Gardiner Day, the annual free celebration of “Family, Friends & Fun” in downtown Gardiner, returns for the 34th time on Saturday, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All of this year’s activities are scheduled to take place in George Majestic Memorial Park, whose entrance is at 40 Murphy Lane, just off Farmers’ Turnpike.
Organizers are keeping their fingers crossed for excellent weather, which isn’t always a given for this event. In fact, Gardiner Day was called off altogether in 2011, due to the sodden ground left in the wake of the back-to-back arrivals of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. More recently, it was canceled for two years in a row due to the COVID lockdowns. Gardiner Day 2022 got off to a rainy start, but enthusiastic crowds gathered as the day went on and the weather improved.
As always, this event is intended as a celebration of the entire Gardiner community. Entry is free for all, whether or not you reside in the township, and so are all the entertainment, games and activities. Putting it on is an all-volunteer effort, with members of the Gardiner Day Committee working hard all year ‘round to raise funds for the big party through ticket sales from smaller events such as spaghetti dinners and flower sales.
Of course, purveyors of fair food and crafts will also be setting up their booths at Majestic Park on the 30th, enticing visitors with their wares for sale. “We’ve got a lot of new food vendors this year – more than we’ve had in a long time,” reports longtime Gardiner Day Committee volunteer Jewell Turner.
As for the live entertainment, a number of popular offerings from years past will be returning, including illusionist Ryan Dutcher. Live bands will perform all afternoon; in recent years these have typically featured up-and-coming young musicians discovered by New Paltz Rock, among other local acts. For dramatic white-knuckle action, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department will be setting up its portable SCUBA tank to demonstrate underwater rescue techniques. There will be martial arts demonstrations from the likes of Fighting Spirit Karate, a bouncy house, free face-painting for the kids and henna tattoos from the Tipsy Turtle — all free.
At the park’s newly resurfaced basketball courts, Kenny “the Blenda” Rodriguez will be demonstrating a variety of basketball tricks. Inspired by the Harlem Globetrotters and Pistol Pete Maravich, Blenda created his own ball-handling show that he performed in NBA arenas and schools throughout the US, in London and Japan. Rated the Best Trickster in the US in 2007, he was recruited to join the Globetrotters that same year – only the third Latino player ever on the most famous exhibition basketball team on the planet. He stayed on with the Harlem Globetrotters until 2013. Blenda has appeared in numerous sports documentaries, on The Today Show and The Colbert Report, and even taught a few flashy moves to Elmo on Sesame Street.
For updates and start times for the entertainment and other events of Gardiner Day 2023, visit www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064858265623.
Join the family! 
