Harbor Island Park celebrates 50 years of 'Blessing of the Fleet'

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The 50th anniversary of the annual Blessing of the Fleet took place at Mamaroneck's Harbor Island Park on Thursday. It was hosted by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's local Flotilla 7-5. Commander Mike Reidy said the event is rooted in tradition. "When the fishing fleets would go out, and then at the beginning of the season, they would have a member of the clergy come out and bless all those boats," Reidy said. On Thursday, the boats were blessed by Pastor Marvin Henk from St. John's Lutheran Church. Henk said he's been a part of the event for 40 years and explained how it's developed over the decades. "They have prizes, and so forth, so it's gotten...a little larger in that sense," Henk said. "In the beginning, it was hard to get anybody to come here." This year, the turnout didn't appear to be a problem. Dozens of people attended the event, like spectator Sana Hashmat, who shared why she wanted to spend the holiday on the water. "It's a great park, it's a beautiful site and then it's great to celebrate everyone that's really involved," Hashmat said. Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Sharon Torres also stopped by and shared which boat was her favorite. "My favorite was 'Rock the Boat,'" Torres said. "I thought they did a good job overall." Torres said that boat absolutely won her vote. "