972, Woolworth's got a new manager who offerred it for sale at a low price.  That’s when Gonzalez and his wife, Helga, walked into the store. Since then, Queens’ symbol of diversity has been proudly displayed in their front yard.

“I bought the whole thing for $95, no tax,” said Gonzalez.  He explained that it cost him more to get a truck to transport the globe. 

On top of the globe is a silver painted mannequin hand, which holds the flag of his native Puerto Rico. 

Gonzalez has developed quite an environment around the globe. He decorated the front yard with a multitude of colorful objects that he bought at a 99 cents store. Barbie Doll-like toys are strapped to the gate, along with other children's dolls and artificial flowers. 

Gonzalez had  flags of the world on the yard’s perimeter. After the Sept. 11 attack, they were replaced with dozens of American flags.  Gonzalez, a patriot, served in WWII and the Korean Conflict.  He met his wife in Berlin in 1954.

Gonzalez plans on making a music video in his front yard called Christmas in Outer Space in the Summer Time.  He will have politician look-alikes of Bill Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and Ed Koch sing Christmas carols around the Unisphere during the summer.

A Fond Farewell

Former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, the enthusiastic and eccentric leader of the Parks Department for some 15 years, said goodbye to the job he loves in early February in favor of Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s guy Adrian Benepe.

Before Starquest left the top spot for good, he called every City agency that he has ever worked with to say thank you to the employees and bid them adieu.

QConf spoke to a recipient of one of the calls, a long-time employee of the City of New York. He received the call from Stern thanking him for all of his hard work assisting in various Parks projects. Our Queens resident found it all hard to believe, especially since he had only dealt with members of Stern’s office a few times over the phone. 

Stern decided to remember the little guys before he left.

And the little guys won’t ever forget it.

Oh, Archie!

While performing a ceremonial “passing of the torch” to Leroy Comrie at his inauguration last month, Archie Spigner, ever the comedian, couldn’t resist giving his successor a playful jab.

“I remember when Leroy came for his interview all those years ago,” said Spigner of the then 22 year-old much thinner Comrie. 

“He came in on a bicycle – Leroy, you should’ve kept the bicycle!”