Light Up the Night - Huntington Lighthouse

November 2013
Arts
Film Festival
Events
Thanksgiving Run
Pets
Beth Stern
Light
Up
the
Night
Annual Boat Parade Returns to Huntington Harbor
November 2013
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Inside
14 Fourth Annual Huntington
Harbor Parade of Lights
18 Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
21 Tips from a Pet Foster Pro
7
24 Wag, Woof, Walk Fashion Show
Photo courtesy of the Townwide Fund of Huntington, Inc.
30 NBA Star Dr. J at Book Revue
Departments
5 From the Editor
25 Snapshots
7 Around Town
27 Calendar
23 Gotta Go!
30 And Another Thing ...
What’s special this month — in the
magazine, and the area.
People, places, problems, good causes
and occasions.
Best bets for upcoming concerts, shows
and events.
Community residents share their photos
with readers.
10
Photo courtesy of the Heckscher Museum
18
Photo courtesy of LIGLFF
23
Photo courtesy of the Paramount
Your guide to music, theater, kid stuff and
lots more.
A fond farewell from this month’s issue of
the magazine.
On the Cover
A boat floats in Hunting Harbor during the 2012 Huntington Harbor Parade of Lights. Turn
to Page 14 for more information about the popular annual event.
Photo courtesy of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society
You could be
a community contributor!
Get Involved!
This month’s featured contributor is Beth Stern, foster
parent and spokesperson for North Shore Animal League
America, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and
adoption organization. Stern gives advice about fostering
animals on Page 21. Photo courtesy of Howard Stern
huntington.ny@hibu.com
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November 2013
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Fourth Annual Boat Parade
Brings Light to the Shore
Landlubbers will be drawn to the water
on Nov. 29 for the Huntington Harbor
Parade of Lights.
public awareness about the ongoing preservation efforts at the
Lighthouse.”
Participating in the parade
The Huntington Lighthouse Boat Parade, a maritime visual
extravaganza now in its fourth year, will take place on Nov. 29.
The boat parade is a fundraiser for the Huntington Lighthouse, a familiar and treasured landmark whose beacon has
guided boats into Huntington Harbor for the past century.
Holiday boat parades are a time-honored tradition in communities across the country. In 2010, Huntington Lighthouse
Preservation Society President Pamela Setchell decided it was
time for Huntington to have its own.
“I wanted to give a holiday gift to the community, particularly since there are many residents who don’t have the opportunity to get on a boat and on the water for our annual Music
Fest on Labor Day weekend,” Setchell said. “We thought this
would be a nice way to ‘bring the light to the shore’ and raise
To participate in the parade, boats pay a $50 registration fee.
They then get busy decorating their vessels to compete for prizes in ten categories: best in show, best sailboat, best powerboat,
best corporate boat, best club boat, most creative, cost elegant,
most outrageous, fleets favorite, and best music and animation.
The prizes, which are donated by local businesses, are awarded
at a ceremony at Honu Kitchen and Cocktails in Huntington
Village the week after the parade.
Last year, the prize for best in show was a flat screen television and was awarded to Joe Pangia, who turned his boat,
“Little Wing,” into a floating replica of the Huntington Lighthouse. Coney’s Marine won best corporate boat by creating a
barge that was a floating Christmas wonderland, complete with
water cannons, music, American flags and Santa Claus.
This year, for the first time, residents who live along the
harbor are invited to join the boat parade festivities by registering and decorating their homes and compete for new “landlubber” prize categories. These awards include: most elegant, most
outrageous, and best music and animation.
The parade has had between 30 and 40 boats participating
each year. Even during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in
2012, nearly 40 boats participated. That year, the parade raised
nearly $5,000 for the lighthouse.
“Last year was an enormous challenge for the parade. We
weren’t sure we’d be able to pull it off, so we’re especially
grateful for the efforts everyone made to keep this tradition goContinued on next page
A decorated boat floats in Huntington Harbor during a previous year’s
boat parade. Many boats have lights with a holiday theme.
Boat parade attendees enjoy the night on a vessel decorated with
American flags and a holiday theme.
