Downtown Sounds Return to the City 

On a crystal clear Friday night, with low humidity and a perfectly comfortable temperature, the band Los Ciegos del Barrio added a measure of heat before a crowd that filled the area in front of the bandstand at Village Square in Glen Cove, kicking off  the city's Downtown Sounds summer concert series.

Latin vocals, wrapped in the rhythms of salsa, merengue, and more, punctuated by the occasional rock or pop tune, had the undivided attention of the audience, with some members up and dancing before the bandstand.  

"There's a lot of rhythm going on here," attendee Maria Poulos said. "It's so nice to see people dancing, especially people of all ages."  

Mayor Ralph Suozzi appeared especially pleased as he went about the crowd asking attendees for their reactions. The evening seemed to be a great start toward providing validation for a program that has been extended this year. The series is slated to run every Friday until Aug. 27.    

"We've doubled the series program this year, and the turnout tonight is just great," Suozzi said. "Music is the universal language and we are going to make Glen Cove the music capital of Long Island. It's good for the residents, it's good for business. You can't go wrong when people don't have to leave their hometown to experience something like this."   

And it seems that there was a universal consensus that a special level of energy was in the air Friday evening. The sentiment also appeared to highlight that Glen Cove is a city where things are happening.   

"I need to come downtown more often," resident Sandra Jean-Julien said. "There's always something going on here."   

"I've never seen Glen Cove this excited," said Carol Hammond, a member of the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District, the organization that organized the series with the city. "The turnout is great and as the series progresses, we expect to see even more and more people come out for this series. We are so pleased the program has been extended for another month."  

Members of Los Ciegos del Barrio seemed to feed off the energy as well.  

"This is a great crowd," said Alvin Suarez, the band's leader. "We feel it and we are so pleased the audience is really into our music."  

Many people who were enjoying dinner, some of them outdoors at nearby restaurants like Marra's, The Downtown Cafe and Fatty Fish on School Street, were easily drawn into the concert.

Even restaurants like La Bussola and La Famiglia, further up the street, had tables outside where people could factor the sounds of the downtown serenade into their summer night's dinner. People strolling the nearby streets also stopped to listen to the Latin tunes.   

"This is wonderful [and] it's really great for this [city]," said resident Tom Catalanotti, who wandered into the music with his wife and daughter. "Everyone is enjoying themselves. This has a real small town feel. Glen Cove needed this. It brings people together."   

"This is a great way to kick off the summer," added his wife, Maria.  

The next concert will be held on July 9, with classic rock musicians The Good Rats with Glen Cove's own Times Ten hitting the stage to perform at 7:30 p.m. 

This weekend's music, however, will continue Sunday at the city's Fourth of July Celebration with the sounds of the Northwinds Symphonic Band at Morgan Park at 7:30 p.m. The city's annual fireworks show will follow at 9:15 p.m.