After skipping last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Port Washington’s 32nd annual Pride in Port parade will return Saturday, Sept. 18.
Beginning in 1988, Pride in Port celebrated the people of Port Washington and the hamlet’s founding, which is commemorating its 377th anniversary this year. The day’s schedule will begin with an afternoon parade starting from Main Street. The parade will feature community organizations, schools, Schreiber Hall of Famers, and local first responders, including the Port Washington Fire Department.
As always, the parade will be led by a grand marshal, who Pride in Port Co-Chairman Fred Pollack says is someone who stands out for their contributions in the area.
“There have been business people, community groups and also veteran’s groups,” he said. “They’re people who have done various things for the community over a long period of time that we want to honor for having things done in Port Washington.”
Following the parade, a senior citizen luncheon will be held at Schreiber Hall. Activities will continue with the football game against John F. Kennedy High School of Plainview, Schreiber’s second game of the season at 2 p.m. At halftime, the school will honor its newest inductees to the Schreiber Athletic Hall of Fame following their participation in the parade and induction ceremony held at the Athletic Hall of Fame Breakfast earlier in the morning.
For family and children, carnival games will be held after the parade at Weber Field for the Family Fun Day portion of Pride in Port.
The evening is to be capped off by a dinner dance held in the Starlight ballroom of the Polish American Cultural Association. The dinner will recognize the 2021 Community Honoree Port Washington COVID-19 Community Response Fund Committee for their extraordinary commitment to helping their neighbors.
Proceeds from the dinner dance will contribute towards scholarships awarded in June to graduating seniors from Paul D. Schreiber High School.
When asked about what this year’s Pride in Port will mean to him after a one-year hiatus during COVID-19, Pollack, who has been co-chair since 2011, cited the event’s role in projecting community values.
“Pride in Port exists because we’re trying to encourage more and more people to get involved in all of the community activities for Port Washington and to recognize those activities. Obviously, with the pandemic, nobody was able to do anything. It really is great to be able to bring it back and to hopefully encourage people to talk about the community. Why they like it, why they live here, the things they want to do here, and maybe encourage more people to get involved with more organizations.”
