Community Comes Together at Port Chester Day

Kicking off with a race and ending with fireworks, locals gathered to eat, drink and catch up with neighbors and friends Saturday for Port Chester Day.

This year marked the 22nd installment of the annual festival, which drew hundreds of revelers to Lyon Park for music, carnival rides and a 5k race. The latter event was for a good cause, with runners and walkers starting and ending at the intersection of King Street and Putnam Avenue to raise money for the Port Chester/Rye Brook Association of Retarded Citizens.

With warm weather and clear skies, crowds swelled.

Vendors lined Lyon Park – some sold purses and cowboy hats, while others talked to passersby about local charities and community groups.

Heather Tietjen, a local resident who referred to herself as a "mini mayor" of the village due to her social ties, was there as a representative for the company Madison Handbags — and to visit with old friends.

"I've been coming here since I was a little girl, and I'm proud to participate," she said. "I've been re-connecting with people from high school and the community I was brought up with."

Port Chester police interacted with adults and kids and promoted their D.A.R.E. and youth outreach efforts, while groups like Westchester Tae Kown Do Academy put on demonstrations for festival-goers at the park.

At another booth, the local Knights of Colombus Council ran a raffle and gave out prizes like gift certificates to local restaurants.

Charlie Sacco, a member of the group, has manned a booth for the organization at Port Chester Day for more than a decade.

The festival is "great way to get the name of our charity out there," he said. "[It's] a great homecoming day for a lot of people. It's an opportunity to see people you haven't in a while."

For those with hungry bellies, local restaurants offered some of their signature plates at the festival. Port Chester is widely known as "the restaurant capital of Westchester County," and that title was backed up Saturday with a wide range of dishes representing almost every ethnic cooking style

For kids, there was plenty to do too. In one corner of the park, artists from the Clay Art Center guided kids and adults in clay-making exercises.

Ariel Plantz, who works at the art center, talked about collaborating with neighbors on an interactive art piece at Port Chester Day.

"With the public, we are constructing a lasting piece of art that will represent the engagement from the community," he said.

More than 150 people joined them, getting their hands dirty and having some fun along the way as they worked on sculptures and a mural. 

Residents  brought loved ones and lawn chairs to listen to live music entertainment by local bands — including the Uncle Brothers, NA Ballada, JaBeans & The Ho Wahs. The headliner, Reunion, performed classics from the 60s, 70s, and 80s.