Despite Weather Warnings, Street Fair and Strawberry Fest Declared a Success

On a hot, humid Sunday morning, vendors from all over the tri-state area were setting up their booths for the annual Tarrytown Street Fair on Main Street.

This year, thousands of people ventured down Main Street to look at a various groups of vendors offering a range of items from sports memorabilia and face painting, to hair products and garden smocks.

"I thought it was awesome," said JoAnne Murray, Co-President of the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow Chamber of Commerce. "The turnout just seems to get bigger and bigger every year."

This year's event boasted 40 more vendors than last year's event, and seemed to get even more support from the local business community. 

"I think this year, all the restaurants on Main Street participated," Murray said. "With all the food it was great, although I was pretty full at the end of the day."

Jack and Dyl's Restaurant, Main Street Sweets, and Chiboust were just some of the local establishments hocking their customer's favorite foods.

"Business is good so far but it is slower this year because of the weather," said Nora Burke, a waitress at Jack and Dyl's, who was one of the many co-workers working at the stand. 

Thunderstorms rolled in around the region yesterday afternoon, causing the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for Westchester County. A downpour of rain around 3:30 p.m. caused many of the vendors to pack up and leave early.

"It was supposed to end at 5 p.m., but after that downpour a lot of people left and some of the vendors packed up," Murray said. "But once it let up, then all the people came back out and were on the street until five."

One of the busiest booths of the day was the Wild Coyote Hot Sauce stand. The booth was extremely popular with customers constantly tasting the delicious and fun named sauces, including Roasted Garlic, Sudden Death, and The Eliminator.

There were many different events for the children to take part in as well. Two of the most popular were the dunk tank in front of the Tarrytown Fire House and the "Kidz On the Go" obstacle course; both were located near free water bottles being given out by the Westchester Church. Laughter was heard from the firehouse where children had the opportunity to dunk a Captain or a Junior Firefighter. Some of the children had great aim and were able to dunk the volunteers in one or two throws.

"We had a lot more kids events this year so there was a lot more for families to do," Murray said. 

Later that day, just up the drag on Grove Street, the Historical Society serving Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown  hosted the 45^th Annual Strawberry Festival.

Visitors were able to buy old-fashioned strawberry shortcake and whipped cream to benefit the Historical Society. Volunteers created the delicious looking dessert while the members of the Girl Scouts of the Tarrytowns help deliver the shortcake to the buyers who were able to sit comfortably on chairs under tents. The Girl Scouts were Junior Girl Scouts who will be in grades 4-6 next year.

Across the street from the Strawberry Festival, children were allowed to visit the petting zoo that consisted of a sheep, chickens, ducklings, and two ponies. Children were able to buy pony rides that benefited the Historical Society, as well.

Overall, June 6^th was a successful day for all visitors who attended the Tarrytown Street Fair and Strawberry Festival. The day went off smoothly thanks in large part to organizing by the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, John Sardy, and help from the Village of Tarrytown and the village fire and police departments. 

Organizers say vendors are already looking forward to next year. 

"We still had a list of people that wanted to be there represented on our street and that says a lot to us as a village," Murray said. "We have a great reputation and people want to be here."