Don’t Miss Your HERALD — it’s insiDe!
Remembering an American patriot
MacArthur wins county title
Turtle trouble on the parkway
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VOL. 74 NO. 23
JUNE 4 - 10, 2026
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Michelle Ebel/Herald
County champions! Wantagh High School’s softball team captured its first Nassau title in 36 years on May 28 with a 3-0 victory over Seaford in Game 3 of the Class A championship series. Story, more photos, Page 6.
Jones Beach light show kicks off celebratory summer By HUNTER FENOLLOL hfenollol@liherald.com
Crowds packed the beachfront and boardwalk at Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh on Memorial Day for the park’s first-ever patriotic drone light show, a new attraction introduced as part of New York’s summer-long celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s independence. The roughly 20-minute aerial display began at 9 p.m. over the Atlantic Ocean near the Central Mall area of the park, drawing spectators lining the sand and boardwalk with phones in hand to capture the
historic event. As the 1,000 drones, which were synchronized to patriotic music, rose into the night sky, the atmosphere shifted from conversation to focused attention on the awe-inspiring aerial show. As each of the drones went up and down, the excitement among the attendees’ voices rose. Hundreds of illuminated drones transformed the dark sky above the ocean into a moving canvas. The performance featured a variety of patriotic images and symbols, including a soaring bald eagle, “1776” and military-themed scenes to patriotic music.
The drone show was one of several Memorial Day weekend events organized by New York State Parks as part of the America250 initiative, marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Additional attractions included colonial-era cooking demonstrations, period music, family games and military encampments representing Revolutionary War regiments. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced earlier this year that Jones Beach would host a series of Revolutionary Warthemed programs and special events throughout 2026, high-
lighting New York’s role in the nation’s founding. “The founding of America 250 years ago cannot be told without including New York’s pivotal role in the American Revolution,” Hochul said in a statement announcing the festivities. The Memorial Day drone show also filled a temporary gap left by the rescheduling of
the annual FourLeaf Air Show at Jones Beach, one of Long Island’s largest annual summer events. Traditionally held on Memorial Day weekend, the air show has been moved this year to the July Fourth weekend. State officials announced that the Air Show and FireCONTINUED ON PAGE 2