On March 4, 1905, Theodore Roosevelt , our twenty-sixth President, delivered his inaugural address in Washington, DC. He reminded the nation "....no people on Earth have more cause to be thankful than ours...much has been given to us, and much will rightly be expected of us. We have duties to others and duties to ourselves; and we can shirk neither."

 President Roosevelt's words resonate with the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self".

 In 1941, and organazational meeting of the Rotary Club of Oyster Baywas held in the Matinecck Inn, conducted by our parent club, the Rotary Club of Huntington (NY). We received a chrter from Rotary International in February 1942. From Oyster Bay's Club, the Rotary Clubs of Syosset was founded in 1956 and Bayville in 1980.

Who Benefits?

The Oyster Festival is a nonprofit event dedicated to raising funds for the charitable organizations that serve the community. For many charities, the money raised during the Oyster Festival is their largest single source of annual revenue.

Among the organizations that benefit financially from the operations of the Oyster Festival are:

Oyster Bay Rotary Club

Oyster Bay High School Interact Club (Junior Rotary)

Oyster Bay Cooperative Preschool

Friends of Locomotive 35

Oyster Bay Lions Club

Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce

Doubleday-Babcock Senior Center

Mill River Rod and Gun Club

North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association

Hispanic Cultural Center of Oyster Bay

Italian-American Citizens Club

OB-EN Soccer Club

VFW Post 8033

Italian-American Ladies Auxiliary

St. Dominic HS Parents Club

Boy Scout Troop 253

Oyster Bay Fire Co. #1

American Legion Quentin Roosevelt Post No. 4

HPS Network

Girl Scout Troop 203

Boys and Girls Club Parent Group

Raynham Hall Museum

Youth & Family Counseling Agency

In the news...

Oyster Fest Directly Benefits District Children (Enterprise Pilot, 10/6/11)

Oyster Fest Tall Ships On Course to the Western Waterfront Pier (Enterprise Pilot, 9/23/11)

John H Harvey Fireboat to Visit 2011 Oysterfest! (Enterprise Pilot, 9/9/11)

Oyster Fest: Signature Event for the Town of Oyster Bay (Enterprise Pilot, 9/2/11)

The Gazela Returned for Oyster Festival Weekend (Enterprise Pilot, 11/5/10)

Oyster Festival Weekend-Sunshine on the Half-Shell (Enterprise Pilot, 10/22/10)

Editorial: Charitable Causes Served at the Oyster Festival (Enterprise Pilot, 10/22/10

Thousands in Oyster Bay for 2010 Oyster Festival (Newsday, 10/16/10)

U.S. Coast Guard SAR Demonstration at the Oyster Festival on October 16 (Hicksville Illustrated News, 10/16/10)

NYIT One News Video (NYIT News, 10/14/10)

Faces of the Festival: Bev Zembko (Enterprise Pilot, 10/15/10)

Faces of the Festival - Kristin Reardon and Paul Rosen. (Enterprise Pilot, 10/1/10)

 Faces of the Festival - Mark Fox and Gail Speranza(Enterprise Pilot, (9/25/10) 

 Faces of the Festival - Jim Werner and Jen Sappell(Enterprise Pilot, 9/18/10)

Faces of the Festival - Donna Lee (Enterprise Pilot, 9/11/10)

Rotary Rides!(Newsday, 7/14/10)

 Rotary Celebrates 68 Years of Service (OB Enterprise Pilot, 7/16/10)

26th Annual Oyster Festival (Newsday, 10/14/09)

Rotary Prepares for 2009 Oyster Festival!  (OB Enterprise Pilot, 8/28/09)

 Rotary Inducts New Officers for 2009-2010 (OB Enterprise Pilot, 7/24/09)

Rotary Supports OBHS and St. Dom Students in Young Professional's Leadership Competition (12/10/08)

Oyster Festival Needs and Gets Lots of Cooperation from All (OB Enterprise Pilot, 10/10/08)

It Takes a Lot of Fritters to Keep Up a Senior Center (NYT, 10/12/08)

Pearl Parent Promotes NonProfits (LIBN, 10/17/08)

Oyster Bay's Oyster Festival benefits nonprofits (Newsday, 10/17/08)

Jeopardy! trivia question about Oyster Bay (4/2/08)

Oyster Festival Wrap Up: 'Wonderful!' (10/26/07)

Theodore Roosevelt Statue Unveiled to Commemorate 100th Anniversary of Rotary International (11/4/05)

Theodore Roosevelt Statue Comes Home (10/28/05)