The gymnasium at Oyster Bay High School was packed to the gills last month, on Monday, March 30, as the school hosted the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Community Expo from 4 to 8 p.m. The event, which held more than 30 different groups, was billed as a unique opportunity for parents, students and residents to learn about the diverse groups that serve the community. The event was put together by the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce.
“This is an important event for the community and its residents because it shows everything that is offered in our community,” said Chamber of Commerce President Dottie Simons. “The schools have embraced us and the groups that are here are eager to provide information on what they are all about.”
Some of the groups at the event included the Oyster Bay Civic Association, Oyster Bay Main Street Association, Oyster Bay Historical Society, Oyster Bay-East Norwich Boys & Girls Club and the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon.
Atlantic Steamer Fire Company, Community Preparedness Association, Friends of the Bay, Life Enrichment Center, North Shore-LIJ Syosset Hospital and Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 were also on hand to provide information.
Simons said that the event is the first of its kind in the community and that she decided to put the whole thing together after learning about a similar event in Sag Harbor.
“I work in Sag Harbor and saw that each year they put together a Community Expo. I thought it would be an excellent idea if we had one in this community.”
She said that the firehouses and the senior center fully agreed to participate and that the historical society wanted to be on hand to offer insight into their new Community Disaster Program.
“They decided that after what happened with [Hurricane] Sandy, they wanted to offer a program where community members could sign up to be Block Captains,” said Simon. “These are some of the benefits of attending tonight: to learn about new programs and such.”
Oyster Bay-East Norwich School Superintendent Dr. Laura Seinfeld said that the school was thrilled to host the event.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for students and adults alike to see some of our community organizations and hopefully get involved in some of the programs that our community has to offer,” said Seinfeld.
Silvana LaFerlita, executive director of the Life Enrichment Center, said that the event was an exciting opportunity to meet the other groups in town.
“It’s a great opportunity to see what everyone is doing in the community and lets people know how they can become more involved.”
