The Last Mambo King comes to Arlington

They didn’t cut any rug, or even the grass at Arlington Park, in fact it was more like a 30- by 24-foot custom-built wooden dance floor.

On Oct. 11, The Last Mambo King, led by legendary timbales player and band leader, Orlando Marin, visited Arlington for a special free concert to the delight of a few dozen Valley Streamers.

“It was fabulous,” said longtime Valley Streamer and Last Mambo King manager Guy Ferrara. Attendance was such, he said, that it caused minor traffic jams on Merrick Road.

“It was so exciting, people thought the president had come to town,” he said.

While Ferrara booked the show, the village helped promote and organize the event, including the dance floor, which was constructed by members of the village building maintenance crew.

“It was a very interactive and fun night,” Mayor Ed Fare said, adding that the event, underwritten by Valley Stream Mazda, was a “terrific” finisher to the 2019 village concert series.