Gary Puckett Headlines "Salute to Veterans" Program at Lakeside Theatre on August 4

Eisenhower Park’s Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre will host the 20th annual "Salute to Veterans" program on Saturday, August 4, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi. 

A ceremony honoring veterans will begin at 6:45 p.m., with the evening dedicated to new armed forces recruits and all active duty personnel and their families stationed on Long Island. After a ceremony and the traditional “roll call of the states,” the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. with a performance by the USO Troupe of Metropolitan New York.

Headlining the evening is Gary Puckett, best known for the 1960s pop hits “Young Girl,” “Lady Willpower” and “This Girl is a Woman Now.” Gary Puckett and the Union Gap had six consecutive gold records and sold more records in 1968, more than any other recording act, including the Beatles. Puckette still gives more than 150 performances each year.

As part of the program, the USO will bring its East Coast Mobile Unit to Lakeside Theatre. The units provide signature USO services to troops in locations where there are no permanent USO centers and are equipped with plasma TVs, laptops with wireless capability, gaming systems and satellite hook-ups. It will be in place at the top of the Lakeside Theatre hill from 5 p.m. until the end of the performance.

Salute to Veterans is presented free of charge by the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Museums and will take place at Lakeside Theatre, near parking fields 6 and 6A. Special accommodations are available for persons with disabilities, including reserved parking, accessible restrooms and a convenient reserved location on the hill. Assistive hearing devices will be available free of charge for the hearing impaired.

There is no formal seating at Lakeside, so concert-goers should bring folding chairs or blankets. If weather conditions are doubtful, call (516) 572-0355 after 6:15 p.m. for updated performance information. Programs are subject to change.

Eisenhower Park is located in East Meadow, with entrances on Hempstead Turnpike at East Meadow Avenue and at the intersection of Stewart and Merrick avenues. For more information, call Public Information at 572-0200 weekdays during business hours or the recorded Special Events Line at 572-0223.