Statement from Legislator Arnold W. Drucker on Cancellation of ‘Just Wild About Harry’ Concert Food Drive After Dispute Over ‘Humongous’ Blakeman Signs at Eisenhower Park
(EAST MEADOW, N.Y.) -On Friday, Aug. 25, a Newsday report indicated that the Monday, Aug. 28 ‘Just Wild About Harry’ memorial concert and food drive at Eisenhower Park’s Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre is being canceled due to organizers’ objections to ‘humongous taxpayer-funded signs posted throughout the venue promoting Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
Following this breaking news, Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) issued the following statement -
“Harry Chapin was one of the greatest humanitarians who ever graced Long Island’s shores. County Executive Blakeman’s self-serving, vindictive dismissal of Harry as just a political operative grossly mischaracterizes the significance of his contributions to our society and the ongoing fight against hunger,” Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) said.
“More than anything, this whole disagreement illustrates why the County Executive’s rampant campaign of taxpayer funded self-promotion must immediately end,” Legislator Drucker said. “It would truly be a shame if our County Executive’s bruised ego prevented Monday’s ‘Just Wild About Harry’ concert from occurring where it has for nearly two decades – on the stage at Eisenhower Park that bears Harry’s name. It would be even more disheartening to squander an opportunity to collect desperately needed donations for the food bank Harry pioneered.”
In April of 2022, Legislator Drucker filed a proposal to formally codify July 16 – the date of Chapin’s untimely death in 1981 – as Harry Chapin Day in Nassau County. The measure is still awaiting action by the Legislative Majority. Legislator Drucker’s second annual month-long Harry Chapin memorial food drive for Long Island Cares concluded on August 16.