Franklin Square gears up for 2nd Fall Fair

Autumn is definitely in the air, and that must mean the annual Fall Fair, sponsored by the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce, is drawing near.

The fair, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of Rath Park, will feature a live DJ, entertainment, and games for the kids, as well as food provided by local restaurants.

The committee helping to organize this year’s fair includes chamber president Lisa Dellipizzi; Jaime Parra, owner of LI Valle Grille and Restaurant; Patti McColley, a regional manager for Northwell LIJ; Adrienne Greene of Valley Bank; and chairperson Santino Sarrica of the Sarrica Group. “I wanted to create a fun family event that would bring together the Franklin Square community and give exposure to to our local business owners.” Sarrica said.

This will be the chamber’s second year hosting the fair. Dellipizzi reflected on the success of last year’s event and praised Sarrica for coming up with the idea for the Fall Fair.

“He lives in town, works in town, owns a business, and it was his idea when he joined the chamber a couple of years ago,” Dellipizzi said. “It was his idea to do something nice for the community and wanted to do something fun for the kids, and that family would enjoy.”

McColley explained the role the committee has played in organizing this year’s fair. “We’ve formed the committee to go out and reach out to our members and to business people within the Franklin Square community to join not only the festival but also to maybe join as a member, so it helps us increase our membership as well as have a great participation at the fair,” McColley said.

“We’re excited about it because we had a great turnout in the first year,” McColley added. “There are lots of people that come so they get to put out and promote their business through becoming a vendor at the fair, and it’s a win-win for everybody.”

McColley set up all the food vendors and sponsorships for the event, and after a successful turnout last year, McColley discussed how the fair has benefitted so many in Franklin Square.

“The great benefit is, of course, all coming together, at one location as a community and enjoying each other,” McColley said. “It’s great networking for everyone as well as seeing some old friends they may not have seen in a while. It’s a nice way to reconnect, especially post-COVID. We work hard to try to make it a great day for the community and do fundraising and the fair is a great way to do it.”

Dellipizzi added, “The kids had so much fun last year after the pandemic. Some parents left their kids there the whole time, and it’s great when you see the smiles on the kids’ faces.”

The committee has worked together to get sponsors and vendors for this year’s fair, and Parra said that the influx of vendors would help local businesses connect with the community.

“We got new sponsors, which makes it more significant and more participative with the people,” said Parra. “It’s also good because people can see the importance of being part of the community, helping the business, and letting the community see who the businesses are.”

The chamber has attracted new members by seeking vendors for the fair and Parra said that the fair is a great time for some businesses in the area to introduce themselves to the community.

“There are some businesses in Franklin Square the community doesn’t know about,” he said. “With the fall fair, hundreds of people will know that they’re here and they exist. It’s going to be great for some businesses and we’re very excited.”

Sarrica reflected on the how organizing the fair has changed from the first year. “It was not an easy event to plan initially because we had never done this before. But it means so much to me to see how successful it has become.”