Port Craft Promenade Canceled Over Coronavirus Concerns

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Coronavirus concerns have forced the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce to cancel its first-ever Port Craft Promenade, just three weeks before the event was supposed to kick off.

Bobbie Polay, the Chamber's executive director, made the announcement in a statement Wednesday morning.

"The reason is that we did not get many craft vendors to sign up," the statement read. "In the spring and early summer, these vendors were very excited to have a new craft fair. However, they are now telling us that they fear the COVID-19 delta variant, and only 15 craft vendors signed on. With three weeks to go, we had no choice but to cancel."

Scheduled for Sept. 12, the Port Craft Promenade intended to draw thousands of visitors to Main Street for shopping, dining, and live music. Dozens of craft vendors would have set up booths, businesses would have promoted sidewalk sales, and restaurants would have sold food outdoors.

Since it would be Port Washington's first fall craft fair, Polay said she wanted to reach out to as many craft vendors as possible, including the 85-plus businesses that participated in Harborfest — the Chamber's annual fair in June.

"We contacted all of them," Polay said, adding that she expected to recruit about 50 vendors for September's event.

But only 15 businesses were on board. That's when the Chamber decided to pull the plug on the inaugural event.

"Because it's the first fair we are doing, we want it to be successful," Polay said. "If people come and are disappointed, they aren't going to come back."

One of the vendors that signed up for Port Craft Promenade is wit & whim. The store on Carlton Avenue is filled with vintage and handmade goods created by more than 50 local artists. So an event like Port Craft Promenade is right up wit & whim's alley.

wit & whim owner Jacquelyn Conte spoke to Patch shortly after learning about the cancellation. She said statements like the one put out by the Chamber of Commerce scares people.

Mentioning the delta variant "makes people scared," Conte said. "But at some point, we are going to have to get back to normal. COVID is here to stay."

In recent months, the highly contagious delta variant — first detected in India last year — has gone global. Experts say it's currently the most prominent strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. and spreads faster than previous variants. According to the CDC, some data suggest delta might also cause more serious illness than previous strains in unvaccinated people.

Even with the delta variant now in play, Conte said events like Port Craft Promenade could still take place, especially if they are held outdoors.

"(This event) is outdoors," Conte explained. "You do what you have to do. You get vaccinated. You wash your hands. You can wear a mask or choose to not participate."

Now that Port Craft Promenade has been scrapped, the next event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce is Harborfest in June 2022.

Polay tells Patch she hopes Port Craft Promenade could be held next fall.