Freeport festival to return full-force, with added security

The Village of Freeport is holding its first full-fledged Nautical Mile Festival in more than two years — and with enhanced security, officials said Friday.

The festival is expected to attract 3,000 to 4,000 people and will run from 9 a.m. Saturday into the evening.

The event, the unofficial start of the summer season for Freeport, was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was vastly scaled down last year.

This year, officials hope the 32nd edition of the festival comes back full-force, they said Friday at a news conference. “Tomorrow is going to be a fabulous day, a fun family event for the community,” said Monica Bennett of the Freeport Chamber of Commerce.

The village expects to have about 70 street vendors selling food, clothing, jewelry and other items, Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy said. There also will be rides for children, games and a steel drum band.

Security will be stepped up, not because of any specific threat but due to recent violent attacks in the country, Kennedy said.

“We have plenty of police, firefighters and DPW (Department of Public Works) employees on hand to have a safe and enjoyable day,” Kennedy said.

“We are not at liberty to tell you the advanced security techniques that we are employing, but believe me, there [is] every consideration that you could possibly imagine by our fine police department in the Village of Freeport,” along with the Nassau County Police Department and other agencies, he said.

As one example, he said, clear garbage cans with clear plastic bags will be used so officers can see what is inside them.

Bomb-sniffing dogs, mounted police on horses, and undercover police also will be utilized, he said.

Carl Hetzel, assistant chief of the Freeport Village Police Department, said, “We have a multitude of officers assigned to maintain order tomorrow during the festival. Please come down and enjoy the day.”

Kennedy noted that visitors can come by boat, car, train or bus to what the village touts as the “boating and fishing capital of the Northeast United States.”

Street vendors will shut down by 6 p.m. so as not to interfere with business at local restaurants, he said.