Despite soaring temperatures over the July Fourth weekend, thousands of people filled Greis Park for four days of rides, games, food and community spirit during the Lynbrook Titans’ annual Carnival — a tradition that has become a fixture of the Lynbrook summer while raising thousands of dollars for the organization’s youth football and cheer programs.
According to Titans President Ralph Vallarella, the carnival drew more than 3,000 visitors during its four-day run from July 2 through 5. Through the organization’s agreement with Dreamland Amusements, the Titans received more than $33,000 as their share of ride-ticket and unlimited-ride-bracelet sales, making the event the program’s largest fundraiser of the year.
“We were battling a heat wave, but our community still came out and showed its support,” Vallarella said. “We’re incredibly grateful. Every year it gets a little bigger, and it’s become something families really look forward to.”
After pausing in the 1990s — due to taking part in other events — the carnival returned in 2019 when village officials, Dreamland Amusements and the Titans partnered to revive it. Since then, Vallarella said, it has grown from a small parking-lot event into four busy days at Greis Park, drawing Lynbrook residents as well as residents of neighboring communities.
From thrill rides and carnival games to classic fair food, there was something for visitors of every age. Dreamland Amusements debuted a new Ferris wheel this year, while the Titans unveiled two new tents donated by Lynbrook-based Puccio Tiles that provided shade and served as the organization’s home base throughout the weekend. The event featured the raffled of a custom Titans football helmet donated by Final Touch Auto Collision.
While the carnival is a popular summer tradition, its proceeds serve a larger purpose. “The money goes right back into the program,” Vallarella said. “It helps us pay for equipment, uniforms, insurance, league fees, field maintenance, safety training and all the things that allow us to keep registration affordable for our families.”
More than 320 children, ages 5 to 12, take part in seven football teams and six cheer squads. One of them is 9-year-old Michael Pellizzi, who will begin his fifth season with the Titans this fall after joining the program at age 5.
Michael said that his favorite Titans memory was playing at MetLife Stadium — home of the Giants and Jets — with his teammates and receiving the Heart of the Titan Award at the team’s year-end banquet in 2025.
“It’s really fun, and I’ve made a lot of new friends from different schools,” he said. “You have to be a team to win games. I’d tell anyone my age to join.”
For Vallarella, who first joined the organization in 2019 when his son signed up to play football, experiences like Michael’s are exactly what the Titans strive to create.
“We’re teaching football and cheer, but we’re also teaching responsibility, teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership,” he said. “My hope is that years from now these kids will look back on their time with the Titans as some of their best memories and want their own children to have that same experience.”
The Titans’ 15-member volunteer board begins preparing long before the first ride arrives at Greis Park. Vallarella credited the village, Greis Park staff, the Lynbrook Police Department and local businesses for helping make the event possible.
For Cheer Director Maria Dente-Higgins, the carnival reflects the same sense of community that has kept her involved since she volunteered shortly after her daughter, Lucy, joined the program at age 5 in 2022. Even while nine months pregnant, Dente-Higgins attended her first Titans practices before giving birth to a son, Guiseppe, just weeks later. She returned to coaching two weeks after Guiseppe was born, and is now the Titans’ cheer director.
“Titans really means family,” Dente-Higgins said. “The girls start as young as 5 years old, and many stay with us until they age out. Some even come back later as volunteers, and that’s really special because it shows how much this program means to them.”
The cheer program reached a record 168 participants this spring, its highest enrollment ever, with some families placed on a waiting list because there weren’t enough volunteer coaches.
Dente-Higgins said the work never really stops. As soon as one football season ends, volunteers begin preparing for the next with equipment cleaning, uniform fittings, registration and scheduling.
As another football and cheer season approaches, she said she was excited to welcome both returning and new families.
“My daughter has met some of her best friends through the Titans, and now some of their parents are my best friends,” Dente-Higgins said. “When it’s hot, we sweat together. When it’s cold, we share blankets together. It’s really a special organization in the Lynbrook community, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
