Empire State Fair, Harbes Sunflower Festival and more things to do with the family on Long Island
The Empire State Festival at Nassau Coliseum features rides, games, fireworks and performances. Credit: Hanneford Circus /Rick Purdue
Schools are out for the summer and it’s time to plan some adventures with the family. Don't fret — you can pack the weekend with fun without a steep price tag.
Old Westbury Gardens is just one destination offering a fun and educational excursion for all ages this month. Attendees can join an evening tour July 8 with naturalist Gabriel Willow where the group will search for local bats and learn facts about the winged mammal. Willow explains this exploration of the grounds is more of an audio tour than visual as, “it's not just about what we'll see but what we'll hear … I will have a device called an echolocator, which lowers the high-pitched calls of the bats into the range of human hearing, so we get to be a bit closer to entering their world.” Willow hopes people will gain a better understanding of these mammals and says, “It’s a fun excuse to be out exploring at night.”
For families looking to take a day trip to the North Fork, Harbes Family Farm is hosting its first Sunflower Festival July 8-9. Tim Mulrain, barnyard manager at Harbes, notes why the farm decided to add the celebration to its roster: "People love them, so a summertime sunflower festival seemed ideal." Mulrain says they plan to add a huge golden yellow Adirondack chair, a sunflower photo-op and tractors for the event.
Here's your guide to affordable fun:
Harbes Family Farm’s Sunflower Festival
Sunflowers like these will be on display during the Harbes Family Farm's first-ever Sunflower Festival, taking place at its grounds in Mattituck. Credit: T.Mulrain/Harbes Farms
The festival focused on the sunny blossoms also grants guests the opportunity to explore the Harbes Barnyard Adventure, featuring a hayride tour, jumbo bounce pillows, a sports zone with tossing games themed by popular sports, a tricycle track, hedge maze, pig races and an animatronic musical chicken show. Food and drink will also be available for purchase, plus visiting adults can also buy wine by the glass or bottle in the farm’s wine barn. Live music will also take place daily from 1 to 5 p.m. with Matt Taylor playing Saturday and Robin Sidor Sunday.
Cost $25.95, kids two and under are free
More info 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 8-9; 715 Sound Ave., Mattituck; 631-482-7641, harbesfamilyfarm.com.
Red Barn Farm Fair
Maya Spicwak, Niko Spicwak and Christian Spicwak from Bucks County, Pennsylvania watch the alpaca, Ultrass, at the Red Barn Farm Fair in Baiting Hollow. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Farm partner Ashley Yakaboski explains that aside from the farm’s usual services that include educational alpaca tours by appointment, and workshops done in conjunction with small businesses, the fairs are “extra special, because we encourage you to take a step back and go at a slower pace,” adding that “we allow guests to come to the farm free of charge, in hopes that they will come to connect with us." Guests will get a chance to view the resident alpacas at this five-acre North Fork spot, as well as enjoy live music and sound healing and aura cleansing from Cassidy and James Santoro of Shamanic Magick.
Cost Free
More info 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8; 1857 Sound Ave., Baiting Hollow; 631-905-7931, redbarnfarm.org.
Garden City’s Friday Night Promenade
The summer series held by the village’s Chamber of Commerce features live country music by County Line, giveaways, face painting and a balloon artist.
Cost Free
More info Seventh Street, Garden City; 516-746-7724, gardencitychamber.org.
Balloon show at Belmont Lake State Park
Combining family-friendly comedy with magic and balloon twisting, performer Candy Brigham aka “Candy Twister” will be putting on a stage show that encourages audience participation.
COST Free, $8 parking fee
More info 2 p.m. July 8; Southern State Parkway Exit 38N, North Babylon; 631- 667-5055, parks.ny.gov.
Family Bat Walk at Old Westbury Gardens
The historic Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens. Credit: Old Westbury Gardens
The evening Family Bat Walk features Willow leading an all-ages tour and search for local bats while sharing facts about the winged mammal. Willow hopes attendees on the tour will develop a greater understanding of the species. "Bats are supremely adapted nocturnal creatures. Humans have long held superstitious beliefs about bats, as they inhabit a realm so different from ours, and are so unique as the only mammals that fly," he says. Willow notes there are five regularly occurring species of bat in the New York City/ Long Island area, and all are fairly small, insect-eating bats.
Cost $15, children ages 7-17 are $8. Tickets must be purchased online in advance as space is limited
More info 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 8; 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury; 516-333-0048, oldwestburygardens.org.
Mattituck Street Fair
Returning for its 45th year, this annual festival will feature more than 100 vendors, plus food to purchase and live music performances throughout the day, arts and crafts, as well as the “Little Miss Mattituck” and “Little Mister Mattituck” contests.
Cost Free
More info 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8; At the intersection of Old Sound Avenue and Love Lane, Mattituck; mattituckchamber.org.
Magic show at Sunken Meadow State Park
Magician James Lazzarini aka “Amore” will be putting on a family-friendly magic show where he'll turn colorful handkerchiefs into magic wands. All are welcome to bring blankets or chairs.
Cost Free, $10 parking fee
More info 2 p.m. July 9; at the northern end of Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park; 631-269-4333, parks.ny.gov.
LI Antique Power Association Festival
A vintage piece of farm equipment, on display during the annual LI Antique Power Association Festival, held in Riverhead. Credit: Susan Young
Returning for its 31st year, this two-day affair will feature a variety of combustion engines on display, plus tractor pulls, vintage race cars, blacksmith demonstrations, antique sawmill demonstrations, trucks from the Long Island chapter of the American Truck Historical Society and a “parade of power” during which tractors line up and drive across the property. Kids can also look forward to access to a play area with sandbox and swings and a tractor-pulled train ride among other children-friendly activities.
Cost $10, kids under 12 and veterans are free
More info 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8-9; 5951 Sound Ave., Riverhead; 631-404-2708, liapa.com.
Empire State Fair
The giant Ferris wheel at the Empire State Fair at the Nassau Coliseum. Credit: Empire State Fair
The fair features several carnival rides for kids (ranging from 30-56 inches in height), guests can also purchase food from a variety of vendors and check out trapeze and high wire performances provided by the Royal Hanneford Circus (weekdays at 7 and 9 p.m.; 3,7 and 9 p.m. weekends), an oddity show by World of Wonders (6 and 8 p.m. weekdays; 2, 6 and 8 p.m. weekends), an animal petting zoo (all hours) and an evening fireworks display (July 8) at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Cost $10 for patrons over 36" tall, free for children under 36" tall with a paying adult, which includes all happenings; rides require tickets ($150 for one ticket, $30 for 20, $60 for 50) or unlimited ride wristbands $35 weekdays, $40 Fridays through Sundays). Parking is free.
More info Through July 16 (5 to 11 p.m. weekdays; noon to 11 p.m. weekends); 1255 Hempstead Tpke., Uniondale; 866-666-3247, empirestatefair.com.
Big Time Rush at Jones Beach
Big Time Rush will perform at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater during the “Can't Get Enough Tour." Credit: Getty Images for iHeartRadio/John Parra
The pop band best known for their hit Nickelodeon show "Big Time Rush," take the stage at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater during the “Can't Get Enough Tour."
Cost Tickets are $40-$204
More info 7 p.m. July 9; 895 Bay Pkwy., Wantagh; 516-221-1000, livenation.com.
