________ FrANkLIN squAre/eLmoNt _______ your HEALTH body / mind / fitness
and JUNE 29, 2023
with a focus on:
MEN’S
looK INsIdE YoUR HEAlTH
Men’s Health
Vol. 25 No. 27
Troop 93 scout earns Eagle rank
Rent rises for stabilized units
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JUNE 29 - JUlY 5, 2023
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Belmont Park project aims to begin next year By ANA BoRRUTo aborruto@liherald.com
Billy Harrison/Herald
A sea of regal purple Sewanhaka High School’s Class of 2023 graduated last Sunday at Hofstra University. Story, more photos, page 7. More graduation coverage, Pages 6 and 10, and more to come next week.
The New York Racing Association is aiming to break ground on a $455 million Belmont Park modernization project in 2024 that will transform the historic racing venue. According to a NYRA spokesperson, there isn’t a set construction timeline, but the goal is to begin the project after next year’s Belmont Stakes. The Long Island Association Economic Development & Infrastructure Committee held an event at Belmont Park on June 16 to educate invitees about the extensive renovations of the horse racing facility that are
planned. Funding for the project will come from a loan included in the state fiscal year 2024 budget. “Belmont Park is a historic and unique asset for Long Island, and a reinvigorated facility will allow Belmont to unlock its full economic potential and have a ripple effect in terms of jobs, tourism, and business opportunities across our region,” Matt Cohen, president and CEO of LIA, said. The New York Racing Association plans to demolish Belmont Park, on Hempstead Turnpike, and rebuild it from scratch, transforming the racetrack into a winterized facility complete Continued on page 2
Paying tribute to German American culture this summer By REI WolFsoHN Intern
German American culture will be celebrated once again during Sommerfest at Plattduetsche Park in Franklin Square on Sunday, July 9. The Plattduetsche Volksfest Vereen — offering assistance and fellowship to German immigrants — will hold its annual Sommerfest, this time in a oneday event, from noon to 9 p.m. Sommerfest will feature traditional food, beer brewed by German Americans, games, raffles, music and dance performances. The plethora of traditional foods will include all kinds of
wurst, hot dogs, a dry sausage called landjaeger, potato pancakes and seafood. The seafood might sur prise neighbors because the popular representations of German culture come from Bavaria, and not seaside towns. But Plattduetsche celebrates both Bavaria and Northern Germany, where the community lived on the North Sea. “When most people think about German stuff in the United States, they think about Bavarian stuff — people in lederhosen,” Michael Rabus, director of the Plattduetsche Volksfest Vereen, said. “But in reality, when Plattduetsche Park was first originated, a lot of the peo-
ple were from Northern Germany, and that’s where the Plattduetsche people first were in existence.” Rabus initially got involved in German American organizations 25 years ago, around the time his daughter, Catherine, was born. Last year, he said, she was crowned Miss GermanAmerica queen of the Steuben Parade in New York City, another celebration of German American culture. Plattduetsche Park was founded in the 1910s and today houses a beer garden, restaurant, soccer field and a senior living center called the Plattduetsche Home and Renken Apart-
ments. Sommerfest itself was once held in Brooklyn, and has been around for 138 years. At that time it was called Volksfest, which translates to folk festival. Over the years, the mission of the organization has been to provide social welfare to its members and the German American community. This includes supporting the senior apartments,
building a hospital that offers free medical care to members of the group and providing stipends to those experiencing hardship. The German Hospital Corporation was spun off independently once the hospital was built, and is now called the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. The group also works to proContinued on page 14