Tags Posts tagged with "Erin Smith"

Erin Smith

By Tara Mae

The holidays are a time to celebrate community, both big and small. Local holiday markets abound with opportunities for festive fun and merry memories in the making. 

Whether singular excursions or weeks-long endeavors, these holiday affairs are designed to foster a jovial mood. More than just shopping sites, they enable attendees to forge new traditions as they support local craftspeople and discover one-of-a-kind items. 

Upcoming celebrations include the Holiday Market Wonderland at the Reboli Center in Stony Brook, Winter Holiday Market at Setauket Neighborhood House, and Holiday Gift Bazaar at Gallery North in Setauket, Station Yards Ronkonkoma’s Holiday Market and Holiday Markets of the Huntington Holiday Spectacular.

Set up in a large heated tent behind the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook and organized by Tracey Balaker of Freebird Events, the third annual Holiday Night Market Wonderland will be held on Saturday, November 30, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Reboli’s gallery and gift shop, which normally close at 5 p.m., will stay open for the duration of the occasion.

“I am excited to bring this event to the Reboli Center, right in the heart of magical Stony Brook Village; it is such a great location. I was trying to create a Bryant Park village, Christmas market feel — everyone comes dressed and adorns their spaces with lights,” said Balaker. 

Approximately 55 vendors — both inside and outside the tent — will offer items such as baked goods, handmade crafts, unique gifts, and clothing. A food stand will provide sweet treats, including cider and hot chocolate, for visitors to  enjoy as they are serenaded by carolers, the Celestial Singers. Frosty the Snowman, the Gingerbread Man, and other holiday characters will make cameo appearances, and a pony from Peaches Pony Parties will be decked out as a reindeer and pose for photo opportunities. 

“Everyone who has come to it the past few years says it feels like a Hallmark Christmas movie,” said Balaker. 

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From a film scene to a historic setting, Three Village Historical Society’s (TVHS) fourth annual Winter Holiday Market will take place at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main St., Setauket on Sunday, December 1, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Displaying an array of evergreen accent pieces, edible artistry, and artisanal craftsmanship, 32 vendors will be situated throughout the building and on the porch. 

“We have stunning greenery displays and floral arrangements, New York cheese, balsamic glazes, local honey, decorated cookies, delicious baked goods, spices and seasonings and soups, farm fresh preserves, and a brand new distillery with a Culper Spy theme,” said TVHS Community Engagement Manager Kimberly Phyfe. 

Other participants will be offering their artisanal products: jewelry, soaps, candles, pottery, knitwear, clothing, personalized drinkware, and artwork. TVHS will likewise have a pop-up gift shop with trinkets, books, and other selections from its inventory. 

“We are so looking forward to giving our guests a place to shop small & support local,” Phyfe said. 

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Located at 90 North Country Road in Setauket, Gallery’s North’s fourth annual Holiday Gift Bazaar is another celebration of communal appreciation as well as artistic expression. On Saturday, December 14, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., it will highlight the work of 12 artists displaying their jewelry, ceramics, wood craft, fiber art, candles, and printmaking. 

“The Gallery North Holiday Gift Bazaar is a special indoor holiday gift market that provides an alternative to online and department store shopping. Artists will display their work on tables in both the Gallery and the Studio,” Gallery North Director of Development Erin Smith said. 

Patrons will also be able to choose works from the gallery’s current exhibition, Deck the Halls, and choose from an array of handmade, local goods in its gift shop. Level Up Kitchen will be onsite, selling food and drinks. 

“The Bazaar is an excellent opportunity to support local artists and businesses,” Smith said. 

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The newly opened Station Yards at 3 Hawkins Avenue in Ronkonkoma and the Holiday Markets of the Huntington Holiday Spectacular will give audiences multiple chances to embrace the joyful camaraderie of the season. 

On Saturdays, November 30 to December 21, from noon to 4 p.m., Station Yards will premiere its first Holiday Market around the Village Green. Shop from a curated selection of local vendors and artisans, offering unique gifts, handmade goods, and seasonal treats—perfect for holiday gifting.

Available every Friday and Sunday in December, from noon to 5 p.m., except Friday, December 6, when it turns into a night market from 5 to 9 p.m., the Holiday Markets along Wall Street in Huntington will be multi-sensory spectacles presenting a collection of shopping and social conveniences. 

At the heart of these five holiday markets is the enticement of strengthening existing  human connections and forging new ones while promoting common interests. 

“When your holiday gifts come from small business owners and local vendors, the money stays within the neighborhood. It’s more than purchasing the perfect present, it’s building up our own community,” Phyfe said. 

