Last Season Events & Onto a New Season

I apologize for the gap in my posts. There really is no excuse but let me attempt one anyway. I have three actually. One, laziness, pure and simple. Two, my  duties as a professor have kept me busy - along with working on a new diary to transcribe. Three, my health has been poor since about December and the energy to do these has been non-existent.
Excuses aside welcome back! First and foremost opening day for the museum will be Saturday May 27, 2017, the hours of 12-4 pm per usual. From that date forward we will be open those hours from Wednesday through Sunday until October 8th. We usually close the Sunday before our annual auction which is on the following Saturday. That brings me to the point of this post - two of the three final events we had last season: The "Best of the Wurst" and our annual auction.

I will admit my bias towards the "Best of the Wurst." It is a more intimate affair than our annual dinner and this past year (November 17, 2016) was its second - I do not see it ending any time soon, well, at least not without a small historical society riot! This is the brain child of Christine Spanbauer and Barbara Schroeder. Not only do these amazing ladies organize it all they also do a good portion of the cooking. I would also like to note the amazing amount of help that is given to make this event the night that it is. There are too many names to list here - that and if I accidentally omit anyone then I will be in the dog house - but from cooking to cleaning up to organizing to storing the food days before the list of volunteers is great. I believe that everyone on the historical society board contributes. This is the main reason that I love being a part of this society - the people. I have not met a greater group of people in my life.
Sappiness aside what exactly is this? For $30 - $35 (for some reason the price is escaping me) you get a meal which is your choice of three kinds of wursts, sauerkraut, caramelized onions, roasted potatoes, baked beans, string beans, red cabbage, pickled beets, salad, rye and pumpernickel bread and pretzels. All homemade save the breads - if I am wrong on that I apologize - and the pretzels. One also has a choice of beer, wine or soda. An array of desserts that are too many to recount - again all homemade - and coffee. I blame this event for my pre-Thanksgiving weight gain. But I also parked about ten blocks away so I could walk some off. In addition to all this amazing food 20 gift baskets are raffled off. Your beloved author has yet to win one. Not winning aside it is a brilliant event.

This event, for me, epitomizes what we are trying to do with this society. This is community at its best.                                                                                                                                                   

The next event actually took place October 15, 2016 and this was the 29th annual country auction, my first (I usually work on Saturdays). Worst case scenario it is a fun day. Best case scenario it is a fun day and you won some brilliant antiques! We had a really good day for this event - sometimes it rains and sometimes its quite cold but this past year was close to perfect. Every year we usually have a wide variety of items to be auctioned - I am still sad that I did not win a 1930's radio a few years back. The year before last I won a scythe and my other win was a beautiful Secretary's desk. This year was heavier on the furniture. 

Aside from the furniture we auctioned jewelry, clocks, china, toys, art and as always dinosaur fossils! Attendance surpassed 100 as the auctioneers got to their business. The highest bid was $1,050 for a pair of paintings. This is another event - ok pretty much at all of our events - where the amount of volunteers is overwhelming. Volunteers worked the refreshment stand, sold the heck out of the 2017 calendar and helped auction winners pack their cars. There was also a 50/50 raffle and a Downton Abbey quilt raffled off. By the by, the calendar is still available if one calls the society at (631) 473 - 2665. You may also get your calendar at the Port Jefferson library or from Barbara S. (631) 473 - 2980. The cost is $10. 

In the end another amazing event and a great day in Port Jeff! Our final "event" was during the Dickens Festival. Our great shop was open as well as the house displaying our Victorian Christmas. The annual dinner was in February and that brings us up to date! Fret not, there is plenty to come. 

My next post I will talk about the theme for the museum 2017 - The 50th Anniversary of the Greater Port Jefferson Historical Society. There is also the upcoming Antiques and Garden Weekend at the Village Center (April 29 & 30). We do not run this event but we are there and it kicks off our season nicely. I will also discuss the work I am doing, the clock museum, the shop and continue where I left off in my house tour. Until then do not forget to check out all the other amazing local historical societies and the various events that they have. Speaking of which I will be giving a lecture on my book I Now Take Up My Pen on April 17, 2017, 7 pm at the Miller Place - Mt. Sinai Historical Society. Contact the MP-MS Historical Society for ticket information. Again this book is the collection of Civil War letters between the Platt brothers. The book will also be available for purchase. I am looking forward to it and hope to see some of you there!