Will Rain Cancel Friday's Belmont Festival?

Garden City's sixteenth annual Garden City Belmont Festival is scheduled for Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. 

With an 80 percent chance of rain all day, will Mother Nature put the kibosh on the evening's planned activities? According to the National Weather Service, Friday's forecast calls for rain with a high near 73.

There is no rain date for the event.

Held on the eve of the 145th running of the famed Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park, the street fair draws hundreds to Seventh Street for food, fun and family-friendly activities.

“The Belmont Stakes is a time-honored tradition which all of us in Garden City look forward to with anticipation each year,” Garden City Belmont Festival chairperson Mary Dolan Grippo said.

The evening will include live music from a variety of bands, including the Fivestone Rock Band, Jerry and the Newcomers, New Vintage Orchestra, Nor’easter and The Village Music Makers. Back by popular demand, dancers from Broadway Bound Dance Center will also return with toe-tapping performances. The fifth annual Wing-Off competition will kick off at 6 p.m. when local restaurants will vie for the coveted title of Garden City’s chicken wing champion.

The evening will also include a poster contest, face painting, pony rides, carnival games with prizes and a variety of food offerings from local merchants.

This year’s festival is sponsored by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Stifel Nicolaus Investment Services.

“This tremendous event would not be possible without the continued support of NYRA and our newest partner Stifel Nicolaus. We are very grateful for their commitment and thank them for their involvement in this year’s festival,” Dolan Grippo said.

For more information or to participate in the Garden City Belmont Festival, contact Mary Dolan Grippo at 571-1936 or via e-mail at mgrippo@nassauida.org.