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Tri-Hamlet Community Day, a celebration of the history and culture of Shirley, Mastic and Mastic Beach, has been canceled this year due to low turnout in recent years.
Organizers of the event, which ran for eight years and highlighted some of the region’s historic venues, such as the William Floyd Estate in Mastic, St. George’s Manor in Shirley, Woodhull Cemetery in Mastic Beach and the Wertheim National Wildlife Preserve in Shirley, said they will use the time to revamp the event.
“The main issue was it was such a decline in attendance,” said committee member Joseph Furnari, of Shirley. “We need to reevaluate what we’re doing.”
Furnari said the program, which takes 10 months to organize, drew 150-200 people and served as an annual pilgrimage for many history buffs, but needs to attract a wider audience.
“We’ve got to figure out what we’re doing right, what we’re doing wrong … we just have to figure out what will make people come out,” he said, adding that the committee hasn’t formally met to discuss ideas.
“We have a few ideas, but nothing set in stone.” He said they could include games, music and more food options. “We need to evolve it and try to keep up.”
Furnari, who is a trustee of the Mastics Moriches Shirley Community Library, said the committee began talking about the possibility of a revamp last year but decided to cancel the 2019 event by email earlier this year.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re not going to have it, but I’m hoping that the lack of it and the new events that we put into it will spark a new interest in it next year.”
