The Legion on Bay Street - Monday, Oct 29, 2012 - 12:34 PM

The Legion on Bay Street - Monday, Oct 29, 2012 - 12:34 PM

The next set of pictures are from Sag Harbor on Tuesday, after the worst of the storm had passed.  Ironically, Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny day in Sag Harbor but much of the Village remained without power, schools were closed again, and you’ll see the extensive flooding that occurred behind the stores on Main Street:

On Monday night, the CBS Evening News reported from Sag Harbor to assess the damage:

Saturday, September 14

• Farmers Market, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Arts & Crafts Fair, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Sidewalk Sale, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Refreshments al Fresco, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Coast Guard Boat, 10 a.m.
• Face Painting and Karaoke, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Classic Boat Display, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• On the Spot Reference, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• “For the Birds” Art Exhibit, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Children’s Amusements, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Coast Guard Inspections/Knot Tying, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Walking Tour: Maritime Sag Harbor, 10:30 a.m.
• Children’s Story Time, 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
• American Beauty Tour, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• Corn Shucking Contest, 11 a.m.
• Concert: John Corr, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Old Burying Ground Tour, 11:30 a.m.
• Whalers Cup Whaleboat Races – Elimination Round 1, noon
• Film:” Joyeusse Garde: Steinbeck in Sag Harbor,” 1 – 4 p.m.
• Concert: Community Band, 1 p.m.
• Firefighters Cup Whaleboat Races, 2 p.m.
• Bucket Brigade, 2:30 p.m.
• Annual Whalers Cup Whaleboat Races – Elimination Round 2, 3 p.m.
• Concert: Hopefully Forgiven, 3 p.m.
• Lobster Roll Eating Contest, 4 p.m.
• Historic Walking Tour of Eastville, 5 p.m.
• Hike to Cedar Point Light, 5 p.m.
• Concert: Nancy Atlas Live, 6 p.m.

Sunday, September 16

• Pancake Breakfast, 8 a.m.
• Arts & Crafts Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Pilates on the Beach, 9:30 a.m.
• Paddleboarding Event, 10 a.m.
• Sidewalk Sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Refreshments al Fresco, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Classic Boat Display, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• “For the Birds” Exhibit, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Children’s Amusements, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Walking Tour: Women’s Lives, 10:30 a.m.
• Tug-O-War, 11:30 a.m.
• Whaleboat Races Semifinals, noon
• Concert: Jim Turner, noon – 2 p.m.
• Clam Chowder Contest, noon
• Waldo the Clown, 1 – 3 p.m.
• Oakland Cemetery Tour, 1:30 p.m.
• JY-15 Women in One Design Regatta, 2:30 p.m.
• Whaleboat Races Championship, 3 p.m.
• Clam Shucking Contest, 3:30 p.m.

In Sag Harbor there are 2 restaurants participating in Eat Drink Local – Bay Burger and Beacon Restaurant – stop by and check them out!

The event will include recreational and competitive paddle races (stock & elite classes) and will start at 9:30 am with registration at 8 am – $40 advance registration, $50 same day registration

For more information visit the Peconic Baykeeper Website

I’ve been fooled a few times when I drive by on a Saturday morning and see a rush of people, only to realize that it’s the farmer’s market and not Bay Burger grilling some patties.

While The Corner has served as an adequate destination for a good burger, Bay Burger is still a great place to bring the kids or chill out during Thursday night Jazz.

Looking forward to its return.

• Il Cappucino
• MUSE in the Harbor
• Tutto Il Giorno

For more information and to see other East End restaurants participating in Long Island Restaurant Week 2012, visit http://www.hamptonsrestaurantweek.com/restaurants.html

Food, drinks, and live music from Vivian & the Merrymakers will accompany the large selection silent auction items, which includes:

• Gift certificates to local businesses
• Gift baskets
• 4 tickets to the Wendy Williams Show
• Golf for 4 at The Bridge
• 4 ticket to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door.  For more information call 537-0676.

After bidding farewell to our visiting family that night, we drove by the elementary school the next day where each of the passengers did a double-take and said, “Wow, look what happened to the playground.”  The play area of the elementary school was fenced off with orange construction dividers, there was a pay loader parked on the grass, and large signs declaring the playground was closed.  I immediately thought, “Good thing we didn’t try to walk over to the playground tonight.”

For a few weeks there was uncertainty as to what was going on with the space – there’s no way an elementary school could eliminate the playground, right?  There were also rumors that some snobby residents were complaining about children returning home and dragging playground sand onto the homeowner’s fancy wood floors (the old playground had sand under all of the playground equipment and swings).

No matter the actual reasoning behind the reconstruction, the result is a brand new, rubber-floored, modern playground with various new features and a new layout and design.  The main playground structure contains 3 slides, a fireman’s pole, and rock climbing wall.  Attached to the slide structure is a complex of numerous monkey bars and intricate mazes with rope-suspended balance platforms.

Outside the immediate playground area there is well-manicured grass, which may not withstand the beating it receives from the children, but adds a little color to the landscape.  Extended off the grassy field is a specially-designed hill with two slides embedded into the side of the slope.  Kids can run up the hill and slide down – a clever touch.  The swings are back, just in a different location (parallel with 114) with an updated look and contained by a box with wood chips.

Since autumn our family has thoroughly enjoyed the new playground and the bizarrely mild winter has provided us with even more days to take advantage of the new facility.  Since Mashashimuet playground is continuing to deteriorate (they recently removed the old wooden train from the grounds) and has shown no signs of improving, the Elementary School is your best bet for an outdoor playground in Sag Harbor.

Then this week, I came across a New York Times article focused on the Bulova renovation with an emphasis on the restoration of key parts of the original factory including the numerous arched windows and the since-reduced smoke stack.  The article also highlighted some of the features that we will see in the future – large underground parking garage, state-of-the-art fitness facility with a swimming pool (and a retractable roof).

While the progress on Sag Harbor’s longstanding eyesore is a promising change for the landscape, there are also concerns from critics about the nature of the building’s audience – do we really need another million-dollar apartment complex for all the summer folks to crowd the village?

In the end, any progress is good progress – no matter the socio-economic result of the project, anything built at the Bulova site is a marked improvement over the abandoned wasteland that it has been for 20+ years.  More to come, but Sag Harbor will definitely be different when this construction is wrapped up.

Events include live music, polar bear swim, games, local vendor booths, and fireworks to end the night.

For more information and for the full schedule, visit the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce:

http://www.sagharborchamber.com/harborfrost.htm