Vintage Newsday photos of summer fun on LI
Ann Hynes, Julia Heslin and Mary Hynes, all of St. James, enjoy Town of Smithtown's Long Beach in Nissequogue on July 14, 1949. Credit: Newsday/Max Heine
Summer is for making memories.
From carnivals to beach trips to lazy days sitting poolside, it can seem like the fun never ends — especially here on Long Island, where nature’s beauty is just a short drive (or walk!) away. For kids, summer meant heading off to camp, while for others, it was a chance to perfect their hula hoop technique. For their parents, there were warm nights dancing under the stars at Jones Beach.
And over the years, the hairstyles and clothes may have changed, but the same spirit of fun and adventure endures today for a new generation of Long Islanders.
So take a walk down memory lane here, or at the Vintage Newsday Instagram account, which you’ll recognize by the circular photo at left of Newsday’s first female photographer, Edna Murray, circa 1945. There you’ll find more scenes from Long Island’s past, all curated by Newsday’s librarians. — Kim Predham, LI Life Editor
SUN WORSHIP, 1960s STYLE. Thousands flocked to Jones Beach to claim their patch of sand on May 24, 1964. Credit: Newsday/Alan Raia
ROUND AND ROUND. Riders catch a cool breeze on a hot summer day at Rockaways’ Playland in Queens in 1984. Credit: Newsday/Ken Sawchuk
MONKEY BUSINESS. Westbury Drive-In Theatre ran five "Planet of the Apes" movies on July 12, 1973, introducing cars full of fans to the newest, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes."
HOOPING IT UP. Marlene Alter, 10, of Roslyn, getting in on the Hula Hoop craze in 1958, the year Wham-O toy company popularized the plastic hoops. Credit: Newsday / Nightengale/Newsday / Nightengale
1948 POWWOW. Drummer Swift Eagle, of New Mexico, opened the Shinnecock Indian Powwow in Southampton. The annual event celebrates Native American heritage, and this year it will run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3. Credit: Newsday/Max Heine
BALLROOM DANCING AT THE BEACH. Couples move to the band’s music under the stars at Jones Beach in 1969. Credit: Newsday/John Curran
TREK TO PARADISE. Members of the Pearlstein family, of Franklin Square, make their way from a Fire Island ferry to their summer house in Ocean Beach in April 1987. Credit: John Paraskevas
NORTH-SOUTH SHUTTLE. Lake Ronkonkoma residents Diane Schlotterbeck and Barbara Onufrak check a map on the side of a free bus that ran from Smith Point to Rocky Point in 1975. Credit: Newsday/Cliff De Bear
HEADING OFF. Brothers Edmund and William Sharvin, of New Hyde Park, head to camp in June 1960. Credit: Newsday/Jim Nightingale
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