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Huntington Historical Society

The John Gardiner Farmhouse will be one of the stops during the tour. Photo courtesy of Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association

Huntington Historical Society presents its annual Holiday Historic House Tour on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year’s event will feature five historic homes in Northport, East Northport and Greenlawn, including the John Gardiner Farmhouse, beautifully decorated for the holidays along with a stop at the Conklin Barn in Huntington for refreshments. Get in the holiday spirit while supporting a great cause: keeping Huntington’s history alive for future generations!

Tickets are $60 per person, $50 members at www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org or click here.

For more information, call 631-427-7045 ext. 401.

By Jennifer Donatelli

The aroma of fresh-baked pies, hot apple cider and hand-cut flowers filled the autumn air last weekend as families flocked to the Huntington Historical Society’s Apple Festival at the Daniel W. Kissam House Museum.

This free event has grown from a small community gathering 20 years ago into a vibrant celebration of fall that attracts over 1,000 visitors from all over Long Island. The festival featured a variety of activities and hands-on demonstrations designed to educate the community about life during Colonial America.

Heather and Rob of Kings Park brought their children to the festival to celebrate their daughter’s birthday.

“We wanted to do something fun outside for her and this is the perfect place,” Heather said.

The smell of fresh-cut flowers was abundant throughout the day. Jess Seilheimer, owner of Dahlias and Dreams, grows the flowers in her Centerport backyard, and transforms them into beautiful bouquets.

“I love bringing flowers into people’s homes because it makes them joyful and relaxed,” Seilheimer said. “This makes me happy and makes other people happy and that’s exactly what I want to do.”

In addition to the relaxing, music-filled ambiance of the event, attendees dove into American history with tours of the 18th-century Kissam House. The house, built in 1795 by Timothy Jarvis and first occupied by Dr. Daniel Whitehead Kissam and his family, is one of four national register historic properties, maintained by the Huntington Historical Society.

Attendees experienced firsthand what it was like to live in colonial America. Demonstrations throughout the day included traditional folk artisans woodworking, weaving and quilting.

Additionally, activities for the children included a magic show, face painting and pumpkin decorating, among a host of other activities.

One of the most popular demonstrations of the day was rug hooking — an art form where rugs are made by pulling loops of wool through stiff, woven fabric, such as burlap.

Mary, a member of the Rug Hooking Club of Long Island, explained that in colonial times, rug hooking was a craft of necessity. Poor women used scraps from their bags to create homemade floor coverings while girls from wealthy families were sent to school to learn embroidery or quilting. Today, rug hooking is regarded as a fine art.

Donna Waldenburg, a member of the Huntington Historical Society board, said the Apple Festival is a great way to engage younger families and showcase the society’s programs and events.

“We want to educate the community about colonial life… in a way that [engages] everyone,” Waldenburg explained.

Stephanie Gotard, executive director of the Huntington Historical Society, reiterated the uniqueness of this annual event.

Long Island-grown apples were sold by the bag along with other fall favorites like candy apples, apple donuts, apple cider and an assortment of homemade pies and breads from the Jericho Cider Mill and local bakeries.

The Kissam House is open for tours during the week. Visitors can also stop by the Museum Store to shop for collectibles and antiques.

For more information on tours, workshops, programs and events, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

Instructor Paul Belard

Huntington Historical Society will host a two-part Book Binding workshop with instructor Paul Belard on Wednesdays, September 11 and  18 at the Conklin Barn, 2 High St., Huntington from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Do you have books that you would like to see repaired, e.g., Bibles, cookbooks, heirlooms? Do you want to make a box for a precious volume, documents, or mementos, etc? Then this course is for you. Bring the books in need of attention. You will be shown how they can be repaired.

Trained in Paris, a book binder and restorer for 35 years, Paul Belard taught book restoration at CW Post Adult Education for several years. More recently — from 2015 to the arrival of Covid — he mentored at the Norwood Avenue Elementary School in Northport, where a group of young book enthusiasts had created their own club, The Book Doctors.

Fee is $45 per person, $35 members. To register, call 631-427-7045, ext 401 or click here.

Pixabay photo

If you solemnly swear you are up to no good, six museums in the Town of Huntington invite wizards and muggles to celebrate Harry Potter’s summer birthday with exciting events from July 30 to August 11. Highlights include scavenger hunts, crafts, presentations, and Harry Potter-themed treats. Don’t miss out on the fun and magical experiences waiting for you!

