What’s Happening Around the Island

This week
LIBRARY BOOSTERS
The Shelter Island Public Library budget is primarily derived from taxes, but more funding is always needed to ensure that a solid array of cultural and educational programs are in place for the benefit of the community. Friends of the Library, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the library, holds its annual meeting, Friday, August 5, at 4:30 p.m. in the community room. All are welcome. Membership is $5 for students and seniors, $25 for families, and $30 for businesses. Donate $125 for an engraved brick for the reading patio. To become a member or make a donation, visit silibrary.org/friends/.

GARDEN SECRETS
Learn secrets from an expert when Master Gardener Susan King presents a potourri of information on topics including container planting, pruning, fertilization, favorite shade plants, garden tools, lawn and shrub care, and more. Ms. King speaks August 10 to the Garden Club of Shelter Island. All are welcome to attend. The club’s business meeting at 11 a.m.; Ms. King speaks at 12:30 p.m., in Fellowship Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!
Punk plus soul plus motown equals shake your tail feathers at a family-friendly barn dance to benefit the Shelter Island Historical Society. Join the fun at the Havens Barn on Saturday, August 6, from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids up to 16. To reserve call (631) 749-0025 or visit shelterislandhistorical.org.

TALKING ART
Artist Roz Dimon will moderate a panel discussion with three ArtSI (Artists of Shelter Island) members as part of Friday Night Dialogues at the Library. “I’ll be asking them questions about how their lives, their loves and the Island have shaped their work,” Ms. Dimon said.

The talk, on Friday, August 5, at 7 p.m. in the community room, includes Sally Jacobs Baker, Susan Schrott and Peter Waldner who will discuss their work and the upcoming ArtSI Open Studios Tour which takes place August 20 and 21, from noon to 5 p.m. Learn more at artsi.info.

WATERFRONT CONCERTS
Jim Preston & Friends kick off the town-sponsored Thursday evening August concert series at the Volunteer Park gazebo overlooking Dering Harbor on August 4, at 6:30 p.m. Upcoming shows are: August 11, Penny ‘n John Kerr;  August 18, Heather with Pete on guitar; and, August 25, Tom and Lisa and friends. Bring a beach chair or blanket and a picnic. Free.

ART AT THE CHURCH
“Scribes of Hope,” a juried national traveling exhibition, is on view through August 31 at St. Mary’s Church. It is sponsored by a professional arts organization, Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), and curated by Timothy Botts of CIVA. All are welcome. For details, call (631) 749-0770 or visit stmarysshelterisland.org.

RACE WEEK
An around the Island race on Friday, August 5, opens the Shelter Island Yacht Club’s Race Week. The three-day regatta features PHRF and IRC racing as well as One Design, Classics and Navigator races. The SIYC will present prizes for each day’s racing and the overall series. For details, go to siyc.com/raceweek or yachtscoring.com.

WOMEN VOTERS MEET
The League of Women Voters of Shelter Island, a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, is making plans for its voter registration drive, absentee ballot distribution, candidates forum and fall member party. All are welcome to attend the league meeting on Thursday, August 11, at 10:30 a.m. in the library’s community room. For information, contact Lois B. Morris, league president, at (631) 749-3349.

ISLAND ART
Paintings of Shelter Island by artist Carol Wilson are on display in the Heights office of Griffing & Collins Real Estate. Ms. Wilson, founder of the now-defunct Island Gallery on Bridge Street and head of the Shelter Island School art deparment for many years, has been drawing and painting Island scenery, beachscapes, wildlife habitats and residents for decades.

A graduate of the University of Illinois, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Ms. Wilson worked early in her career as a designer for Hallmark Cards. She works in oils, acrylics, pastels, pencil and pen and ink, and currently specializes in commissioned portraits. Her work will be on display until October 1, according to Janalyn Travis-Messer, owner of the brokerage, who has arranged exhibits there for numerous local artists.

Coming soon
10TH ANNUAL CLAMBAKE
Only 100 tickets will be sold for the 10th annual Taylor’s Island Kettle Clambake. The bake, on Saturday, August 13, from 2 to 5 p.m., raises funds to maintain the historic Smith-Taylor cabin. On the menu are lobster, clams, chicken, sweet potatoes, corn, watermelon and fresh lemonade. The Freewheel Trio will play. Raffle prizes include an overnight stay for two at the cabin, a guided kayak trip for four, a wine tour for six, and a luncheon on Taylor’s Island for eight.
Tickets are $100 and may be purchased by contacting [email protected], or by check payable to Taylor’s Island Foundation, PO Box 524, Shelter Island Heights, NY 11964. For details, visit taylorsisland.org.

ART TOUR OPENING
Sixteen artists ­—including painters, photographers, a sculptor, a ceramicist and a potter — will be opening their Shelter Island studios to visitors free of charge later this month. The artists participating in the ArtSI Open Studio Tour invite the public to join in a kickoff meet-and-greet in the art gallery at the Shelter Island Library on Saturday, August 13, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Works by some of the artists will be on display with wine and light snacks provided. The open studio tour is Saturday, August 20, and Sunday, August 21, from noon to 5 p.m. For details and to download a tour map, visit artsi.info

CHICKEN BBQ
It’s August on Shelter Island, which means we soon will be gathering under the massive tent on Fireman’s Field to enjoy the old-fashioned fire grilled chicken, freshly-picked corn, “Harelegger” potato salad, and more at the Shelter Island Fire Department’s traditional, family-style, barbecue fundraiser. Stop by just about any business in town to buy tickets to the 53rd Annual Chicken Barbecue, which will be held on Saturday, August 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. The cost is $25 for adults and $15 for children; takeout is available. Proceeds support the volunteer fire department. For details, visit shelterislandfd.org.

