Over the Fourth of July weekend, Union Chapel in the Grove honors the Shelter Island Historical Society as the Society celebrates its centennial year.
John D’Amato, president of the SIHS board, is the featured speaker at the Historical Society Sunday service on Sunday, July 3 at 10:30 AM. He’ll talk about the organization’s history and about Island churches over the past century. In addition, Sweet Island Dulcimers will perform under the direction of Union Chapel Music Director Linda Betjeman.
About the Historical Society
“For 100 years, the Shelter Island Historical Society has collected, preserved, and shared Island stories through our programs and archival services,” SIHS Executive Director Nanette Lawrenson said. “We learned to adapt to current times along the way, and we continue to preserve stories so that the generations will know we were here and what took place.”
Visit the History Center (open Wednesday through Saturday) to see two exhibits featuring artwork by Islanders. “Once On This Island,” curated by Margaret Garrett, celebrates the tradition of artists living and working on Shelter Island. The other exhibit is artwork from the Society’s permanent collection by Ingrid McBrian, August Mosca, and Walter Cole Brigham, the creator of the marine mosaic windows that grace the front of Union Chapel.
SIHS will also present a community musical, “The Prospect of Summer,” about the Prospect Hotel, for many years the centerpiece of life in Shelter Island Heights. Lisa Shaw wrote and directs the musical, performed by local thespians on the model of last year’s hugely successful “A Hill of Beans,” a historical musical she wrote with her husband, Tom Hashagen, about the Island’s lima bean co-op.
In honor of its centennial, the Historical Society will throw a 1960s Dance Party on Saturday, July 30 at 6 PM. The Society also sponsors the popular outdoor Havens Farmers Market on Saturday mornings throughout the summer. Find SIHS hours of operation and tickets for the musical and dance party on the Society’s website, www.shelterislandhistorical.org.
Featured guests at Historical Society Sunday
D’Amato, a retired AT&T executive and Vietnam War veteran, is a former chief of the Shelter Island Fire Department and former member of the Town Planning Board. In addition to the Historical Society, he’s active in the Shelter Island Lions Club.
Sweet Island Dulcimers will play variations on traditional hymns and patriotic songs, perfect for the Fourth of July. Betjeman formed the group three years ago, employing Appalachian lap dulcimers, also called “mountain dulcimers.” These uniquely American instruments, originally built and played by early Appalachian settlers, surged in popularity in the last 20 years, and there are now dulcimer groups across the country.
Sweet Island Dulcimers specializes in traditional early American hymns, ballads, and folk music but also plays cowboy songs, world music and The Beatles. The group has performed for churches, children’s groups and passersby on Crescent Beach, where members often practice during the summer.
Instrumentalists include Marianne Baird, Karin Bennett, Diane Blagburn, Wendy Clark, Anne Danforth, Aimee Fokine, Christina Herman and Linda Betjeman. Dulcimers are easy to play. If you’re interested in joining the group, contact Linda Betjeman at unionchapelinthegrove@gmail.com.
A reception, catered by STARS CAFÉ, follows the service.
Next week: The Rev. Charles McCarron, pastor of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, will lead the Shelter Island Yacht Club Memorial Sunday service on July 10 at 10:30 AM.
Union Chapel’s commemorative book, “All Are Welcome: 150 years of Shelter Island’s Union Chapel in the Grove,” by Carrie Cooperider, is available at Finley’s Fiction or by contacting Trustee Kathy Dinkel at unionchapelinthegrove@gmail.com.
JoAnn Kirkland assists the trustees of Union Chapel in the Grove.
