Thursday, October 1, 2026
Roosevelt residents and other Long Island locals gathered in the hamlet for the twelfth annual Unity Festival Car and Bike Show hosted by the Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce. The event was filled with food, vendors, music, raffles, classic vehicles and community spirit.
The festival, which was hosted in one of the lots on Nassau Road on Aug. 15, was heralded to be the Roosevelt Chamber’s biggest of the year, and was well received by many attendees. Up to 100 vehicles were on display from around the community, with other sources of entertainment providing ample fun for all attendees.
The Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce President John Boyd Sr. said continuing this tradition helps to serve the wider community.
“It’s just fellowshipping, having a good time,” Boyd said. “Sometimes people from our community have cars that they want to share with people in their community, and maybe they don’t want to have to go to Sunrise Highway or some places to try to get their cars recognized… So it’s just a local community [event].”
Several local legislators attended the festival including Nassau County Legislator Scott Davis and Town of Hempstead Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby, the latter of which gave the Roosevelt Chamber and event organizers an honorary citation. Davis spoke highly of the chamber and its event in a press release.
“During the last 12 years, the Roosevelt Chamber’s Unity Festival has grown to become a much-anticipated celebration of summer and the community’s rich history and vibrant civic spirit,” he said. “It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the beautiful weather and renewing connections during an event that had something for everyone to enjoy.”
In addition to the vintage cars and sleek motorcycles on display, the Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce awarded a $3,000 college scholarship to Ruth Flores Gonzalez, a Roosevelt High School graduate. Gonzalez finished her high school tenure in the top 10 in her graduating Class of 2025. The scholarship is named the Lillian Coggins-Watson Student Scholarship in honor of a former Roosevelt teacher.
Charles Oliver, the car show chairperson for the event, told the Herald that the scholarship is another tradition that the Roosevelt Chamber of Commerce utilizes to continue serving the community positively.
