Celebrate The Belmont Stakes In Style

The Village of Garden City is getting revved up for a fashionable display to celebrate the 138th running of the Belmont Stakes, with a festival that takes place on the eve of the final leg of the Triple Crown.

On Friday, June 9, the Village will host its traditional Belmont Festival parade featuring a pair of cars from Garden City Saab that will showcase the winner of the annual Garden City hat contest, sponsored by The Island, a premiere Lilly Pulitzer Store. Beginning at 7 p.m., the parade will step off at 9th Street and Franklin Avenue, and will run south toward 7th Street before winding its way onto Hilton Avenue and concluding at the Village Gazebo.

The Gazebo is where participants can register to take part in the popular hat contest on the day of the Belmont Festival. Registration will begin at 5 p.m. for those who would like to try their hand, or hats, in the categories of Triple Crown Creative Kids, Whimsically Belmont and Stylishly Garden City. Participants may also stop by The Island to pick up their registration forms prior to day of the event.

The pre-parade activities will begin at 6 p.m. with a street festival on 7th Street between Franklin and Hilton Avenues. All merchants on 7th Street are encouraged to enter a window decorating contest to show their support and enthusiasm for the Belmont Festival and the Belmont Stakes. Prizes will be awarded to the most creative shopkeepers.

The Garden City Festival will also include the return of Alex's Lemonade Stand. The lemonade stand is designed to raise money for children's cancer research and is named in memory of Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who died in 2004 at the age of eight. Alex launched her first lemonade stand when she was four years old to raise money for cancer research. She became famous after the connections to Afleet Alex, the winner of last year's Preakness and Belmont Stakes, adopted her cause. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised and donated to research hospitals across the country from the sale of Alex's lemonade.

The Garden City street festival will also include live music, clowns, street performers and a "taste of Garden City" with local restaurateurs and food vendors lining the avenue.

The event will culminate in a helicopter fly-over just prior to the start of the parade.

For additional information about the Belmont Festival at Garden City, contact Joanne K. Adams at (516) 488-6000.

The 138th running of the Belmont Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 10, at historic Belmont Park. Clubhouse walk-around admission is $10 and grandstand walk-around admission is $5. For more information about The Belmont Stakes, visit www.nyra.com or call 516-488-6000.