The Village of Mineola hosted the second annual Sounds on 2nd Street Friday featuring hundreds of residents, music and local food to kick off Labor Day Weekend.
Residents gathered on a section of 2nd Street between Mineola Boulevard and Main Street in front of the Morgan Parc residential complex. Live music was provided by White Wedding, an ’80s tribute band that was stationed in the Town of North Hempstead’s mobile stage in front of 2nd Street Gourmet.
Mineola Chamber of Commerce President Louis Pannacciulli said the event was great not just for the entirety of Mineola but also for the downtown business district.
“Events like this can help revitalize the businesses there and maybe attract new ones,” Pannacciulli said.
He also thanked the chamber, Kevin Lalezarian of Lalezerian Properties, which owns Morgan Parc, and the village for sponsoring the event.
Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira said the event has already exceeded expectations.
“It is quickly becoming a community tradition of bringing friends, family, and community together for great music, food, and fun in our downtown,” Pereira said. “We are already planning for next year. The sky is the limit.”
Hosting more downtown events has long been an effort by the chamber, Vice President Tony Lubrano said in an interview with Blank Slate Media. In previous years, before construction for Morgan Parc was finished, the chamber held car shows every Thursday night in the summer.
“It really wasn’t working out, but we never gave up on the idea of figuring out what should we do,” Lubrano said.
Lubrano said with Morgan Parc now fully built and an ownership change at The St. James restaurant across the street, the opportunity to host more events could come to fruition. The restaurant in 2022 hosted a St. Patrick’s Day event outside their storefront with music and a section of the street blocked off.
Lubrano last year spoke with the restaurant, Lalezerian, and the owners of Spaghettini Pizza and Burrito Boulevard, both on Mineola Boulevard next to 2nd Street, about putting a yearly event together.
“It takes a lot of hard work, but you need the right people to step forward,” Lubrano said.
He said the chamber has its eye on the future and is trying to decide which format of events works best. Considerations include hosting monthly events throughout the spring, summer and fall or weekly events in the summer similar to Friday Night Promenades in Garden City on Seventh Street.
“It’s a great opportunity not only for the businesses in the area, but it’s becoming a nice community event,” Lubrano said. “It’s a time you can go down there, listen to music and bring your family. It’s just a wonderful community atmosphere and that’s what we as a chamber try to promote.”