Mineola Street Fair grows into new location

Noah Manskar

The new location for Sunday’s Mineola Street Fair helped the event grow in its fifth year, as its organizers in the village’s Chamber of Commerce expected.

About 165 vendors, including Mineola businesses, restaurants, service organizations and outside sellers, set up shop along Jericho Turnpike between Nassau Boulevard and Mineola Boulevard, Chamber president Tony Lubrano said. The fair also took over part of Willis Avenue south of Jericho Turnpike, where two of its four entertainment stages were located.

When the fair was in downtown Mineola, Lubrano said, it peaked around 125 vendors. He said he expects the event to grow even more in the coming years at the new location.

“Being our first year on Jericho, I think we’re just hitting the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

Lubrano said he got “nothing but rave reviews” about the new setup from visitors to the fair. Businesses along the fair’s “footprint” also told him Sunday was a great day for their sales, he said.

Melissa Cagno had a booth set up in front of You’re Invited to Celebrate, her event planning and supply store at 172 Jericho Turnpike. She had not participated in the fair before, but the change in location made it a “no-brainer,” she said.

“We always have things that become overstock and we really don’t have too much to do with it, so this was a great way for people to come in and see it and know about the store too,” she said.

The booth generated some potential new clients for You’re Invited, Cagno said. 

The fair similarly introduced John Luca, who wants to get his dog trained as a therapy dog, to the Hicksville-based DogAbility Center. The center does that training and runs its own dog therapy programs.

Luca and his wife, Maria, have lived in Mineola for 23 years. They liked that the Jericho Turnpike fair was more spread out compared to the downtown location because it gave the fair more of a community feel, Maria said.

“We’re getting to see people that we know, the shopkeepers that we know, and it’s all good,” Maria said.

Linda Cignarella, a first-time visitor to the fair from Roslyn, said she thought Jericho Turnpike’s spread-out layout felt “a little too empty,” she said. The smaller stretch of Willis Avenue with vendors and two entertainment stages felt more like a street fair, she said.

Cignarella said her favorite part of the day was seeing so many children enjoying themselves. “It’s a lot of fun to see everybody out with their families,” she said.

Juan Vides, who brought his family to the fair from Oceanside, said the inflatable rides were a highlight for his children. He said he was impressed with the its size and the strong showing from local businesses.

“Just seeing the booths and displays and the samples that they’ve given out — it’s amazing,” he said.

Lubrano credited the fair’s success to his fellow chamber members and other groups, such as the village government and the fire department, who helped put it together.

“There are so many people behind the scenes that make this a great day, a great community event,” he said.

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