Mineola Street Fair May Relocate to Downtown Area

With the coming of spring, preparations for the annual Mineola Street Fair begin and the festival may get a change of venue as it enters its second decade.

“We’re really excited this year because it’s our 20th anniversary and we’re going to do something different to make the fair special and kind of bring it up a notch in the community,”  First Vice President Carmela Bernacchio said.

The Fair Committee is looking to renew and revamp the Fair for its special anniversary and a proposal is being made to move the fair from  to Mineola Boulevard and the downtown area.

“We want to make it new, exciting, creative,” Bernacchio said during the Chamber meeting Tuesday night at .

Beginning in 1865, the fair was predominately utilized by farmers looking to trade and sell their crops. The fair continued annually until 1953 when Mineola was no longer viewed as an agricultural area.

In 1991 the chamber and the village revived the fair, transforming it into the family friendly event known today. The annual festival is the largest event in Mineola, attracting between 8,000 to 10,000 people every year.

Keeping with the theme of change, Bernacchio said this year the fair may take place on a Sunday instead of Saturday but would still be held during the month of May. The advantage of the change is that businesses that operate on Saturdays will now be able to participate at the fair this year.

Businesses wishing to promote themselves at the fair can rent a table. The rental fee is $50 for Chamber members and for $75 for non-members. Non-profit organizations can also rent a table for a smaller fee of $25.

The fair runs from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. with this year’s stage proposed to be set up in front of the Mineola Boulevard bridge that spans the Long Island Rail Road tracks. The fair will include attractions such as stage performances, rides, vendors, and food, as well as a petting zoo for children.

Final details of the proposal have not yet been solidified and the proposed expansion would first have to come before the  for approval. At Wednesday’s board meeting Mayor Lawrence Werther hoped the proposed change would  “bring us a little more notoriety (and) make Mineola a bit more of a destination.”