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September 01, 1983 - Snapper Fishing DaysSeptember 1, 1983 The News- Review Snapper Fishing Days By PAUL STOUTENBURGH I can remember my Dad telling me how they celebrated important events in his day. The whole town came out. Of course, this was the time when TV, cars and easy access to entertainment were just a dream. Today everyone has his own special thing going and it's hard to get folks out for special occasions. Yet I was glad to see a good group did get out to celebrate the start of the Tercentenary last week. I could see the makings of an old - fashioned day of celebration. There was the color guard of Boy Scouts proudly leading the procession with a sharp fife and drum corps bringing up the rear. A speakers' platform had been built for the occasion and on it sat the dignitaries of the day. It was a gala affair with colored balloons rising from the platform and crowd when special speakers addressed the audience. Then to top the celebration the senior citizens sang, "Grand Old Southold," which George Yoerger wrote and conducted. To be truthful, a lump came up in my throat as they sang for it reinforced the many ideas I have about this end of the island. Of course, when I say this end of the island I always think of the old boundaries of Southold in those early days when it stretched to Riverhead and Wading River. It's too bad our busy pace today keeps us from enjoying some of these folksy kind of activities. Perhaps that's one of the prices we pay for progress. Seems every minute of the day has to be filled with something to do or we feel cheated. Where are those days of easy living when time was of no consequence? We have to watch out that our life doesn't get used up before those days we were looking for Gi0C�09�� OW slip by. Snapper Fishing Days Remember those carefree days of snapper fishing? When we were young, that meant long bamboo poles from out in the garage or down in the cellar rafters, new special long - shanked snapper hooks, line and a bobber. It meant getting the old brown cotton spearing net out that always needed patching and, of course, a bucket to hold the bait. So equipped we'd head for the channel. If you had access to Aunt Martha's rowboat you were in luck, but usually we fished right off the beach. Just around the "point," where the tide sort of eased up, we dragged for spearing or silversides. As you worked the net poles along side of you and the water got deeper, you'd walk on tiptoe so the cold water wouldn't reach up and chill your upper parts. That was only the first swing for as the excitement built up you'd forget all about it and go in as many times as necessary forgetting about the cool water. If you were in luck, you had only to take one or two good hauls. I can still see the dripping net as it came up on the beach. Two boys, brown as a loaf of bread, would holler, "Keep the bottom down." "Watch out, they're going under the net." "Grab the top." Then the poles �FZEENP ER'�COOUTHOLD ����8 abor ay RCE it S %CR 01 7 �¢PAa� 'W/ N,no11* ri POLO GROUNDS - GREEN PORT RT 25 AND MOORE'5 LANE FREE ADMISSION 10A.M.TO5P.M. Page 13 SNAPPER FISHING -- Perhaps the old bamboo poles have given way to the more sophisticated spinning rigs but the lure of snapper fishing towards the end of the summer never changes. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh would be dropped, the net picked up and Serious Fishing pulled together and the catch worked Once the fun of gathering bait was over toward the center. and the bucket filled with water, it was Everyone would gather around to see time for some serious snapper fishing. what we had. Perhaps a spider crab, or a Baiting the hook we all thought was most blue claw would be picking its way over important. The long - shanked hook went the mass of squirming silvery fish. in the mouth, out the gills and then Killies were always thrown back along hooked in the tail about one quarter of the with the pipe fish that first would have to way back. Then the float was positioned be checked over and handed around for about three feet from the hook and you examination. were ready for fishing. Occasionally baby blowfish would be The longer the bamboo pole, the better found in the net. They'd blow up the size