THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS
ISSUE DATE: 5/24/07 May 2007

Sag Harbor at 300 - Sag Harbor Celebrates its 300th anniversary this year with a months-long series of events.

For information call 631-725-1700

Walking Tour (1700-1800): What it Was Like
May 26 SAT 9AM
Mashashimuet Park
Four local organizations have created the thread that weaves through the community's history, from its emergence as a Native American settlement to its transformation as a port town to whaling village to the industrial hub of the east end to a resort town. The Sag Harbor Historical Society, Southampton Trails Preservation Society, Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt and the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum have teamed up to enable visitors to literally take a step back in time to understand how Sag Harbor developed. The first two of seven interpretive tours take place on May 26. This first walk looks at the area around the Long Pond Greenbelt and up along Otter Pond and Sag Harbor Cove, taking in Native American sites.

Walking Tour (1700-1800): How it All Got Started
May 26 SAT 1PM
Havens Beach
The second of seven interpretive walks looks at the area along the bay and up Division Street to see where the Native American village of Wegwagonock existed and how the early European settlers used the waterfront.

Exhibit and Book Launch Party: "Keeping Time in Sag Harbor" with A Taste of Sag Harbor
May 26 SAT 5-7PM Opening Reception
Whaling Museum
The village honors its 300th anniversary this year, and the Sag Harbor Whaling and Historic Museum will mark the occasion with Keeping Time in Sag Harbor, an innovative book of photographs and text that accompanies a summer exhibition and inspires public events throughout the season. A visual history of our land-marked village that treats its historic buildings as timekeepers and storytellers, the project uses recent large format color architectural photographs by artist/author Stephen Longmire with little-known views of Sag Harbor at key moments in its colorful past.
The exhibit features over thirty of Longmire's photographs from the book that serve as time capsules that tell the community's life story. To help viewers see history in contemporary photographs, some will appear alongside little-known historic images of the community at critical moments in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chief among them are photographs and drawings by William Wallace Tooker (1848-1917), an antiquarian best known for his research on early Long Island Indians, who was the village pharmacist in his time.
The exhibition and book are focal points of the village's tercentenary celebration. They also address national conversations on the politics of place, architectural preservation at a community scale, and photography's role in these causes.

Veterans on Video
May 27 SUN 12-5PM
John Jermain Library
Pierson High School students conducted a series of interviews with veterans of World War II living in Sag Harbor. The revealing and informative videos will be shown on a rotating basis throughout the afternoon.

Artisan Fair
May 27 SUN 1-5 PM
May 28 MON 10AM-3PM
Whaling Museum
The Artisans Fair includes local fine metal crafters, boat builders, jewelry makers, sculptors, fine woodworkers and numerous other skilled artisans. The entrance fee is $7 which includes Museum admission. Craftspeople participating in the Artisans Fair on Sunday and Monday, May 27-28, have donated handcrafted artifacts for a raffle that takes place during the Taste of Sag Harbor exhibit benefit.

On Native Americans
May 27 SUN 2PM
John Jermain Library
John Strong, a retired professor from Long Island Univeristy at Southampton, will offer a slide show and informational presentation about the Native American presence on Long Island - with particular focus on the East End - from 10,000 BC to the present.

Memorial Day Parade
May 28 MON 9AM
Main Street
The annual salute to those men and women who served and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Walking Tour: Patriotic Sag Harbor
May 28 MON 1PM
Long Wharf
Sag Harbor men and women played a part in every major conflict this country has been involved in since the Revolution. This walk explores many of those heroes, plus some of the important sites that had a role in the village's own drama during the Battle of Sag Harbor.

Exhibit: Faces of Sag Harbor
June 2 SAT 1-4 PM Opening Reception
Annie Cooper Boyd House
Photographer Ann Chwatsky turns her lens on some of the village's more noted citizens. Through June 30.

Literary Sag Harbor
June 3 SUN 9AM
Long Wharf
Sag Harbor has been home to some of the greatest literary voices in America, James Fenimore Cooper, John Steinbeck, Betty Friedan and E.L. Doctorow among them. This walk takes you past many of their haunts and tells how Sag Harbor featured in literary history.

