Rockaway Warriors Weekend Set for July 10-13

By Katie McFadden

The warriors are coming! On Thursday, July 10, all are encouraged to give our wounded warriors a big Rockaway welcome as they make their way to the peninsula for a weekend of fun on the water through July 13.

Starting at FDNY’s Rescue 5 in Staten Island next Thursday, Hope for the Warriors will have an NYPD escort as they make their way down the Belt Parkway and Flatbush Avenue and over the Marine Parkway Bridge for Rockaway Warriors Weekend! Locals are encouraged to grab a flag, line the streets and cheer on these heroes as part of the welcome parade. They will be coming down Rockaway Beach Boulevard from Beach 149th to Beach 120th Street, turning down Beach 120th to Beach Channel Drive, and heading up toward Breezy Point for the start of the festivities. They’re expected to make it to Rockaway around 6:30 p.m./6:45 p.m.

Rockaway Warriors Weekend is a tradition that started not long after 9/11, initially working with Wounded Warriors, but over the past few years, it has been carried on by Richie Cannon, Rich Whalen, Mike Whalen and Rico Boletti, working with Hope for the Warriors. “We took it over from its inception as far back as 23 years ago. All of us that do it now started as volunteers,” Firefighter Richie Cannon said. “It’s important as a son of a veteran and as a community, that we understand what it means to serve. There are plenty of people who come home and there’s no parade for them and no one is lining the streets for them to show appreciation and gratitude for their sacrifice and their family’s sacrifice, so we do that as a community here.”

On Thursday night, after the parade, the 26 veterans and their families will be treated to a welcome dinner, made possible in part by Pizza on the Point, and then shown some of the reasons communities like Rockaway and Breezy Point pull out all the stops for our heroes. “On Thursday, after the welcome dinner, we’ll take them to the 9/11 Memorial in Breezy Point to show them how this event started because of 9/11 since so many people in Rockaway and Breezy were affected that day and are still being affected, as we keep adding names because of people dying of 9/11-related illness. It brings them a reason for why we on the Rockaway peninsula really go out for them and show support. Our people here were the first line of defense that day and then these warriors took over from there and we want to let them know this is why we appreciate them,” Cannon said.

After showing the warriors and their families the reason behind the weekend, a weekend of fun activities awaits. On Friday, July 11, from about 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., AmpSurf and its volunteers will be hosting an adaptive surfing clinic for the warriors on Beach 219th Street on the ocean side of Breezy Point. To volunteer, head to Eventbrite.com and search “Rockaway Warriors” for the event page. Additionally, from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the warriors may opt for some bayside fun out of the Rockaway Point Yacht Club with activities like stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, fishing and sailing. The warriors will then have an opportunity to go back to their home base at the Marriott Hotel by JFK airport, a stay made possible by the Gary Sinise Foundation, to shower and get ready for the evening’s activities. On Friday night, they’ll be treated to a dinner at The Harbor Light on Beach 130th Street, courtesy of The Graybeards.

Also on Friday night, July 11, there will be a special treat. Actor Gary Sinise, who has long supported Rockaway Warrior Weekend through the Gary Sinise Foundation, will be a part of the weekend himself. Many know Sinise for his role as Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” but many may not know he’s also a musician. On Friday night, Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band will be performing at the Breezy Point Ballfield (209-4 8th Ave.). The evening kicks off with a carnival from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m., opener Stolen Silver will perform. Then, at 7:30 p.m., Gary Sinise and his band will perform for about two hours. The show is open to the public, but the organizers advise not to drive, as parking is extremely limited in the private community, so biking or taking a cab is recommended. There will not be seats, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own beach chair.

Cannon said this concert was made possible through Sinise’s ongoing support and a good word. “He has history with veterans and first responders and a couple years ago, a few FDNY firemen met him and became friendly with him. I’ve had dinner with him and he’s just a great guy. He started paying for the hotel for the warriors, and last year, his representative, Erica, not only came to oversee the weekend, but she engaged in the activities, and her feedback to Gary was phenomenal. She said there’s a million warrior events throughout the country, but to see how New York City stops to take care of these guys was amazing, which we pride ourselves on. She saw how thousands of people line the streets here to welcome these guys and that we have small town USA in the middle of New York City and that’s what Gary stands for with his organization, so he’s coming out this year,” Cannon said.

On Saturday, July 12, the warriors will be treated to another day of water activities with AmpSurf on the beach and bayside activities out of the Rockaway Point Yacht Club, and a bayside lunch hosted by Russo’s on the Bay. Then, on Saturday night, they’ll have a luau party hosted by Bishop’s Barn catering. The weekend will end on Sunday morning with a farewell Mass at the Breezy Point 9/11 Memorial at 10:30 a.m.

In addition to The Graybeards, Harbor Light, Pizza on the Point, Russos and the Gary Sinise Foundation, the weekend is also made possible by the Breezy Point Cooperative, the FDNY Foundation, New York Civil Trades Union, Breezy Tour and Travel and Norwegian Cruise Lines, which is donating towels for the veterans and their families to use, and Bernie’s Bait & Tackle in Brooklyn, which is donating fishing needs. Several people from the peninsula to Brooklyn are also donating their boats to be used for some of the bayside activities. Mister Softee, Ari Kostaras, will also be making an appearance over the weekend to serve up some sweet treats.

To help support the weekend, Rockaway Warriors Weekend is selling event t-shirts this weekend at the stores in Breezy Point. They’ll also be for sale along the parade route on Thursday, July 10, including outside of St. Francis de Sales Church on Beach 129th Street.

For any questions about volunteering, accessing the concert, getting t-shirts or anything else related to Rockaway Warriors Weekend, reach out to Richie Cannon at 917-577-1173.