Greenwood Lake holds car show, fireworks celebration

After a marathon performance by the band Rock 105 who played non-stop for several hours, thousands of Waterfront Park audience members were treated to nearly 30 minutes of fireworks, assembled by technicians from July 4Ever Fireworks. Many described it as one of the greatest shows they had witnessed in many years that celebrated Greenwood Lake’s 100-year anniversary as a village in New York.

As it grew darker, a pilot boat carefully towed two barges full of fireworks and technicians safely out to the middle of the lake where a perimeter of police boats kept pleasure crafts a safe distance away from the area needed by the pyrotechnics. Hundreds of boats of all sizes and shapes dotted the lake, anchoring where their captains thought their crew would enjoy the best view, while the on-shore musicians aimed a speaker toward the watercraft to keep them engaged during the musical portion of the show.

Earlier that day residents and visitors had enjoyed a Car Meet comprised of dozens of classic cars, antiques, street rods, muscle cars, custom cars, and trucks. Cars from the 1920s era were of special interest to the crowd because it was in 1924 that Greenwood Lake residents voted in favor of incorporation. And the typical 10-gallon capacity of cars at that time were just enough to get them to Greenwood Lake where they could get filled up again and enjoy the beautiful scenery and entertainment offered by the numerous hotels and restaurants that were located around the lake.

Vaudeville performers were frequently in demand at the Village venues later in the 1920s and, as Jane Anderson wrote in Chronogram Magazine earlier this year, “Greenwood Lake’s beauty, seclusion, and proximity to New York City — attributes that still hold today — made it a popular vacation spot.”

The Car Meet, together with an Artisan Fair featuring a number of vendors specializing in crafts, clothing, and keepsakes, were also accompanied by a group of food trucks who offered hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, gourmet burgers, iced drinks, and desserts. Some of the food trucks also participated in the fireworks event which began at 6 p.m. at Waterfront Park.

Earlier that day the Lakeside Farmers Market vendors made their weekly appearance at Ben Winstanley Park on Windermere Ave., featuring freshly harvested produce, fruit from local orchards, prepared foods by local vendors, together with flowers, crafts, and other products.

The Greenwood Lake Centennial continues to offer a number of family-friendly events during the remaining summer months. Check the calendar at GWLCentennial.org for details.