Book Launch: Voices of Sag Harbor: A Village Remembered
June 9 SAT 5PM
John Jermain Memorial Library
The Friends of the John Jermain Memorial Library will hold a publication party for Voices of Sag Harbor: A Village Remembered, an anthology of over 75 Sag Harbor oral histories and personal recollections gathered during the last six years. A $25 donation to the Library for the party will entitle the donor to a copy of "Voices...".

Walking Tour: (1800-1900) A Growing Village
June 9 SAT 9AM
Mashashimuet Park
The third of seven interpretive walks looks at the beginning of industry in the village, including the locations of the old ice house, pump house and waterworks in the area behind Mashashimuet Parks and the introduction of the railroad.

Strawberry Jazz: Hal McKusick Quartet
June 10 SUN 2PM
Christ Church
A fine cool-toned alto saxophonist and an occasional clarinetist, Hal McKusick worked with the big bands of Les Brown, Woody Herman (1943), Boyd Raeburn (1944-1945), Alvino Rey (1946), Buddy Rich, and Claude Thornhill (1948-1949). In the 1950s, in addition to his work with Terry Gibbs and Elliot Lawrence, he was a busy and versatile studio musician. Widely known for his work with the NBC Orchestra, Hal is a Sag Harbor living legend.
Only strawberries can compare to his sweet sounds. Admission includes a post-performance homemade strawberry dessert. All profits benefit restoration of the historic Christ Church pipe organ. Tickets are $25/$15 for students.

On Mrs. Russell Sage
June 16 SAT 6PM
Canio's Books
Ruth Crocker, author of the book: "Mrs. Russell Sage: Women's Activism and Philanthropy in Gilded Age and Progressive Era America" will speak about Sag Harbor's greatest benefactress.

A Day in the Park Celebrating Mrs. Russell Sage
June 17 SUN
Mashashimuet Park
Bring the family for a day of softball, shuffleboard, picnicking, pony rides, music and more in the park Mrs. Sage gave the community. Sponsored by the Sag Harbor Hysterical Society.

Old Burying Ground: Maritime Tour
June 24 SUN 1PM
Old Burying Ground
Conducted by a member of the Old Burying Ground Committee, which oversees the final resting place for some of the village's earliest inhabitants, this tour focuses on those buried there who were captains of sloops, schooners, etc. which sailed between Sag Harbor and New York and Connecticut; men who went to sea on whale ships, the Portuguese sailors who sailed on Sag Harbor whale ships, and others involved in the maritime history of the village.

Exhibit: Annie's Scenes
July 1 SUN 1-4 PM Opening Reception
Annie Cooper Boyd House
This exhibit, at the Sag Harbor Historical Society headquarters at the Annie Cooper Boyd House, features paintings never shown before by the prolific Sag Harbor artist Annie Cooper Boyd, who painted in the early 20th century, and whose views of Sag Harbor and the surrounding area frequently adorned the tiny tea shop she ran out of her ancient home on Main Street. Through July 29.

Jail House Open House
 July 4 WED 9AM-4PM
Old Jail House, Division Street
Sag Harbor's historic old lock-up dates back to the early 1900s and has been restored by the Sag Harbor Historical Society.

Friends of Library House Tour
July 6 FRI 11-4 PM
John Jermain Library
The tour provides an inside look at some of the village's most historic, and faithfully restored, homes.

Youth Regatta/ Open House/Knot Tying Contest
July 7 SAT 11AM
Breakwater
Come watch some of our young sailors compete in a special regatta, then come back to the Breakwater Yacht Club for an open house.

Fireworks
July 7 SAT After Dark
Waterfront
Sponsored by the Sag Harbor Yacht Club

Community Band 50th Anniversary Kickoff
July 10 TUE 7PM
American Legion
Sag Harbor's own band celebrates its 50th season with a special concert of patriotic songs and marches.

