Harvest Regatta Celebration Returns on October 7

Oyster Bay, New York— The Oyster Bay Main Street Association and Oakcliff Sailing Center are joining forces again to host the Harvest Regatta Celebration on Friday, October 7, 2011. Last year's smashingly successful event will be duplicated. At 6:30pm a strolling dinner will be held in the quaint clubhouse and grounds of the Oakcliff Sailing Center at 2 South Street in Oyster Bay. Festivities will continue next door with live music and dancing, a unique silent auction, and showing of the work of the talented local artist Kirk Larsen that will be available for purchase.

The next day the signature Harvest Regatta will again take place in conjunction with the final Fall Classics Race. Costumes are strongly recommended. Regatta goers will have a chance to retrieve pumpkins from the water while sailing to win special prizes.



Several area restaurants will be providing food for the strolling dinner portion of the event. These include Coach Grill and Tavern, Christina’s Epicure, Jack Halyards American Bar & Grill, Luce Restaurant, Saggio’s, and Sweet Tomato. Bringing the “harvest” to the Harvest Regatta Celebration will be DelPozzo Foods from East Norwich. DelPozzo Foods participates in the Oyster Bay Farmers’ Market that is held downtown every Friday from 10am-4pm through October 28. They will bring their pastas, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, marinades, and pasta sauces to offer partygoers a taste of the farmers' market.

There are many businesses to thank for their role adding to the festivities. A wonderful selection of wine, beer, and specialty drinks will be provided. Wine has been donated by Testa Wines of Oyster Bay and Massican vineyard of Napa Valley. Mt. Gay cocktails will flow from the Boat Shed once again. Dodds & Eder has generously donated decorative plants for the night of the event. ENGEL & VÖLKERS of Locust Valley has sponsored printing of the event program.

Special silent auction prizes will include a sunset sail for four with Oakcliff Sailing Center and dinner at Jack Halyards American Bar & Grill; a house membership to Sagamore Yacht Club; an overnight stay at Oheka Castle; and various other fitness, health, spa visits, and dining auction items that people may bid on.

New this year is a ‘pick a prize’ raffle with a brunch for two at Rothmann’s, dinner for two at Wild Honey, and gift certificates to a number of area restaurants including Coach, Luce, Cafe al Dente, Canterbury's Oyster Bar and Grill, Serata, and Angelina's. If health and wellness is what you are looking for, maybe you can win a facial at Blue Water Spa or Shangri-La Spa, or treatments at Healthy Living Therapeutic. Promote your personal fitness with gift certificates from Bliss Studios and Evolution. Finally, fill your shopping needs with a gift certificate to Dodds & Eder, a gift basket from Chrison & Bellina, gift basket from Bon Vie, and a Utrecht gift bag and three complementary lessons at The Teaching Studios of Art.

The Oyster Bay Main Street Association is dedicated to enhancing and promoting an attractive and thriving downtown, while maintaining its historic integrity. We are a 501(c)3 Non-Profit using the national Main Street Approach® to downtown revitalization. Since 2001, we have been responsible for helping to attract over $30 million of investment to downtown Oyster Bay. This has led to the renovation of over 60 buildings, and the start of 57 new businesses in the downtown area. We manage a series of events throughout the year meant to promote the downtown and improve the quality of life including the Oyster Bay Farmers’ Market, the Oyster Bay Sundown Concert Series, and, new this year, Dancing in the Street.

Oakcliff Sailing Center was formed in 2010, to raise the levels of sailors and competitive sailing in the U.S. The Center is physically comprised of an America’s Cup-like campus in downtown Oyster Bay. The clubhouse, boat yard, and climate-controlled buildings house boat and sail storage, as well as rigging, composites, winch and hardware workshops. All of this is in close proximity to the commuter train station and a hundred yards from the Center’s deep-water docks and moorings.

Tickets are $75 in advance and $100 at the door. Tickets may be purchased securely online by visiting www.oakcliffsailing.org. Tickets may also be purchased by check, making this payable to OBMSA and sending this to PO Box 116, Oyster Bay, NY 11771. All proceeds are tax deductible and will jointly benefit the Oyster Bay Main Street Association and the Oakcliff Sailing Center.

Volunteers are needed to help the night of the event. For more information about sponsorship, tickets, or to volunteer please call (516) 922-6982 (516) 922-6982 or write oysterbaymsa@gmail.com.

