5 Long Island summer traditions to experience this year
Many of the familiar sights of Memorial Day weekend are upon us. Credit: Barry Sloan
The beaches are opening, the Thunderbirds are flying and you’re firing up that grill: Many of the familiar sights of Memorial Day weekend on Long Island are upon us once again.
Here’s a bucket-list worthy checklist that’ll keep your summer traditions going this year:
1. Watch the Bethpage Air Show
The Blue Angels take to the sky during the 15th annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach Saturday, May 26, 2018. Credit: Barry Sloan
The pilots are returning for this year’s in-person show. You'll once again be able to hear the rumble of the Thunderbirds while riding your bike down the Wantagh State Parkway path, and can salute a Long Island favorite from your beach blanket.
The annual show held a virtual event for the first time in 17 years in 2020. This summer it returns with a reduced capacity event. The event is sold out, but you can still watch online if you don't have tickets. Visit bethpageairshow.com for more info and to stream.
2. Head out on an East End day trip
The Big Duck, located on Flanders Road, is a landmark of Flanders and now functions as a souvenir and gift shop. Credit: Veronique Louis
Every year, you find yourself stopping for a selfie in front of the Big Duck, which was originally built in 1931. Why not hop out for a 2021 version while en route to the East End? Located at 1012 NY-24 in Flanders, the duck is a brief detour away from that scenic drive you have planned along Sound Avenue and Long Island Wine Country. If spotting the duck isn't a sweet enough incentive on its own, consider making it into a foodie road trip and drop by Breitenbach Farms on Rte 25 in Aquebogue, which is serving up apple crumb, cherry and blueberry pies curbside, and is among Newsday food critics' picks.
3. Satisfy your summer sweet tooth
Make a summer fantasy come true by taking a tour focused on ice cream only. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Pies aside, a Long Island summer isn’t complete without Italian ices, ice cream sundaes, soft serve and more. Local shops have been making summer evenings sweeter for years — and for many, that’s not stopping now. The family-owned Marvel Frozen Dairy in Lido Beach, which has been at 258 Lido Blvd., since 1951, is serving up chocolate-dipped cones, nut-covered soft serve and more curbside at its walk-up window. Ralph’s Italian Ices, which opened its first Long Island location in Franklin Square more than two decades ago, is doing the same and is also available for delivery through DoorDash, Grubhub and other food services. Top off an evening walk or indulge around the fire pit.
4. Take in the sun at your favorite beach
Community spacing is observed at Jones Beach on Saturday, May 16, 2020. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Beaches are set to open for the season soon. You can still soak up the sun, lounge in the sand and walk the boardwalk. Beaches and pools across New York State can open at 100% capacity by July Fourth if COVID-19 infection rates continue to decline, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo says.
5. See a movie under the stars
Attendees watch from their cars at a drive-in movie premiere of a new movie "Innocence," held at Cooper's Beach in Southampton, on August 16, 2014. Credit: Gordon M. Grant
An old favorite returns again this summer: the drive-in movie theater.
At the pop-up at the Westfield South Shore Mall in Bay Shore the lineup is as follows: 10 p.m. May 21: "Back to the Future"; 8:30 p.m. May 22: "The Mighty Ducks"; 10:15 p.m. May 22: "The Breakfast Club"; 8:30 p.m. June 4: "The Goonies"; 11:30 p.m. June 4: "Scary Movie"; 8:30 p.m. June 5: "Toy Story.;" 8:45 p.m. June 12: Florida Georgia Line concert movie ($79-$89 per carload, enjoy free popcorn).
For a full list of drive-in experiences, visit newsday.com/events.
