______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD Kiwanis Club helps veterans
Inflatables on the run at Dever
Sylvan Place plans holiday fun
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VOL. 36 NO. 49
DECEMBER 4 - 10, 2025
$1.00
Village honors its civic partners By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
Courtesy Village of Valley Stream
Members of the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce board and the organization’s Centennial Committee joined Mayor Ed Fare and village trustees on Nov. 24 to be recognized for their contributions to the village’s centennial celebration. Honorees gathered at Village Hall for a commemorative photo.
The Valley Stream board of trustees focused its Nov. 24 meeting at Village Hall on recognizing community members whose work, in the view of village officials, continues to strengthen the village’s fabric. Before be ginning re gular business, Mayor Ed Fare and the trustees highlighted contributions from a local business owner and from organizations that played key roles throughout Valley Stream’s year-long cenCoNtiNuEd oN pagE 6
WinterFest kicks off Valley Stream’s holiday season By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
WinterFest was set to return to Arthur J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream this week with a full slate of holiday season activities, including a month-long display of lights and expanded involvement from the community. Organized by the village, the p o p u l a r eve n t h a s g row n steadily over the years, and now anchors the start of the winter holiday season for many local families. WinterFest began in the winter of 2011 after Mayor Ed Fare took office, expanding on the
village’s ongoing traditional events. The new event introduced Santa’s annual arrival by the Valley Stream Fire Department and photo sessions inside Village Hall. As WinterFest grew, it moved to the band shell area and gradually added more lights, inflatable decorations, c o s t u m e s , a c t iv i t i e s a n d themed displays. “Of all the great events that the village sponsors throughout the year, WinterFest is probably the most special,” Fare said. During the pandemic, WinterFest adapted to a drivethrough format at the village pool parking lot, allowing fami-
lies to experience a full Santa display staffed with characters and elves while remaining in their cars. Organizers described the feature as one of the most successful introduced during that time, leading to the decision to move the event entirely into Hendrickson Park. Since then, the village has developed a large, illuminated holiday setup centered around the gazebo and its tree, eventually expanding the display to remain lit for the entire month of December. This year’s WinterFest will unfold over four days, from Thursday through Sunday, preceded by nightly Santa runs
through various Valley Stream neighborhoods, from 6 to 9 p.m. The fire department planned to escort Santa through the village night by night, starting in the area west of Central Avenue on Monday and continuing in the section east of Central on Tuesday and the Gibson neighborhood on Wednesday, concluding with a loop through
Mill Brook on Thursday. WinterFest will begin with a soft opening on Thursday, from 6 to 9 p.m., and the full event will take place during the same timeframe on Friday. Activities will continue through Sunday, including morning breakfasts and afternoon gatherings. Thursday evening’s soft CoNtiNuEd oN pagE 8