May 25, 2016 By Jackie Strawbridge
The annual Memorial Day fair at Sunnyside Gardens Park will bring carnival games, magic tricks and music to local families on Saturday.
Activities at the fair will include a bouncy house, Lego demonstrations, gymnastics and a temporary tattoo parlor, as well as crafts such as sand art and flag making, according to organizers. There will be an MC playing Americana music as well as a magician.
“It’s a very simple premise: American barbeque, fun for the family,” Tania Mohammad, co-chair of the Memorial Day Fair, said.
There is a particular emphasis on fitness this year, Mohammad said, including demonstrations from the YMCA, crossfit-based events and gymnastics, among others.
Photo: Ann Price.
The fair will run from noon to 5:30 p.m., with a rain date set for Sunday. Admission is free, while barbeque, beverages, cotton candy and other snacks and desserts will be available for purchase.
Attendees can purchase raffle tickets for $1 with prizes for local and City-wide establishments. According to Mohammad, prizes include certificates to Pure Spa and Salon, the Lowery Bar and Kitchen, local grocery stores and Shake Shack as well as museum passes.
All proceeds from the event will go toward park upkeep and repairs, Mohammad said.
The three-acre private park is located at 48-21 39th Ave. within Sunnyside Gardens. For most of the year it is available only to members, but it is occasionally opened up to the public for community events.
With these events, Sunnyside Gardens hopes not only to fundraise but also to open up the park – “the cornerstone of our community” – to neighbors, Mohammad said.
Sunnyside Gardens Park recently celebrated its 90th anniversary. Mohammad said there will be a display and potentially a talk at Saturday’s fair to celebrate the park’s history.
