'Old Home Week' returns to Port Jefferson

The newest addition to Port Jefferson's slate of festivals is actually an old party come back to life.

Next month, the village will mount a 100th anniversary commemoration of a 1911 festival called Old Home Week that highlighted the charms of the then-unincorporated area.

As it is today, the Port Jefferson community of a century ago was popular with visitors for its bustling commerce, entertainment and idyllic waterfront location.

Local bigwigs in the Port Jefferson Businessmen's Association decided that an organized week of activities would bring visitors and their spending money to the area, according to documents in an exhibit at the Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson.

The ferry that ran even then to Connecticut played a prominent role in delivering VIP guests to the festival, said village Mayor Margot Garant.

"In the early 1900s, Port Jefferson officials asked the Bridgeport officials to come over on the ferry and they celebrated," Garant said. "Over by the Baptist church on East Main and Prospect Street, they built a bandstand and the respective leaders would stand there and watch the decorated cars go by. Then they would go take the ferry back across" Long Island Sound, she said.

The first Port Jefferson Old Home Week was held in 1908, but the biggest celebration was in 1911 for reasons lost to history, according to historical society trustee Cathy Quinlan.

Events in 1911 included baseball games between a Port Jefferson team and rival teams, the Northport BBC and the Brooklyn Clintons. A famous balloonist named Professor Allen ascended in a hot-air balloon, and parachuted back down as amazed crowds watched, while a 50-mile "walking race" provided entertaining, if slow, diversion.

"It was certainly something to see," Quinlan said of the original festival.

The 2011 celebration of Old Home Week is not a full week, taking place on Aug. 6-7 preceded by a free folk concert on Aug. 3 in Harborfront Park.

The present will tip its hat to the past in many ways, ranging from old-fashioned lemonade stands around the village to a banjo cruise on the Park City ferry to Bridgeport.

In 1911, a similar cruise was held on the original Park City steamer and tickets cost 35 cents. Now, the cruise ticket is $20, with old-timey tunes provided by the Mudcats, said ferry operator Fred Hall.

The Long Island Seaport & Eco Center will have a boatbuilding contest, and other events are planned at the Maritime Explorium and the library.

Still, there are no plans to duplicate some of the activities shown in the 1911 photos in the historical society exhibit. Local boys competed to roll barrels and race in burlap sacks, and swimmers took to the harbor in wool suits.

"It was just a fun time," Quinlan said. "We hope we can bring some of this back."