May 24, 2022 By Christian Murray
The annual Memorial Day Fair at Sunnyside Gardens Park will take place this Saturday after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
The event will feature carnival games, kiddie rides and local bands. Other activities will include a bouncy house, face painting, as well as arts and crafts, according to organizers.
The fair will run from noon to 5 p.m., with a rain date set for Sunday. Admission is free.
The event will also feature a barbeque, where attendees can purchase burgers, hot dogs (including vegetarian hot dogs) and festive sides. There will be beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks for sale.
Attendees will also be able to participate in raffles, with prizes provided by local establishments.
All proceeds from the event will go toward the upkeep of the park.
“It’s great that it’s coming back,” said Erin Lisowski, co-vice president of the park. “It’s one of our big tentpole events, so we are excited that we’re able to do it once again.”
The three-acre private park is located at 48-21 39th Ave. within Sunnyside Gardens. For most of the year the park is reserved for members, although it is opened up to the public for large community events.
The Memorial Day Fair is one of two large community events held at the park. The other big event is Oktoberfest, when the park’s picnic grove is transformed into a beer garden—and German-styled beer, wine and cider is served.
The event Saturday is likely to attract anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 attendees. Prior to COVID-19, organizers say about 2,000 people would attend.
“It’s going to be a nice day so we’re hoping for a big crowd,” Lisowski said.
20 Comments
This is a private Park which is fine, but it’s kind of outrageous for it to only be open to the public for them to make. $$$$. The money that they make when they are open to the public is more than enough money for the park for during the year. If it’s private it should be kept private, or if it’s open to the public it should be FREE or cheap.
Sunnyside Gardens was designed by architects, urban planners and communists to try to create a place where people could own a home, have a small yard, and also a large park to socialize in. Eleanor Roosevelt was actually one of the people who backed it. It’s a private park for anyone who lives in one of the zones. The zones cross in to Woodside as well. Calling it fancy just shows that either you’ve never set foot in it or you’ve never been to something half way decent, let alone fancy. For the sake of your life experiences I just hope you haven’t set foot in it. To call a park elitist when it was in fact created by people trying to embrace socialism is one of those sad circles that happen over time.
Thank you for repeating your post. Important to know the history of your neighborhood. The park is a gem.
Sunnyside Gardens was designed by architects, urban planners and communists to try to create a place where people could own a home, have a small yard, and also a large park to socialize in. Eleanor Roosevelt was actually one of the people who backed it. It’s a private park for anyone who lives in one of the zones. The zones cross in to Woodside as well. Calling it fancy just shows that either you’ve never set foot in it or you’ve never been to something half way decent, let alone fancy. For the sake of your life experiences I just hope you haven’t set foot in it. To call a park elitist when it was in fact created by people trying to embrace socialism is one of those sad circles that happen over time.
This should be a public park.
Sounds like fun. I am staying home for Memorial day and look forward to going with my dog Lola. She is one of the reasons I stayed local. I couldn’t find a dogsitter.
This is a fancy scmancy human children park. Paid. Fur babies are not wanted by the rich people who are able to afford dues.
Oh wowee a bouncy house. Goody.
If sunnyside garden park were public it would be stepping stone for the the neighborhood drunks to hang, BBQ grilling of tortillas and carnitas and the churro lady selling aguardiente from a two gallon jug dressed as a baby from a baby carriage.
Sunnyside has an embarrassing lack of park space, and the fact that this park is normally open only to members is lame.
Maybe if you got a job you could become a member.
I have repeatedly told Sunnyside post to NOT report things that happen at this park because its private property.
I have repeatedly told you, Thank you, to stop posting things that happen inside your brain because it’s private property.
Should everyone be allowed to play in other people’s backyards? Should everyone be entitled to set up a cookout there? Or layout and sunbathe all day? Yes or no? Sunnyside Gardens is a designed community. The designers paid for all the land and allocated that portion of it to the people who own and rent in the designed community. It is their common backyard. The designers created a legal organization to run it. That organization raises funds every year to operate it and keep the property in good shape. The land is not in the public domain the way no one’s front or back yard is in the public domain. Complain about the neglected city park on the corner of 39th and 50th. That is in the public domain and no one is doing anything with it.
SSP should do a follow up story on that park at 39th & 50th. What’s the holdup? Wasn’t there a proposed sketch?
Imagine all the food that could’ve been grown to feed the hungry.
Cause they constantly do this crap. It’s rude and inappropriate
“For most of the year the park is reserved for members, although it is opened up to the public for large community events.”
This event is open to the public.
Ah, the popular refrain of “get a job.” From what I can tell membership has little to do with jobs and is more about what block you live on. And if you are across the street from that goldilocks zone, you can’t join. I think the original point was for a community that advertises its charm, there should be better gathering places for most people than a concrete slab with a couple park benches.
Starting 2021 SGP has done a open lottery for membership. Anyone could apply . If they are randomly picked they could then pay not only the membership fees but volunteer their time and skills for a specific amount of hours each year.
The park is a labor of love for many. It makes the neighborhood one great place to live.
If people want to start picking up and improving their local parks, they are welcome to. I would not call Lou Lodati park a concrete slab.
The SGP is a safe place for babies, toddlers, tweens, teenagers and senior citizens. The members work hard to up keep the park like the neighbors did starting in 1926. As mentioned there are many public events this year. For the past two years, the public events were halted in keeping with the Covid mandates.