Frolic Story

A rollicking good timE At thE hucklEbErry Frolic

By Mike Smollins

Each year, on a Saturday in early June, hundreds of people gather on the grass at Memorial Park in East Rockaway for one of the village’s biggest events of the year: the Huckleberry Frolic. Though the coronavirus caused the 51st annual event to be canceled this summer, plans are in place for it to return next summer.

Rides and vendors crowd the park as the mass of people mill about, enjoying the full day of activities and taking in the sites and sounds of this decades-old tradition. In June 2019, the annual village event celebrated 50 years.

“It’s monumental,” said Charlene Fried, the former chairwoman of the Grist Mill Museum Committee, at the 50th event. “I think it’s awesome because I think it’s a tribute to my committee, and it fuels them to want to do more hard work, and they’re proud to be part of it.”

Starting in 2018, the Frolic expanded into a two-day spectacle that features a slew of activities for families to enjoy, local vendors providing a variety of foods and drinks, and performances by music and dance groups from across the South Shore.

The 2019 event began on a Friday night with a barbecue and concert. The next day, the usual activities of the Frolic took place, starting with the annual parade through the village. The procession included performances by local groups, and concluded at Memorial Park, which is next to the historic Grist Mill Museum.

From there, the event continued at the park

with all of the children’s rides, food and activities, which often include a money booth, petting zoo, video games, candy zone and scavenger hunt, among many other events.

The Frolic is the only fundraiser organized by the Grist Mill Committee to support the museum. While that makes the Frolic important, as the Grist Mill Museum is the oldest building in Nassau County and a staple of East Rockaway, the Frolic has become a major event in its own right, one that the Village of East Rockaway has come to cherish as a time when community members come together for a day of fun. “It’s wonderful,” East Rockaway Mayor Bruno Romano said. “I’ve been living in East Rockaway for 53 years, and I remember coming here when I was a child. To see it now, and just the amount of growth that this particular event morphed into, I’m very proud to see it, and we want to continue growing every year.”

Photos by Mike Smollins/Herald Top photo: Hundreds of residents attended the 50th annual Huckleberry Frolic in June 2019, in support of the Grist Mill Museum.

Middle photo: Finley, 2, fed a goat at the petting zoo, one of dozens of attractions at the event.