MAGA-Gras II headed for Riverhead, Greenport
A truck and car parade dubbed MAGA-Gras is heading for the North Fork next weekend.
Following a similar rally which Newsday reported drew between 100 and 200 supporters of President Donald Trump on a parade route from Copiague to Patchogue and Shirley, the West Babylon man who organized the first event has announced the North Fork is next.
Shawn Farash has created a Facebook event for MAGA-Gras II, which he said will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20 in East Northport and make two stops; the first in the former Walmart parking lot on Route 58 in Riverhead and the second at a location still to be determined in Greenport. Once in Greenport, participants will “get together, grab a bite and enjoy the rest of the day.”
“Trucks, cars, bikes, flags, hats and anything else that is in support of our country, our servicemen and women, our veterans, our law enforcement, and our first responders, and of course, OUR PRESIDENT, is welcome,” he wrote on the event page.
He’s also encouraging supporters to line sidewalks in support of the parade.
“The Silent Majority: Silent No More,” he wrote. “Four more years on the table. Let’s get it … And Rock the World … Again.”
More than 1,500 people have expressed an interest in the event on Facebook with more than 300 responding as “going.”
The event is planned for the start of peak traffic season on the North Fork, as fall festivals begin and continue through October. Greenport’s Maritime Festival had been planned for that weekend, but the event was canceled due to concerns over COVID-19.
Newsday noted that the first event, held on Sunday, drew dozens of classic cars and “images of the president — from an inflatable Trump to flags featuring him dressed as the movie character Rambo — abounded on decals, T-shirts and flags, making the gathering feel more like a sporting event tailgate than a political campaign rally.”
Similar events for Trump supporters have also been held in local waters in recent months, including a Trumpstock boat parade that attracted about 40 boaters to the Peconic Bay, making a stop in Orient August 7.