Participating museums include the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery & Aquarium in Cold Spring Harbor, the Huntington Historical Society’s Conklin Barn in Huntington, the Northport Historical Society, the Walt Whitman Birthplace Museum in Huntington Station, The Whaling Museum of Cold Spring Harbor, and the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport.

Schedule of Events

COLD SPRING HARBOR FISH HATCHERY & AQUARIUM, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor, www.cshfishhatchery.org

August 1 to 4 —  Scavenger Hunt and Craft

Go on a scavenger hunt to find magical creatures. Choose a Hogwarts pet and make a cat, rat or toad craft to take home. Free with admission.

 

HUNTINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S CONKLIN BARN, 2 High Street, Huntington, www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org

July 30 at 10 a.m. — Herbology Exploration

Herbology is the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi, and was a required class taught at Hogwarts by Professor Sprout. Come learn about how herbs similar to the ones in the wizarding world are used in our world, both in the past and the present! For ages 5 to 11. Free, registration required.

August 7 at 10 a.m. — Owl Presentation

We all know about the importance of owls as magical creatures delivering posts and parcels in the wizarding world. Harry’s owl Hedwig and Ron Weasley’s owl Pigwidgeon were great companions to our young wizards. Join us to learn some interesting facts about the owls in our own world! For ages 5 to 11. Free, registration required by visiting www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

 

NORTHPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 215 Main Street, Northport, www.northporthistorical.org

July 31 to August 4 — Harry Potter-Themed Scavenger Hunt:

Visit the Northport Historical Society Wednesdays to Sundays between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to pick up a special Main Street scavenger hunt and embark on a magical adventure. Free.

 

WALT WHITMAN BIRTHPLACE STATE HISTORIC SITE, 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station, www.waltwhitman.org

July 28 to August 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Interactive Tour of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

Test your knowledge on the book that kicked off the Harry Potter series and earn a certificate and a bag of Walt Whitman’s Beans. $5 per participant.

 

THE WHALING MUSEUM & EDUCATION CENTER, 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor, www.cshwhalingmuseum.org

July 30 to August 11 — Harry Potter Scavenger Hunt and Wand Craft 

Muggles & wizards alike can enjoy a magical scavenger hunt throughout the museum’s galleries with Huntington’s largest cauldron. Then design and decorate your very own wand craft to take home. Then create a wand to take home.  Free with admission fee to the museum.

August 1 at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. —  Fantastical Beasts & Where to Find Them workshop

Explore the myths and legends surrounding the many mythic creatures featured in the Harry Potter world and create your own dragon egg adorned with gilded seashells. Admission fee +$10 participant. $5 members. No registration required.

 

SUFFOLK COUNTY VANDERBILT MUSEUM, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, www.vanderbiltmuseum.org

July 30 to August 4 — Explore Collections with Harry Potter-themed Map

Visit the museum and explore the collections with a Harry Potter-themed map. Free with admission.

July 30 —  Baby Giant Spider Craft

Visit the education center and create a Baby Giant Spider to take home. Free with admission.

August 4 — Magical Moth Craft 

Visit the education center and create a Magical Moth to take home. Free with admission.

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After or before the events, drop by Sweetie Pies on Main, 181 Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor and Bon Bons Chocolatier, 319 Main Street, Huntington for special Harry Potter-themed treats.

Sweetie Pies on Main will offer Harry Potter-themed drinks for purchase while Bon Bons Chocolatier will offer Chocolate Frogs, Owls and Castles, Bertie Botts and Jelly Slugs, and Golden Snitches. Guests can also enter a raffle to win a Harry Potter Birthday prize.

 

 

By Tara Mae

The past whispers lessons to those willing to listen in the present. 

A spooky stroll through Huntington’s Old Burying Ground unearths the town’s human history. Organized by the Huntington Historical Society, participants first gather inside the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, located at 228 Main Street. Built in 1892 as a memorial to residents who perished in the Civil War, it housed the town’s first library and now hosts Huntington’s History and Decorative Art Museum. 

As leaves crunch underfoot and the sky fades overhead, tour guide Erika Verrill Burke  leads participants on a traipse back in time. Winding through Huntington’s earliest public burial ground, established soon after the town was founded in 1653, she introduces individuals who may have once trod this terrain. 

