Community Fest organizers eager for event

The fourth Valley Stream Community Fest draws near, and the organizers of the event, which is set to take place this Saturday, Sept. 26, on Rockaway Avenue between Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road, are looking forward to some new features this year.

The festival will feature a host of new vendors, according to committee member Annette Gray. There will also be a dunk tank with at least one well-known village personality inside, though the committee declined to ruin the surprise. Some new entertainment acts will also perform throughout the festival.

“We feature a wide variety of musical performances specially selected to highlight the cultural diversity of the village,” said Darryl Granum, owner of Strong Side Studios and the festival’s guest DJ. “Performances take place on the main stage and in the children’s area throughout the day.”

Among the performers will be children from two Valley Stream dance schools, Danse Xpressions and Broadway Bound Dance Center.

Chamber of Commerce President Debbi Gyulay said that one of the event’s best aspects is the opportunity it provides restaurants on Rockaway Avenue to open their doors to the influx of new visitors, who can get a taste of the diverse food options that exist in the village.

The car show will return, sponsored by the Wond-A-Rama auto service shop in Valley Stream. It will feature a performance by ’50’s and ’60’s classics cover band Brooklyn Time Machine.

Parking will be free for the day, and brochures will be available along with pinwheels for younger attendees.

There will also be a fundraiser for the Green Hornets football club at PJ Harper’s, where Mayor Ed Fare and Village Justice Robert Bogle will be guest bartending. All tips will go to the club.

The festival was conceived four years ago by James Giordano, vice president of Envision Valley Stream and director of College and Career Development for Community of Unity, with its purpose being to “highlight the community culture of Valley Stream through a display of all the best that the diversity found in Valley Stream has to offer,” according to a statement from the committee.

“At this point we are counting the days,” said committee chair Marie McNair, an associate of the Baha’i Center of Nassau County in Valley Stream. She said that each year provides a new opportunity to meet new people and get to know different aspects of the village. “The committee members invite everyone to come out and enjoy a great day.”