Thursday, December 12, 2024
I’m pleased to announce that, beginning in January, the Village of Valley Stream will begin a yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary.
Before 1840, the area went by many names, including Hungry Harbor, Fosters Meadow and Near Rockaway. After 1840, parts of the area were also referred to as Tiger Town, Rum Junction, Cookie Hill and Skunks Misery. Around that time, Robert Pagan arrived from Scotland and set up a general store on what is now Hendrickson Avenue. He and other village elders noticed the many low-lying areas and streams running through the landscape, and they decided on the name Valley Stream.
Pagan’s son-in-law, William Fletcher, and other early citizens ushered in an era when successful business people from New York City summered in the future village. In the 1870s, Valley Stream was still little more than a cluster of farms surrounded by a major thoroughfare, a plank byway called Merrick Road. In came the South Side Railroad, bringing with it jobs and a bustling commercial district.
By the 1880s and ’90s, Valley Stream started to take the form of a more civic community. In the 1920s, people began buying land in the area, and the village flourished. The business district expanded. Local newspapers heralded a burgeoning metropolis: fire department, police department, Firemen’s Memorial Field and athletic teams, houses of worship, schools, movie theaters, nightclubs and even an airfield were all beginning to take shape. Sunrise Highway would soon come through the village, connecting it with points east and west.
In September 1922, residents took a vote on incorporating, and it passed by just eight votes, 234 to 226. Because that wasn’t considered enough of a majority, a second vote was taken that November, and that one failed. It wasn’t until January 1925 that another vote was taken, and that was the charm, with 669 in favor of incorporation and 293 against. The village’s first election was held on March 5, 1925, and Henry Waldinger was elected president. The rest, as we say, is history.
Almost 100 years later, we have grown into one of the largest incorporated villages in the nation. Our government expanded to meet the needs of a growing population. Community, civic and sports organizations formed to fulfill citizens’ interests. Together, residents and community leaders continue to make Valley Stream the best place to live!
Our yearlong centennial celebration will begin in January, with the raising of a commemorative 100th-anniversary flag outside Village Hall. Events will continue throughout the year. A festive dance party is taking shape, most likely in early May.
Save the date of Saturday, Sept. 27 (rain date Sept. 28) for the big event in the planning stages now, when the village will host a parade and community block party on the Village Green. This event will include a full-scale parade, with community groups and schools invited. The block party will have picnic activities, food trucks, a DJ and live music, bounce houses and giveaways for kids. It will culminate with a light show after dark. This will be a real community party atmosphere, so don’t miss it!
Commemorative memorabilia will be available throughout the year, including special centennial challenge coins, shirts, mugs, buttons and pens. We also hope to update our history books with all of the latest advancements and improvements happening in Valley Stream.
All our usual annual events will have a 100th-anniversary-celebratory flair — from recreational programming, the Memorial Day Parade and July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza through summer, fall and winter fun, everyone will have the opportunity to take part. We will look back on 100 years of growth in our village, and share historical facts and events.
Planning for these events is still in the early stages, and we expect them to continue to take shape in the coming months. Please check our village-wide mailings, our website, vsvny.org, and our Facebook and Instagram accounts for more information and updates.
Today I am proud to serve as Valley Stream’s 18th mayor, an office held by 14 people. Our village has much to be proud of. A thriving suburb of New York City with a diverse population of 40,000, we were named the Best Place to Live in New York State by Money magazine. I like to say we’re a great big small village. Yes, we’re one of the largest villages in the state, but we continue to have a small-town community feel, with residents taking participating in all that our community has to offer. The services that we provide them are second to none, and that gives us plenty to celebrate!
Ed Fare is the mayor of Valley Stream.