Oyster Bay Groups Plan Shadow Ball to Aid with Preservation of Historic House

Oyster Bay, NY – The Oyster Bay Historic Preservation Roundtable has launched a community-wide campaign to raise $60,000 to address the pressing stabilization needs of the Adelia and Cornelius McCoon House, the 1844 summer cottage that served most recently as the home of Dr. James Trousdell and family. The house and two-acre property at 198 East Main Street and the corner of Sandy Hill Road was purchased this spring by the North Shore Land Alliance. They are in the process of placing a conservation easement on the property, and making the property available to purchase by a private buyer. The campaign will culminate in a final community thank-you reception held at the house on September 18 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., where all supporters will gather to celebrate the success of their mission.

At the heart of the campaign is the Shadow Ball—a “danceless” fundraiser for which donors purchase tickets to an imaginary ball as their contribution to the McCoon House’s stabilization fund. Such a stay-at-home event is an Oyster Bay fundraising tradition of sorts. Mrs. Chauncey B. Garver, who owned the house with her husband from 1920 to1949, put on shadow balls to raise funds for charity. And, more recently, Angela Koenig arranged stay-at-home Mother’s Day events in support of the Doubleday-Babcock Senior Center (now the Life Enrichment Center).

Lisa Ott, President of the North Shore Alliance said about the event and also the fundraising effort, “I could not imagine a better way to protect this notable house and the land it rests on, then by taking a page from Mrs. Chauncey B. Garver’s fundraising playbook. The Shadow Ball will give us the resources needed to stabilize this important house, so it may be passed on to a buyer with an interest in conservation of the land and preservation of this important building.”

The Cornelius & Adelia McCoon House was originally a Greek revival home with Colonial Revival details added later around 1913. This is one of Oyster Bay’s last remaining examples of a summer colony destination for nineteenth-century visitors that included members of the Roosevelt and Irvin families. The Oyster Bay Historic Preservation Roundtable’s campaign to raise funds for immediate repair and stabilization work represents the first crucial step in preserving such a vital symbol of Oyster Bay history.

The Oyster Bay Preservation Roundtable represents the collaborative efforts of many community organizations, including the North Shore Land Alliance, Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay Main Street Association, Oyster Bay Railroad Museum, Raynham Hall, Save the Jewel, and the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.

The Host Committee for the Shadow Ball fundraiser at this time includes: Phillip Blocklyn, John Bonifacio, Harriet Gerard Clark, Ben Jankowski, Isaac Kremer, Lisa Ott, Rita Pecora, and Alexandra Wolfe.

For more information please contact the North Shore Land Alliance at (516) 484-4419 or visit www.northshorelandalliance.org.

'DANCING IN THE STREET' FREE EVENTS IN OYSTER BAY, Every Friday Evening in August

MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION, LOCAL BUSINESSES, AND DANCE STUDIOS ANNOUNCE 'DANCING IN THE STREET' FREE EVENTS IN OYSTER BAY


July 12, 2011, Oyster Bay, NY – Picture people literally dancing in the street this summer. Downtown Oyster Bay will be your place to be for music, outdoors, in a beautiful historic setting every Friday in August from 7pm to 9pm.

Live music, dancing lessons, and demonstrations will be provided by the bandstand on Audrey Avenue between Town Hall and the U.S. Post Office.

Ewa Rumprecht, one of the organizers of the event and co-owner of the Think Long Island First store in Oyster Bay said “This is an event that will help to put Oyster Bay on the map. We have so many cultural and artistic activities happening here already, that dancing is the next step in the evolution.”

The DJ’s and groups leading dance instruction follow:

• August 5th, DJ Louis del Prete with a Latin and Ballroom Mix, plus dance instruction, and featuring a demo by Lisa Sparkles Studio


• August 12th, music by Scofflaws, a Huntington ska band, “so hip it’s ridiculous”


• August 19th, DJ Louis del Prete with a Latin and Ballroom Mix plus dance instruction


• August 26th, DJ Louis del Prete, dance instructions and demo by Bliss Studio

This Dancing in the Street event is generously sponsored by local businesses and organizations: New York Islanders, State Bank of Long Island, Think Long Island First, Bliss Studio, English Country Flowers, State Farm Insurance – John Specce Agency, Lisa Sparkles Dance, and the Oyster Bay Main Street Association.


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ABOUT OYSTER BAY MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION

Oyster Bay Main Street Association (OBMSA) is dedicated to enhancing and promoting an attractive and thriving downtown, while maintaining its historic integrity. We are a 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit using the national Main Street Approach® to downtown revitalization.