Ferry Festa Still Seeking Vendors, Volunteers

Bettina Speyer, chairwoman of this year's Ferry Festa celebration--scheduled to take to the streets of Downtown Dobbs on October 2--encourages all local businesses to participate in the annual street fair. 

"Even people who run businesses that aren't necessarily conducive to having booths, like restaurant or salon-owners,  should come up with something fun and engaging," Speyer said. 

For instance, Speyer once suggested to the owner of a moving company that he put out boxes for kids to crawl through and set up an obstacle course for them to master while their parents discussed his rates and services.  

"Ferry Festa is meant to promote the downtown area, but most of all it's about having fun," she said. "I prefer that vendors come up with  creative ways to advertise their services, rather than just giving out flyers and promotional material."

So far, Speyer has  signed-up approximately 30 vendors, but she hopes to have at least 100 in total.

"Festa is a fantastic opportunity for all local business people--from Dobbs Ferry and surrounding towns--to interact with the community," Speyer said. "But it's been especially successful for the restaurants."

On the day of the fair, almost every restaurant closes and sets up a booth outside, she said, offering a sampling of the highlights from their menus.  

This year, Speyer reached out to four of the village's most lauded restaurants: Sushi Mikes, Tomatillo, and Doubledays to provide the major banners for the event, in addition to setting-up their highly-trafficked booths.

And entertainment should also abound--with such attractions for kids such as face-painting and a bouncy-castle--and dance and musical performances from local groups.

"Our company performs at events such as Ferry Festa whenever possible because it gives us the opportunity to meet other groups and build community," Jane Alexandre, co-artistic director of Tarrytown's Evolve Dance Inc., said. 

And added incentive for performers is that Speyer has offered to waive the vendors' fee for groups providing large-scale entertainment, such as dancers, musicians and physical performers.  

Created as in 2003 as part of an initiative to rejuvenate Dobbs Ferry's somewhat depressed downtown area, Speyer views Ferry Festa as an opportunity for the village's lesser-known businesses to promote their products and services and more successful establishments to give back to the community.

"It frustrates me that some of the larger establishments such as New York Sports Club and Stop & Shop don't participate," she said. "But I am going to continue reaching out to potential vendors and volunteers to make the event a success."      

To become a vendor or to contact Bettina Speyer, visit  www.ferryfesta.com.