Eye on the street: The meaning of Dickens
During the 26th annual Charles Dickens Festival in Port Jefferson village, TBR News Media had a chance to catch up with some of those in attendance. During a series of one-on-one encounters throughout the event, we asked the attendees what this local tradition meant to them.
— Photos by Raymond Janis
Nancy Klimpel, Ronkonkoma
“The Port Jeff [Dickens] Festival, to me, means the beginning of the holiday season. It helps to bring people together, allows them to mix and mingle with different kinds of things and cultural opportunities, to see anything from a radio show to a small production, to a choir or some kind of orchestral choice. It really brings the joy of the season to others.”
George Overin, Bohemia
“When you walk down the street, the people you see are very heavy during the holiday season. It may seem really heavy for some people, but when they look up and see these two idiots in smoke and soot and everything else, going ‘Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to ya,’ they smile. You know what? For that second, the world is lifted off their shoulders. For us, that’s what this is all about: Giving a little bit of joy in the darkest time of the year for some people. There are some joys you can’t buy anywhere, and that’s what it means to me.”
Joseph McGowan, Middle Island
“Oh my goodness, where do I start? To bring joy to the local community, to put a smile on someone’s face, to make a little baby’s eyes light up, to see an elderly person — who probably lost a loved one at a recent time — to put a smile on their face, to bring joy and happiness to the whole community, and to bring the true spirit of Christmas into the hearts of everyone in the neighborhood and throughout the area.”
Bob Ogden, Setauket
“I’m going to micro in and break it down a little bit tighter, just to be selfish about the troop, the groups, and the street plays. Since September, I have liked to see these little guys’ and girls’ development. Walking in in September and saying, ‘Here’s a script. I want you to memorize it and act it by December,’ and to see their growth and how they gain confidence as they learn their lines, that’s what I like to see.”
“Jacob Marley,” Port Jefferson
“It’s an opportunity to introduce people to the wonderful storytelling of Charles Dickens. If you haven’t read ‘A Christmas Carol,’ you should or listen to the audiobook. It’s funny, it’s incisive and relevant to today. The message of Christmas being a time of giving — as opposed to a time of just getting things — I just love that feeling of the spirit of being generous.”
Russ Green, Sound Beach
“’A Christmas Carol,’ specifically, is a story of hope and redemption on many levels. The Dickens Fest as a whole, to me, means, more than anything, a time of coming together as a community, which is especially lacking in this day and age.”
