Victory Boulevard Restaurant Stroll Gets Festive!

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - April 25, 2017 - PRLog -- The Victory Boulevard Merchants Association is set to kick off their 3rd Annual Restaurant Stroll on Sunday, April 30th from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. 14 restaurants are participating this year featuring a diverse array of cuisine ranging from German to Asian to Mexican to Italian. Victory Boulevard Merchants Association (VBMA) is running the event in collaboration with Councilman Steven Matteo and Borough President James Oddo. Organizational support is being provided by the Staten Island Business Outreach Center (SIBOC).

Restaurants that are participating include:
• Alfonso's Pastry Shoppe
• Cake Chef
• China Sun
• Cool Ice
• The Burrito Spot
• Staten Island Diner
• Goodfella's Pizza & Restaurant
• Noodle Fan
• Schaffer's Tavern
• Pi Pizzeria
• Island Grocery
• Met Foods
• Domino's Pizza
• Waterfall's Restaurant

The event will take a big leap forward this year as the stroll will coincide with the first ever Street Festival on Victory Boulevard. The thoroughfare will be closed from Cleremont Place to Lester Street and will include 4 blocks of rides, performances, and live music while the stroll is taking place. A grass sod field will be laid out in the street, courtesy of Clark's Florist, and will include a number of activities for children and families to play on the grass. Local merchants and artists will also be on hand with tables and tents on display.

The Festival's main stage will be set up at the corner of Westcott Boulevard and Victory Boulevard and will include a live performance by popular Island band, Carbon Copy, as well as local performances from the Susan Wagner High School Chorus, the PS 29 Band, and Miss Staten Island, Alison DeLuca. Beyond the festival area, musicians will be playing in front of each participating restaurant, adding to the festive atmosphere.

In addition to the musical performances, community groups that are participating include an art class from PS 29 that will be doing a demonstration with Shamrock Paints, the Staten Island Children's Museum, Staten Island Makerspace, the Uni-Project Pop Up Library, and NYPD Community Affairs. Rides include a train ride, bounce houses, and a rock wall.

The presenting sponsor for the event is Met Foods, with additional sponsorships coming from the Richmond County Savings Foundation, Alfonso's Pastry Shop, Jimmy's Fine Jewelers, Salmon Real Estate, Shamrock Paint, Clark's Florist, Reiman's True Value Hardware, and DOT Weekend Walks.

The street closure was made possible through the assistance of the Department of Transportation's Weekend Walks program, which promotes the use of streets throughout New York City for public space and supports programming that highlights local businesses.

Daniel Clark, the event's organizer and Executive Director of the Staten Island Business Outreach Center, stated, "The stroll has been picking up momentum over the past two years, so we are really looking to the Street Festival to take the event to the next level. We want Islanders to enjoy all that Victory Boulevard has to offer in a casual, pedestrian friendly environment."

Anthony Campitiello, Chairman of the Victory Boulevard Merchants, stated, "With continued support from our Borough President James Oddo and Councilman Steven Matteo we would like to invite our community to enjoy in the festivities. Come out for a tasty adventure in our corridor of shops."

Councilman Steven Matteo said, "When I thought about creating a merchants group for Victory Boulevard, it was in large part to bring about events like this that would bring more foot traffic to the area. Government should trumpet and support our small businesses, and we are fortunate to have such strong entrepreneurs in our borough. With the great eateries participating in the third annual stroll this year, I am sure that it will be a tremendous success. Anthony Campitiello, Charles DiBartolo, and the Staten Island Business Outreach Center deserve a lot of credit for putting this event together."

Tickets can be purchased at www.ShopVictoryBLVD.com/stroll for $15 dollars in advance. Tickets will also be available for purchase on the day of the event at Alfonso's (1899 Victory) and Met Foods (1795 Victory) for $20.