Free entry to 3 Long Island state parks this weekend during inaugural 'One Day 3 Parks' event
Bayard Cutting Arboretum is one of the venues participating in the inaugural “One Day 3 Parks” event on Saturday. Credit: Heather Coste
Marty Garbarino is a perfect example of why three Long Island state parks have teamed up for a new, free event on Oct. 4 called "One Day 3 Parks" — she’s lived in Sayville for nine years but has never been to the nearby Connetquot River State Park Preserve.
Garbarino says she’s sure there are people on Long Island like her, who have driven by state parks and never ventured inside. "I’m as guilty as everyone else," she says.
This inaugural event is meant to introduce families to three such parks in one day — Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River (Garbarino is the president of Bayard’s Horticultural Society), Connetquot in Oakdale and Heckscher State Park in East Islip, the organizers say. The hope is that visitors will be enamored of the parks and want to return, they say.
"These three parks are literally almost touching each other," says Greg Hancock, president of the Friends of Heckscher State Park; they are no more than a 10-minute drive from one to the other. "We wanted to try to showcase the three parks and show people there’s so much more to offer in each park."
The event was organized by the "friends of" volunteer organizations from each park. The Long Island Greenbelt Trail is also participating. "It's the first time friends groups have gotten together to do a program on Long Island," says George Gorman, Long Island regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The rain-or-shine event kicks off at 9 a.m. at Bayard. The arboretum will offer free abbreviated tours of the manor house (typically there is a charge), a walk along the park’s scarecrow-lined paths to the chickens and garden, and a scavenger hunt through the park that ends with those who complete it getting a token plant to bring home. Different organizations, such as Save The Great South Bay, will have information booths set up.
At 11:30, events begin at Connetquot. A guided tour will take people on a hike through the park. "The fall, when the leaves are changing, is a great time to do that," says Glenn Reed, treasurer of both the Friends of Connetquot River State Park Preserve and the Bayard Cutting Arboretum Horticultural Society. Tours will be given of the fish hatchery and the park’s house.
At 2 p.m., activities move to Heckscher, where there will be a disc golf demonstration, a guided nature walk, and a scavenger/exploration hunt that will take people to different areas of the park. "A lot of people don’t know about the cabins. That’s going to be one of the things people will look for," Hancock says, referring to the units where campers can stay overnight. An end-of-the-day celebration will cap off the day, featuring various food trucks and music by local School of Rock bands.
"We’d love to make this an annual event," Hancock says.
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
