Post Avenue was decorated with local art, live music, cultural foods and more at the bi-annual Westbury Street Fair.
Dozens of community members gathered at the second Westbury Street Fair of the year last Saturday, despite the rain.
The Westbury Business Improvement District put the fair together and like May’s street fair, there were nearly 100 vendors at the event.
“We do two street fairs a year. One in the spring and one in the summer. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” Peter Cavallaro, mayor of Westbury, said. “It gets a lot of people out in the street and it brings a lot of people into the village.”
Cavallaro said these street fairs expose residents and non-residents to the merchants in the local area.
Some merchants at the most recent fair were Goat USA, Westbury Arts, Kona Ice, Cone Depot, J&J Taste, and many local artists. Also in attendance were the New York Islanders and New York Nets, who set up activities for kids to participate in.
Bernard Domingo, one of the vendors at the fair, was selling dozens of his unique art, dubbed “Wire and Bead Critters.”
Domingo molds wires and beads into animal sculptures, such as lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos, sheep and more. He started doing this in his home country Zimbabwe to provide for his family.
“I started making these wire sculptures when I was at the age of seven,” Domingo said. “I make these wire sculptures from different materials like plastic bottles and soda cans.”
Vendor Beth Engerson represented Long Island O’Oldtymer, a distillery based in Riverhead. At her table, she displayed a variety of alcoholic drinks, such as vodka, moonshine, and whiskey. Engerson said the company has been going to the fair every year.
“I’ve been painting since probably I was five,” Charlotte Kearse, an artist selling paintings at the fair, said. “I just find it really fun.”
Kearse said she wanted to participate in this year’s street fair because she has so many paintings and wanted to sell them.
Hanna Yoo also sold creative work at the fair, which included several handmade crochet items.
She said she wanted to create something that brings her joy while also bringing a smile to everyone’s face. Some of the items included crochet mini baos with a smile on them and a mini crochet pumpkin.
“I’m selling soy wax candles that are homemade,” Denise Liguori, owner of Denise Candle and vendor at the fair, said. “I started about two years ago and I really enjoy it.”
The candles that Liguori brought to the fair were dessert— and coastal-inspired. Some of the candles were shaped like pies, espresso martinis, iced caramel macchiatos, sugar cookies, and more. Liguori said this is her first year selling her candles at the fair.
At the end of Post Avenue, Shaniqua Young, owner of the online art shop Shea Design, brought her paintings inspired by her Jamaican heritage. Young said she has been painting since she was a little kid, using acrylics, watercolor, and other mediums.
“I started selling my work in 2016 and I started doing events like these for the past couple of years,” Young said. “A lot of my work is inspired by the Caribbean. My mom is Jamaican and a lot of my art is tropical fruits, beaches and culture. I really love painting just all different types of nature scenes.”
The fair ended at 5 p.m. and many of the vendors said they would like to attend the fair again when it returns next year.