December 2023 Newsletter

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!

The Meadow Croft elves have been very busy these last few weeks planning, decorating, volunteering, organizing and making Meadow Croft BEAUTIFUL to celebrate Christmas at Meadow Croft 2023. We are so grateful to be able to open this home, once again, for the holiday season.

On Saturday December 2nd and Sunday December 3rd from 12:00-4:00, Meadow Croft will be open to the public. Come see each room of the John Ellis Roosevelt estate alive with festive holiday decorations! There will be music played on the original Roosevelt piano and pictures with Old Saint Nick in the Carriage House. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served! Many raffle baskets will be on display and holiday decorations and the baskets will be raffled off at the end of the weekend. A special sale of historical gifts will be on sale as well. We have great items including; local history books by author Gene Horton, ornaments, note cards, tote bags, and Meadow Croft prints. All of these items would make  great holiday gifts! The admission fee is $10.00 per person.

Both nights of the Christmas Aglow have been sold out. We thank our chairperson Leanne Berg for her efforts in coordinating this event. We thank our many volunteers who have put in countless hours preparing for this weekend. We look forward to seeing YOU at Meadow Croft this weekend to celebrate the season.

 

Nominations for BBPHA

The nominating committee is looking for members for the 2024 year. Any current paid BBPHA member may serve on the board. It requires only one meeting per month. If you are interested in serving or volunteering in some capacity, please contact us at bbphistorical@gmail.com

We are also looking for members to serve on various committees throughout the year. You can work from home! If you have a particular skill or interest (house tour, special events, light clerical and organization) please contact us at BBPhistorical@gmail.com.

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Sayville HS; Community Connect Day

On Tuesday, November 21st 2023, students from Sayville High School, along with faculty & staff members, learned the importance of volunteer work and giving back. They held a Community Connect Day. A large group came to Meadow Croft to do some raking and to clear out some invasive species in the historic rhodendrons on the property. This opportunity allowed the students, staff & faculty to be involved in some facet of community service. And we THANK them for all of their hard work and efforts to help beautify the Meadow Croft Estate. Thank you!!

                                                        Save the Date!

Our first general membership meeting of the 2024 year will be on February 18, 2024. These meetings are open to all and start at 2:00. They are held in the BBP Library.

The Walls Still Talk: A Photographic Journey Through Kings Park Psychiatric Center

A Conversation with Author/Photographer John Lazzaro

SAVE THE DATE: February 18, 2024

Award-winning photographer and author John Lazzaro will present a slideshow on the history of

Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Combining rare, archival images as well as his own photography,

Lazzaro will discuss his work and the approach to his creative process behind his 2019

book, The Walls Still Talk: A Photographic Journey Through Kings Park Psychiatric Center.

The author made dozens of trips to Nissequogue River State Park to photograph the remaining

buildings of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center which has been sitting idle and abandoned since

1996. Vast, melancholy, and aesthetically overwhelming, Kings Park Psychiatric Center was

once the pride of the local community of Kings Park, NY and treated 10,000 patients at its peak

operation in the 1950s. This project stemmed from the author's interest in and emotional

obligation to document this historical relic of Long Island. In turn, these images show the result

of decades of neglect and decay after deinstutionalization.

Blue Point Fire Department Basketball Team

These articles first appeared in the Bayport Blue Point Gazette and were written by Gene Horton. They are reprinted here with permission.

December 2011

This undated old photo dates back to around the late 1940s. It shows some of the members of the Blue Point Fire Department basketball team and the businesses that sponsored them. Sad to say, just about all of players and all of the businesses are gone today.

In this photo, to row (L-R) : Dick Barthelme, Charlie Stroh, George Staudt, Bill Fechter and Ed Schaefer; front row (L-R): Mahlon Fechter, Ev Fuchs, Carleton McCarthy and Bill Rooney. The businesses that sponsored the team are indicated on the back of the players' team jackets.

The Blue Point Fire Department team would practice in the Blue Point Fire House but play their home games in the gym at Blue Point School. After serving their Country in World War II, a lot of young men returned home to their communities and became active in organizations such as the local fire department. They eventually formed sports teams and played competitively with other communities and organizations.

The Blue Point Fire Department Basketball team was the Suffolk County League Champion, 1946-47. The trophy they won is proudly preserved in one of the showcases at the Blue Point Fire Department.

 

 

BBPHA
www.bayportbluepointheritge.org
    
Happy Holidays! Hope to see you at Christmas at Meadow Croft!
our email is: bbphistorical@gmail.com

 

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