Community Corner
Nanuet Festival Draws Big Crowds, Promotes Healthy Habits
The 4th Annual Nanuet Family Festival succeeded in providing fun activities for kids and encouraging healthy living
Sports, music, food, and other family fun brought the local community together on Saturday. The former grounds of St. Agatha’s children’s home played host to the Fourth Annual Nanuet Family Festival.
The event began at 11 a.m. with Nanuet boys and girls scouts parading through the fair. Immediately following was the Labyrinth Band, which included Nanuet teacher Mike Fitzgerald. They played classic tunes as people walked around the field. 40 vendors covered the area, each booth sharing their products, while at the same time providing activities for the children. A vast majority of them emphasized healthy physical and mental lifestyles.
One booth was part of geekthelibrary.org, a website that promotes reading based on people’s interests. Their table had a board where attendees could write down an interest of theirs. Their idea was to show people that there is literature on every topic imaginable. Jessica Bowen, director at the Piermont library, spoke about the importance of getting people to read.
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“Our aim is to get people engaged about what they’re really passionate about,” Bowen exclaimed.
The festival focused a lot on promoting fitness through sports. Clinics for kids took place throughout the day. This included tee-ball, soccer, and lacrosse. The instructors took the children through engaging drills that got them moving. Organizer Roseann Mercado explained how the clinics and activities for youngsters were crucial.
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“Every vendor was asked to have an activity for children and to not give out any candy. We have all of this stuff here to keep the kids active instead of sitting in front of the television,” Mercado said.
There were numerous health and fitness vendors. Among them was DeCarlo Chiropractic, which gave out free five-minute massages, the Personal Training Institute, and Hudson Health Plan to name a few. Many other areas provided entertainment and amusement including the Dunk a teacher booth, the bouncy castle, and face painting. Mercado was very pleased with the turnout in attendance and vendors.
“We had a lot more vendors this year and had a lot more advertising,” Mercado stated.
The participants had large grins on their faces and enjoyed all aspects of the festival. Michael and Debbie Cilleseie brought their two young children and seemed surprised at their enjoyment.
“It’s been a great event. I’m really shocked about what a great time we’re having!” Michael said.
The gorgeous bright and breezy weather got people out to the festival for a great time and proved to be a huge success.
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