The Village of New Hyde Park is gearing up for Jericho Turnpike’s biggest block party of the year later this month.
The goal, according to the event’s organizer, is to bring people together and support local entrepreneurs.
“The goal really is to bring together the community with local businesses,” said Cheryl Nowak, the village’s event coordinator, who leads the street fair planning. “I think that that’s something that we do really well, because we have a lot of foot traffic in this area. It’s really to create goodwill within the village and to create a feeling of oneness, so that everybody feels included.”
The village’s 28th annual street fair is organized in conjunction with Craft-A-Fair and will take place Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jericho Turnpike between New Hyde Park Road and Lakeville Road.
Nowak said she expects roughly 100 local businesses alongside 65 vendors from outside the village and 15 food trucks and stalls organized by Craft-A-Fair. She emphasized attendees would see a diverse array of vendors and food options, including a slew of first-time vendors and businesses people are running out of their homes, something she said she was excited about.
“This year, there have been so many people from New Hyde Park who started businesses in their homes…that will be selling things at the street fair,” Nowak said. “It’s not just going to be a bunch of insurance companies and real estate agents.”
Alongside those selling items like clothing and handmade products, and local restaurants and food trucks selling pizza, sausages, gyros, chicken fingers, pickles, lemonade, pastries, zeppoles and ice cream, there will be a range of events.
Nowak said people can expect a small carnival for kids, live music from DJs and bands, performances from local groups like Herricks Community Players and karate studios and a vehicle extraction and smokehouse demonstration from the New Hyde Park Fire Department.
The street fair’s sponsor, Northwell Health, will offer flu shots, STD testing, gun violence and overdose awareness, CPR, Narcan, skin care and colorectal disease education and bariatric surgery information at its booth. Parker Jewish Institute, the event’s food court sponsor, will also offer medical and healthcare advice at its trailer.
Nowak said she believes it’s important for the community to come out and connect with each other and those making their mark on the village with their storefronts, services and products.
“I really believe it’s important for people to see their friends, their neighbors, to connect with our local businesses,” Nowak said. “There are a lot of stores on Jericho Turnpike, so people will get to see what the offerings are and who the people are.”
“It’s important just to bring people together in the community,” she continued. “People really should come out. They’ll have a great time.”
Local sponsors of the event include Maspeth Federal Savings, FBS Parking Solutions, First Flag Realty, Flushing Bank, Optum, Park Place, McNulty Outdoors Inc. and Persi Contracting Corp.
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