Cap off the nice weekend weather with a stroll down Lafayette Avenue in Suffern Sunday, June 2, during the second in a series of Street Fairs.

“We’re calling it the New Suffern Street Fair because we were getting feedback that the fair was getting a bit stale,” explained Greater Suffern Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Daycock. “We’re working hard to freshen things up a bit in an effort to attract visitors to the area and to its business community. There is so much history in western Rockland, and so many great places for people to eat and to shop,” Daycock said.

The Sunday New Suffern Street Fair takes place from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. along Lafayette Avenue in the heart of Suffern and should offer a little something for everyone, from interesting crafts and plentiful food, to local musicians and activities for kids — all sponsored by the Greater Suffern Chamber of Commerce as a way to highlight Suffern as both destination and thriving village — and draw businesses from around the area.

“This year, we want our street fairs to be something a bit more special than they have been in the past – something that area residents can enjoy and something that lets visitors know what a great area this is to visit,” Daycock said.

The increased chamber activity focuses on promoting Suffern as western Rockland’s “downtown.” Daycock said the New Street Fair initiative helps draw attention to Suffern and the chamber itself. The Suffern Chamber voted earlier this year to turn its focus from promoting just the village to creating new opportunities for the broader local business community, including the surrounding villages of Sloatsburg and Airmont.

The first step in that process, said Daycock, was to begin to promote the organization as the Greater Suffern Chamber of Commerce.

Street Fairs provide a way to engage residents and businesses and attract both to the area.

“We are working to highlight western Ramapo as an historic gateway into the Hudson River National Heritage Area and the Empire State,” Daycock said. “To do that, we need to work together as a larger business community. The entire area benefits if we can attract new businesses and tourist traffic to western Ramapo. Our feeling is that it’s time that we begin to take the tourists off the Thruway – they used to use routes 17 and 59 to travel through the Ramapo Pass.”

The New Suffern Street Fair takes place Sunday, June 2, from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. along Lafayette Avenue in Suffern. The event is free and will include arts and crafts street vendors as well as food and activities.