Oyster Bay Featured in Preserve America E-Newsletter

We were thrilled to get some recognition for Oyster Bay in the recent Preserve America E-Newsletter. See the complete E-Newsletter. The portion referring to Oyster Bay is copied below for your reading pleasure.

Community Spotlight: Oyster Bay, New York

Here are some ideas that may inspire you from the most recent Oyster Bay Main Street News. The Hamlet of Oyster Bay has been aPreserve AmericaCommunity since 2008.

Packaging Promotion Boosts Historic Destinations

The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum announces the "Spend A Day In Oyster Bay" tourist program, which runs through Labor Day weekend, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tourists can spend a day in one of the most picturesque and historic areas on the north shore of Long Island. The program's goal is to market and promote the area's historical, cultural and retail establishments.

The "Spend A Day" program is featured in the Long Island Rail Road 2011 "Long Island Getaways" package which includes discounted round trip rail fare and local ground transport provided by Oyster Ride's minivans. The van loop includes the major attractions: Oyster Bay Railroad Museum, Planting Fields Arboretum/Coe Hall, Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary and Young's Memorial Cemetery. Also included is the use of "electronic wands" for a self-guided audio walking tour to the many historical attractions in the downtown, including the Oyster Bay Historical Society/Earle Wightman House, Raynham Hall Museum, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and the Waterfront Center.

The program, a long-held goal of many organizations to capitalize on the potential of Oyster Bay as a viable historical destination, is a collaborative effort of the Railroad Museum, Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, Oyster Bay Main Street Association, Long Island Railroad, and the organizations mentioned above. For more information, visit www.obrm.org, or call (516) 558-7036 .

Public to Enjoy Works by Artists in Historic Landscapes

Teaching Studios 1st Plein Air Competition is being held in August at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, New York - a setting with more than 83 acres of beautiful landscape, as well as the last home of Theodore Roosevelt, a 23-room Victorian structure of frame and brick. The historic site is located on the Gold Coast of northern Long Island. Entry is by application and is limited to 35 artists.

Demonstrations are scheduled and awards will be given out to those who make paintings of distinction. Selected works will be exhibited at the Oyster Bay Historical Society. For more information, visit http://inoysterbay.blogspot.com/2011/06/plein-air-competition-at-sagamore-hill.html.

Finding Your Way in Oyster Bay Service Learning Project

Oyster Bay, New York - Community leaders are pleased to announce that the Oyster Bay Hamlet is the recipient of a $70,000 grant through the Preserve America program. Oyster Bay is the 18th designated community in New York State to receive funding through the Preserve America grant program. Oyster Bay is also the only New York community and one of 22 communities nationally to receive funding in the second round of FY 2010. The "Finding Your Way in Oyster Bay Service Learning Project" will provide the resources that are needed to promote Oyster Bay Hamlet as a viable destination of historic interest.

The Oyster Bay Main Street Association has taken a leading role in attracting these grant funds to Oyster Bay and will also take the lead in administering the project. Main Street President John Bonifacio, said: "We believe this grant will reinforce positive improvements that have already been made including preservation of several landmark buildings, and help to attract the right kind of visitors to our historic downtown. This in turn will lay the groundwork for future prosperity and success for residents and businesses in our community."

One element of the project will involve an active partnership with students in local schools. Details of this partnership are still being worked out. One goal expressed by the Department of the Interior and the Preserve America program nationally is to engage youth in service learning opportunities. The idea behind this is to instill in young people a life-long appreciation for places of natural beauty and historical significance.

For this project youth will be asked to provide their own interpretation in the form of a few sentences about a historic building or site in Oyster Bay from a list provided. The results will then be incorporated into interpretive signs placed throughout Oyster Bay and in a website that is created.

Another goal of this project is to serve as a model nationally for how small and medium-sized communities can go about celebrating and promoting their heritage.

Those with any questions are welcome to contact the Oyster Bay Main Street Association at (516) 922-6982 or www.oysterbaymainstreet.org.