Summer's biggest event!

The Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce’s Summerfest will be held next weekend starting Friday night at 5 p.m. on Aug. 2 and continuing through Saturday, Aug. 3 and Sunday, Aug. 4.

“Family tradition still is the most important aspect of our Sayville and West Sayville community and this event is a testament to that,” said president Emerita and administrator for the chamber, Eileen Tyznar, the mastermind and magician behind Summerfest.

A major change this year for rides is the ticketless system through Newton Shows, utilizing kiosks for digital tickets using reloadable bracelets to reduce lines and lessen the need to carry cash.

“Although our carnival venue as well as most fairs everywhere, is changing to a ticketless system now, we are hoping to still keep the old-fashioned feel of the carnival, yet provide quicker lines when the new system is instrumented,” said Tyznar.

“One of the new rides we are excited for is the Samba Balloon Ride!  It’s decorated with colorful vibrant spinning balloons and makes a dazzling and captivating colorful centerpiece for the fairgrounds!” said Tyznar.

A new addition of particular pride to Tyznar is the The Band of Veterans and Friends, who will be playing in front of Chase Bank on Main Street, Saturday, Aug. 3, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. The rock band is composed of veterans with a cause.

The Classic Car Show will host over 150 cars and this year there will be music all along Main Street as well as a DJ at Sparrow Park, playing oldies during the car show day on Aug. 4, that starts at 10 a.m.

For some adult beverages at the festival, the beer and wine tent, located at the Common Ground Park on Gillette Avenue, will host a variety of Blue Point beer and wine, including “everyone’s favorite,” ice-cold Wolfer Estates dry rose cider, No. 139, on tap.

“We are adding our local artisan specialist, Christine White, and her specialties of her shop Sayville Cheese, located in her new spacious location at 108 Main Street in West Sayville, with charcuterie cups and mini cheesecake delights,” said Tyznar.

With such a sprawling event and hundreds of moving parts, Tyznar said, “The biggest challenge with setting up Summerfest is all the different components, since this is a very large three-day event.  It encompasses so many moving and working parts, such as crafts and park vendors, the car show, the 4-mile run, the amusement rides, the advertising, the scheduling of the many stages and areas of music, the beer and wine tent, the food vendors, the permits and equipment. It’s an enormous amount of work for the few on the team and we start as far back as January.”

Tyznar and first vice president Chris Olsen oversee and serve on all the committees and work diligently and creatively to put it all together for a breathtaking experience for the community.

“Magically, it becomes Sayville Summerfest 2024. We are so grateful to the dozens of volunteers from the chamber, the community, and community service organizations!  Without that, it could never be!” said Tyznar.

As a family event, Tyznar is adamant that everyone has something catered to them to look forward to when attending Summerfest.

The best and most popular event for seniors “seems to be the car show.  They love to reminisce and speak about the stories of the era in the time the car reminds them of! It’s awesome to hear all the memories!” said Tyznar. “Couples love the music and the booths of all the great wares and food to make for a fun summer date.

Children are drawn to the carnival and revel in traditional festival treats, like ice cream cones and cotton candy.”

Asked about unsung heroes for Summerfest, Tyznar said, “Jack Licitra, owner of South Bay Arts, who combines extremely talented local youth with our awesome lineup of musical performers from across Long Island. He himself is a well-known performer, as Jack’s Waterfall will also be performing. Chris Olsen, this year’s first VP of the chamber, co-chairs; with all his energy and calm demeanor, [he] makes the event run smoothly.”

With rising costs and affordable insurance rates being a challenge “in all areas of the event this year,” Tyznar pledged the chamber’s dedication to “putting on the best festival this year continuing the community family-friendly tradition for over 45 years established in 1979!”