An Evening With Frankie Avalon

A really, really nice perk of living in Nassau County, Long Island is the free entertainment that's offered throughout the summer. Since the residents of this county pay some of the highest property taxes in the country, I guess we feel sort of entitled to these shows but that's another blog for down the road.

The majority of these complimentary shows are held at the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre located in the County's Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. I happened to grow up in East Meadow and this park served as the main focus of recreation for me, my family and friends. It's a 930 acre haven (that's larger than Central Park) which offers a world-class aquatics center, three 18-hole golf courses with a driving range, an 18-hole miniature golf course, multiple athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts, hiking trails, playground galore, a 4-star restaurant as well as several very moving memorials dedicated to the country's veterans, the 344 Nassau County residents who perished on 9/11 and the County's firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. And of course there's the gorgeous lake which sets the backdrop for the outdoor theatre. I spent many, many years during my childhood iceskating on this lake. You could say that this park has it all and it's centrally located right off the major parkways.

So on July 13th we heard that Frankie Avalon was going to perform at the Lakeside Theatre and decided it would be fun to see what he looked and sounded like. Although his music was popular during the '50's and '60's and not during my generation, I did remember his performance in the movie Grease and his "Beach Party" movies. I have a friend that was able to get us VIP tickets for the show which also allowed us to go backstage and perhaps get a glimpse of Frankie. Well, the minute we did go backstage who was standing there all by himself but Frankie Avalon! He looks fantastic and graciously volunteered to take a photo with me and my two girlfriends. His performance was unbelievable and he even came down from the stage and bravely ventured in the sea of 1000's that came to see him that evening. Frankie Avalon, a new "idol" of mine.