A holiday celebration fit for the Bellmores

Every year, the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores hosts a Holiday Extravaganza like no other — the intersection at Pettit and Bedford Avenues gets temporarily closed for an evening in early December, and troves of community members, local leaders and of course business owners, find there way into the streets to ring in the holiday season.

The spectacle was no different this year than it has been in the past.

Amid all the excitement, some fan favorites of years past retuned, including horse-drawn carriage rides, the distribution of holiday snacks and treats, and of course, photos with Santa Claus, who arrived in style on a carriage himself.

Attendees were entertained by the different performances throughout the evening by local chorus groups.

After a brief ceremony, which was attended by some local officials including Legislator Tom McKevitt and Councilman Chris Carini, a tall Christmas tree was lit right next to the Bellmore Long Island Rail Road station.

Debby Izzo, of the Bellmore Chamber, told the Herald that events like these are made possible, thanks to the community’s support during some of the Chamber’s other events.

“I want to thank the community for dealing with the mayhem the September street festival brings to the neighborhood,” Izzo said last year. “If it wasn’t for the street festival mayhem, we wouldn’t be able to do this event — we wouldn’t have the money to do this for the community.”