By Nitya Wanchoo
During an ordinary walk on Plandome Road, you’ll find that the streets are lined with fair-style tents and there’s live music being performed by the park. On Aug. 13, South Plandome held Manhasset Al Fresco, a family-geared event where the businesses of the town, a “balance of commercial and nonprofit,” came out to showcase their brands.
The Manhasset Chamber of Commerce has organized six events featuring live entertainment, dining, shopping and local businesses throughout the summer with the venues alternating between North and South Plandome roads.
The Christ Church Episcopal advertised its Hallowe’en walks and historic cemetery tours. For just $10 on Oct. 31, people can walk among the dead and hear stories about the people beneath their feet. The church also has a lineup of events for the fall and winter of 2022, including a organ recital and an annual holly fair. It has been going through the records and finds that “this is especially historic because of the amazing things that went on in this neighborhood in the 1800s”. The best part – people who aren’t members can participate, too.
Across the street from the church was the League of Women Voters of Port Washington, a non-profit founded to engage voters and help them through the process of registration. The group had forms in a variety of languages, one of which minors can fill out so that when they turn 18, they’ll be automatically registered. This organization is part of the state and national League of Women Voters. People can even join for free online to help get involved.
Further down, was New Hyde Park’s Philly Pretzel Factory selling pretzels with cheese or honey mustard and frozen lemonade. They’ve been in business for a year and eight months now and this is their second time at Al Fresco. What’s more is that part of their pretzel profits go to Manhasset Beautification.
On the other end, one found Pluckd Studio, a music school opening up soon in Manhasset. They’ve leased an area for the next five years and are ready to get started. David Gale, co-founder, explains that they “offer violin, viola, cello and piano”. He’s been teaching privately for 15 years now and has been running the studio since 2019.
The Douglas Elliman real estate stand had arguably the biggest crowd. At their table, people found gift cards, raffles, a cotton candy machine, and even balloon art. The nationwide company has a location right in Manhasset where they’ve been ever since 1911.
And the last stand by town hall was Soccer Superstars, a company which is spread out nationwide. They offer lessons, camps, and even birthday parties for kids as young as 1 year or 2 years old. Their teachings are primarily based on fundamentals as they find that “soccer is more about tools.” At their stand kids were playing in miniature nets, shrieking with glee at making a goal.
There were also stands manned by Manhasset Collisions, Laffey Real Estate, Al Fresco merchandise, Manhasset Rotary Club, and more. Later, there was an Encanto movie night, which was a huge success. The outdoor dining, shopping, and entertainment at Al Fresco in Manhasset never fails to impress.
On Sat, Aug 20, 2022 at 1:20 PM Nitya Wanchoo < nitkick7@gmail.com> wrote: