By Kelsey Durham
On the 100th anniversary of the declaration of Bayside Day, the Bayside Historical Society made sure to celebrate in style.
The organization hosted a community party Saturday at its headquarters in Fort Totten to mark the centennial of Bayside Day and to show the community the wonders that the neighborhood has to offer its residents. During the daylong festival, visitors were treated to food, drink, activities for children and a classic car parade that remained on display throughout For Totten for the duration of the celebration.
Alison McKay, executive director of the Bayside Historical Society, said Bayside Day was first established in 1914 by the Bayside Civic Association, which is no longer in place, but she said the BHS wanted to note the 100th anniversary to show that it is still mindful of the historical aspects of the neighborhood.
“It’s about community and civic mindedness,” she said. “And about fun, food and games for our community.”
The celebration was kicked off by several NE Queens elected officials, who came together to present the BHS with proclamations officially recognizing Sept. 27 as Bayside Day. Officials also declared Theodore Hinz, an original member of the BHS, as Mr. Bayside.
One of the biggest children’s activities during the day included a contest between students from PS 41 in Bayside, who drew their own versions of a flag representing Bayside. Several winners were named, and the winning selections were posted on a display board outside the castle at Fort Totten for visitors to check out throughout the day.
One winner, 9-year-old Robert Wieczorek, said he tried to capture the image of what living in Bayside is like to him.
“The wheel in the middle is the different cultures of Bayside, and I’ve noticed a lot of families are not from the same country,” the fourth-grader said. “The blue is for the water and the green is the grass, and I drew the train tracks because those are important.”
After the flag design contest had been judged and completed, Robert stayed at the festival throughout the day with his mother, Allison, because they said they were having too much fun to leave.
“I think it’s really a very special day,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see the elected officials come out and recognize Bayside.”
McKay said she was happy with the way Bayside Day turned out, and the visitors were happy to see beautiful summer weather one last time before fall as they enjoyed the gifts their neighborhood has to offer.
“This is about community engagement and knowing your neighbor here in Bayside,” McKay said. “Our community spirit is alive and as real as it was 100 years ago.”
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
