West Hempstead hosts annual street fair

The stretch of Nassau Boulevard running alongside Hall’s Pond Park was abuzz with market stalls on Sunday as the West Hempstead Community Support Association held its annual fall street fair.

Maureen Greenberg, the president of the community group, acted as lead organizer for the fair.

“We get the permits for the streets. We promoted within the neighborhood. We do promotion on Facebook and other social media,” said Greenberg. “We do signs up and down Hempstead Avenue and Nassau Boulevard. When it’s available, we post on the Lion’s Club bulletin board.”

Many of the vendors represented at the annual event were first-time attendees to the fair. Businesses from across Long Island networked through Nassau County Fairs, a private go-between operated by Alan Finchley of Point Lookout connecting vendors with events throughout the county.

Alexandra Dagnell of East Meadow is the founder of The Bee’s Knees by Alexandra, producing various arts and crafts. She was a newcomer to the fair and got connected with the event through Nassau County Fairs.

“I do a little bit of everything. I crochet a lot. I started out as a painter but drifted into other mediums,” she explained.

Dagnell first ventured into entrepreneurship near the start of the pandemic.

“I’ve always been creative. During the pandemic I had a ton of free time and I turned that into a business. So I try to take what I love and make it work.”

Andrew Irenze of Middle Island similarly used the pandemic as an opportunity to hone his interests into a working business, founding scented candle outfit Twins Peak Aromatherapy.

“I’ve been doing this just over two years,” he said. “ I just got really bored. I loved candles my whole life. I started experimenting. I didn’t have anything else to do and figured it out.”

Representatives from Body and Brain Yoga and Taichi in Franklin Square were promoting their studio at the fair.

“We’ve been at our current location for three years, doing in-person and online classes,” said Manager Maryann Kreischer. “Our form is based on a Korean martial art. It’s a mind-body practice. Letting our body and our minds work together so we can achieve our best and our healthiest state.”

West Hempstead’s own Boy Scout Troop 240 had a strong presence at the fair as well. The troop used the opportunity to fundraise; offering products like domestically produced coffee grinds, survival kits, and preorders for holiday wreaths. The troop was also brewing and sampling the coffee to bolster attendees against the fall chill.

“We try to make at least one street fair a year. It’s good for fundraising, community outreach, and recruiting,” explained Scoutmaster Nick Hoh. “We did three shifts, so that they weren’t here all day. Do a couple hours then you can head out or look around the fair. So we kind of stager it.”

Hoh explained the story behind the coffee grinds as he was brewing a new pot. “One of our other leaders found this fundraising opportunity. It’s a roaster from upstate New York. We try to keep it in-state or local as best we can.” The coffee, they thought, was a creative new way to fundraise.g

“We started it last year. We used to have our go-to fundraising events all the time, like a big pasta dinner. But then with Covid we had to change gears because we couldn’t meet up.”

In addition to these vendors, food trucks selling Philly cheesesteaks, empanadas and more were parked near the intersection of Nassau Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue. The Lakeview Fire Department was also represented, driving one of their engines to the fair.

With this fall event behind them, Greenberg and the West Hempstead Community Support Association turn their attention to Holiday at Hall’s, coming up towards the end of the year. The event will feature a menorah and tree lighting, in addition to live music, crafts, and much more.