The third Friday of every month is a busy day if you are merchant in Tarrytown, NY. That’s because the village and merchants in conjunction with Chamber of Commerce and other supporters bring a special evening of shopping, dining and entertainment to the public every third Friday of each month from 5-9 PM.
Over the past year, since I have been bringing my two huskies to the dog park at Kingsland Point Dog Park, I had been hearing a great deal about Tarrytown (and Sleepy Hollow’s) “Third Fridays.” So this month I decided to go there myself for an hour or so and see what was happening. I went early in order to take pictures and I wasn’t disappointed. The area participating in Third Friday covers Main Street and extends for about three blocks in each direction on North Broadway.
Among the merchant specials was 20% off any single item at Baby Bee's a wonderful children’s boutique. I bought a present for a friend who had a new-born baby and had a wonderful time exploring the shop. They had an amazing variety things for small children including cloths, stuffed animals galore, picture frames, slippers, bibs – you name it. There were things for Mommy as well - including jewelry and a proud body belly cast set (no, I’m not kidding.)
I also stopped by the Flying Fingers Yarn Shop. When I was in my teens, I took up knitting and though I don’t have the time for now, I enjoy looking at premium yarns. The certainly had that and then some. The Flying Fingers has knitting lessons for those interested in learning and even has a Yarn Bus that brings people from Manhattan to Tarrytown. It is apparently quite popular because their variety is hard to duplicate, even in a place like Manhattan – which generally has everything.
Looking in the window of the Gallery du Soleil located on the corner of North Washington and Main St., I saw some very intriguing and colorful oils. I went in and found a wonderful gallery curated by Jean-Claude Canfin. The gallery was voted 2007 “Best Art Gallery by the readers of the prestigious Westchester Magazine. The gallery had a marvelous mix of paintings by different artists from around the world. Being a lover of vibrant color in art, I was particularly drawn to the displays of Jean Triolet and Tajasa Owen. I wasn’t in buying mode however, since my wallet is a bit thinner than my taste.
Eyebuzz, a tiny gallery just off Main on Kaldenberg Place was featuring some marvelous photos taken by photographer Nina Weinberg Doran. The photos displayed are nothing short of amazing and are from her travels to Jamaica, Guatemala and Morocco.
At the end of the day, I couldn’t resist going to Bark & Meow, one of my favorite pet boutiques. They were featuring 20% off Women’s handbags, pet carriers and “winter wear” for your dog! The owner, Laura Haupt wasn’t there and neither was her Shiba Inu – who often models the canine-wear personally…but I did have fun with some of their specialty items and ended up with a new collar for Buddy.
While I was lingering in Bark & Meow, someone walked in dressed as a large duck. It was a promotion from the local Rotary Club for their upcoming “Ducky Derby Day” on Sat. April 26, 2008. They will have 1200 rubber duckies at $10 a piece – up for adoption. The duckies are supposed to swim the length of Patriot’s Park Brook. The profits from this event will go back to the community in the form of grants and scholarships.
Coffee Labs was very busy that day with increased traffic. It is one of my favorite places for a sugar free, skim café mocha had its own art display. Sergeant MariKay Satryano presented a photo collection of Iraqi children who were brought to the U.S. for heart surgery. Sgt. Satryano is working to raise money in order to bring more children over from the Middle East for corrective heart surgery. Later that night, Coffee Labs was also featuring artists from the Lagond Music School.
I didn’t stay for all the evening festivities, however the offerings included a Y-Dance Third Friday Salsa Jam. The Tarrytown Music Hall was featuring singer/songwriter Marc Cohn. For the kids, there was also a Cell Phone Photo Scavenger Hunt at the Lollipop The Candy Shop while the local Y was featuring a “Kids Cookie Decorating” event.
So, if you find you want to do something “different” some Friday night and it happens to be the third Friday of the month, you might want to come to Tarrytown – there is bound to be something to suit your taste as there certainly is plenty to do and see. For more information on future Third Friday events, you can link to their blog: www.Tarrytownthirdfriday.com.