Approximately 7500 people may be buried here, with roughly 1700 surviving tombstones. By the mid-1850s the rural cemetery on New York Avenue had opened, and the population of the Ground plateaued. Sporadic interments occurred over the years, mainly of people who had relatives already resting there, such as Nelson Smith. A co-founder of Huntington’s first AME Church, he died in 1888 and was buried, per his request, at the Old Burying Ground to be with his first wife who had perished in childbirth. The last burial was circa 1954.

Notably, this location is not a cemetery, which technically refers to a planned area specifically designed to inter the dead. Rather, the Old Burying Ground is simply a communal space where Huntington residents of yore laid their loved ones to rest.

“One of the really great things about the Old Burying Ground is its egalitarianism; this is a nondenominational secular burying ground; rich and poor, young and old, free and enslaved are buried here,” explained Verrill Burke.

Up hills and through paths marked only by memory and the footsteps of those who went before, Verrill Burke guides her audience into the past. Covering the scope of the site, as the group maneuvers among the gravestones, she excavates stories that survive through their retelling. Special occurrences and ordinary persons are enlivened in the process. 

“We walk the entire grounds, discussing early Huntington history, and some key people and events that occurred in and around the burying ground,” she said. “Also discussed are some broader topics such as burying practices, the American Revolution on Long Island, and enslavement on Long Island.” 

Veterans of wars are buried near casualties of disease. Entire family sagas are condensed to the clues inherent in epitaphs: men who were lost to pestilence; women who died in childbirth; children who died of preventable illnesses. A single family plot may encapsulate all of these calamities. 

Citizens overlooked by posterity are in repose near founding family members of the Brookhaven settlement such as Ketchum, Conklin, and Platt.

The Ground’s oldest identifiable grave belongs to perhaps a lesser known name: Silas Sammis. Born in 1676, he died in 1723; his tombstone is a roughly hewn rock with his name, birthday, and death date painstakingly carved into it.    

“Someone cared enough to drag a rock here,” Verrill Burke said. 

Evidence of love is engraved into many elements of the Old Burying Ground; personal tributes and declarations of mournful devotion are interspersed with more traditional, yet poignant, sayings. 

The grave markers themselves offer insights beyond what is etched into surfaces; their very essence speaks to monetary wealth and social standing, economic growth and resource accessibility. 

Many early headstones are made from sandstone, which can be found on Long Island.  Later headstones are made of granite or marble, reflecting the town’s growing prosperity, since the materials were imported from other states. 

Free Blacks have gravestones similar to their white counterparts. Enslaved people were buried with the families of their enslavers; their plots are generally marked by rough field stones. 

The disparity in circumstance invites onlookers to examine their collective heritage from multiple points of view. Trials and triumphs, as shared by Verrill Burke, create a narrative that coalesces into a deeper understanding of how personal anecdotes adorn the annals of history. 

“The tour appeals to our imagination!  The public is invited to imagine what life was like for the earlier residents of Huntington. I also think that discussing the life and death of certain residents helps us feel a more tangible connection to the past, and a more relatable view of the human condition. Times may change, but people are people,” she said.

It is this interpersonal connection that Verrill Burke emphasizes with the human interest she highlights. More than enchanting listeners with legend and lore, she enraptures them with the tenacity of truth and a winsome wit. 

An engaging orator, Verill Burke is a public interest lawyer by trade. She has been a guide since 2014, but the tours have been going on for many years. 

Verrill Burke became involved with the Huntington Historical Society while on sabbatical from her job, volunteering first for different programs, including its Passport to the Past camp for children. 

“I wanted to do field trips for the campers, and the burial ground seemed like a good fit. Kids love all things macabre and so do I,” she said. The popular tours have since found fans of all ages.

Intrigued by the Old Burying Ground, Verrill Burke sought the knowledge of Huntington Town Historian Robert Hughes and the late Huntington Historical Society Historian Rex Metcalf. She also scoured the Society’s archives, one of the largest collections on Long Island. From there, she developed a routine that encompasses centuries and sense memories. 

“People are fascinated.  Even if individuals are coming along to keep a history buff friend company, there is something of interest for almost everyone on this tour, and questions are very, very welcome (that’s how I know everyone is staying awake!),” Verrill Burke said.

This meander through remembrance is next scheduled for Saturday, October 28, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers, and $5 for children. They must be purchased in advance and are not sold the day of the tour. To make reservations, please visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org. For more information, call 631-427-7045.

Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano at her 'I Am Alive!' party.

By Stephanie Giunta

In honor of National Stroke Awareness Month, we would like to honor a local survivor, Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano, who is beyond inspirational. Here is her story.

On January 11, 2017, 34-year-old Huntington Village resident Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano, went to work like it was any other day, although she remembers having a bad headache. The passionate history buff and Executive Director at the Huntington Historical Society was making some personal calls during her lunch break. As she sat down to eat her lunch, she suddenly felt dizzy; her coworker asked if she was okay, and she couldn’t speak. Out of nowhere, a simple Wednesday became the day that forever-altered Napolitano’s future: the day she unexpectedly suffered a stroke. 

Once the stroke had occurred, Fortunato-Napolitano couldn’t remember what happened next, though she recounted her story by way of others at the scene. She was rushed to Huntington Hospital, and was then airlifted to North Shore University Hospital, where she resided for two weeks. When she woke up, she still couldn’t speak, had weakness in her right arm and couldn’t walk.

After a stint at the hospital, she was released into a rehab facility, but at the end of her week-long tenure, needed to move back into her parents’ house. Though the mobility in her arm was very low, she was slowly regaining the ability to walk, but couldn’t tackle the stairs up to her front door. She lived with her parents for three weeks, while simultaneously beginning outpatient rehab, seeing a handful of therapists to attempt to win her life back as her own through physical and cognitive recovery.

Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano at her ‘I Am Alive!’ party.

No warning signs 

Doctors were puzzled that a healthy 34-year-old, who had nothing more than a routine headache on the day of her stroke, could suffer something so unexpected and traumatic. At six months post-stroke, Fortunato-Napolitano began seeing a neurologist and underwent in-depth testing to reveal underlying notions of root cause.  She tested negative for everything doctors had assumed she would test positive for. Though they could confirm that the stroke was caused by a clogged blood vessel in her brain, the actual diagnosis remains inconclusive. 

A determined patient

After routinely attending speech therapy for six months, Fortunato-Napolitano still fought to talk. In our interview, she mentioned that she struggled with aphasia for the first two years during her recovery. Her therapist alluded to the fact that her speech would not improve — that she should simply get used to this new way of life. This led her down a dark path of depression, afraid that she would never regain her full ability to communicate with others. 

After 4-5 months, her parents encouraged her to seek a second opinion from another therapist who would work with her past the “6 month window.” As Fortunato-Napolitano stated during our interview, her mother “God bless her soul!” put her in touch with her current speech therapist, Judy Cavallo, who she still sees to this day. Cavallo even provides Fortunato-Napolitano with homework because she asks for it!

In addition to speech therapy, Fortunato-Napolitano continues to see an occupational therapist, Ian MacManus, to aid in her physical disabilities. Seven of her fingers work, but three fingers on her right hand are bent in a fixed manner. She dreams of the ability to wear high heels again, but walking is too difficult in any shoe aside from her signature Doc Martens and Birkenstocks — which she has in a wide variety of colors.  Her right foot cannot be fully-placed on the floor, and only the outside edge can go flat completely. 

To this day, Napolitano still goes to outpatient rehab twice per week (once to her speech therapist and once to her occupational therapist) to improve her skills and continually progress.

New realities 

Prior to the stroke, Fortunato-Napolitano was a writer. She wrote a historic Half Hollow Hills column for Patch Media on a weekly basis, as well as many articles for the Huntington Historical Society. Now, on average, it will take her about three hours to write three paragraphs. She mentioned that this has been the hardest thing for her to overcome from a professional perspective. But Siri is her best friend. She is so grateful for technology, which helps her text, post on social media, and write emails.  

Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano at her ‘I Am Alive!’ party.

A major milestone

Within the first five years of having a stroke, an individual is 50% more likely to suffer from a second stroke in comparison to a person of the same age. So, in January 2022, Fortunato-Napolitano threw herself an “I Am Alive!” party to celebrate meeting this critical milestone. There were over 85 people in attendance, including her neurologist and speech therapist, and she donned a stylish, sparkly green jumpsuit. Not only was this a celebration of how far she had come, but also that statistically, her chances of having another stroke or stroke-like episode would start to significantly decrease.  

