By Karen Bloom
The community's rich heritage, as a hotbed of colonial actvity, to the Theodore Roosevelt era, along with its nautical setting, offers plenty for everyone. It's an opportune time to discover the treasures of this North Shore hamlet, which makes for a fascinating day trip for the entire family. Visitors can experience all that Oyster Bay has to offer with its special summer program, "Passport To Historic Oyster Bay."Ten community groups have joined together, creating a "package" of weekend events, to encourage visitors to participate in the area's many cultural and recreational activities. Each historic site has planned new programming this summer. Raynham Hall Museum, for example, the now "haunted" home of one of Oyster Bay's founding families and members of George Washington's Culper Spy Ring, offers a self-guided "ghost tour" of the "most haunted house on Long Island." "Why should anyone travel anywhere else? We've got it all right here in Oyster Bay," exclaimed Teddy Bookman, Executive Director of Friends of the Arts (FOTA), which presents a summer music festival at Planting Fields Arboretum. "We've got music under the stars, a pristine waterfront, Gold Coast mansions, home of President Roosevelt, nature centers, and a downtown with museums, restaurants and shops. If you add it all up, you could draw a comparison to Newport. Rhode Island or the Berkshires," he continued.The momentum began building with a jam-packed July 4th extravaganza that included a "Rough Rider" re-enactment at the Roosevelt home of Sagamore Hill, concerts and waterfront activities. Now the town is getting ready for its Jazz Festival and Art Walk Weekend, Aug. 1-3.FOTA's Washington Mutual Jazz Festival, which runs from Friday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 3 (see Coming Attractions), is the centerpiece of weekend full of activities. beginning with a July 31 dinner cruise on the Christeen, a 19th Century oyster sloop now used for public sails and as a "floating classroom.""We're excited to welcome everyone to our shores," said Waterfront Center Director Rob Crafa. Indeed, a special effort is being made to bring boaters into the community. Those traveling into the area on their boats will find a free dinghy dock and other boating services awaiting them. Whether coming by car, boat or train, once you arrive in town, you'll find it easy to get around. An extensive trolley service takes visitors around the area for a small fee, stopping all the local sites, for eight hours each day. The trolley also provides shuttle service to and from FOTA concerts. Besides being an accessible mode of transportation, it is an entertaining ride. Guides are on hand to narrate local history and point out details about the region as the trolley travels to the various venues.Get yourself a "passport" and discover that Oyster Bay is more than just oysters!
