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‘Taste of the Neighborhood

Setauket Neighborhood House. Photo by Heidi Sutton

By Irene Ruddock

The Setauket Neighborhood House (SNH) is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a fundraiser like no other in its long history! All are welcome to support this local community treasure by joining your neighbors for a Taste of the Neighborhood event on Friday, May 11 from 7 to 10 p.m.

Coordinated by Janette Handley, secretary of the SNH board, the evening will feature exquisitely prepared cuisine by local restaurants offering their signature dishes. In addition, there will be raffle baskets filled not only with exciting theme surprises but with gift certificates given by local businesses that have shown unwavering support for this community house. Raffle baskets will be beautifully wrapped by Debbie Bryant of Bryant Funeral Home with committee coordinator Bonnie Connolly. Live music by students at Ward Melville High School, under the guidance of director Jason Chapman, will round out this once in a lifetime event. 

 Come see the Ballroom’s exquisite new wood floor recently completed with funds from past fundraisers, a trust fund and grants secured by Alice D’Amico from Assemblyman and friend of the SNH, Steve Englebright (D-Setauket). Leading this ballroom floor project was board member Bob Spatny who worked tirelessly to implement the board’s desire to preserve the structure of this house that is over 200 years old. Additional support from longtime board member James Carpenter helped to defray the ever-rising maintenance costs. The Setauket Artists, with their yearly donation for over 37 years, as well as the support of other organizations who use the house, have also contributed to this annual upkeep.

The original part of the Setauket Neighborhood House was built in the 1700s. In 1820, it was moved from Conscience Bay, Setauket to its present location by Dr. John Elderkin. After Elderkin’s death, his son John ran Ye Old Elderkin Inn, providing the community with a general store, bank, post office, drug store and library. During the 1860s, before the completion of the Long Island Rail Road, the inn served as a home for a stagecoach line that ran between Setauket and the Lakeland Railroad Depot. 

By 1893, Captain Beverly Swift Tyler was running the inn, which was renamed the Lakeside Inn. His son, Beverly Griffin Tyler married Blanche Carlton Tyler, a beloved community member, who served as an officer on the board of trustees of the SNH for over twenty years. After the death of her husband, Blanche married Lewis G. Davis and was named “Good Neighbor of the Year” in 2010. She died in 2016 and the Board Room of the SNH was renamed the Lakeside Room in her memory in 2017. 

In 1918, Old Field industrialist, Eversley Childs and his wife Minnie, purchased the property with an endowment they presented to the community, as well as providing funds for the addition of the Ballroom. This historic building is now administered by the Setauket Neighborhood Association and has since served as a community meeting house for 100 years. 

“It warms the heart to think of the joy and comfort the house has afforded the hundreds of thousands gathered here over many generations,” said President Tim O’Leary. “I am amazed at the support from all of the community for this house to help with our expenses. I wish to thank everyone who will attend our fundraiser, but also thank those who support the house during the year by becoming a Friend of the SNH.” 

The Setauket Neighborhood House is located at 95 Main St. in Setauket. Tickets for Taste of the Neighborhood may be purchased for $35 per person at the door or $30 online. A check for $30 per person may also be sent payable to the Setauket Neighborhood House, P. O. Box 2192, Setauket, NY, 11733. If you cannot attend, you may send a donation to become A Friend of the SNH to the same address where your name will be forever listed in the official house records. For more information, please call 631-751-6208 or visit www.setauketneighborhoodhouse.com.

Dating back to the 18th century, The Setauket Neighborhood House has served as a private home, an inn, a post office, a bank and a general store, among others. Today it functions as a community meeting house. File photo

By Irene Ruddock

Now that spring is here, every homeowner wonders how everything in their home is ever going to get repaired. Just multiply that concern many times to imagine the projects needed for the improvement and upkeep of a beloved community treasure — the Setauket Neighborhood House (SNH). In helping to provide funds for projects that are needed to keep this historic building for all the community to enjoy, the SNH will host its 5th annual Taste of the Neighborhood fundraiser on Friday, May 12 from 7 to 10 p.m.

In past years, funds raised from this annual event have helped with the upkeep of the house, parts of which are over 200 years old — rebuilding a beautiful front and back porch, replacing the roof, building chair storage units, purchasing a new furnace and paying bills! This year, the house, which is located at 95 Main Street in Setauket, is in need of a new ballroom floor, a grand undertaking that will enhance the house immeasurably and ensure continued enjoyment and participation by the community. What an exciting adventure that will be! Here is your chance to be a part of it!

‘Shadow Play’ by Irwin Traugot will be raffled off at the event.

On May 12 you will also be given the opportunity to join your neighbors to come together for wonderful food provided by the generosity of 16 of our local restaurants. Taste the signature dishes of Amici Restaurant, Bagel Express, Bliss, Chick-fil-A, Country House, Curry Club, Fifth Season, Fratelli’s, Mario’s, Old Field Club, O Sole Mio, Pumpernickel’s Deli and Market, Setauket Gourmet Deli, Setauket Pastaria, Three Village Inn and Villa Sorrento. Wine and beer will be served along with other refreshments, compliments of the SNH.

Of course, a fundraiser wouldn’t be the same without raffle baskets, so plan on taking a chance on over 15 beautiful baskets donated by community and board members. There will also be plenty of gift certificates from local business owners. A special thanks to Debbie Bryant, who for years has dedicated her time and talent by wrapping and organizing our baskets. Drawings will be conducted that evening, but you don’t have to be present to win.

To add to the elegance of the evening, an art retrospective will feature the paintings of Irwin Traugot. Traugot, a beloved Setauket Artists’ member, has been exhibiting annually at the house for 35 years. The artist will also donate a beautiful painting for the raffle; his other paintings are for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the SNH. They will be on view for several weeks after the event for all to enjoy. Finally, live music will be provided by music students from Ward Melville High School.

Tickets for this event may be purchased for $30 online at www.setauketnh.org or at the door for $35. Checks are payable to Setauket Neighborhood House and may be mailed to P.O. Box 2192, Setauket, NY 11733. For more information, please call 631-751-6208.