Ryan Wood, age 7, of Sayville gets a guitar lesson from SBU student Shari Cummings at the LIM’s Family Fun Day on July 31. Photo by Heidi Sutton

The grounds of the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook were swarming with families last Sunday afternoon as the venue hosted a perennial favorite, Family Fun Day.

The free event, which was sponsored by Target, included 1960s-inspired crafts, a musical performance by Funky Town Playground, access to all the exhibits and outbuildings and refreshments.

The highlight of the day was a visit from the Stony Brook University’s Staller Center of the Art’s Instrument Petting Zoo. During this interactive presentation, students from SBU’s Music Department, which included Tommy Wu, Shari Cummings, Emily Sobel, Sean Silvestrone, Carina Canonico and David Gazaille, demonstrated many instruments including the flute, piccolo, violin, cello, bass, saxophone, guitar, chimes, slide whistle, rainstick, a kazoo and even a theremin.

Children were then given the chance to hold, touch and play many of the instruments and received a kazoo as a gift at the end of the performance to encourage continued music appreciation and participation.

“Family Fun Days are our chance to welcome our community for a free day to come and experience all that the LIM has to offer,” said Lisa Unander, director of education at the museum. “The Instrument Petting Zoo’s approach of introducing young children to musical instruments, through interactive games and humor, was the perfect connection to what families could experience in our galleries and grounds throughout the day.”

Catch the museum’s next Family Fun Day, complete with a Halloween theme, on Sunday, Oct. 30.