Photo courtesy of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society
Photo courtesy of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society
by Helen Patrikis
Community contributor
T
he Friday after Thanksgiving is the official
kickoff to the holiday season. In Huntington,
the day has been dubbed “Blue Friday,”
thanks to an annual event that’s drawing landlubbers
to the shores of Huntington Harbor.
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The historic lighthouse is a fixture in the Huntington community.
Photo courtesy of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society
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Huntington Harbor becomes a popular hot spot during Music Fest, which allows residents to get out and enjoy the harbor during Labor Day weekend.
Photo courtesy of Barry Mines
Continued from previous page
ing, despite the trying circumstances,” Setchell said.
The cost of the boat parade is underwritten by corporate
sponsorships. Each year there is additional fundraising from
VIP viewing parties at local restaurants and yacht clubs, proceeds from sales by food trucks and local businesses and sales
of T-shirts, glow sticks and bumper stickers by volunteers.
Many local yacht clubs, as well as residents with homes with a
water view, host private “pass the hat” parties to collect donations. Setchell said that new sponsors are always welcome, and
A close call
1985
Save Huntington’s Lighthouse was
formed in 1985. The group was able to
take over and restore the lighthouse.
encourages anyone interested to call the Huntington Lighthouse
Preservation Society for more information.
Preserving the lighthouse
The Huntington Lighthouse, a Beaux Arts structure, is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places, but there was a time
when it came close to demolition.
In 1985, the U.S. Coast Guard was prepared to tear down the
crumbling structure and replace it with a utilitarian steel lighthouse. At that time, a local group, Save Huntington’s Lighthouse, was formed. Founded by Janis Harrington, the private
group was the first in the country to successfully take over and
restore an offshore lighthouse.
Since then, the nonprofit organization, now called the
Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, under Setchell’s
guidance, has continued to raise funds for restoration work. The
funds raised mainly come from donations and events, including
the boat parade.
A significant amount of work is still necessary to repair
damage that the lighthouse sustained during Hurricane Sandy.
The lighthouse base and surrounding granite boulders, known
as rip-rap, have also been damaged over the years by storms,
ice in the winter and increasing boat traffic. An additional 650
tons of rip-rap are needed to keep the force of the waves from
wearing away at the basic structure, at an estimated cost of
$300,000.
In 2012, its centennial year, the society was awarded a
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Participate
in the Parade
Huntington residents are encouraged
to enter a boat and compete
in the fourth annual Parade of Lights.
Apply for the boat parade
Area residents who are interested in participating are
encouraged to register and compete for awards.
• There is a minimum $50 per vessel donation that is
nonrefundable and tax deductible.
• The $50 donation garners a parade T-shirt for the
captain of the vessel. Those who respond by Nov. 15 will
have their boat’s name included on the shirt.
• Vessels will rendezvous at 5:30 p.m. in the area of
Goldstar Battalion Beach. Harbor Boating Club is the
starting point.
A large wreath adorns the Huntington Lighthouse during the holiday
season.
Photo courtesy of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society
$250,000 preservation grant by New York State, but members
of the society must raise matching funds by the end of 2014 in
order to receive the full amount.
So far, the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society has
raised approximately $150,000, which will enable the society to
begin the first phase of repairs.
Much of the funding so far has come from summer lighthouse tours, as well as the annual Huntington Lighthouse Music
Fest, which is the only concert in the world held on top of a
working lighthouse in the middle of the water. The daylong celebration netted $46,000 this year through journal ads as well as
a program called Teens on the Water, where volunteers dressed
as pirates sold T-shirts and collected “booty” from festival attendees. The teen program raised a record amount of $25,000.
The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society is always
looking for eager volunteers, particularly tour guides and
launch drivers.
For information about the boat parade, or to register a home
or boat, visit huntingtonboatparade.com. For general information or to volunteer, visit huntingtonlighthouse.org, call 631421-1985 or email info@huntingtonlighthouse.org.
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• Additional T-shirts can be ordered for $20 each with
the application, which is available on the website.
• There will be an awards presentation Dec. 3 at Honu
Kitchen and Cocktails, 363 New York Ave., Huntington,
with complimentary hors d’ouevres and a cash bar.
• For more information, call 631-421-1985 or visit
huntingtonboatparade.com.
Participants in the boat parade show off their boat, complete with
holiday lights and an inflatable Santa Clause.
Photo courtesy of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society
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