Downtown Oyster Bay Is The Place To Be

Market, Cruise Night and Dancing In The Street populate downtown

It has been another great summer in the books for downtown Oyster Bay, even through the rainy days and unprecedented low air quality.

Because of where the downtown Oyster Bay is located, it’s not a spot that people would pass through unless they were going there. But lately, community members have been seeing more and more people taking day trips to Oyster Bay, enjoying restaurants like 2Spring, Wild Honey, Stellina Ristorante and Teddy’s Bully Bar; Breweries like Oyster Bay Brewing Co. and, of course, the new wine bar, The Wine Line. And besides just food and drink, visitors can take a sailboat or a paddle ride courtesy of the WaterFront Center or a walk along Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. And for the history buffs, Oyster Bay was once home to many historical figures, including Robert Townsend, an American Revolutionary spy and the former President Theodore Roosevelt. You can learn all about them, and other interesting historical facts, at the Oyster Bay Historical Society, Raynham Hall and the Oyster Bay Rail Road Museum.

And events like Oyster Bay Main Street Association’s Dancing in the Street and Oyster Bay Market, as well as the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce Cruise Nights, have continued to grow in success, providing a chance for residents and non-residents alike to enjoy the downtown and patronize the businesses.
Diane Meltzer, the promotion chair of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, said the Dancing in the Street event is so popular, attendees are asking for more dates.
Dancing in the Street is held on Friday nights throughout the summer, giving dancers of all ages, skill and style the chance to learn dances with DJ Louis Del Prete, who provides music and dance instruction to all types of music from the 1940s to today’s favorites. Dancing in the Street held its final event of the year on Aug. 11.
“It’s incredibly successful,” Meltzer said. “We’re in our 12th year. We are averaging 250 people a night. It used to be just locals, who would come, but as the years went on people are coming from way out east on the Island. They’re coming from Brooklyn. They’re coming from Queens. One reason is because of word of mouth; it’s just so fun and people love it. The other reason is the DJ that I hire every year is so exceptional and he has a large follower of dancers. He’s not just a DJ. He’s very versatile and multi-talented. He teaches dance classes.”
Dancing in the Street is just one part of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association’s mission to make sure the downtown is inviting, beautiful, clean and offers activities for everyone, Meltzer said, adding that the event brings people in to patronize local businesses.
Similarly, The Oyster Bay Market, held every other Sunday in front of Town Hall, has been bringing together local businesses from the Town of Oyster Bay, or other local communities, and potential customers.
Laura Escobar, the co-owner of Hive Market and Maker’s Space in Oyster Bay, said she pitched the idea of having a market to the Oyster Bay Main Street Association in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when she was working from home and having everything she needed delivered to her door like most people at that time.
“I had this epiphany; I was so afraid because of the pandemic and getting sick that I was comfortable being home,” Escobar said. “So that’s where the idea came, let’s create this open air market so that people can have a sense of community, get out of the home for a while, shop, be among some normalcy.”
Escobar said people were thanking her before the market even opened for the first time.
At first, the market had to be food driven to be allowed to operate. And today, the market features an equal amount of food and crafts.
“People come to eat, they come to get their fresh eggs, they come to get their produce, they come to get their bread and then they find something along the way, like a decoupaged (an art form) shell or a candle,” Escobar said, adding that bread and produce are the top sellers.
And during the week, residents can head downtown for another great event, Cruise Night. Sponsored by Rallye BMW, Oyster Bay Cruise Nights is a car show held on Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. to dark. The event also features a kid zone and live music.
Cruise Night was supposed to go on through Sept. 5, but because of all the weather-related cancellations, a few more weeks will be added on.
Ravin Chetram, the vice president of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce, said the event has been growing in popularity. On the days there’s nice weather, Cruise Night can expect 150 or 160 cars. It’s been so popular that volunteers have had to get to downtown Oyster Bay early to get participants in the show parked.
For more information about the Oyster Bay Main Street Association, visit www.oysterbaymainstreet.org. For more information about the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce Events, visit www.visitoysterbay.com.