Aylus Great Neck Branch volunteered at Heckscher State Park on Saturday, June 22 from 11am – 3pm for the Centennial Celebration.
Today, June 22nd, 2024, AYLUS Great Neck Branch volunteered at Heckscher State Park. At this park, there were numerous booths, each with its own historical period. This event commemorated NY State Parks’ 100th anniversary. The Centennial Celebration featured booths from each decade of the last century, each including a variety of items, activities, and historical information.
During our visit, we had volunteers at three booths: 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The volunteers tended the booths by describing the time period, by stamping visitor stamp papers, and by generally assisting. The 1960s booth had games like twister and operation, art such as spin art, and information on several parks that had been bought during the 1960s. These many activities demonstrated the emergence of numerous new and exciting events. The 1970s booth featured activities such as rock decorating, presents many figurines, and more parks acquired throughout the 1970s. This decade brought new gadgets and recreational activities. The 1980s booth featured an array of comic-related things such as Batman and comic books, as well as toys such as the Mandalorian from the film Back to the Future and a variety of fascinating technology such as the View Master and the Walkman. This historical era was tremendously vibrant and introduced various sports, including badminton and table tennis, into the professional market.
The was event was overall an amazing experience for all the volunteers. We were able to learn new things about these times as well as interacting with many people. With the help of our amazing leader, Kevin Zhang, this experience was elevated to another level where we were able to enjoy our time helping around.
Report by: Marc Cheng
Volunteers: Catherine Tao, Kevin Li, Henry Li, Austin Wang, Xingzhi Li, Erin Gao, Kevin Zhang, Marc Cheng, Sabrina Yang(4 hours)
