Lynbrook's Expo kicks off 100th-year celebration

Lynbrook residents: get ready for a roller-coaster ride through the village’s first 100 years. The celebration will kick off with the Centennial Expo at Greis Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be the 21st Expo for the village.

“I think the centennial is a wonderful thing,” said Carol Burak, a Lynbrook resident on the village’s Centennial Committee. “The celebration brings everyone together.”

Burak and her fellow committee members — Bill Gaylor, Jeff Greenfield, Art Mattson, Bill Robinson, Stu Neufeld and Madeline Pearson — have been meeting regularly since last December to plan the centennial. Under the direction of Deputy Mayor William Hendrick, the group has mapped out a schedule of events.

According to Burak, there will be a variety of attractions and activities on Saturday, including food and craft vendors, classic cars, live entertainment with D.J. Night Fever, a Civil War military display, and Fire Department and law enforcement exhibits. In the morning, residents will be able to apply for passports and safeguard their children with an I.D. kit at the Town of Hempstead mobile unit.

Girl Scout Jaclyn Stamile, 17, will unveil her mural mosaic at the Expo — a project that dozens of residents helped to design to pay tribute to the village’s history.

“The expo is a lot of fun,” said Gaylor, the president of the Chamber of Commerce. “People should participate. People who don’t avail themselves of the celebration are really missing out.”

Many village officials, local businesses and special guests will be taking part, according to Burak. Commemorative journals will be on sale for $10. Along with a message from Mayor Brian Curran, they contain many photographs of local sights, past and present, and a history of Lynbrook’s most famous residents.

“The history of the village goes back to 1790,” Mattson said. “The celebration is an opportunity to make Lynbrook residents aware of the great history of the village.”

Comments about this story? CHamlin@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.