Parks Department Provides a Range of Activities for Families During Presidents Week Break

During Presidents Week school break (Feb. 15 - 19), the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums has a variety of options for keeping children busy, announced Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. A few suggestions follow (all phone numbers are “516” area code).

Ice Skating: The County operates three skating rinks, including outdoor rinks at Christopher Morley Park (571-8123) in Roslyn-North Hills and Grant Park (571-7821) in Hewlett. The Christopher Morley rink is open seven days a week while Grant is open Wednesday through Sunday. The popular indoor rink at Cantiague Park (571-7058), centrally located in Hicksville, is open seven days a week. On Feb. 19 at 8:30 p.m., KJOY 98.3, Long Island’s independent FM radio station, is hosting its first “KJOY Nights” promotion at the Christopher Morley rink from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. As part of the program, the station will provide music drawn from its adult-contemporary play list and patrons will have the opportunity to win DVDs, CDs, T-shirts and gift certificates.

Swimming: The Nassau County Aquatic Center (572-0501) at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, open daily, is one of the finest indoor swimming facilities in the nation and has hosted dozens of Olympians in competitive swim meets, including Michael Phelps. Patrons can pay by the day or purchase memberships.

Sledding: With a major snowstorm expected to pass through Long Island on Feb. 10, children may still have enough snow on the ground Presidents Week to enjoy a sled ride. Newsday has called “Sled Hill” at Eisenhower Park (572-0348) in East Meadow a “Top Sledding Spot.” With its gentle slopes, the area, located near Parking Field 1 by Merrick Avenue, is perfect for very young children. Newsday also cited Cedar Creek Park in Seaford (571-7470), where the steep hills in the center of the park make this a perennial favorite for older children. Cedar Creek Park is located just east of Wantagh Avenue off Merrick Road.

Museums: Garvies Point Museum (571-8010) in Glen Cove will have daily programs from Tuesday through Saturday, including hands-on activities, science programs, Native-American games and children’s films. Some of the events are as follows:

Feb. 16, 12:30 p.m.: Madelyn Todd, president of the Friends of Garvies Point, will lead a beading workshop for children 12 years of age and older, as well as adults ($10 material fee).
Feb. 17, 12:30: Visitors can take part in a “Winter Paper-Making Workshop,” a hands-on crafts program in which children and adults learn how to make special paper from recycled publications (materials provided).
Feb. 18, 1:30 p.m.:  Visitors are encouraged to bring rocks and minerals from home for identification by museum geology curator George Allgaier.
Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m.: Children can take part in a program devoted to Native-American games.
Feb. 19, 11 a.m., 3 p.m.: A showing of the acclaimed BBC film, “Walking with Dinosaurs.”
Feb. 20, 1:30 p.m.: New York State wilderness guide Dario Veraldi will review compass navigation, hiking and safety.