L.I. Fall Festival kicks off tomorrow

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

If you’re planning a visit to the Long Island Fall Festival this weekend, make sure to get a good night’s rest.

This year, the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Huntington plan to pack Heckscher Park with a record number of visitors from as far as New Jersey and Connecticut – if the weather cooperates, of course.

"Right now, the forecast is looking good, but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed," said Larry Kushnick, the festival’s chairman, who expects to attract "hundreds of thousands" of people from Oct. 5-8. "Every year, we try to make the festival a little bit better."

In its 14th year, the free-of-charge festival is considered the largest festival on Long Island with several hundred vendors ranging from civic organizations to restaurants to retailers. The event will also contain four stages, a world-class carnival, two international food courts, wine and micro-brew beer tasting, a farmer’s market, and numerous children’s activities.

"By walking around the park just once, people can see hundreds of businesses they normally wouldn’t have seen," said Kushnick. "This festival helps to promote the town, but more importantly it helps local performers and retail stores to attract new customers."

Other events include an autograph session by former New York Jet Marty Lyons, pony rides, and a re-enactment of a revolutionary encampment by the Huntington Militia.

"Our big event is a concert by Deborah Gibson on Saturday night," said Kushnick, noting that previous year’s music acts ranged from the Village People to Nine Days.

"To pull off this festival, it takes a tremendous amount of people working together on everything from securing vendors to obtaining town and health permits," said Kushnick, adding that this year’s top three sponsors are Verizon, Optimum and Home Depot. "This also lets us give back to the community, so I hope everyone enjoys themselves."

For more information on the 2007 Long Island Fall Festival and a schedule of events, visit the official website: http://www.lifallfestival.com/.