New York State Parks Invites All To Celebrate 100 Years Of State Parks On Long Island

New York State Parks is celebrating their 100th year, and the Long Island Region is marking the milestone with a festival at Heckscher State Park on Saturday, June 22 from 11am – 3pm. The Centennial Celebration event is titled “Through the Decades: 100 Years of State Parks on Long Island.”

The Centennial Celebration will feature tented booths for each decade from the 1920’s to the 2020’s to recall the joy that State parks on Long Island have provided since 1924. Each booth will include historical photos, a kid-friendly craft, an outdoor game, and information about the parks that were opened to the public in that decade. Reminisce about driving to the parks years ago with classic cars on display.

The New York State Park Police and New York State Park Lifeguards will also have booths showing off their vintage memorabilia. The Montaukett Indian Nation will display items from their “Gone Whaling” exhibit and the Montaukett Women Circle Dancers will perform traditional dance. Partnership tables will also be provided by the Department of Environmental Conservation, The Friends of Connetquot, The Friends of Heckscher, and the Islip Arts Council.

The festival includes a variety of family fun entertainment. Voted “Best Family Show” by Entertainer America, Jester Jim will delight children and families with his unique juggling show. Kids and adults can enjoy free face painting, as well as an inflatable obstacle course and inflatable slide. A few holes of miniature golf will feature iconic landmarks from some of our local parks. Festival goers can even take photos with life-size cutouts of vintage uniformed park workers.

The Jazz Loft’s Equity Brass Band will play live jazz while Swing Dance Long Island provides free dance lessons. Several food trucks will have delicious food and treats for sale including Double D’s Rollin’ Grill, Quina’s Cookin’, All American Wontons, Filthy Pig BBQ, Nomastayvegan, Brother’s Lemonade, and Sunrise Delight.