The Mineola Street Fair has a new home this year, which one its organizers think will benefit both the people who attend and the businesses that help make it happen.
The fair, scheduled for Sept. 13 from 12-6 p.m., has moved to Jericho Turnpike between Mineola Boulevard and Nassau Boulevard.
Now in its fifth year, the Mineola Chamber of Commerce’s event has outgrown Mineola’s downtown streets, chamber President Tony Lubrano said.
“Now we feel that we’re comfortable enough doing this that we can move on to the next step and move on to a bigger platform,” said Lubrano, who owns the Piccola Bussola restaurant on Jericho Turnpike.
The location offers more space for the fair’s vendors and entertainment. There will be about 12 inflatable rides for kids, twice as many as last year; pony rides; arts demonstrations; and a fourth stage for live music sponsored by the Irish-American Society.
“Everything is being ramped up,” said Steve Ford, a former chamber president involved with planning the event and co-owner of Willis Hobbies on Willis Avenue.
Several Jericho Turnpike business-owners asked the chamber of commerce to bring the fair to them, said Ford, who is involved with planning the event.
The new venue will let many businesses to participate as vendors who couldn’t in the first years because it was too far away, or because they didn’t have the staff to operate a booth.
“It brings people right to the front doors of these businesses, which is golden today,” Ford said. “I don’t see any reason why this move won’t be successful.”
When the fair was downtown, Ford said, he couldn’t have a booth for his store, Willis Hobbies, because his duties running the fair kept him too busy. Now that it’s right by his store, he said, he can do both.
According to Lubrano, the fair has seen an uptick this year in the number of businesses signing up for booths.
“It’s not that we had to do all that much work growing it,” he said. “The fact that we had more space and that it’s on Jericho, a lot of it kind of grew on its own.”
Special visitors to this year’s fair will include the Mineola Fire Department, the Long Island Lizards lacrosse team and Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss, who will spend the afternoon in a dunk tank.
“We try to make it much more of a community event,” Lubrano said.
The Mineola Street Fair has four venues:
1. SHOWMOBILE at Mineola Boulevard and Jericho (Turnpike Guitar C)
2. BANDSTAND on Willis Avenue, two Blocks N of Jericho Turnpike (GC)
3. OPEN MIKE: Piccola Bussola at 158 Jericho Turnpike (Sam Ash)
4. BISTRO: Venezia Garden World, 110 Jericho Union Turnpike(S Ash)
Fair Times: 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
SHOWMOBILE
11-11:15 a.m. Felicia of Valley Stream (Pop)
11:15-11:30 a.m.: Ava Leone of Albertson (Pop)
11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Carol Rodriguez Zumba
12-12:15 p.m.: Amanda Sweeney of Lynbrook (Classical and Show)
12:15-12:30 p.m.: Ronnie Geoffron (Swing Crooner)
12:30-1 p.m.: Opening Ceremonies with Mineola High School Marching Band, Color Guard, Hall Of Fame Vets, Vet Colors, the Rev. Chet Easton and Debbie Easton
Host: Bill Green
1 p.m.-1:15 p.m.: Sydney Perruza of Westbury (Pop)
1:15-1:30 p.m.: Karina Vartanian of W Islip (Show)
1:302 p.m.: Dance Dynamics of Mineola (Jeanine Hollis-Lima)
2-2:30 p.m.: U.S. Tae Kwon Do of Mineola (Master Sooyong Jeon)
2:30-2:45 p.m.: Candis Alek (American Popular Standards)
2:45-3:15 p.m.: Portuguese Dancers of Mineola
3:15 – 3:45 p.m.: American Theater Dance Workshop of Herricks (Michelle Vivona)
3:45-4 p.m.: Middle Eastern Dance by Virginia Warner (Ms Sr NYS)
4:15-4:30 p.m.: Sydney Perruzza of Westbury (Pop)
4:30-5 p.m.: HoneySchool of Music/Fame Theatrical prod. of W. Hempstead
(Randi Lipman) Musical Theatre
BANDSTAND
11-11:15 a.m.: Nicholas Duong of New Hyde Park (Composer/Keyboard)
11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Lady Laura of Uniondale (R&B)
12-12:30 p.m.: Pamela Betti Band of Commack (Club Contemporary)
12:30-1 p.m.: (Opening ceremonies)
1-1:30 p.m.: Scarlotti School of Rock Band of Roslyn (Contemporary Rock)
1:30-2:15 p.m.: Big Daddy Blues Band of Patchogue
2:15-2:45 p.m.: Encore Doo Wop of Floral Park
2:45-3:15 p.m.: Sweet Soul Music Band of Uniondale
3:15-3:45 p.m.: Brandon Lubrano Band of Bayville
3:45-4:15 p.m.: John Kouri and his Hambones of Mineola (Country Contemporary)
4:14-4:45 p.m. Mike Costello and Urban Street Gypsies of Mineola (Eclectic Rock)
4:45-5:15 p.m.: SwimBand NY of Stoneybrook (Contemporary Rock)
VENEZIA GARDEN BISTRO
Host: Comedian Marc Zakarin of Huntington
Artists: Ava Leone, Amanda Sweeney, Nicholas Duong, Ronnie Geoffrion, Felicia, Sydney Perruzza, Karina Vartanian, Candice Alek, Virginia Warner and TBA Jazz musicians
