Live music at Copenhagen Bakery stopped; residents sign petition after Village issues code violation
A musician plays live outside Copenhagen Bakery in this undated photo. The bakery has since been issued a code violation for the music, and all entertainment has been halted. Photograph via Instagram.
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A handwritten petition on display at Copenhagen Bakery has been garnering much attention and support lately, as patrons put their signatures behind one request: let the music play. “Our weekend music was canceled by the town, please sign this to help bring it back,” the petition reads.
Copenhagen was issued a Northport Village code violation earlier this week because of the music, which takes place in its outdoor eating area on weekends throughout the summer. The music, which has been happening outside the bakery for several years, is performed from 10am-3pm on Saturdays and 10am-1pm on Sundays, within an open lot with tables and chairs beside the bakery.
As of Wednesday evening, over 400 people had signed the petition in favor of allowing live music to return to the Woodbine Avenue location.
When asked about the issue, Northport Village Mayor Donna Koch told the Journal that an outdoor dining permit prohibits outdoor music, whether it’s by speakers or live music. “After a couple of neighbors complained about the music at Copenhagen, one starting too early and two being too loud, they were told to stop,” she said.
The Village code currently states that the “installation, use or maintenance of radios, speakers, televisions or like apparatus and live entertainment shall be prohibited in outdoor dining areas, unless separately authorized by resolution of the Board of Trustees.”
Resident opinions about the music were not shared with the entire Village Board, however, and some trustees told the Journal that they haven’t heard any complaints, or seen them in writing. Trustee Dave Weber, who serves as the Commissioner of Commerce, disagrees with stopping the music and said he’d advocate for the limited use of outdoor music on an individual basis, as it pertains to the outdoor dining code.
Trustee Weber is hoping the Village board will add a resolution to the agenda at its upcoming meeting, granting permission to Copenhagen Bakery to continue live music from Memorial Day through Cow Harbor Day, on weekends only, and at a volume permitted by the Village.
“Northport has grown as an artist’s haven,” Trustee Weber said. “Look at the art galleries thriving on Main Street, the successful concert series during summer months, and the well-recognized music and art program within our school system. To allow musicians to play while people dine would be another example of how Northport supports the arts community.”
A group of musicians who play at the bakery is hoping to meet with Village officials on September 6, the date of the next board meeting, to resolve the issue.
