On Saturday, June 22nd, 2024, the AYLUS Roslyn branch volunteered at Heckscher State Park during their 100th year celebration from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. This event was a festival called the “ Centennial Celebration” celebrating the 100 years of New York State Parks.
This festival showcased the different decades of the New York State Parks in the Long Island Region ranging from the 1920s to the 2020s. Our branch specifically got assigned to the 2010s and 2020s which many of the group members were familiar with, being born around this time.
We were instructed and taught different crafts such as making fidget spinner ninja stars from the 2010s and windsocks that signified the increased use of wind turbines to create energy for a healthier lifestyle during the 2020s. Volunteers helped guide and teach kids and visitors who came to the tables about the crafts offered on our assigned decade. This required us to be friendly and patient while helping young children make crafts to take home.
Other volunteers helped at the booths teaching and informing about the many events and creations of their assigned decade. Such as “Minecraft” and “Pokemon Go” being invented in the 2010s as well as the creation of the board game “Wingspan” in the 2020s They also helped stamp visitors “passports” that were given as they came in, indicating that they had visited the decade. Visitors could go around to the different booths getting stamps of their “passport” until they reached the end where it could be exchanged for an event-themed cookie.
Overall this festival was a fun experience for both the volunteers and the people visiting. They were able to learn about the 100 years of New York State Parks during this celebration while also having fun, being able to create crafts to take home that correspond to popular events that happened in each decade.
Members who participated include: Hunter Chen (5 hours), Sofia Chen (5 hours), Rongcan Gao (5 hours), YinShuo Gao (5 hours), Joanna Huang (5 hours), Lyann Lin (5 hours), Ryan Lin (5 hours), Jaimie Zhao (5 hours)
Reporter: Sofia Chen
