Village News

High wire, motorcycle stunts planned for Valley Stream carnival

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A 70-foot Ferris wheel will be among 20 rides and attractions, including a high wire act and a motorcycle “globe of death,” at the biggest carnival to hit Valley Stream in more than 20 years this weekend, providing an exciting option for celebrating Mother’s Day.

“This is bigger than we thought it was going to be,” organizer Phil Jones said after he heard a slew of attractions over the phone from Bob DeStefano, owner of Dreamland Amusements, the company that operates the carnival. Jones and his wife, Rev. Kymberley Clemons-Jones, of Valley Stream Presbyterian Church, have spent the last year organizing the event, which will serve as a fundraiser for the church.

The company runs several annual carnivals in the area, including one at the end of May at the Broadway Mall in Hicksville, and a three-decade-old Memorial Day weekend event in Levittown.

The Valley Stream carnival will take place in the Arthur J. Hendrickson Park pool parking lot. It will feature classic fairground treats like zeppoles, sausage-and-pepper sandwiches and cotton candy, as well as games with stuffed animal prizes and other goodies. Some of the more exciting rides, according to DeStefano, will be an Orbiter, a swinging boat, bumper cars and the Storm, which spins four large tubs independently as a main wheel spins the whole contraption, all of it tricked out in LED lights.

Nassau County police and the Valley Stream Auxiliary Police will be on hand, as well as a private security force hired by the organizers. “We want people to feel safe,” Jones said.

Victoria’s High Wire Circus show will take place on Thursday and Friday at 7 and 9 p.m., and the Globe of Death will take place on Saturday and Sunday at 3, 7 and 9 p.m.

Parking regulations will be waived for carnival attendees only, according to Mayor Ed Fare.

“Our prayer,” Jones said, “is this is something that we do on an annual basis and bring to Valley Stream.”