Bay Day - Saturday, June 7 - is going to be bigger, better and more far reaching than ever before. Besides having a new component, a large community garage sale being run by the Rotary Club of Oyster Bay, it will have the participation of one of the newest groups in town, the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The auxiliary used another large event, last year's Oyster Festival to recruit its first 15 charter members.

Jaime Van Dyke, the Coast Guard Auxiliary public affairs officer, who is acting as a liaison between the CGA and the Waterfront Center, where Bay Day will take place said, "We had about 1,000 visitors at Bay Day last year and expect 3,000 to 5,000 to come this year. The event is different from the Oyster Festival in that there is no alcohol served. This will be totally fun for people to see what they can do at the waterfront and to show them what they can do. The Oyster Bay is a (waterfront) playground. Because there is no standard tourist attraction, people don't know what they can do here. There will be a sense of community when people actually see what can happen and what fun it can be," she said.

"What makes this Bay Day different overall," said Ms. Van Dyke, "is that different groups are taking ownership of the event. There will be a sense of community when people actually see what can happen and what fun it can be."

Besides the presence of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Ms. Van Dyke said there will be a great many new groups participating in Bay Day this year. The Boys & Girls Club and the Oyster Bay PTSA are running events. That will bring those students and their families to the waterfront area to participate in Bay Day, she said. The Oyster Bay High School Interact Club is planning on running an event: to be announced. There will be a Marine Flea Market run by the volunteers from the WaterFront Center. The NYS DEC will run a fishing program. Once again there will be the Anything That Floats Race.

One of the great new aspects of the day is that there will be a trolley, to link the hamlet's downtown with the waterfront area. It will stop at various points in the town. The trolley is being co-sponsored by John DeLillo CPA and Alex Gallego. There will be signs across Route 106 and further north on Route 25A in the grassy area, telling people about the Bay Day.

There will be plywood A-frame information kiosks around town with brochures in them for people to see all the lists of activities in town and on the bay.

The Chamber of Commerce is organizing a sidewalk sale for local merchants to sell their products on the street and promote their business; Doubleday Babcock Senior Center is holding a Strawberry Festival and selling their shortcakes at the waterfront too; the Oyster Bay Public Library is going to have a book sale and Rotary is sponsoring a community garage sale.

Ms. Van Dyke is very excited about the new expanded Bay Day. "There is so much that is being presented," she said. "This is a way to show families that there is so much to do on the water. There will be the Row Around the Bay; kayaking races; free sailing lessons. There will be historic vessels at the dock. The Nina, that actually will be retired from service next year is making her way to Oyster Bay on her way to Mexico. We are just lucky she heard about us and was in the area and is going to be at Bay Day. Also, the Mystic Whaler is coming from Mystic, CT. There will also be more food available than last year. We are trying to work with South Street Café again, and maybe the Harborside Deli," she said. Plans are still in the making.

Another nice aspect of Bay Day is that it will give people a chance to thank New York State Senator Carl Marcellino for all his work in securing grants to make the western waterfront what it is now becoming. He will receive awards from the new Coast Guard Auxiliary and the WaterFront Center which want to thank him for all his hard work in making the center come to fruition.

For more information about Bay Day June 7 and how you can be involved, please call Rob Crafa at 624-7900. Sponsorships are still needed for the event.