This year, Pride in Port will be taking place on Sept. 28. Pride in Port is an exciting annual event in the community, and is something many residents look forward to. The parade will be followed by the homecoming football game of the boys varsity football team against Westbury at 3 p.m.
Parts of Port Washington Blvd. and Main Street, from Belleview Avenue to Campus Drive, will be closed off for the parade. The carnival, which will host a variety of fun games and activities for kids in the community to enjoy, will be on Seeber Field by the Schreiber track.
“It’s so nice to see how much pride people have in Port Washington. Just because it’s one of those things where they’ve been running it for so many years, and here in Port Washington everything is very community based, so nice to see how passionate people are about the event,” said Assistant Principal Dr. Casey Lomangino.
Pride in Port is a day full of energy and spirit, and a tradition that brings together the entire town. For those new to the town and long-time residents, Pride in Port is a whole day of exciting activities designed to bring the whole community together.
“I think Pride in Port is a great opportunity for the community and schools to come together,” said social studies teacher Mr. Gennaro Fontano.
Pride in Port will begin with the parade: all the elementary schools will march first, followed by Weber Middle School, and finally Schreiber High School. Each school will have a float with its school colors and people parading along. The marching band will play a variety of songs during the parade such as “Washington and Lee,” Schreiber’s school song, and the pop hit “Shut Up and Dance.”
The parade finishes on Campus Drive where everyone can attend the carnival right after. The homecoming game will be at The Pit on Campus Drive, and is expected to have a great turnout. The Athletic Hall of Fame inductees will be announced during halftime, followed by the Portettes’ halftime show.
“I am excited for Pride in Port this year. The fact that it is immediately followed by the homecoming football game makes all of Sept. 28 seem like an amazing celebration of our town,” said senior Mailynn Betanco.
The parade and football game aren’t the only events to look forward to on the 28th. If you want to start your day a little earlier than the parade, the Port Washington Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be taking place in the Schreiber auditorium at 9 a.m. Local organizations will be putting on a pre-parade showcase of talent and entertainment in front of the Port Washington train station at 11 a.m.
A Senior Luncheon will take place in the Schreiber cafeteria at 12:30 p.m. A food court will be in the parking lot between the Weber All Purpose-Room and the track, and a Cornhole Tournament between each school will take place at 3:30 p.m. The Cornhole Tournament will be in divisions; elementary schools will each compete against each other, each house of Weber will compete against each other, and for Schreiber, each club will compete against each other.
“I’m excited to help out at the Women’s Empowerment booth at Pride in Port this year. It’s a great opportunity to share details about our club with the town,” said junior Sienna Kohn.
The carnival, which will run for a few hours prior to the football game, will have various tables and multiple activity stations. Different clubs will be in charge of certain activities, such as popcorn stands and cotton candy machines.
“I think Pride and Port is a great opportunity for the community to see how much effort the students put into running the activities—they’ll set up tables and run different activities. It’s also a great way for the clubs to fundraise and show community-school engagement,” said Mr. Fontano.
Sept. 28 will be a day filled with Port Washington community oriented activities. This year marks the 35th anniversary of full-day celebration, and continues a tradition which many people across Port Washington participate in.
“It’s such a great atmosphere, and it really brings everyone together… There’s nothing better than having community events like this—it’s one of those things where people get involved from all over; people that just moved here, people that have been here awhile; it’s one of those events I feel that everyone knows about. It’s a lot of fun,” said Dr. Lomangino.