NEWS
Labor Day may have passed, but the summer is not quite over for one Rockaway resident.
During the month of September, Rockaway will play host to the Indian Summer Festival, a food and drink tour of Rockaway organized by Belle Harbor native Matthew Alessi.
The idea behind the festival is to extend Rockaway’s summer business boom past Labor Day, when tourism usually dies down.
“After Labor Day there’s seems to be such a large fall off in business here,” Alessi said. “But in my opinion, September is honestly the most beautiful time to be in Rockaway.”
The event takes place during the period of time between Labor Day – the unofficial end of summer for many New Yorkers – and the autumnal equinox, the astronomical beginning of the fall season.
Alessi, 23, describes it as part bar crawl, part food tour of the peninsula. “But instead of me giving you a time and a place to go to each different business, you come pick up a bracelet and a map of Rockaway and do it on your own,” he said.
Wristbands cost $20 each when ordered online by the Friday before each weekend, and $25 when purchased at the event. The bracelets grant the wearer deals at 20 different Rockaway food and drink establishments. There are currently 500 bracelets available for each weekend.
Most of the proceeds will go to local charities, Alessi said, including the Rockaway Artist Alliance, the Rockaway Little League, the Rockaway Youth Task Force and Arts in Parts.
He said he wanted to give back to organizations that empower the youth through art, sports and volunteerism.
Claudette Flatow, of Cuisine by Claudette, said she is participating in the festival because she likes to be involved with anything and everything in the neighborhood. She said any attention Rockaway community gets can help it recover after Hurricane Sandy.
Claudette Flatow, of Cuisine by Claudette, said she is participating in the festival because she likes to be involved with anything and everything in the neighborhood. She said any attention Rockaway community gets can help it recover after Hurricane Sandy.
“We’ll do whatever we can just to put the neighborhood back together and make it better than it was,” she said.
Her business will offer a free espresso drink with the purchase of any latte.
Newer businesses get a chance to participate too: Christopher Andrew, of Holland Helado, said he found out about the Indian Summer Festival through the social networking app Instagram, and wanted in.
Christopher is offering his homemade artisanal ice cream sandwiches for $5 each. He’ll be previewing a new fall menu at the event as well. Christopher said he thinks it’s a great that Alessi, a young Rockaway native, wants to be involved in bettering the community.
“I do think it’s a fantastic idea,” he said. “He’s a local young person trying to do something really fun with other small businesses that will make an impact on the community. It’s a sweet deal for everybody.”
Other specials include extended happy hour specials at Jameson’s Pub, $5 pulled pork sandwiches at Breezy’s BBQ and $3 off any arepa at Caraca’s.
For more information about the festival, visit www.indiansummernyc.com. To purchase a wristband, go to indiansummerfestival.eventbrite.com.
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