Wantagh
HERALD Citizen
Pet adoptions boom during pandemic
High school football in spring?
Graduates feted in car parades
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VOL. 68 NO. 28
JULY 9 - 15, 2020
Miss Wantagh crowned after virtual pageant By TIMOTHY DENTON tdenton@liherald.com
Courtesy Miss Wantagh Organization
WEARING PATRIOTIC STARS-AND-STRIPES face masks, newly crowned Miss Wantagh 2020, Grace Massari, was flanked by Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray, left, Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads, right, and Miss Wantagh CEO Ella Stevens, in orange, as they celebrated Independence Day in front of Wantagh Elementary School.
Wantagh’s annual July Fourth parade may have been canceled, along with a host of other seasonal events that might have risked the health of the hamlet’s residents in the face of concerns about rising Covid-19 infections. But Ella Stevens, the organizer of the 64th Miss Wantagh pageant, along with last year’s Miss Wantagh court and this year’s contestants, were determined that the nearly six-decade tradition of crowning the winner on Inde pendence Day would
remain unbroken. Piecing together virtual segments, the June 30 pageant was streamed by the contestants themselves via Facebook, Stevens said. They also posted cameo summaries of their proposed initiatives. The final ceremony used the same streaming technology, as Grace Massari, last year’s first runner-up, was crowed Miss Wantagh 2020 by Juliet Watstein, the outgoing title-holder. Erin Cunane was first runnerup, Angelina Maciak, second runner-up, and Sara Jacobs, third runner-up. Rounding out CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
More than 1,000 march in Wantagh in support of police By J.D. FREDA jfreda@liheraald.com
On Sunday, more than 1,000 people gathered at Wantagh High School to show their support for law enforcement officials as part of the Blue Lives Matter movement. As the crowd marched down Wantagh Avenue toward the Seaford Long Island Rail Road station, a modest contingent of counterdemonstrators shadowed it, but the event was peaceful, despite some confrontational overtones. Wantagh and Seaford are home to a sizable number of active and retired law enforcement officials and their support-
ers, and that support was evident. The communities are also more than 90 percent white, according to datausa.io, a U.S. Census database. Accompanied by Nassau County Police officers, demonstrators crowded the streets, carrying placards with slogans like “Blue Lives Matter,” “Back the Blue” and “Defund de Blasio,” a reference to New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio’s proposals to trim law enforcement expenditures in the city. They also carried a variety of banners, several versions of the American flag, the New York Police Department flag and the “thin blue line” flag. Some rode motorcycles, while
others rode bicycles. One supporter even sat astride a mule. While some of the marchers wore personal protective equipment, the majority appeared to forgo both masks and social distancing. Parents of serving law enforcement officers attended the march, too. One held a sign that read, “My son matters too,” while another read “Proud parent of a officer.” “Today in Wantagh, thousands came out to show support for police officers,” Seaford resident and Hempstead Town Councilman Christopher Carini — a former member of the Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey Police Department — wrote in support of the marchers. “It takes special individuals to leave their families to risk their lives to keep others safe. These brave men and woman are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, our friends and neighbors.” Carini pointed out that in addition to their work as law enforcement officers, many
serve their communities as Little League coaches, volunteer firefighters and community volunteers. “The actions of the Minneapolis police officers implicated in the death of George Floyd were sickening and disgusting,” Carini wrote. “They do not reflect the men and women in blue. Police CONTINUED ON PAGE 10