Rain doesn't put a damper on Hasbrouck Heights Street Fair

A rainy day didn't stop people from enjoying the Fifth Annual Hasbrouck Heights Street Fair on May 19 that had food, live musical performances and vendors lining the Boulevard.

Borough Administrator Mike Kronyak said the crowd was good and people came out until the end of the day to enjoy the street fair that ranged from Kipp Avenue to the Boulevard Circle. With the rain, about half of the 150 normal vendors showed up. The street fair was presented by the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights and the Mayor's Business Community Committee.

Live music was played by Soulfinger Live and special guest Ashley Hollister in Mona Lisa Vito, Rose Colored Glasses. There were also many activities for children including costumed characters, a magic show and 24-foot hydraulic rock climbing wall. There were more rides planned but they couldn't be set up due to the weather.

"We hope it made some money for the vendors and local businesses," Kronyak said. "We were at the mercy of the weather. It's tough when you have weather like that. We had a meeting on Thursday and were tracking the weather with radar but we never got that gap of clearings they predicted."

The weather didn't stop the police department from setting up its annual dunk tank that in the past has raised money for the Special Olympics. Kronyak, Chief of Police Michael Colaneri, Councilman David Gonzalez and other police officers entered the tank. Kronyak said he enjoyed the tank and didn't mind going into it since it was already raining.

Kronyak said although the weather was tough, the borough hasn't considered making a rain day for the event because of the booking of the vendors and entertainment. Kronyak said typically the vendors and entertainment are booked the following weeks and it makes picking a rain date difficult.