Hundreds of people welcomed the first day of fall at the 47th annual West Islip Country Fair, hosted by the West Islip Public Library. With over 100 vendors, bouncy houses, face painting, food trucks, live music and more, there was something for the whole family to enjoy.

The inaugural West Islip Country Fair took place in 1976, inspired by a local woman’s dream of celebrating the bicentennial in West Islip. She met with school groups and community organizations to initiate the planning process. Twelve people joined forces to organize a weekend of festivities.

On Friday evening, students from 13 schools portrayed the 13 colonies and performed skits. The following day, a grand parade processed from Sunrise Highway to the fairgrounds, where 35 vendors participated. Sunday featured additional events involving local schools.

The weekend was so successful that community members wanted the celebrations to occur again the following year. Although it wasn’t possible to have an entire weekend of events, the 12 event organizers decided to bring back the country fair, which has taken place every year since (except for two years due to COVID). In 2026, it will be 50 years since the fair’s inception, and organizers have already begun to plan.

Although organizer Maria Pecorale isn’t as involved as she once was, she always makes a point to attend the fair each year.

“Friends and neighbors come from out of town to visit their relatives, and they come to this event, so it’s a very heartwarming, positive thing that we hope to continue,” said Pecorale.

Lightheartedly, Pecorale pointed out that she and many other organizers are aging out. She is in her 80s, and fellow organizer Irene Munno is in her 90s.

“We’re looking for new blood and younger people to come around,” Pecorale added.