Port Washington’s annual Pride in Port ─ which has been celebrated since 1988 ─ and Homecoming festivities took place on Sept. 18.  The annual events included a parade on Main Street with students, teachers, and community members marching for different schools, companies, and organizations.

After various groups met behind Carlo’s Pizzeria, the parade started at 11:30 a.m.  The parade’s path consisted of Main Street, Port Washington Boulevard, and finally, Campus Drive. The parade included a display from all five of the district’s elementary schools and other displays from Weber Middle School and various community organizations such as the Community Chest, first responders, and veterans.  Schreiber’s marching band also performed in the parade, playing songs such as “Washington and Lee” and “Louie Louie.”  

 “It was a tremendous amount of fun to play clarinet in the Pride and Port parade.  I’ve made friends with people in every year of high school, and I have improved my clarinet skills along the way.  It was a nice treat to play for everyone in Port Washington and represent Schreiber,” said freshman Naomi Caplin.

Before the Homecoming football game started and during the first half of the game, festivities were taking place on the track.  At the track, community members could buy cotton candy, popcorn, and snow cones. There were many activities for young children to enjoy, such as a rock-climbing wall, a wrecking ball area, and a large assortment of bouncy castles.  Students from Key Club, which conducts community service all throughout Port Washington, ran the activities and sold food.  

“While it was really hot out and there were plenty of people coming to buy food, it was my first volunteering job and everyone in the community seemed to truly enjoy the festivities.  I had a great experience and especially liked giving out cotton candy to people,” said freshman Rino Sekiyama. 

One of the main events of the day was the football game between the Vikings and the Plainview Hawks, which took place on the turf, and also featured a half-time performance by the Portettes, along with the Cheerleading team supporting the Vikings throughout the entire game.  

“I was both surprised and happy to see how well Port Washington’s football team played against Plainview.  They left it all out on the field and it was a great game to watch,” said junior Alison Greilsheimer. 

During the first quarter of the game, the Vikings led by a score of 20-0, and by the second, the Vikings were up 27-0.  While Plainview started to catch up by the end of the third quarter to put  the score at 34-15, their comeback effort fell short and the Vikings took home a victory of 40-15.  

Many students were volunteering or attending the football game and parade, as it was a day that brought the community together, especially after a year of hardships due to Covid. 

“It was such a great opportunity to take part in volunteering at Pride in Port.  I was able to make friends with other fellow peers and it was fun working at the snow cone station.  I loved selling snow cones to hungry customers and being able to make them,” said freshman Emma Goldberg. 

These volunteers worked about a two and a half hour shift and there were approximately twenty eight volunteers taking part in running the festivities along with staff. 

After the game and festivities, the annual dinner and dance took place at the Polish-American Hall at 7 p.m.  The Port Washington News said, “Dozens of local restaurants generously donated food for the cocktail hour and dinner.”  In addition, there was also free food for seniors in the Schreiber cafeteria.  

Town members were glad to see this tradition continue after it was canceled last year due to the pandemic.