SHARK THEMED DESSERTS?
Bakers, here’s a creative challenge for a great cause! Volunteer bakers are needed to provide shark-themed desserts for a party for campers taking part in a special program for children ages 6 to 18 who have been diagnosed with cancer (and their siblings).

The Kids Need MORE Camp Adventure at Qunipet Camp will be holding a formal “Shark Week” themed dance on Wednesday, August 17. Volunteers are asked to bring desserts to the Shelter Island School parking lot between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Please do not bring items directly to the camp. For information, contact Debbie Speeches at (516) 702-6986.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Vendors are wanted for the 5th Annual Art Show & Craft Fair sponsored by the Shelter Island Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, August 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the grounds of the Shelter Island School. Apply for an exhibit space on the chamber website, shelterislandchamber.org. For adult vendors, 12- by 12-foot spaces are $125; for exhibitors under age 18, 3- by 3-foot spaces are $10. Only handmade works may be displayed and sold. Vendors must supply evidence, in advance, that their work is not mass-produced.

THEINERT FUND GOLF OUTING
Make a difference in the lives of active and veteran service members and their families by joining the 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert Memoral Fund in a golf outing on Monday, August 29, at 11 a.m. at Vineyards Golf Club in Riverhead.
Created in honor Lt. Theinert, of Shelter Island, who was killed in action in Aghanistan in 2010, the fund supports programs and activities that carry on “his mission of being ever supportive of soldiers and their loved ones,” its website says.

For golfers, the cost is $225 per player or $900 per foursome. For dinner only, it is $75 per person. For details, see josephjtheinertmemorial fund.org

BE A SAFE BOATER
It’s not too late to make this a safe  boating season by earning a New York State Safe Boater Certificate.  State law requires that anyone born after May 1, 1996 must have a certificate to operate a power boat. All Jet Ski operators, 14 and older, must have one.

Earn yours by attending a 4-hour Safe Boating Class sponsored by the Shelter Island Police Department.
The classes meet Tuesday and Wednesday, August 23 and 24, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Island’s Emergency Medical Services building.

Students must be age 10 years or older. Instruction is free and all books and materials will be provided. A $10 processing fee will be charged to those age 18 and older.

Reserve a space by calling the Police Department at (631) 749-0600 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. Or, contact instructor, Peter Vielbig, at (631) 749-1801 or (609) 306-1114.

FREEWHEEL TRIO
Sylvester Manor’s next summer Creekside Concert will feature the Freewheel Trio, a contemporary string band out of Denver, performing Sunday, August 14, at 5 p.m. with Joe D’Esposito on fiddle and vocals, Mike Robinson on guitar and vocals, and Andrew Ryan on double bass and vocals. Tickets are $20 at sylvestermanor.org or (631) 749-0626. Bring a picnic or enjoy food truck offerings.

LUCKY DUCK
Sponsor a rubber ducky in a swim to victory in the raging waters of Chase Creek and maybe win big! The 5th Annual Chamber of Commerce Duck Race caps off a summer of fun and supports the chamber’s community events throughout the year. The rain or shine race will be held at Volunteer Park on Sunday, August 28, at noon. Entry fee is $20 and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place finishes. Learn more at shelterislandchamber.org

MULTI-CLASS REUNION
If you graduated from SIHS between 1950 and 1960, plan to attend a multi-class reunion on Saturday, September 10. The casual outdoor gathering will be held at the Smith Street home of Dorothy (Smith) ‘56 and Fred Ogar ‘53.

A reunion committee hopes to compile a list of as many graduates as possible from that decade. For more information contact Dorothy, (631) 749-0412, Hoot Sherman (631) 749-8941 or [email protected], or Emily Hallman, (631) 749-5092.

TALKING POETRY
Poets David Katz and Linda Stern will share their poetry during an upcoming Friday Night Dialogue at the library. Mr. Katz is a financial journalist and editor whose most recent collection is “Stanzas on Oz: Poems 2011 to 2014.” Ms. Stern’s first poetry collection, “Why We Go by Twos: Poems 1970 to 2014”, was published last year by Barefoot Muse Press. They co-published the poetry magazine Endymion. Their August 12 talk is at 7 p.m. in the community room.

GREAT PECONIC RACE
Paddlers, get ready! The third annual Great Peconic Race, takes off from Wade’s Beach for a 19.5-mile circumnavigation of the Island on Saturday, September 10. The race raises funds for the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program and honors Ted Baldwin, who died in 2011 at age 48.

New this year is a 9-mile race course, a 3-mile recreational course and a post-race beach party. To learn more, visit greatpeconicrace.com.

SNAPPER DERBY
Sponsors, sign up today to support the 2016 Snapper Derby! Sponsors donate $250, and, if checks are received prior to August 26, have their names listed on the back of the event T-shirt. Send checks payable to the Shelter Island Lions Club to: Binder Pools, PO Box 1960, Shelter Island, NY, 11964.

Derby participants fish on Saturday, September 3, and prizes are awarded at a 5 p.m. weigh-in and cookout at the American Legion Hall.

Kids may also join the derby’s logo design competition. Young artists  can pick up materials at Binder Pools before Labor Day weekend. For details, go to shelterislandsnapperderby.or