PortFest 2015 - Port Washington Celebrates the Arts

On May 16th, Port Washington will once again come together as a community that values creativity, self-expression, and the importance of quality creative arts education. HEARTS (Helping Enrich the Arts of Port Washington) Fourth annual PortFest Music, Arts and Community Festival will take place on Saturday, May 16th from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, rain or shine, on the Schreiber High School Campus at 101 Campus Drive in Port Washington, Long Island. .

Bring your blanket, chairs and spend the day enjoying live entertainment which will take place on two outdoor stages and will feature an incredible array of live performances including student organizations, local bands, and professionals from local dance and music studios. Several of HEARTS 2014-15 grant recipients will be performing including young dancers from Storytime Dance, a performance from “The Wiz”, Weber’s Pop Choir, and the High School Jazz Ensembles. Featured local bands will include Rock Steady, Help On The Way, and the delightful Schreiber Battle of the Bands winning band, Gag Me with a Spoon.

There will be a variety fun and family-friendly interactive activities hosted by each of the Port Washington public schools and several local community organizations. Get your creativity on with hands-on creative experiences like “Make Your Own Flip flops”, “Candle Making”, “Tie Dyeing” “Tote Bags Designs”, “Paper Lanterns” and much more!

One of the largest exhibitions will be the PortFest Art Gallery Tent that will boast original artwork by over 30 accomplished local artists on display and available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going directly to HEARTS to support their 2015-16 grant programs.

New to PortFest this year will be the outdoor PortFest Café featuring poetry readings, dance and musical performances and an exhibition of student artwork. Sit down, realx in the shade and enjoy Coffee drinks from Coffeed and treats from Sweet Comfort that will be available for purchase. Be sure to bring your appetite with Rosie’s Grilled Cheese Truck serving oozing specialties, while Delicacies Deli of Roslyn will be grilling burgers and heroes. Local favorite Gino’s Pizzeria will be serving their delicious Italian food and Crazy Cakes will have a gourmet cupcake truck (nut free!) while Ralph’s Ices will be scooping up refreshing Italian ices in their signature flavors.

This year’s Silent Auction will feature over 50 different items and experiences to bid on including a, Tickets to Big Apple Circus at Tilles Center, Tickets to the Broadway show “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night”, Mets tickets in the 1st row behind home plate, Tickets to Kelly and Michael, a Dolce and Gabbana handbag, dinner certificates to local Port Washington restaurants, private cooking lessons, beautiful artwork and so much more!

Every year Olga Berest of Berest Dance Center choreographs and designs a fun, creative and inclusive dance jam with the entire PortFest crowd. Olga is particularly excited about this year, as her “Got Rhythm” will involve African drumming and African Jazz dancers. Percussion instruments will be distributed to the crowd and an improvisational percussion orchestra made up of the PortFest crowd will be welcomed on stage to accompany the dancers and be part of this fun, interactive experience.

Damon Gersh, Founder and Chairman of HEARTS remarked “The funds raised since the first PortFest has allowed us to provide over $100,000 in new music and arts program grants for the students in the Port Washington school district.” He added “Attending these programs and seeing the enjoyment on the kids’ faces engaged in creative activities is always immensely gratifying.”

PortFest is proud and thankful for our main event sponsors including Maxons Restorations, City Cadillac Buick GMC (don’t miss their vehicle display and exhibition!), Berest Dance Center, Bach to Rock, the Town of North Hempstead and BTDC, Roslyn School of Rock, The Peter and Jeri Dejana Family Foundation, Capitol One, The Lloyd Group, the Cooperman Menaker Family Sterling Risk, and Anton News.

In a time of tight school budgets and emphasis on standardized testing, take a moment to join all of Port Washington to support the pursuit of imagination, inspiration, and individual creativity. Judi Bosworth, Supervisor Town of North Hempstead said “I am thrilled to partner with HEARTS once again for PortFest as we work together to support and promote the proliferation of the arts throughout Port Washington and the Town of North Hempstead. As always, I look forward to a full lineup of music, dancing and other interactive activities for residents of all ages to enjoy.”

Admission to PortFest is FREE and there will be plenty of free parking throughout the surrounding area and at the Schreiber High School Campus at 101 Campus Drive in Port Washington, NY.

For a schedule of events, log onto www.pwportfest.org. To connect with HEARTS, log onto www.heartspw.org or www.facebook.com/heartspw or email info@heartspw.org . If you log onto HEARTS website, you will see a link to Crowdrise, which will enable you to make a donation or set up a fundraising tool that you can share via email or social media.

About PortFest

This year’s PortFest, organized by HEARTS (Helping Enrich the Arts in Port Washington) is the fourth annual event conceived as a celebration of Port Washington’s musical, artistic and cultural resources featuring local creative talent of all ages. HEARTS is working in partnership with the Port Washington Union Free School District Public Schools to develop the music, art and cultural programs through PortFest and other fundraising events to provide program funding, scholarships and facilities enhancements.

About HEARTS

HEARTS is a grass-roots organization founded in 2011 by local resident and musician Damon Gersh with Daly Elementary School Principal Sheri Suzzan. The organization’s mission is to add meaningful value to young people’s lives and the community by supporting, promoting and enriching the arts in Port Washington. Since its inception, HEARTS has been able to fund over $100,000 in new program grants to enrich art, music, theater, and writing programming throughout the Port Washington School District. HEARTS also co-sponsors scholarships to the Summer Academy of the Arts, donates funds to each school’s Cultural Arts Committee and holds Artists Open Studio events.