Rockville Centre's Eat Shop Rock street festival hits Park Ave. on Sept. 30

5th annual event hosted by village's Chamber of Commerce

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Park Avenue is set to transform into a hub of festivities on Sunday, as dozens of local businesses will set up shop on the street to attract residents and visitors looking for tasty cuisine, shopping and live performances.

The event was originally scheduled for June 2, but was postponed due to bad weather. It is expected to go on rain or shine, according to Christopher Guzzo, of Making MemorEase, an event coordination company that is organizing the fair. Several thousand people are expected to attend the six-hour event, he said.

The fifth annual Eat Shop Rock street festival, presented by the Chamber of Commerce, will take place on Sept. 30 from 12 to 6 p.m. between Sunrise Highway and Lincoln Avenue, and will feature about 80 vendors, all of which are Rockville Centre businesses. There will be free parking all day. “We want to support shopping local,” said Chamber President Chris Acheson.

In addition to shopping and food — including outdoor seating — provided by the local establishments, there will be two stages, which will feature live music and dance performances. The Sunrise Highway Stage will be managed and sponsored by Rockville Centre’s School of Rock, and will include performances all day by local musicians. The School of Rock’s house band, TripWire, will play at 4 p.m. and headliner Brian Ripps takes the stage at 5 p.m.

Though dancers from Ms. Colleen’s Elite Dancentre will occupy the Merrick Road stage for much of the day, it will also feature the Hagan Kavanaugh Irish Step Dancers at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Justine Picarello, a singer and songwriter, at 3:15 p.m.

Many of the restaurants will have live music separate from the stage acts, Acheson noted. A free kids zone will feature bouncy houses, and those of all ages can enjoy face painting, bowling and more.

Have a football fan in the family who doesn’t want to leave the couch? Because this year’s event falls on an autumn Sunday, a 70-inch television near Lenox and Park will be showing NFL RedZone, Guzzo noted, a channel that shows a variety of live games throughout the league.

The chamber will be selling raffles, which will help support local students. This year, the chamber granted three $1,000 scholarships to seniors graduating from South Side High School, as well as a $1,500 scholarship to a Molloy College student.

For more information on the festival, visit www.eatshoprockrvc.com.