By Nick Buglione
Steady showers the night before the 12th annual East Meadow Pride Day, set for June 14, had forced the cancellation of the Town Square's grand opening and threatened to do the same to the popular community event.
When morning broke, things looked just as ominous, as dark clouds hung in a sky, seemingly poised to once again saturate the earth below.
But the rain never came, and sure enough representatives from some 60 businesses, civic groups and community organizations filed into Speno Park determined to see Pride Day to fruition.
With its 10 a.m. starting time in sight, it looked certain that Pride Day would proceed, albeit under damp and dreary conditions. Then something miraculous happened. The sun came out.
By the time hundreds of residents filled the park and Pride Day founder Gregory Peterson took the stage with a host of other dignitaries to kick off the festivities, the sun's brilliant rays warmly enveloped the crowd now gathered under clear skies, which have been all too rare in the past months. Though the sunshine was fleeting, lasting about six hours before the next deluge, it remained well over Pride Day's duration.
"God was with us today, he made the sun shine," said Sal Napolitano, an East Meadow Kiwanis member and Pride Day co-chairman.
It was an emotional afternoon for Napolitano, who has grappled with throat cancer for over a year and is staring down yet another grueling regimen of radiation and chemotherapy. Pride Day has long been Napolitano's baby, and nothing has stopped him from planning and enjoying it, not even illness.
There was no way he was missing this year's event and sure enough, despite posting a 101-degree fever the night before, East Meadow's most loved and respected leader was front row center.
"Sal is probably the most dedicated and most determined person in terms of helping others that I ever met," said Alan Beinhacker, fellow East Meadow Kiwanis member and Pride Day co-chairman. "He's an inspiration. He's in a lot of pain, but he's here."
Napolitano's presence meant so much to the principal organizers and participants, and it set an optimistic mood that resonated throughout the three-hour event.
Smiles were glued to the faces of children and parents alike, who couldn't turn around without being offered a free Italian ice, or munchkins from Dunkin Donuts or pizza from Pietros, which donated some 250 pies.
The East Meadow High School jazz band and a DJ provided the tunes, while kids raced from game to game and took turns down an inflatable slide.
"It's really fun," said Bryan Hagen, a 13-year-old from Woodland Middle School whose artwork was on display along with dozens of other fellow students. Picking out the best part of Pride Day was a no-brainer for Hagen: "Getting free stuff," he said.
Local merchants and community organizations donate all the goods and sponsor the activities. At the same time, they set up tables in order to tell those in attendance what they're all about. A slew of business participated, from A&C Exterminating to Zorn's to the East Meadow Herald.
East Meadow resident and former town Supervisor Gregory Peterson came up with the Pride Day concept over a decade ago, at a time when a lagging economy had put a damper on neighborhood morale.
"East Meadow Community Pride Day was founded on the principle that we all have so much to be proud of," said Peterson, "and we do have a lot to be proud of."
Currently mired in another economic downturn, the event means just as much to residents today as it did when it first started.
"It's really great; they should have more things like this," said Sally Crimeni, who along with her husband, Joe, and two children have attended Pride Day for years. "The food, the chicken, the pizza, the nice weather...we enjoy it, it's nice."
