Katch and Babylon Town: Let the music play, but for locals only

The music plays on.

After a Venetian Shores Park venue pulled the plug on entertainment following Babylon Town’s barring of nonresidents from shows, the two have reached an agreement that allows the musical acts to resume this week. However, nonresidents will still not be able to attend.

Town officials and representatives from Katch, the concessionaire at the park, met Tuesday to hash out their differences after a weekend of public sparring on social media. The tangle was sparked by the town’s announcement on Facebook Friday that it would limit nighttime park attendance to town residents until Labor Day due to safety concerns over surging crowds. Katch then stated the announcement was "unexpected" and that the town had told them to cancel all music for the rest of the season. The town denied that allegation and said Katch had been "fully aware of the situation" before the announcement.

'Shared goal'

"Our shared goal for the remainder of this summer is to ensure the safety and well-being of the community, while balancing the interests of nearby residents and the impacts of increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic," said a joint statement from Katch management and the town sent to Newsday on Tuesday. "We recognize that a successful business brings energy and excitement — but that activity must be managed in a way that respects the surrounding neighborhood and ensures public safety."

In the summer, Venetian Shores is only open to town residents with a beach pass during the day, but until now has been open to nonresidents after 4 p.m. Katch, which is in the seventh year of a 10-year contract with the town to serve food and drinks and provide entertainment at the park, has nightly music performances and offers theme nights, such as Tuesday Latin Night.

Until Labor Day, beach passes are still required to enter the park during the day. After 4 p.m., residents can access the park with either a “beach pass, Yodel app pass, or a driver’s license showing a Town of Babylon address," according to the town.

Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer told Newsday on Tuesday that neighbors had been contacting him with complaints about traffic congestion for weeks. The problem went "over the edge" in late July with a series of events at the venue, Schaffer said, starting with a Polish festival, followed by their popular Latin Night and then a very crowded "Emo" music night.

Schaffer said the town decided to close the park to nonresidents as side streets became jammed with people circling or idling while waiting for a spot to open up in the parking lot and officials worried about emergency vehicle access.

Katch attorney Steven Politi said the cancellation of music was sparked by an Aug. 13 email he shared with Newsday sent to the venue by town chief of staff Tom Stay. In the email, Stay noted an overcrowded event the previous night and told Katch, “You need to start cancelling most, if not all of your entertainment until we can get this all figured out.”

Schaffer said Katch “misinterpreted” the message.

"It was a lot of miscommunication and I take responsibility for that on our side," he said.

Acts rebooked

Politi told Newsday the concessionaire has been able to re-book most of the live acts it had canceled for the remainder of the season, with one or two "on the fence." If those fall through, he said, the venue will book substitute bands. He said Katch also plans to bring back Latin Night on Tuesday, after moving it to Tanner Park in Copiague this week. The venue will be open until Sept. 13, he said.

As for next summer, talks will continue, according to the joint statement said.

"The Town and Katch intend for the 2026 season to resume a social setting where Residents and non-residents can enjoy the venue, all while addressing traffic congestion and limited parking availability in the area," it said.

The town and Katch on Tuesday discussed remedies, including the town adding more parking lot spaces and limiting side street parking to residents until 10 p.m. with more aggressive enforcement, Schaffer said.

He also said the town will meet with sports teams to discuss scheduling for the fields at the park, which have been in use on Katch event nights, adding to the parking congestion.

"Shame on us, we should have been able to drill down into that," he said.

Both parties praised each other following the meeting on Tuesday, with Schaffer and Politi categorizing the conversation as productive.

"This has brought us together," Schaffer said of the online spat. "We know what the issues are and what we have to do to address them. We just want to make sure we get through the rest of this season."

West Babylon resident Patti Pineda said she is disappointed that nonresidents are still going to be barred. Pineda, who has been going to Latin Night for three years, said the event attracts dance lovers from all over Long Island.

"They could totally cap it to a certain number of people but to just close it off, it seems unfair," she said. "It’s a community thing but it’s also a family event."

Jamie Schrage said she, too, wishes it was still open to nonresidents, noting her sister-in-law comes from Plainview for Latin Night. But Schrage, who lives a few blocks from the park, said she is grateful the music performances will resume.

"I think this was just a rushed decision on the town’s part and I think there should have been a better conversation before today," she said. "Once it becomes public on Facebook or Instagram, forget it, everyone has an opinion about it."

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.