your chances were to reach out into the of a golfball and lay there upside down good fishing area. That always seemed to floating on the mass of fish. I'm afraid be just a little past where you could young boys could not resist the reach. Then being sure no one was temptation to toss these inflated white behind you, you'd give the pole a swirl spiney balls at the girls standing nearby. over your head and out would go the bait The girls, of course, would respond with and bobber, hopefully landing where the their squeals of delight along with mixed fish were. If the snappers were biting, pleas of "Don't!" "Stop it!" And, of "You (continued on page 15) course, brat!" Huruham- Campbell Galleries, Ltd. and Old" / I wuun l �,, 1„ir l ne 6•nrr ('grrhr • (- Ndl SIORI hml sn-1 . P.(1. 11"X 23- lnrcup�in. Lung kh"d S 1a�3 k ;, 111rn1I11,:iI.IIII yes there foal% is a. Tone has to;1kool an, help e,,,rT4 Inc WhiC4 WIT ON Sa(e S¢.��ber 3rd, accor�in� � �� is �. � 61oDla+in suQ¢ ✓ b+ox,� Z dO not �S 1�sv¢ Seeh �►�� e►�'�ke S�v(, b04- `lon� is always c`lgl�t, Be�c�v4¢v� -tl<Q su�Qr mj -tlu CrjL �- rldieulna's loco -low Prl cps, fihis (nods �0 6e a. w c (�. l- ��� GuQ21e�r�d , �emQm,�et; be here. le ;r +he 664 Sdcc4ion, /0 =G gM, SA w ,3 m%e r 3 �a Rey -�u2s-h6ns - W armp� re5aM5 Chvcl Carf6e_11 r l: 1" k ROYALALITR Ar) �CVBiQI pVNSI �� 1 \l ) \rl! I �1111�1( 111 "I' ■ ft September 1, 1983 The News - Review Page 15 Traditional Music at Hallockville By JIM LULL September is traditionally a month in which the music calendar is light. She sits between the summer evening concerts of July and August and the beginning of regular concert series in October. Most noteworthy on the schedule for this September are two traditional music concerts and two nights of rock n' roll. Stephen Sanfilippo of Southold will recreate a 19th Century tradition when he performs a Music Meetin' as part of the Southold Folk and Farmer's Fair on Sept. 3. Past president of the Long Island Traditional Music Association, Mr. Sanfilippo reports that his research on these Music Meetin's shows that much of the popularly performed music of the time is already in his standard repertoire. The Music Meetin's were informal gatherings of friends at a different place each week, for the pur- pose of sharing folk songs and playing traditional instruments. Mr. Sanfilippo will accompany himself on banjo, harmonica and melodeon. On Sept. 17, the Traditional Music Association will bring Jerry Rasmussen to Long Island. Historic Hallockville will be the site of this occasion, workshops in songwriting and five - string banjo, a picnic supper, and a concert. Mr. Rasmussen is a folk artist of the first order. Presently the director of the Stamford Museum and Nature Center, he has a strong background in traditional midwestern American music. He will bring his guitar, but interesting topics of discussion are always his homemade instruments. He has a banjo - mandola which he built out of a wine packing crate a • furniture leg, some scrap plywood and a desk drawer divider. "That's the way they used to build folk instruments," he says. Jerry Rasmussen is an honest traditionalist with a real feeling for the folk heritage of American music. John Drew Theater has produced some of the world's finest stage, classical and folk music concerts this summer. The summer schedule at John Drew will come to a rollicking conclusion this month with two days of 1950's rock n' roll concerts. Presented at 7 and 10 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 5, the concerts will feature The Teenagers, the Regents and Larry (continued from page 13) you'd soon be hollering, "Watch out! " as a silvery twitching snapper would come flying out of the water directly at you. For the inexperienced fishermen, the pole and the snapper would be dropped on the sand and the fish would be pounced upon to take out the hook but the more experienced would try to catch the line, with the fish dangling on it, as it came by. Often though we showed how inexperienced we were as the line and fish would be missed and wheel round and round amongst those nearby. Summer days and snapper fishing are just about the best times of a young one's life. Bare feet and warm sand always tempted us to forget the fishing, if it wasn't productive, and