The Whaling Museum, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor in partnership with TBR News Media of Setauket, has announced the launch of the 2nd Annual Sea Glass Fiction Contest. This exciting competition invites students in grades 3-12 from Nassau and Suffolk counties to unleash their creativity by crafting stories inspired by a piece of sea glass chosen by the museum.
The contest challenges participants to imagine a unique journey for the selected sea glass fragment chosen by The Whaling Museum and to weave a captivating tale around it. The winning stories will have the chance to be read at the Sea Glass Festival, a prestigious event celebrating sea glass and its significance in maritime history. This year’s Sea Glass Festival will be held on Sunday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We are excited to see the imaginative stories that students will create for this contest,” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director at The Whaling Museum. “Sea glass has a way of capturing the imagination, and we can’t wait to read the stories that come out of this unique contest.”
Entries must be submitted electronically through the submission form on The Whaling Museum’s website by April 30. The contest is free to enter, and all works must be original and written solely by the author. Only residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties are eligible to participate.
“We look forward to the opportunity to celebrate and highlight the creative tales of students in the area,” said Daniel Dunaief, a journalist with TBR News Media. “Entrants can envision ways a piece of glass, shaped by water and time, provides a clue in a compelling narrative.”
Winners will be notified on or about June 1-7, and select winning entries will be eligible for publication in TBR News Media and on The Whaling Museum’s website. TBR will also highlight the winners on their weekly podcast, Pressroom Afterhour. In addition, contest winners will receive complimentary tickets to The Whaling Museum’s Sea Glass Festival, where they will be recognized with a certificate.
“We are grateful to TBR News Media for continuing to partner with us on this contest and helping to bring these young writers’ stories to a wider audience,” added Dayan.
For more information on the Sea Glass Fiction Contest, including guidelines and submission details, please visit cshwhalingmuseum.org/seaglasscontest.
Winners of the sea glass creative writing contest. Photo courtesy the Whaling Museum and Education Center
Scene from the Sea Glass Festival. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Scene from the Sea Glass Festival. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
Scene from the Sea Glass Festival. Photo by Jennifer Donatelli
By Jennifer Donatelli
One of the great things about living on an island is the never-ending access to seashells, driftwood and sea glass.
To showcase authentic sea glass and delve deeper into the history and origin surrounding the beauty of beach glass, The Whaling Museum & Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor held its annual Sea Glass Festival Sunday, July 21.
The event is the only one of its kind in the region and is the museum’s largest community event, welcoming over 1,100 attendees this year.
This popular family-friendly event celebrates the history, artistry and allure of sea glass, with talks by authentic sea glass experts, live music, vendors, kids crafts and food trucks.
“We are thrilled to bring Long Island’s exclusive Sea Glass Festival to our community for the third year in a row,” said Nomi Dayan, executive director of the Whaling Museum.
“Sea glass, along with the historic glass bottles in our collection, are unique portals into Long Island’s stories. The festival gives both children and adults the opportunity to appreciate and learn about the glass gems created by the ocean that surrounds us,” Dayan said.
Howard Crawford, president of the Long Island Antique Bottle Association, was there displaying his sea bottle collection and giving bottle appraisals on the spot. He said his dad used to take him dumpster diving when he was a kid.
“One day we found some glass and I began digging for bottles. I found beverage bottles in Cold Spring Harbor with an anchor on it and that was it for me. I was hooked,” Crawford said.
Dayan said that the “staff curated an exciting lineup of both returning and new presenters, who will provide valuable insights and inspiration to our attendees.”
“Our presenters’ expertise and passion for sea glass and beachcombing will help educate the public on topics such as identifying sea glass, the history of local sea glass and the creative applications of sea glass,” she added.
In addition to the indoor talks and lectures, attendees also had the chance to participate in a sea glass scavenger hunt in the museum’s gallery and down Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor, as well as enjoying making a shadow box with sea glass.