Walking Tour (1800-1900) The Whaling Village
July 14 SAT 9AM
Long Wharf
The fourth of seven interpretive walks travels through the heart of downtown Sag Harbor to look at how whaling fueled the village, from Long Wharf to the Whaling Museum and back.

Walking Tour (1800-1900) The Industrial Village
July 14 SAT 1PM
Long Wharf
The fifth of seven interpretive walks looks at how industry changed the village, including sites such as the Fahys Watchcase Factory and the Bliss Torpedo Company.

Native American Life Workshops
July 21 SAT 11AM (3-8 years old), 1PM (9 years and up)
John Jermain Library
Visuals of native lifeways through time will be shown to introduce the Stone Age culture the students will experience including using flint hand drills to make pendants they can wear home. Younger children will make a leather headbands. They will use stone tools to make corn cakes with berries.

Concert: The Thunderbird Sisters
July 21 SAT 7PM
Old Whalers Church
The Thunderbird Sisters, all Shinnecock native women and grandchildren of Chief Thunderbird, have been performing together since the 1970s. Their music includes original compositions that reflect the culture from which they come as well as the works or other artists. Co-sponsored by the John Jermain Memorial Library and underwritten by the Sag Harbor Parenting Center.

Kids' Search at The Old Burying Ground
July 22 SUN 1PM
Old Burying Ground
After a short tour by a member of the Old Burying Ground Committee, children are given a list of a number of items to find in the OBG such as; a portrait stone, a table top stone, a Revolutionary War soldier's gravestone, the strangest woman's name, etc. Prizes will be awarded.

Songs of the Sea and Tales of the Whale
July 26 THU 8PM
Old Whalers Church
The Historical Committee of the Old Whalers' Church in cooperation with the captain and crew of the schooner Mystic Whaler, will be presenting this popular concert and entertainment. Chantyman Don Sineti of the schooner Mystic Whaler, with a vast knowledge of the great whales, will sing songs of the whalers and sailors. There is no charge, but a free-will offering to support the preservation of the historic church building will be accepted.

Eastville Fish Fry and Exhibit
July 28 SAT 3-7PM
Eastville Heritage House
The Eastville Community Historical Society's Old Fashioned Fish Fry on July 28 will also mark the opening of an exhibition chronicling the history of the Pickens Family of Sag Harbor Hills. Among his other accomplishments, William Pickens, in 1904, was the first African-American to earn a Bachelors Degree, summa cum laud, from Yale University, setting of a long family history of distinguished community service.

Exhibit: Here On the Street Where They Lived
August 4 SAT 1-4 PM Opening Reception
Annie Cooper Boyd House
This exhibit, at the Sag Harbor Historical Society headquarters at the Annie Cooper Boyd House takes a look back in time to incidents in the life of early Sag Harbor residents through paintings and stories, by Pamela Vail Lawson. Through September 16.

Azurest 60th Anniversary Dinner Dance
August 11 SAT 7PM
Havens Beach
A gala celebrating one of Sag Harbor's oldest African-American communities.

Mutual Base Ball Club of New York vs. Sag Harbor
August 19 SUN 1-5PM
Mashashimuet Park
A game for the ages. At the 250th celebration, the old-timers who had played on the town baseball team came out for a special game. Keeping up the tradition of having baseball as part of the village's anniversary, there will be a game played by 19th-century rules led by the Mutual Base Ball Club of New York, who participate in an "old-time" league in Old Bethpage Village. A select Sag Harbor squad will join the Mutuals in wearing period uniforms and playing the game as it was played in 1864 (and 1887, too, if time, weather and enthusiasms allow). The Mutuals will also demonstrate and play the game of rounders with kids of all ages after the contest. It should be noted that baseball in Sag Harbor can be documented back to 1874, Noyac resident Henry Chadwick, the originator of the box score and one of its earliest scribes, reporting in the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" that the local boys got together to play Bridgehampton.

Old Whalers Church Art Event
August 25 SAT 4-6PM
Old Whalers Church
The congregation of the Old Whalers Church hopes to re-erect the church's historic steeple, which was blown off during the 1938 hurricane. As planned the steeple, which at the time was the tallest structure on Long Island and could be seen by returning whalers rounding Montauk Point, would also include a museum at its base. The event will include tours of the historic building - which was designed in 1844 by renowned architect Minard Lafevre - a presentation on the steeple and an auction of art to raise money for the project.