Artist Stuart Friedman paints at Frank Melville Memorial Park during a previous Wet Paint Festival. Photo courtesy of Gallery North
Two-day plein air painting event combines art, history and nature

By Rita J. Egan

Gallery North’s 20th annual Wet Paint Festival will take place in what was once considered a Setauket hub.

Held on June 1 and 2, the plein air painting event, featuring more than 40 artists, will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead. Located at 97 Main Street, the mid-1700s home sits across the street from the Setauket Post Office and Frank Melville Memorial Park. Right in the homestead’s backyard is the Patriots Rock Historical Site, where the Battle of Setauket was fought.

For the 2024 event, Gallery North has partnered with Three Village Community Trust (TVCT), which owns the Tyler home. Erin Smith, Gallery North’s director of development, said they were pleased that the land trust was willing to make the Tyler Homestead available for the event.

The property will serve as the center point, where artists can explore around and near the property to decide the subject of their paintings. Choices include the house and property, Frank Melville Memorial Park, Patriots Rock, the Setauket Green, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, nearby churches and the three Factory Worker Houses located less than a mile down the road.

“You bring your easel, and whatever vignette or view that moves you, you paint,” Smith said. “It’s nice because the whole idea of plein air painting is that it captures the light really well, and it gets you outside. You can really capture the historic beauty of the area in a unique way.”

Smith added that, during past festivals, some artists have chosen to paint objects such as an ice cream truck or bench. As for the Tyler Homestead and the area, it was chosen for “its historical significance and natural beauty.”

“It’s a highly visible central location for the community,” she explained.

Herb Mones, TVCT president, agreed that the Tyler house is the perfect location.

“It not only has the expansive yard, but it’s on Main Street, and it’s so close to so many other historical sites, parks and venues that the artists could spread out, and yet the Tyler house is the central focus,” he said.

In addition to various activities set up in the Tyler Homestead’s back and side yards, Mones said TVCT will provide tours of the Patriots Rock site and discuss the role early Setauket residents and British occupiers played during the American Revolution.

Artist Angela Stratton, who has participated in past Wet Paint Festivals, said she always looks forward to being outside and choosing what to paint.

“When you go out to paint, and you’re looking around, it’s kind of what hits you in your heart,” Stratton said. “One day, to some, a certain spot can look beautiful. The next day you can go and that doesn’t intrigue you.”

The artist added that she welcomes spectators’ questions and appreciates children being exposed to art at the festival. How quickly an artist completes a painting, she said, depends on the person and the canvas size. She said many base how long they spend on a painting on how the sunlight hits a subject during a certain time of day or some will stay despite the light passing.

For Three Village Historical Society Historian Beverly C. Tyler, the homestead is more than a landmark; it’s the home he grew up in. The historian said for a time the property had flowers all over, from front to back, that his stepfather, Lou Davis, cared for. Tyler described the flowers as “absolutely gorgeous.”

“Having the Wet Paint Festival there is sort of a continuation of his efforts to use the property,” Tyler said.

The historian fondly remembers playing on the grounds.

“Everything was very interesting around there, and I would sometimes sit on the front porch and just watch the cars go by and count the number of Chevys and Fords and other types of cars that were going by, and I could see everybody that came into the post office.”

Tyler added the area appeared in several postcards, and the Neighborhood House next to his family home was once a summer boarding house his grandfather ran in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

In addition to viewing artists at work, attendees can participate in wildlife and plant life lectures or go on a guided tour of plein air paintings with regional artists Doug Reina and Christine D’Addario. WUSB 90.1 FM/107.3 FM will present live musical performances each day. Visitors will also be able to purchase food from LevelUp Kitchen and enjoy a delicious picnic in an idyllic setting.

Later in the month, from June 25 to July 7, art lovers can enjoy an exhibition at the Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook featuring the participating artists’ paintings. An opening reception will be held on June 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, June 1

11 a.m. History Walk with members of the Three Village Community Trust

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Tom Killourhy

12:30 p.m. Meet local wildlife from Sweetbriar Nature Center

2 p.m. Take part in a plein air art tour with artist Christine D’Addario

Sunday, June 2

11 a.m. History Tour with Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours

11:30 a.m. Nature Walk with the Four Harbors Audubon Society

Noon to 2 p.m. Music by Kane Daily

1:30 p.m. Plein air Art Tour with artist Doug Reina

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Generously sponsored by the Village Art Collective and Suffolk County’s Department of Economic Development and Planning., the Wet Paint Festival will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Homestead, 97 Main St., Setauket from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2. The event is free of charge for spectators. A rain date is scheduled for June 15 and 16. For more information, call 631-751-2676 or visit gallerynorth.org/pages/wet-paint-festival.