George William Fisher, an author of multiple books on Long Island’s bottles and medicine companies, spoke about the origins of sea glass.
The big attraction was Tumbled by the Sea, a mobile beachcombing exhibit where guests could take self-guided tours of beach-found treasures ranging from authentic sea glass, sea pottery, artifacts and marine debris.
In partnership with TBR News Media, this year’s festival introduced a sea glass writing contest for Long Island youth.
Students from grades 3-12 were asked to imagine a story behind a piece of sea glass at the museum and what story the pictured object told.
Entries were judged by their originality and creativity. The winners are listed by grades, and the winning essays can be found on the museum’s website:
Grades 3-5:
First Place: Ada Costello, Cutchogue
Second Place: Ella Vitrano, Floral Park
Third Place: Laila Mendonca, Bay Shore
Grades 6-8:
First Place: Zachary Hart Musselwhite,Syosset
Second Place: Janis Fok, Great Neck
Third Place: Amelia Sullivan, Bay Shore
Grades 9-12:
First Place: Rowan Goldrich, Bay Shore
Second Place: Atticus Muuss, Bay Shore
Third Place: Emily Ruggiere, Brightwaters
The Whaling Museum & Education Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to exploring the whaling history of Long Island. The museum engages the community in exploring the diversity of our whaling heritage and its impacts to enrich and inform our lives. The museum is located at 301 Main St. in Cold Spring Harbor. For more information on the museum or to find out about upcoming events, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org and follow the museum on Facebook, Instagram and X.
A scene from a previous Seaglass Festival. Photo courtesy of The Whaling Museum
A scene from a previous Seaglass Festival. Photo courtesy of The Whaling Museum
A scene from a previous Seaglass Festival. Photo courtesy of The Whaling Museum
The Whaling Museum and Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor has announced the return of its Sea Glass Festival, which features an array of new activities and enriched experiences for the 2024 season.
Set to take place on Sunday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., this popular family-friendly event will celebrate the history, artistry, and allure of sea glass, now with an expanded presence on historic Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor. The event is the only one of its kind in the region and is the museum’s largest community event which welcomes 1,000 attendees. It is supported in part with funds awarded through a grant from Suffolk County Economic Development and Planning.
“We are thrilled to bring Long Island’s exclusive Sea Glass Festival to our community for the third year in a row,” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director at The Whaling Museum & Education Center. “Sea glass, along with the historic glass bottles in our collection, are unique portals into Long Island’s stories. This year, we are excited to offer a number of expanded opportunities for both adults and children to appreciate and learn about the glass gems created by the ocean that surrounds us.”
Event Highlights:
Expert Presentations: Learn about sea glass and historic glass bottles.
Shopping: Browse booths with sea glass-themed artworks and crafts.
Contests & Crafts: Enter the sea glass contest and participate in fun crafts.
The festival will present an extended schedule featuring talks and lectures delivered by sea glass experts, historians, authors, and artists. These engaging sessions will be held in the museum’s gallery and offsite at a neighboring event partner, Preservation Long Island, situated a 5-minute walk from The Whaling Museum.
“Our staff curated an exciting lineup of both returning and new presenters who will provide valuable insights and inspiration to our attendees. Our presenters’ expertise and passion for sea glass and beachcombing will help educate the public on topics such as identifying sea glass, the history of local glass, and the creative applications of sea glass,” said Dayan.
Speaker presentations at Preservation Long Island will take place at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., with two presenters alternating: George Wm Fisher, author of multiple books on Long Island’s bottles and medicine companies, will present at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on “The Origins of Sea Glass.”
Mary McCarthy, Beachcombing Educator and former Executive Director of The Beachcombing Center, will present next at noon and 2 p.m.on the “Difference between Fake and Genuine Sea Glass.” Mary will also host her celebrated “Beachcombing Table” and offer sea glass identification for the public when she is not presenting.
