Baking and the beach: Day 2 in Bayville

Looking back on my second straight day in Bayville for Newsday’s “Town Focus” series, it’s now clear to me that the concept of “old meets new” can be seen throughout the village.

For instance, I started my day off at Suzie Cakez Cupcakes on Bayville Avenue near “The Stands” section of town. Susan Rust’s bakery is one of the newest businesses in town. In fact, she’ll be celebrating her one-year anniversary tomorrow. Check back Wednesday to learn more about her story.

Then, several hours later I found myself only a few doors down, grabbing a late lunch at one of Bayville’s oldest businesses, Ralph’s Pizza. Jerry Camera, who celebrated his 62nd birthday Tuesday, was only 10 years old when his parents opened the pizza place across the street from the Long Island Sound in what was once a boat repair shop. He now runs the restaurant with his older sister, and supplies the pizza pies for the parties Rust hosts in her shop.

“It’s nice to be friendly with your neighbors,” said Rust, 32, who also works with the owners of the neighboring liquor store, another long-time local establishment, to host cross-promotional events on the porch they both share.

At West Harbor Beach, one of two residents-only beaches operated by the village of Bayville where I spent most of the morning, more than 20 kids engaged in one of the oldest forms of recreation -- reading.

With temperatures creeping into the 90s, they gathered under the shade of a few trees not far from the shoreline and attentively listened as Bayville librarian Jill Abbatangelo read 11 children’s books within the span of an hour.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town families spent the sweltering summer day partaking in more modern-day fun at Bayville Adventure Park. Thrill-seekers flipped several feet off the ground inside the amusement park’s Bumper Bounce Dome and scaled the 30-foot-high “Jungle Tree Top” ropes course. Families also cooled off in the park’s “Bumper Boat Safari” ride, and used giant slingshots to fire water balloons at each other.

Laura Whitman, 46, of Oyster Bay, was engaged in a friendly fight with her son, James, 10, inside the “Wild Water Balloon Wars” attraction.

“I think I won,” James said.

Soaked but still smiling, Laura Whitman, said she usually brings her son to the park twice a year. They chose Tuesday because that’s when admission is half priced.

“This way we have extra money leftover for ice cream,” she said.