Page 10
BALDWIN GUIDE
www.liherald.com
A new kind of Baldwin Day
Drive-in movie night replaces annual tradition
B
aldwin Day looked a little different this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. To replace the traditional picnic and fireworks show in Baldwin Harbor Town Park, Baldwin Chamber of Commerce members sponsored a drive-in movie night in conjunction with the Town of Hempstead. More than 200 cars filled the lot near the skate park on Aug. 25, when people of all ages joined to watch the Disney film “Onward.” Moviegoers remained in their cars to practice social distancing. On Baldwin Day in previous years, the park was filled with thousands of residents of Baldwin and neighboring communities, who set up their lawn chairs and socialized, shopped at vendors, ate hot dogs and hamburgers, and took in to a musical performance before the grand finale fireworks show. The fireworks show started in 2009 and made Baldwin one of the few non-villages in Nassau County to host such a show. “Unfortunately we were unable to do Baldwin Day this year on the 25th anniversary,” Baldwin Chamber of Commerce President Erik Mahler said before the event, “and instead we will be doing the drive-in movie, flashing chamber and nonchamber businesses on the screen to let the public know to save your neighbor’s job and shop local, especially now since businesses are starving.” The free film showing was part of the town’s Drive-In Movie Series, featuring 16 classic films that began on July 6. The program is presented in conjunction with the Long Island Motion Picture Arts Center & Museum, Outdoor Movies by ISH Events and Movies in the Moonlight. The movie began a little after sunset, and instructions were provided on how to tune your car radio station to hear the movie audio inside your vehicle. The town thanked Ridgewood Savings Bank and
Iavarone Bros. for sponsoring the Drive-In Movie Series, as well as media sponsors KJOY 98.3, WHLI 1100AM and 103.1 MAX FM. “Town of Hempstead residents have made great sacrifices over the past several months to help keep one another safe during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Supervisor Don Clavin said in a statement. “This Drive-In Movie Series, provided free to town residents, is our way of giving back to the community. Of course, we will still be enforcing social distancing and other restrictions to help protect moviegoers.” Bridget Downes/Herald
Top photo: More than 200 cars filled one of the lots in the park to watch a drive-in movie that replaced Baldwin Day this year because of the pandemic. Middle photo: A list of Baldwin businesses were shown on the big screen before the Disney movie “Onward” played.
