“1918-2018: A Century of Milestones”
The 2018 exhibit featured information on World War I as it affected Long Island (yes, there were troops on the island!), a celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Town of Long Island in 1993, a group of island cottages that were built between 1910 -1920, conservation initiatives on the island since 1993, and a display of various paintings of fishing and boating, done by local artists.
PHOTO CREDITS: LIHS Staff photos of the 2018 Exhibit
July 1, 2018: The 25th Anniversary of the Town of Long Island
On July 1st we held a Flag Raising Ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Long Island. The standing-room only crowd enjoyed presentations by State Senator Cathleen Breen and State Representative Janice Cooper, by Herb Adams, former State Representative who was in office during the secession process, and by Mark Greene, who spearheaded the entire secession effort. The new flag pole outside the community center was donated by the McDuffie family in memory of their son Angus McDuffie. Steven Train, a close friend of his, offered a moving tribute to Angus. His wife and children raised the national, state, and island flag. Penny Murley led a singing of God Bless America, and Donnie MacVane led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Our ceremony ended with the Long Island school children, led by Katie Norton, singing This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie.
Entertainment with an Old Time Music Hall
On July 18th the Society held it’s fundraiser: an old-time music hall performed by The Old Howard Troupe. The group was coordinated by our own Lynn Feingold, who sponsored it in memory of her mother Connie Hafner. A sold-out crowd enjoyed an evening of old-fashioned music, and especially enjoyed singing along to 45 Minutes from Portland, on the Casco Bay Ferry Line, a song adapted by Lynn from George M Cohan’s musical 45 Minutes from Broadway. A toe-tapping, kazoo-playing evening of fun for all!
Photo credits: LIHS Staff
The community program, this year on August 1st, was World War I and the Maine Experience, a presentation by Jamie Rice from the Maine Historical Society. This was a wonderful program tying in with our current exhibit on WWI and covering the ways that the war effort affected everyone, not just the soldiers.
The Historical Society finished August with a visit from 30 members of the Chebeague Island Historical Society on August 14th. While with us, they heard a talk about how instrumental they were in the founding of our own historical society. A caravan of 10 cars had a tour of the island, with narrated stops along the way, with the fog and the mist lending a special feel! Following lunch at a member’s home, they then returned to the Community Center for dessert and a tour of our exhibit. A good time was had by all; special thanks go to Susan Hemond for coordinating the many moving parts for this event.