Blue skies, fun rides, songs and waffles

The 32nd annual Nautical Mile Festival last Saturday was an event that stimulated all the senses for the many who came out to enjoy it.

It was sunny, but not hot. Breezy but gentle. Vendors were selling unique creations. There was curbside music, outdoor drama and inside dining. Wafting deliciously through the air were fragrances of corn dogs, sweet waffles, Philly cheese steaks and fried calamari.  

As families strolled along Woodcleft Avenue, which was closed to traffic, colorful vendors’ canopies lined the west side of the street, enticing sign-ups for Girls Scouts; offering organic personal products, soaps and hair care; displaying artistic creations, from woven djembe drum totes to cleverly carved wooden frames and letters; and even offering science fun for kids, with kits containing genuine fossils. 

“We have over 80 vendors,” Recreation Center Director Vicki Dinielli said, speaking at the noon kickoff for the event in front of Hibiscus on the Mile. “I think this festival’s going to be one of the best we’ve had in many years.”

“I put in a bill up in Albany the other day and I asked for good weather,” joked Mayor Robert Kennedy. “Both houses approved it!” State Sen. Kevin Thomas smiled in agreement. The recently approved new districting lines have brought Freeport under Thomas’s representation rather than Sen. John Brooks. 

“Freeport, let me hear it! Long Island is back!” Thomas said to residents who gathered around. “I’ll be representing Freeport, and I am so happy to be here, to have a partner like Mayor Kennedy here. We’re going to make this one of the best festivals on Long Island.”

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