Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Dora the Explorer and her sidekick Boots celebrated 25 years of adventure — and Uniondale families joined the party.
On Aug. 9, “The Great Dora Fiesta” brought a colorful, skill-building day of activities and school-readiness fun to the John J. Byrne Community Center in partnership with Optimum and Paramount part of Nickelodeon’s “Our World: Beyond the Backpack” initiative.
The event aimed to help preschoolers build skills in bilingual literacy, STEAM, life skills, health and wellness and family engagement — all to get ready for kindergarten.
Dozens of families from across Long Island attended, many reflecting on the beloved bilingual character Dora and her legacy with continued educational impact.
Candace Campbell, a local resident, heard about the event through Optimum and arrived with her two children still in preschool, reflecting on the nostalgia and evolution of the beloved children’s interactive cartoon, which she watched growing up.
“You kind of feel like that little inner kid comes out again.” she said, “Often I find myself sitting down, watching cartoons, and the kids aren’t in the room, so letting them kind of be able to experience it in a little bit more of a revamped, enhanced version.
you can just definitely see that they’ve, like, made improvements on children’s education.”
Robert Dido, store manager in North Babylon’s Optimum, expressed taking part in local events is key to building meaningful connections with residents.
Robert Dido, store manager at Optimum in North Babylon’s, said by Optimum taking part in local events is key to building meaningful connections with residents.
“We want to give back to the community and want to be involved and present,” he said, “Families are here, kids are here – everyone is having a good time. We’re here to show them that we’re on Long Island and we want to be involved in all the communities.”
The celebration paired Dora’s adventures with hands-on learning stations and interactive activities to build school-readiness skills. Children made shaking maracas at Dora’s Music Center using rice and spoons, highlighting Latin American culture through arts, children and adults played musical chairs with the active staff from Nickelodeon and Paramount.
Other stations taught the importance of packing healthy lunches, complete with a Dora-themed souvenir lunchbox. Families also got to meet Dora and Boots in person, snap photos, participate in raffles, and learn to say hello in English, Spanish, American Sign Language and more.
David Greaves, president of the community center, expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with Paramount on the Beyond the Backpack initiative, emphasizing how such partnerships are vital in upholding the mission of the center — “building better together”.
“I think this partnership, it’s more than just about entertainment — it’s about preparing our children for the school year, engaging families and creating joyful learning experiences right here in Uniondale.” Greaves said. “What they’re doing aligns with our mission and everything we can put together—things like this that really, you know, helps the community,”