go swimming. What a joy it was to run along the beach and then dive off into the channel, coming up somewhere down. the line. I can't remember when I didn't know how to swim as that was just part of how we all lived. It's good to see today's Dads passing along the art of snapper fishing to the next generation. Handing down this kind of tradition can only make a better world of people for it gets them outside where they can appreciate more and more the wonders about them. PAEk UmQl L3 El U UWT Chance and the Earls. Dancing in the aisles is required as the John Drew again celebrates with two wild Labor Day weekend concerts. The schedule for the month of September: SEPTEMBER 1-- Twilight Carousel of Music, The Sounds of Sunshine, sponsored by River- head Town, Wildwood State Park, 8 p.m., free, 727 -3200, ext. 232. SEPTEMBER 3 —A Southold Music Meetin' of 1850, sponsored by the Long Island Tradi- tional Music Association, Southold High School Grounds (Sept. 4 -- rain date), noon, free, 765 -1837. SEPTEMBER 4 - -An Evening of Operetta, sponsored by the Shelter Island Friends of Music, Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, 8:30 p.m., fee, 749 -2241. SEPTEMBER 4- 1950's Rock and Roll, featur- ing the Teenagers, the Regents, the Earls, John Drew Theater, East Hampton, 7:30 p.m., ($12), 10 p.m. ($14), 324 -4050. SEPTEMBER 5-- 1950's Rock and Roll (see above). SEPTEMBER 9- -The Whalers Chorus and the Sweet Adelines, CCD Hall, Immaculate Conception Church, Quiogue, 8:30 p.m., free, 288-1305. SEPTEMBER 17-- "Homemade Music at Hal- lockville ", featuring Jerry Rasmussen, Hallockville Restoration, 7:30 p.m., $4, $2.50, seniors and members of LITMA, 1/z for children, 765 -1837. SEPTEMBER 20- -North Shore Chamber Orchestra, Shoreham - Wading River High School, 3 p.m., free, 929 -8500, ext. 215. SEPTEMBER 24-- Chamber Symphony Orches- tra, David Lawton, conductor, Fine Arts Cen- ter, SUNY Stony Brook, 8 p.m., fee, 246 -3326. SEPTEMBER 28 —Open air concert, Church of Open Door Singers, Pure Spirit, Danny Reiter and the Shiloh Baptist Church Choir, Founder's Landing, Southold, 3 p.m., free. Free Legal Advice The Suffolk County Conference on Juvenile and Criminal Justice is sponsoring a free legal advice clinic. For those who need legal advice on any subject and cannot afford a lawyer, evening appointments with clinic attorneys may be scheduled by calling 664 -3756 any weekday. STEALING CABLE TELEVISION SERVICES IS^ NOT A GAME... People who hook up illegally to cable services, or who use de- scramblers and decoders to steal premium services, are breaking the law —and New York State's Penal Code has just been toughened to make cable theft prosecutions much more effective, Beginning September 1st, a per- son who steals cable services could be charged with a Class A Misde- meanor, and face up to $1,000 in fines and a year in jail if convicted. The cable systems serving Long CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CABLE SYSTEM: Island are offering, in the public interest, a one -month amnesty for all persons who wish to have their cable services correctly billed, and illegal devices removed. From now to September 1st, you may call your local cable system, or the Long Island Cable Television Council, and obtain services on a full pay- ment basis, no questions asked. September 1, 1983 is the day the new, tough cable theft law goes into effect —take advan- tage of the August Amnesty! Brookhaven Cable Cablevision of L.I. Cox Cable New York Viacom Cablevision Brookhaven Town Hempstead, No. Hempstead, Fifteen incorporated of Long Island (516) 928 -4900 Oyster Bay, Huntington, villages in the Great Neck/ Islip, Brookhaven, Babylon Townships; Glen North Shore area Smithtown, Shelter Cove and Long Beach; (516) 829 -6990 Island Townships 42 villages (516) 348 -6700 (516) 364 -8450 ext. 368 Group W Cable Huntington Cable Long Island Cablevision Islip Town, Huntington Town, Riverhead, Southold, Babylon village incorporated villages of Southampton Townships, (516) 666 -2000 Northport, Huntington Bay Greenport, Sag Harbor, (516) 271 -8800 Southampton, Westhamp- ton Beach, Quogue villages (516) 727 -6300 10 1 momIT S A CRIMEN Published in the public interest by. LONG ISLAND CABLE TELEVISION COUNCIL Mineola, L.I. (516) 741 -4783