Pivotal life lessons

Fortunato-Napolitano is so grateful to be alive. She could have been paralyzed and in a wheelchair; she may not have survived. But now, she makes sure that she lives every day to the fullest. She voluntarily chooses happiness.

Prior to the stroke, she was unhappy about stupid, inconsequential things. Now, Fortunato-Napolitano uses a “whatever!” mentality. She believes that life is worth living and she intends to make the most of the hand that she has been dealt. The biggest lesson she learned from her stroke, she mentioned, was, “I can be unhappy [about that] or I can just be happy. And I choose to be happy all of the time.” 

Fortunato-Napolitano fuels her happiness with her work. This February, she was newly-appointed as the Executive Director of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association. She loves her job and the challenges it provides.

She is also a travel connoisseur — something she has been passionate about from a very young age. Her next destination includes heading to Cleveland on a baseball stadium tour for her husband’s birthday, but the top future spots on her international travel list include Africa, Argentina, Australia, and Turkey.

A message to all stroke survivors 

Fortunato-Napolitano’s hope is that someone in similar shoes reads this article, her story, and becomes happy due to reading it.  She can’t stress enough that you can and will get better — you just can’t stop believing in yourself. At six months post-stroke, her original speech therapist told her she would never speak again. Six years later, Fortunato-Napolitano is carrying on conversations beautifully. Each year, she sees subsequent progression and truly believes that she will continue to improve for the rest of her life.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel even during the darkest and most depressing of times. Her outlook on life has drastically changed from Year 2 to Year 6. She stressed the importance of self-dedication, while also surrounding yourself with a great support system.

Above all, Fortunato-Napolitano is a true inspiration.  She epitomizes optimism, and is dedicated, admirable, and determined. Her new dream is to become a life coach, as she hopes to help others through similar dark and unexpected times. She would love a platform in which to tell her story publicly. Fortunato-Napolitano is a happiness evangelist, a survivor to the nth degree, and only hopes she can inspire others, stroke conquerors or not, to live life to the fullest. 

Follow along with Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano’s journey on Instagram: @ayoungstrokerecovery.

This article first appeared in TBR News Media’s supplement Focus on Health on May 25, 2023.

Susan Walsh Lauria, Eileen Anders and Penny Ferraro at the Northport Library. Photo from Friends of the Northport-East Northport Public Library

By Julianne Mosher

Penny Ferraro spent her entire adulthood in Port Washington. When her children moved east, the newly widowed Ferraro decided to start a new life in Northport and get involved within her community. 

Eileen Anders, center, gets ready to dig at the East Northport Library with Friends of the Library members Penny Ferraro, left, and Doreen Earl, right. Photo from Friends of the Northport-East Northport Public Library

Five years ago, she joined the Friends of the Northport-East Northport Public Library group where she met Eileen Anders. 

The first thing Ferraro noticed about Anders was that she was “a quiet, constant presence,” who could lead a group, but also was one to follow suit. 

“If you come up with an idea, she’s right there,” Ferraro said. “She’s a team player.”

Anders, a retired public-school teacher from East Northport, is known locally for her involvement with several different causes. A past secretary of the Friends of the Library, she is also heavily involved with the Huntington Historical Society, the Long Island Horticultural Society, the Heckscher Museum and more. 

For her active devotion to local horticulture and history, TBR News Media names Anders as a 2022 Person of the Year. 

“I have known Eileen for several years as we meet at a Friends of the Northport-East Northport Public Library meeting,” said Susan Eckert, of Northport, and a 2021 TBR News Media Person of the Year. “At her suggestion, I also joined the Long Island Horticultural Society. We have since gone together to garden and house tours and other cultural and artistic events.”

Eckert said that Anders’ love for teaching followed her into retirement where she continues to educate people in her role as a volunteer.

“She’s so active in her community in different organizations throughout Nassau and Suffolk,” she said. “It’s wonderful she shares her knowledge about gardening with us.”

Ferraro agreed. In the few years she’s known Anders through the different nonprofits and organizations they volunteer with together, she said that she is always ready to tackle a mission and does it with a smile. 

For example, last year the Friends of the Library decided to start what would be a two-year task of planting daffodil bulbs in the courtyards of the Northport and East Northport libraries. A small handful got together last year to plant 100 bulbs – 50 in each location. When 2022 came a year later, several factors came in the way of having the same number of volunteers – rainstorms, scheduling and illnesses. Ferraro said that Anders didn’t mind and the two took it upon themselves to plant another 100.

