Thursday, October 1, 2026
On a brilliantly sunny Sunday morning, Long Beach threw itself a 100th birthday party, a Centennial Arts and Crafts Festival.
About 200 people gathered at Kennedy Plaza, outside City Hall, to listen to speeches about Long Beach past and present, and munch on free chocolate and vanilla centennial cupcakes.
“Happy Birthday, Long Beach,” shouted Joe Brand, the city’s recreation commissioner, as he stood on a makeshift stage before the cheering crowd. Members of the City Council were joined on stage by the Rev. Mark Moses of the New Life Church of Christ, and members of the city administration.
The city plans a series of events throughout the summer celebrating the centennial, including a fireworks display, discussions at the library, the spotlighting of local businesses, and focusing on residents over 100 years old.
The city unveiled 400 new bricks Sunday that had been laid at Kennedy Plaza. And city officials disclosed plans for a time capsule to include city maps and local publications.
Sunday’s event was just the beginning.
No such event could take place without “Mr. Long Beach,” Harvey Weisenberg, who at 86 still serves as a lifeguard. He was a state assemblyman for 25 years as well as a city police officer, and taught in Long Beach schools.
“Long Beach is a city of love,” Weisenberg said. “It’s going to be written in history that way.”
The name William Reynolds was mentioned numerous times by speakers. Reynolds, a state senator, developer, businessman and, in the view of many, a rascal, founded Long Beach, and persuaded officials in Albany to grant it status as a city in 1922.
In fact, Reynolds, then in his late 30s, became Long Beach’s first mayor. He was involved in land deals in Long Beach, Brooklyn and the Rockaways. Soon after he was elected, he was indicted on charges of misappropriating funds and spent a few months in jail. He was cheered by crowds when he was released.
The city has always been home to State Sen. Todd Kaminsky. His grandparents moved to Long Beach in the 1950s.
“I would say people here are like real New Yorkers,” Kaminsky told the crowd. But, he added, they’re “a little different because they have sand in their shoes.”
Long Beach’s colorful history has been told in books, newspaper and magazine stories and speeches. There was a time where it was a summer getaway for New York’s rich and famous. Reynolds, in a publicity stunt to gain attention years before Long Beach became a city, organized had a herd of elephants march through the city. The idea was to attract investors. His plan worked, and the city began springing up.
Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford, who represents Long Beach and met her husband in one of the city’s taverns, arrived in the early 1980s, when a revitalization effort was underway. She never left.
“This is a town where people know your name,” she said.
“Mayor Reynolds” made an appearance at the celebration, in the form of character actor Barry Rivadue. He wore a dark suit and a hat, and stood quietly during the speeches. “It’s good to be back after 100 years,” he deadpanned.
Christina Salerno, who was born and raised in Long Beach but moved to Centerport when she got married, was on hand to receive a plaque honoring her for designing the best logo for the city.
“This is where I grew up,” Salerno said. “It’s made me who I am today.” She owns a graphic design business in Centerport, but has family in Long Beach. “I’m always here,” she said. She won $250 for her logo, but said she would donate the money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Young people played a major role in Sunday’s event. They read from award-winning essays they had written for the event.
Samantha Green, a Long Beach High School graduating senior, said her earliest memories of the city were of a Memorial Day Parade in 2007. She talked of the cohesiveness of the city.
She will leave Long Beach for college in the fall. “It will be the hardest goodbye,” she said. “But I will always be drawn back to my community.”
City Council President Karen McInnis noted that in the late 1800s, Long Beach was little more than a sandbar.
“We cherish the past but we look forward to the future,” McInnis said. “Here’s to the next 100 years in Long Beach. The best is yet to come.”
