79°
CORTLANDT, N.Y. Members of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce and the public took over the Colonial Terrace catering hall Saturday for the chamber's second annual Hudson Valley Gateway Experience.
The event, which began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local elected officials at 11 a.m., is intended to bridge the gap between member businesses and the public they serve, said the chamber's executive director, Deb Milone.
"It used to be a business-to-business event, but since the Business Council of Westchester does one around the same time and does a great job with it, I said, 'let's do do something different,'" Milone said.
Businesses, nonprofit groups and various organizations set up booths throughout the building, and local arts groups performed for the throngs of visitors. Among member businesses on hand for the event was Croton's Franzoso Contracting. It's owner, Mark Franzoso, is also vice chairman of the chamber.
"It's an important event for people in the community to allow folks to put a name to the face, and reinforce that we've made a strong commitment to the Hudson Valley Gateway Community," Franzoso said.
The Peekskill Coffee House was also on hand, giving out fresh-brewed samples.
"We're doing coffee pour-overs, which is a way to make a quick cup of coffee without all the brewing equipment we use at the shop," explained owner Sonny Cover. "It's also a really great way to try coffee because the flavor and characteristics of the beans bloom out of it when it's directly ground and brewed in the same shot."
Westchester Community College had a booth for it Peekskill-based Center for the Digital Arts. Assistant Director Anu Ailawadhi said she wanted to get the word out about what the college had to offer.
"We offer courses for both noncredit and credit in the digital arts and we also have a great precollege program for ages up to 17 in July, if they want your kids to get an amazing summer experience in the digital arts," Ailawadhi said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Cortlandt and receive free news updates.
