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Mostly Cloudy Residents turn out for carnival, Shop Local Saturday
Children and adults of all ages enjoyed rides, games and a community feel last week during the Baldwin Chamber of Commerce carnival.
The event took place from May 29 to June 1 at the Long Island Rail Road station. Carnival-goers had the opportunity to fulfill their need for speed on rides, crash into each other in bumper cars and take home a new family pet — goldfish. Debbie Pugliese, secretary of the chamber, said there was a nice turnout for the carnival and everyone seemed to have a nice time.
The carnival coincided with another chamber-sponsored event that was held on May 31.
Shop Local Saturday
The event was organized and coordinated by Nassau County Legislators Laura Curran (D-Baldwin) and Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick), in conjunction with the Baldwin and Freeport chambers of commerce.
“We just thought it would be a great way to promote local businesses,” Curran said of how the day came to be. About a month ago, her office reached out to the chambers to get a rundown of the businesses that are members. From there, calls went out to see which businesses would like to participate and what discounts they would like to offer.
According to Curran, the response from the business community was positive and a total of 50 businesses participated in the event. Most businesses offered a 10 or 20 percent discount for shoppers and diners who came out last Saturday.
Pugliese said one of the chamber’s main goals is to promote local businesses so that residents shop locally. She noted that it’s the local businesses that often give back to the community, so spending money in their shops as opposed to ones in other neighborhoods benefits Baldwin.
“It reminds people of what great businesses there are right in their communities,” Curran said. “You don’t have to go to the mall for everything or you don’t have to go to the big box stores for everything. You can find stuff [you need] and support local businesses.”
Curran, who said she took advantage of the deals offered, added that a strong business community is good for everyone. She would like to help coordinate the event next year and possibly expand it to the entire weekend.