Examples of Shadow Box Sea Glass Crafts. $10 per participant; All ages welcome.
New for 2024:
Expanded Presentations: Lectures on sea glass history at the historic Old Methodist Church, home of Preservation Long Island.
Sea Glass Hunt: Find hidden sea glass on Main Street to enter a prize raffle.
Shadow Box Craft: Create a unique sea glass craft for $10.
Special Drinks: Enjoy sea glass-themed drinks at Sweetie Pies on Main.
Additional new activities that extend into historic Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor include: a scavenger hunt down Main Street; an exclusive visit to the Cold Spring Harbor Firehouse Museum; and the option to purchase a new sea glass-themed beverage from Sweetie Pies on Main.
In The Whaling Museum’s gallery, festival attendees can attend new talks held every hour from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Speaker highlights include Amy Dries of “Tumbled by the Sea,” a mobile museum that will be stationed in front of the festival tent, and author and historian Roxie Zwicker who will be discussing her new book, “New England Sea Glass: A Vibrant History.” A full schedule of talks and presentations is available at cshwhalingmuseum.org/seaglass.
Outdoors at the festival, attendees will have the chance to explore the mobile exhibit “Tumbled by the Sea” and take a self-guided tour of this travelling museum, shop with over a dozen artists and exhibitors under the tents including new artists and returning exhibitors, and view glass art torchwork demonstrations with Ro’s Glass World.
Kids can partake in a sea glass scavenger hunt in the museum’s gallery and enjoy complimentary crafts included with admission.
Live music by artist Rorie Kelly will add to the festive atmosphere, who performs fun, family-friendly crowd-pleaser music from the 1950s to today.
Returning again will be the Sea Glass of the Year contest, now featuring a new kids category.
Moreover, this year’s festival introduces a new Sea Glass Writing Contest for Long Island youth in partnership with TBR News Media. Festival attendees can hear the entries of contest winners at the event.
Attendees wanting to explore their creative side can create a new shadow box craft in the museum workshop facilitated by museum educators. Tickets for this add-on craft can be purchased only at the event inside the museum’s gallery.
When hunger strikes, festival attendees can enjoy offerings from the All-American Wontons food truck which will be on-site or visit any of the restaurants and cafes in Cold Spring Harbor, including Grasso’s Restaurant, Sandbar, Harbor Mist, The Gourmet Whaler and the Cold Spring Harbor Deli.
The Whaling Museum and Education Center is located at 301 Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor. Online tickets for the Sea Glass Festival are priced at a discount for advance purchase at $15 for attendees and $10 for museum members. Door tickets will be available at $20 for attendees and $15 for members. For more information, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org
A vendor from last year's Sea Glass Festival. Photo from Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum
By Daniel Dunaief
One person’s old discarded glass bottle is another person’s artwork, raw material for a necklace, or artifact with a compelling historical back story.
After a well-attended debut last year, the Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor is hosting its second annual Sea Glass festival on July 23rd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event, which attracted over 600 people in 2022, will run two hours longer than last year and will include hourly flameworking demonstrations on the lawn of the museum’s Wright House.
Last year, “we thought we’d get 30 weirdos like me who maybe like beach trash,” said Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of The Whaling Museum. “We had this huge outpouring of interest. We weren’t expecting this many people, which was the most we’ve ever had [at an event].”
Brenna McCormick-Thompson will lead a jewelry workshop at the event.
Dayan is hoping to accommodate and appeal to even more visitors at the family-friendly event with the additional two hours, numerous local exhibitors, and sea glass competitions for best in show, most unusual and best historical piece.
General admission for the festival is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Attendees can also register in advance for a Sea Glass and Wire Wrapping Workshop, which costs $25 in advance and, if there’s room, $30 at the door. Participants 12 and over will learn how to secure sea glass and design their own necklace. Materials, including sea glass, copper and silver wire and leather lanyard, are included.
