Lazy Days of Summer Beats the Heat

The children laughed and played under the watchful eyes of their parents as Levittown celebrated the 15^th annual Lazy Days of Summer event on Saturday, July 7 by the Levittown Community Council.

Undaunted by unusually hot weather with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, participants rode ponies, cajoled baby animals in the petting zoo, fished in the kiddy pond, were fascinated by bubble blowing, had their faces painted and their arms temporarily tattooed, played games under the instruction of deejay Tim Aldrich, designed works of art in sand to take home and dug for treasure in the pirate’s treasure chest.

As in the past, all of the activities are provided free of charge to participants, which number 600 or more annually.

“We’re able to do this due to the generous support of various businesses and the volunteer efforts of Community Council members and others who pitch in to help,” said Mauro Cassano, past president of the Council and co-chair with his wife Louise, of this year’s event.

Sponsors this year included: Associated Brokerage, Astoria Federal, Best Yet Supermarket, DeTolla & DeTolla Dental, Domenico's Pizza Restaurant, Engel Construction, Fedway Imports, Fred Form Accountant, Law Offices of Jon Probstein, Kiddee Junction, King Kullen Levittown, LevitStyle, Levittown Lanes, Little Gym, Main Street Financial, Meenan Oil Co, New York Life, Perry Mollick, MD, PC and Stop & Shop Levittown.

The Levittown Historical Society provided historical information and conducted a contest to guess the number of candies in a jar and Levittown Fire Department and Wantagh-Levittown Volunteer Ambulance Corps exhibited equipment, conducted blood pressure screenings and responded to a few minor incidents of heat exhaustion and scraped knees. New York Life provided Ident-A-Kit fingerprinting, MisMatch and YooHoo, the clowns, fascinated parents and kids with their imaginative balloon creations and the demonstration team of Kempo Martial Arts performed amazing feats of self defense.

Volunteers who assisted in the planning the event, soliciting sponsorships and in overseeing various activities included Jessica Koenig, Don and Pat Patane, Ginny Isola, Tom Kohlman, Steve Dalton and LCC President Bob Koenig. Other volunteers who assisted on the day of the event were: Becky Hopkins, Donna Ryan, Mary/Tom Mawn, Ceil Weichering, Patrick McNerney, Jason Feiner, John Rodriguez, Jonathan Koenig, Diego Sanchez, Kerri and Meghan Kingsley and Eleanor Walsh

Lazy Days of Summer is a signature event of the Levittown Community Council, which was established in 1998 and brings together residents and community organizations. Membership in the Council is $10 for individuals, $15 for families and $50 for organizations. For additional membership information, contact Steve Dalton at 516-796-5031.

Were you at the Lazy Days of Summer? Tell us in the comments.