Photos: Rides, food and fanfare in the heart of Bellmore

The fall festival that the Bellmore community looks forward to year after year is just around the corner. Due to an inclement weather forecast during the weekend of Sept. 23-24, the festival which attracts hundreds of vendors from near and far, was postponed until October.

With that said, the 36th annual Bellmore Family Street Festival, brought to the community annually by the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores, was able to squeeze in some fun early this year, as the carnival portion of the beloved fall event was still open Thursday and Friday last week.

For youngsters and families, it was fun to be able to kick back and enjoy some rides, and of course, tons of delicious fair food, like popcorn, cotton candy and zeppoles. Pay-one-price bracelets were sold, meaning families could enjoy all the rides, as many times as they wanted, for one convenient, up-front price.

The Chamber announced on Sept. 19 that the festival would be moved to Oct. 26-29.

“We apologize for any inconvenience and will be working diligently to ensure the same, great street fair in October,” the Chamber wrote on Facebook.

In the same post, the Chamber said that if pay-one-price bracelets were pre-purchased for the September fair, they would be honored in October, as Blue Sky Amusements — the carnival company that brings the rides — would also be at the festival next month.

Vendors, business owners and Bellmore neighbors with questions regarding the new dates were instructed to contact festival@bellmorechamber.org.

The festival is among the largest in the area, attracting heavy foot traffic over four days of fun. Aside from vendors and rides, there’s food and various forms of entertainment throughout the fair.

When the festival returns next month, the carnival will open on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the vendor and craft fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Live music is slated for Friday evening and during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

The main streets impacted by the fair are Bedford Avenue and Pettit Avenue, as well as several parking lots at the Bellmore Long Island Rail Road station. Residents who live off of these streets should be aware of street closures and an increase in both car and foot traffic in their neighborhoods.

The street festival is an important fundraiser for the Chamber, who uses money raised during it to finance other events and activities throughout the year.

“It’s out major fundraiser for the year — it’s how we do what we do,” Debby Izzo, the festival’s organizer, previously said.

For more on Bellmore’s fair, visit BellmoreChamber.com.