Twelfth Annual Huntington Tulip Festival

The Twelfth Annual Huntington Tulip Festival will take place on Sunday, May 6, 2012 from 11 AM to 4 PM at Heckscher Park in Huntington (Route 25A and Prime Avenue.)  This free, family-oriented, floral celebration is held annually within the natural beauty of historic Heckscher Park.  Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, the founder of the festival, and Astoria Federal Savings, the chief sponsor of the festival, are looking forward to an even bigger community-driven event this year. There will be activity booths for children, live entertainment, art exhibits, and a children's parade.

Some of the activities leading up to and planned for the Twelfth Annual Huntington Tulip Festival include:

1. Family Performances: Throughout the duration of the Festival, the Chapin Rainbow Stage will host a series of family-oriented performances organized by the Huntington Arts Council. 
2. Children’s Activity Booths: A diverse selection of activity booths with creative, hands-on projects for children of all ages will be available in Heckscher Park during the Festival.
3. School Art Contest: Building up to the festival will be an art contest for area students organized by the Huntington Arts Council.  Award winning work will be displayed near the stage at the Festival.
4. Photography Contest: Entries by amateur and professional photographers will be juried to select the images most evocative of the beauty and family orientation of the Festival.  Entries must be postmarked or received by July 31, 2012.  Prize-winning images will be used in Festival publicity. 

The Festival's series of performances opens on the Chapin Rainbow Stage with:

12:00-12:45  Chapin Rainbow Stage Performance:  Broadhollow Theatre presents “Rapunzel–The Musical” – A Tangled Fairytale! Let down your hair and join Rapunzel, her Prince, and the evil witch for a performance of hair-raising hi-jinx! Presented by the Huntington Arts Council. * Sponsored by Astoria Federal Savings

1:30-2:15  Chapin Rainbow Stage Performance: “Pirate School!”- David Engels playing “Billy Bones” presents this comic stage show with an on-their-feet action section. New recruits learn well-crafted “Pirate Lessons” on how to stand, talk, laugh, eat, walk, sing and swashbuckle like pirates. They’ll encounter silly challenges, engage in nonsensical competitions; hear a pirate poem, rap song or alphabet, meet an amazingly life-like puppet – his furry first mate Rocky – and receive a Pirate School diploma at days end. Presented by the Huntington Arts Council.* Sponsored by Cablevision

2:15-2:30  Historic Children’s Parade: Put your “Pirate” on! – Pirate School’s Billy Bones will lead our re-enactment of the annual children’s parade that followed the 1920 dedication of Heckscher Park. Parade will leave from and return to the Stage audience area

(Parents: Please accompany your child in the parade.  The Town cannot assume responsibility for your child.)

3:00-3:45  Chapin Rainbow Stage Performance:  “The Broccoli Rob Show”– Singer/Songwriter Robert Poe plays a Super Veggie Hero named “Broccoli Rob.” Along with other characters (Bruce Leek & Elvis Parsley among them), he stresses the importance of eating fruits, vegetables and other high nutrient foods, combining music, comedy, fitness, dance, and martial arts into an interactive and highly entertaining show. Presented by the Huntington Arts Council.*

4:00 Festival Closes (Museum exhibits on views until 5:00 p.m.)

In addition, to help make this wonderful family day a success, volunteers are needed to distribute festival programs to visitors. Any person or community group is welcome to volunteer by calling (631) 351-3099 or by downloading a volunteer application form from the Town of Huntington’s website.  Click on “Cultural Affairs” in the “Online Library.”

For further information: Contact John Coraor, Director of Cultural Affairs at (631) 351-3099.