Friday, November 6, 2026
Rockville Centre’s Little Town Business District was buzzing with activity as families turned out for the second annual Little Town Fall Festival, which featured seasonal attractions, entertainment and opportunities to explore local businesses.
The Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce hosted the festival Oct. 24 along North Long Beach Road, between Seaman Avenue and Greystone Road. Ideal weather helped draw a strong crowd, and organizers said the event’s new attractions were well-received.
“It went really, really well,” said Ed Asip, the chamber’s president. “We had a great turnout. The feedback was excellent and the people had a great time.”
Among this year’s additions were an inflatable corn maze and a petting zoo donated by Tommy Montemorano of Montemorano Plumbing. The festival also featured Nissan’s trunk-or-treat, a Halloween scavenger hunt, inflatable costume characters and activities for children.
Donna Einemann, the Chamber’s first vice president, said the upgrades helped draw a crowd that filled the streets and brought people into nearby businesses.
“Our upgrades this year were so well-received,” Einemann said. “The streets were just buzzing inside and outside the businesses.”
The scavenger hunt, which also was offered at last year’s festival, encouraged families to visit businesses they might not otherwise have discovered. Participants collected clues while exploring the district, giving merchants an opportunity to connect with potential customers.
“What it does is that the scavenger hunt brings them into businesses they may never have known about,” Einemann said. “And I hear it too when I walk around town. They’re like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this was here.’ Its purpose is to bring and shine a light on that business district.”
Einemann said businesses were more involved this year after seeing the traffic generated by the inaugural festival. Organizers also gave merchants more advance notice, allowing additional businesses to participate.
“Because they saw the traffic last year, the ones who didn’t participate came out in full force this year, so everybody benefited.” she said. “The businesses did and the community did.”
The village also supported the event by providing crossing guards, placing extra garbage cans around the area, arranging a special pickup after the festival and ensuring streets were closed on time. Parking rules were relaxed during the event, Einemann said, and many people walked into town.
Asip credited the volunteers and sponsors who helped make the festival possible, calling it a successful day for the community.
Einemann said her favorite moments came from watching families enjoy the attractions, particularly the petting zoo, corn maze and trunk-or-treat. Temporary tattoos and trick-or-treat bags for scavenger hunt participants added to the activities for children.
“I loved that the street was packed with people and that everybody was happy and everybody was smiling,” she said.
