preview: harborfest

Sag Harbor will host its annual HarborFest celebration this upcoming weekend, September 15-17th. This festive event honors the community’s maritime history with a series of regattas, contests, the Whalers Cup and a parade. There will also be the Taste of Sag Harbor Food Fair and an expanded Farmers Market on Long Wharf, as well as a children’s fair, traditional seafaring music, a classic sailboat race held by the East End Classic Boat Society and a special theater production that tells the story of Sag Harbor’s 300-year history. This year’s event was organized by HarborFest Chairman Bryan Boyhan and was sponsored by the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, the Sag Harbor Express, and JCP Landscaping of Sag Harbor.

HarborFest weekend opens on Friday night with an old-fashioned Clam and Lobsterbake at 6:30 p.m. to benefit the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum. The party takes place at the Whaling Museum on Main and Garden Street.

Then, at 8 p.m. is the first performance of Stacey McDermont’s new play, 300 Stories of Sag Harbor, a new theater piece directed by Toni Munna that traces the history of the maritime village from prehistory to present day through the eyes of three of Sag Harbor’s celebrated residents. (This performance will also be presented at the Old Whalers Church on Saturday, September 16th at 8 p.m., and Sunday, September 17th at 4 p.m.. Admission is $14 per person.)

Saturday’s festivities begin with a festival parade at 9:30 a.m. starting at Oakland Avenue and running down Main Street. There will be a Boat House display starting at 10 a.m. and a children’s fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Custom House. The Farmers Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Long Wharf, offering a bounty of fresh, local produce.

At noon, along with the melodies of Whaling chanteys, will be the first round of the popular Whaleboat Races at Windmill Beach. The Oakland cemetery tour begins at 1 p.m.and a “Steam Box Demonstration” takes place on Long Wharf along with a performance by the Community Band.

An exciting feature in this year’s HarborFest is the African-American and Native-American Food Tastings and Historic Eastville Walking Tour starting at 2 p.m.

Don’t miss the Classic Boats this year. The members of the Eastern Long Island Classic Boat Society spend hundreds of hours each year restoring and maintaining some of the most beautiful and elegant vessels on the water and you’ll get a chance to see them during the classic boat show from noon to 4 p.m. at Long Wharf. These impressive vessels will be racing for the Sag Harbor Express Cup this Saturday, when they take off from the Breakwater at 12:30 p.m. for the Classic Boat Regatta. There will be Boat Building Demonstrations from 2-5 p.m. on Long Wharf, and a Concert by Marian Megna & Friends ($20) at The Sag Harbor Methodist Church. Then at Canio’s Books, Anthony Brandt is reading from his new book, Tragic History of the Sea: Shipwrecks from the Bible to the Titanic at 6 p.m.

Sunday’s events start off early with a worship service followed by the annual Fire Department Pancake Breakfast at the Brick Kiln Road/Columbia Street Fire House which takes place between 8 a.m. and noon. At 11:30 a.m. is the antiques appraisal at the Sag Harbor Youth Center and a Dock Show at the Sag Harbor Yacht Club. At Noon, there will be Whaling Chanteys by John Corr at the Windmill and Long Wharf, while the Semi Finals of the Whaleboat Races takes place at Windmill Beach.

There will also be an old fashioned Tug-O-War contest on Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by the Sag Harbor Food Fair starting at 1 p.m. at Long Wharf. The Clam Chowder contest will begin at 1 p.m., as the Classic Boat Parade commences in the Harbor.

At 1:30 p.m. the Sunfish challenge takes place in the Harbor, while the Sunnyland Jazz Band performs at Long Wharf.The Biggest Clam Contest will be held on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., and the Clam Shucking Contest at 4 p.m., both on Long Wharf. The Whaleboat Races continue with the Championships at 3 p.m. on Windmill Beach and the final performance of Munna’s 300 Stories will be at 4 p.m. at the Old Whaler’s Church, 44 Union Street.

At 4:30 p.m. is the award ceremony at Long Wharf, so come find out who takes the new title of “Shucker of the Year,” and the winners of various regattas and other food-related competitions.

There are also a great deal of ongoing events throughout the weekend, including an exhibition at the Annie Cooper Boyd House, at The Whaling Museum, as well as boat building demonstrations, sponsored tents and a great deal of historical walking tours. For more information about the weekend’s activities, for location details or schedule information, visit the HarborFest website at www.sagharborchamber.com. or call 631-725-0011.