Authors Day: "Leviathan"
Sept 8 SAT 2PM
Whaling Museum
Eric Jay Dolin, the author of this new and comprehensive history of American whaling, will speak about his book and be available to sign copies.

300th Anniversary Celebration / HarborFest / SHCCC
Sept. 14-16 FRI-SUN
A weekend-long celebration of Sag Harbor's cultural and maritime history includes whaleboat racing, Old Fashioned Lobster Bake, traditional music, a clamshucking contest, walking tours, African-American and Native American food tasting, children's fair, exhibits, contests and more. Highlights include:

  • 300th Anniversary Parade, SAT, Main Street
  • Sag Harbor Charity Cup Challenge: 12 Meter Americas Cup Yacht Racing, SAT-SUN, Noyac Bay
  • 300 Stories, a play recounting Sag Harbor's history, FRI,SAT 8PM; SUN 2PM at the Old Whalers Church
  • Gala Beach Party, SAT 7PM, Havens Beach
  • Farmers Market, SAT 9AM-1PM, Long Wharf
  • Taste of Sag Harbor Food Fair, SUN, NOON-4PM
  • Art Festival: Sag Harbor Then and Now, 11 gallery spaces feature Sag Harbor-oriented art; SAT, 5-8PM Opening Reception. Through October 15.

    Pierson Centennial Celebration Combined with Homecoming
    October 5-8 FRI-SUN
    Festivities kick off with a bonfire at Long Beach on Friday after dark, and continue with the Homecoming parade on Main Street Saturday morning. There are field hockey and soccer games, and, for the hundreds of alumni expected back, tours of the school, a cook-out dinner, dancing and a chance to catch up with old friends.

    Authors Days: "Keeping Time in Sag Harbor" and "Mrs. Russell Sage"
    October 6 SAT 11AM-1PM
    October 7 SUN 11AM-1PM
    Sag Harbor Whaling Museum
    Authors Stephen Longmire and Ruth Crocker will team up to discuss their work, Keeping Time in Sag Harbor and Mrs. Russell Sage, on Saturday, October 6 from 11 am to 1 pm and again on Sunday, October 7, at 11 am. The Saturday books signings will be free of charge; a nominal fee will apply to the Meet-the-Authors Brunch on Sunday, October 7.

    Walking Tour (1900-2007): Along Jermain
    October 7 SUN 9AM
    Pierson High School
    The sixth of seven interpretive walks looks at the activity that grew up around the southern end of the village, including Pierson High School, the Brasswoorks, the Printers and Engravers Building and the work of one of the era's great inventors, Ephraim Byram.

    Walking Tour (1900-2007): Post WWII, A New Economy
    October 7 SUN 1PM
    Long Wharf
    The seventh of seven interpretive walks takes in what has happened since the middle of the 20th Century, including Grumman Aircraft, changes on Main Street and the rise, fall and renaissance of the Bulova Factory.

    Staged Reading: Men's Lives
    October 13 SAT 8PM
    Bay Street Theatre
    The World Premiere of "Men's Lives" by Joe Pintauro based on the book by Peter Mathiessen opened the Bay Street Theatre on June 29, 1992. This reading will include many of the actors who originally created the roles 15 years ago. Men's Lives tell the story of the generations old East End fisherman known as "Baymen" and their recent struggle to protect their generations-old way of life.

    Folk Concert: Terry Sullivan And The Koontzmen
    October 14 SUN 2PM
    Christ Church
    Terry Sullivan is widely known for his St. Patricks Day vocal performances in the sean nos tradition. Terry is Irish all year long. Following a traditional sean nos performance, Terry will be joined by The Koontzmen, father Warren, sons Dan and Andy and grandson Bo. Together they will perform traditional American folk songs with acoustic instruments and voice. Admission includes a post-performance reception. All profits benefit restoration of the historic Christ Church pipe organ.