By Jennifer Marino
Saturday, Oct. 18
Saturday promises to be the busiest of the busy days. Go-kart races are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon at the municipal parking lot between Centre and Village avenues near the train station. The races will feature go-karts designed and built by the dens of Cub Scout Troop 163. Prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories.
Children in grades four through eight can don smocks and take part in the Halloween window-painting contest from 9 a.m. to noon. The windows of downtown businesses will be covered with paper ready to be decorated. Registration is at the Rec Center before Oct. 11.
Once the kids have expressed themselves artistically, it'll be time to hit one of the many festivals. The Church of the Ascension's Friendship Fair will take place on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The fair, held every other year, is one of the largest church fairs on Long Island. Proceeds will be used for continued upgrading of the historic 118-year-old church building and the church's outreach and missions.
There will be crafts, jewelry, toys, books, gourmet food and several auctions and raffles. Other highlights include guided tours of the church, a demonstration of the new pipe organ and pumpkin carving.
Mercy Medical Center is sponsoring an Apple Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. to help celebrate its 90th anniversary. A special invitation is being extended to all 150,000 people born at Mercy since its founding in 1913. The festival will feature six separate activity centers, each with a theme, including a children's corner, a health section and an "apple delight" corner, as well as refreshments and entertainment.
Immediately after the Apple Festival, at 5 p.m., a special mass will be held on the hospital grounds. During the mass, a special blessing will be conferred on all those born at the medical center as well as all the doctors who delivered those babies.
Also starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday is the Fresh Water Fishing Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park. There will be exhibits, contests and prizes. There is a fee of $3, and $6 for parking. The festival is sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and runs until 4 p.m.
The Duck Race and Fall Family Festival will take place at Mill River Centennial Park Complex from noon to 4 on Saturday. The annual event is sponsored by the Rockville Centre Lions Club and will feature rides, a petting zoo, food, shows and much more.
The big draw is the duck race in Mill River, where residents cheer on their adopted rubber ducks in hopes that they'll be the fastest, the slowest or the farthest off course. Prizes will be awarded in various categories. The Lions Club uses the money raised to benefit charities such as the St. Agnes Outreach and RVC Confide.
After all this fun and food it'll time to break out the pompoms to root for South Side High School in its Homecoming game against Calhoun. The game starts at 2 p.m. and will be preceded by the annual Homecoming parade. Meet the king and queen as they ride by in a vintage car, and marvel at the work each grade puts into its float. The parade starts at Long Beach Road and Sunrise Highway at 12:30 p.m. The route follows Long Beach Rd. up to Shepherd St. and the high school.
A performance of "Anything Goes" by the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts at South Side Middle School will cap the day with some culture. Saturday night's performance is at 8 p.m., and the show will also be performed on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2; Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2:30.
"Anything Goes," a Cole Porter musical classic featuring some of the best-loved tunes of the 1930s, sails into port filled with romance, mischief and musical mayhem as RVC Guild for the Arts' annual fall presentation.
For tickets and information, call (516) 616-3610 or (516) 764-1558, or send order with check and self-addressed stamped envelope to Syd Morris, 74 Park Lane, Rockville Centre, NY 11570. Please include an evening phone number.
Sunday, Oct. 19
The Substance Abuse Awareness Walk will take place on Sunday, with registration starting at 11:30 a.m. at South Side Middle School. The 2-mile walk, promoting drug- and alcohol-free youth and drug-free and alcohol-safe adults, begins at noon. There will be free T-shirts and water for the first 200 walkers.
The walk ends at 1:15 back at the middle school, where remarks will be made by community leaders and student groups. Donations will be collected for Confide Inc., Rockville Centre's community-based drug and alcohol treatment program. The event is sponsored by the Rockville Centre Drug/Alcohol Task Force, the Rockville Centre UFSD, the Students Against Destructive Decisions club and the South Side High School Youth Decide Organization. In case of inclement weather, the walk will be held on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Following a nice stroll at the Awareness Walk, stop by the Hewitt Fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hewitt School. The fair is a fund-raiser for the junior class.
Sunday evening at 7 p.m., the village will hold a candlelight vigil on the village green on Maple Avenue. Residents are invited to attend this special event to remember the community's response to the World Trade Center tragedy. More information about the vigil will be available closer to the date.