Brenna McCormick-Thompson, Curator of Education at the museum, will help lead the workshop. People will “leave will new skills and completed pieces of jewelry,” McCormick-Thompson said. “It’s nice when you have an audience that’s just as excited to learn new things as you are.”
Gina Van Bell, Assistant Director at the Museum, suggested the festival was a “family event” and said she hoped adults brought their children to learn about the history of sea glass. The museum is featuring presentations, a glass-themed scavenger hunt and crafts throughout the day which are included with admission.
Sea glass color and aging
Mary McCarthy
Mary McCarthy, Executive Director of the Beachcombing Center who has been beach combing for 20 years, will help people identify sea glass by color during talks at noon and 2 p.m. People can “date glass based on a certain shade” of blue, for example, said McCarthy, who is based in Maryland and has over 30,000 Instagram followers interested in her insights, pictures and finds.
In a photo she shared of colored glass, McCarthy said the oldest color is a dark, olive green that is nearly black, which is referred to as “black glass” and is nicknamed “pirate glass.” Those finds were produced before or near the turn of the 18th century.
Combing beaches and finding unexpected artifacts left from earlier generations offers its own rewards. “People find mental health or inner peace in the search,” McCarthy said. “Searching a coastline is a sacred process. People can find things that are meaningful to them personally, but also historically.”
She has seen pieces of glass made in occupied Japan, from the Prohibition era, and from other time periods. On a recent kayaking trip to a coastal landfill near a major city on the east coast, she found an Abraham Lincoln paperweight. For McCarthy, the discovery is among her top five favorite finds.
When she’s not presenting, McCarthy, who will serve as a judge on the Sea Glass of the Year contest, will also help people identify their own sea glass discoveries.
She isn’t surprised by the enthusiastic response to the Whaling Museum’s festival. “I’ve attended festivals with over 10,000 people, where people wait in line for an hour to have sea glass identified,” she said.
George William Fisher
Meanwhile, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., George William Fisher, author and local expert on antique bottles, will present the Origins of Sea Glass: Beverage Bottles and Medicine Bottles, including milk and condiment bottles.
This year, Fisher will focus on beverages through the ages, going back to the early 1840s. He will explore the evolution of design, including a look at bottles from the 1920’s.
One of his favorite bottles is an Emerson Bromo-Seltzer bottle, which counteracted the effect of digestive problems caused by a lack of refrigeration.
Attendees at his talks can handle objects, although guests can look at some of the more expensive findings without touching them.
While wending their way around local sea glass vendors, visitors can explore the museum and can listen to a live musical performance by The Royal Yard, as Stuart Markus and Robin Grenstine showcase sea shanties by the sea shore.
The Big Black Food Truck will also serve food in front of the museum. Last year, the truck offered a peanut butter and chicken sandwich, which Van Bell described as “surprisingly delicious.”
Visitors can also partake in candy made to look like sea glass.
Festival origins
The sea glass festival started when Dayan surveyed some of the 6,000 items in the museum’s collection. Some of her favorites include 19th century glass bottles. The museum had hosted glass workshops at the end of December.
Even though sea glass doesn’t have a link to whaling, Dayan was pleased to see the historic connection visitors made to their findings and to the glass that the ocean reshapes and polishes. The museum is “about illuminating a rich connection to the ocean that surrounds us,” she said. Sea glass provides an “artistic way to do that.”
The Whaling Museum is located at 301 Main Street in Cold Spring Harbor. To purchase tickets to the Sea Glass Festivalor to reserve a spot for the workshop, visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org. For more information, call 631-367-3418.
The contest challenges participants to imagine a unique journey for the selected sea glass fragment chosen by The Whaling Museum and to weave a captivating tale around it. The winning stories will have the chance to be read at the Sea Glass Festival, a prestigious event celebrating sea glass and its significance in maritime history. This year’s Sea Glass Festival will be held on Sunday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
