Marty Garbarino is a perfect example of why three Long Island state parks have teamed up for a new, free event on Oct. 4 called "One Day 3 Parks" — she’s lived in Sayville for nine years but has never been to the nearby Connetquot River State Park Preserve.

Garbarino says she’s sure there are people on Long Island like her, who have driven by state parks and never ventured inside. "I’m as guilty as everyone else," she says.

This inaugural event is meant to introduce families to three such parks in one day — Bayard Cutting Arboretum in Great River (Garbarino is the president of Bayard’s Horticultural Society), Connetquot in Oakdale and Heckscher State Park in East Islip, the organizers say. The hope is that visitors will be enamored of the parks and want to return, they say.

"These t

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