Eckert said that her colleague’s love for horticulture goes beyond the courtyards of the local libraries. Anders is a master gardener who has conducted workshops on gardening through programs sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, and is on the board of directors at the Long Island Horticultural Society where she at one time coordinated the monthly program.

Anders is also a history buff who conducts tours at Planting Fields Arboretum’s Coe Hall mansion in Oyster Bay, volunteers as a docent in training at the Heckscher Museum in Huntington, is a former tour guide at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay and is a current member of Preservation Long Island. 

Just recently, Ferraro mentioned that Anders, who again will drop what she’s doing to help out the cause, joined at the last minute to volunteer at the Holiday Historic House Tour with the Huntington Historical Society. 

This volunteerism impresses Ferraro. “Volunteering is important because we can’t get things done by ourselves,” she said. “You need to have a group of people who are passionate about certain issues and ideas.”

And she believes Anders does just that. 

“She epitomizes contributions to the community without grandstanding which is absolutely amazing,” Ferraro said. “Eileen has energy, stamina, intelligence, curiosity and everything going for her that makes her a very valuable person to our community.”

Photo courtesy of HHS

Old Burying Ground tour

Join the Huntington Historical Society for an Old Burying Ground walking tour oOldn Saturday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. Established soon after the Town’s 1653 founding, Huntington’s earliest public burying ground features stunning folk art and beautiful epitaphs honoring Huntington’s residents and rich history. Tour begins at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main St., Huntington. Tickets are $15 adults, $5 children. For reservations, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.

'Row Me Away' by Jan Guarino

*This article has been updated on July 7, 2022.

The Huntington Historical Society will present a series of summer art workshops for adults at the Conklin Barn, 2 High Street, Huntington starting on July 12:

Collaging 

GIVEN BY: ANNE FOX 

Free yourself of the usual art rules with Paper Collage. Merely with a pair of scissors, glue, and some maga zines, you can let your imagination fly and create a colorful work of art. Do abstract, do figurative, do land scapes. Let the scissors and your imagination be your guides. 

Tuesday, July 12th 1-3 pm or Tuesday, July 26th 1-3 pm 

Member price $35 Non-member price $45, Class size limited to 15 

Fearless Watercolors  – Only one spot left!

GIVEN BY: JAN GUARINO 

Artist Jan Guarino

I was once you… Struggling to become a better watercolorist and felt I was missing many of the basics needed  to be excel. Having taught watercolors for the past 15 years I know what you need and can help you build your  painting skills with specific techniques, my clear process to putting paint and water to paper will help you  more successfully express your passion for this medium. I’ll teach you in a way that emulates what I needed  as a student and didn’t get. This Basics Workshop takes many pieces and pulls them together in this 3-evening  workshop. Learn the correct brush strokes, understand color wheel, avoid muddy results, saving and correcting  whites and much more. The outcome will be that you become empowered by clear and innovative ideas. You  already have the passion and desire, combined with my suggestions ~ you can become a more confident water colorist. All it takes is you and practice! 

*Three Wednesday nights-3-part series, 6:30-9:00 pm, *July 27th, August 3rd, August 10th Member price $120, non-member price $150, Class size limited to 20 

Calligraffiti  

GIVEN BY: HELEN MURDOCK-PREP 

We all know how to type and text— but let’s get back to the power of the pen by learning the Art of Beautiful  Handwriting in this style called, Calligraffiti! Using a brush marker, we’ll have fun expressing ourselves in  this exciting, cursive lettering form that adds bold graffiti elements to make our words pop! Thursday, July 28th 1-3 pm or Thursday, August 11th 7-9pm  

Member price $35 Non-member price $45, Class size limited to 20

*Day time workshops – coffee, tea and delicious baked goods will be served!

*Night time workshops- wine, seltzer, fruit and cheese will be served!

For more information or to register, visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.



Pixabay photo

Save the date! The Huntington Historical Society presents the Spring Festival of Gardens Tour on Sunday, June 5 from noon to 4 p.m. Come spend a day enjoying some of Huntington’s gorgeous gardens during this self-guided tour to delight and inspire you. And don’t miss refreshments and the Society’s popular plant sale at the historical Kissam property, 434 Park Avenue, Huntington. Tickets are $40 per person, $35 for members, $45 day of the event, if available. For more information, call 631-427-7045 or visit www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org.