Williston Day Street Fair ‘a huge success’

Bill Whelan

Between 15,000 and 20,000 people came out to Hillside Avenue last Sunday for the 25th annual Williston Street Fair.

“It was a huge success,” said John Marsala, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Willistons.

Every attraction from dancers, pony rides, classic cars, face painting, amusement park rides and slides, live music games and more could be found between Willis Avenue and the Long Island Rail Road station.  

More than 130 vendors lined the street to sell their products, such as clothes, jewelry, and home goods, or just promote their business.

“It was a great turnout. A lot more vendors participated this year and there were not a lot of empty spots around, said Maureen Corrigan, treasurer of the Williston Park Chamber of Commerce, the event’s sponsor.

“There were a lot of people from out of town this year, hopefully they enjoyed their day and come back to eat and shop here,” Corrigan said. 

There was a wide array of food and drink, from the barbeque at Memories Bar and Grill to the curbside paella in front of the new Sangria 71 restaurant, which opened on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 71 Hillside Ave.

“The first week has been phenomenal. The local response and support has been overwhelming,” said Jose Fernandez, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother Rosendo.

“This day is perfect for us because we have a lot of experience in the street festivals, we do the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy. We have a team over there now cooking curbside paella,” said Fernandez 

One of the perennial favorites at the fair is the Iced tea and pretzel stand. 

Corrigan said that the man who owns it comes in from Pennsylvania and has been coming for at least the past five years.

“There’s always a crowd there. He said that it’s the most profitable spot he stops at all year,” Corrigan said.  

Another business new to the street fair was Hair Junkie Salon. Owner Karen Cunningham had a booth where she promoted hair care products and gave styling demos for would-be customers.

“I come to the fair every year; my husband plays in a band at Memories. But we’ve never come as a business before,” Cunningham said.

“It’s a glorious day, the weather is perfect, people are strolling through to check us out and we got such a warm feeling from the chamber of commerce,” she said.

Cunningham said she opened the salon, which is located at 621 Willis Ave., six months ago. 

“It’s a wonderful day. It’s our first year and I think we’ll be back next year,” said Annie Depippo, who co-owns Hair Junkie with Cunningham. 

A popular attraction for kids was the miniature pony rides at the far end of the festival. 

The Havan family of Great Neck took their son on his first pony ride. 

“I’m shocked he wasn’t scared,” said his mother, Deanna. She said that they came last year and were having a great day again this year.

“We try to keep it family-oriented, that’s our goal. We had games and pony rides this year. Different bars had music and bands playing to keep the adults entertained too, said Corrigan.”

The street fair had a number of carnival rides, games and a bounce house for kids to enjoy. 

Next to the rides, the East Williston Fire Department set up a dunk tank to raise money for the firehouse and different members of the fire department took turns on the hot seat throughout the day. 

After being sunk three consecutive times by a boy in an Eli Manning jersey, Robert Batterson said, “the water is still really cold,” but with a smile, he said, “I volunteered for it.”

The street fair also had a small showcase of classic cars, including a 1924 Ford Model T Ford. John Cunnane, who owned the Model T, said that it still had nearly all of its original parts. 

Cunnane was joined by Dick Creeron and Paul Parnes, who all belong to the Greater New York Region Antique Automobile Club of America. 

Cunnane’s Model T was flanked by a 1929 Ford Model A and a 1981 Chevy El Camino. 

Members of VFW Post 1688 were selling Buddy Poppys with all proceeds going towards veteran’s causes.

“It’s our biggest fundraiser all year,” said Bob Langenbach.

“You got a beautiful day, a good turnout of people and everyone is enjoying themselves. No complaints. It’s a great day,” Langenbach said. 

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