Baldwin Day will feature food, fireworks and fun

Baldwin Day will return to Baldwin Park for a 16th year on July 30, starting at 4 p.m. Residents will enjoy a picnic, face painting, pony rides, raffles and games for all ages along with fireworks in the evening.

The Baldwin Chamber of Commerce organizes the festivities, which are funded mainly through donations from local businesses and residents. “The planning starts off at the beginning of the year,” explained Douglas Diana of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. “The first part is the picnic, which is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. During the picnic, besides the music, the Chamber provides free food, hot dogs and hamburgers, all of which are provided by donations.”

Diana added that after a performance from the Baldwin Summer Program, there will be live music courtesy of Mike Fincken, director of the Baldwin-based music school New World Music. “We’ve been involved in setting up the entertainment for the past 12 to 13 years now,” Fincken said. “A lot of our students here at New World Music will be performing, along with other members of the community and local bands. It’s a good outlet for students to reach their goals, and a way we give back to the community.”

Following a Town of Hempstead concert featuring several local artists, including a do-wop group, fireworks are planned. The show will start around 9:15 p.m. and, according to Diana, will last 20 minutes to a half hour.

Ralph Rose, co-president of the Chamber, said that the fundraising contributions of the other co-president, real-estate businessman Erik Mahler, made this third year of fireworks possible. Rose added that he was also grateful to families like the Veritys, who gave $2,000, earning them the title Platinum Sponsor. This summer, Rose said, “We’ve had more help [from] the community. The storeowners really came through this year a lot more, and it keeps expanding.”

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