Montauk Pioneer - October 31, 2008

The Montauk Yacht Club is on a "hunt for history," to collect old photos of their historic club, marina, villas and former "Deep Sea Club." In preparation for their big 80th Anniversary celebration, which takes place next summer, they have decided to create a "history room" in what is now their "Cohi Room," the octagon-shaped room off the bar, which used to be known as the cigar bar room or the "cohiba bar." They are looking to collect any photos from the "old days" of this famous landmark, to frame and hang permanently in this bottom part of the historic lighthouse, which was built by Carl Fisher, the well-known builder who developed Montauk as "the Miami of the North" in the late 1920s. He created this smaller lighthouse in the Montauk Yacht Club as a model of the Montauk Lighthouse at the Point, which was commissioned by George Washington in 1796.

"We are looking for real photographs of everything from fishing adventures, to boats that docked here, to the casino, to the restaurant, to the old Deep Sea Club, to the Ziegfeld Follies, to the bootlegging days here," said Keith Battaglia, Sales and Marketing Manager of the Montauk Yacht Club. "Our biggest challenge is where to get all these great old photos from. We are hoping people will dig into their old photo albums and give us some copies of their treasures."

He said that although the Yacht Club will not be returning the photos, copies can be made to frame on the walls. Battaglia said the Yacht Club will also consider hanging any interesting old articles, such as celebrity weddings or newsworthy events at the club.

"We want to tell our history through photos, mostly, and also some news clips," said Battaglia. "This will be a room where our history will be preserved for generations to come."

The Montauk Yacht Club will be holding a special "Photo Contest" for the best photos recovered. There will be several different categories. This includes a category for the Most Historical Photo, one that came the Furthest Distance, the Craziest Photo, and the Best Family Photo. There may be new categories added. There will be prizes given, including free rooms and meals at the club.

Battaglia said this new "History Room" is in keeping with the Montauk Yacht Club's current renovation, which is in process now through the winter.

"We are doing a multi-million dollar renovation in the grand tradition, with a new beginning," he explained. This includes new carpeting and painting in the dining room and lobby areas.

In other news at the Yacht Club, they had their final "Art and Wine" dinner on October 30, with the theme of "An Evening in Paris." Each wine dinner throughout the season has paired wines with delicious meals served by Chef Jared Potter, around a theme of a different country or region, from Southern-Style American, to Italian, to French. The final artist was Amy Fishman, who was chosen by Romany Kramoris of the Kramoris Gallery in Sag Harbor. She has been selecting the artists and curating the shows. Fishman's work will be hung throughout the restaurant and lobby over the coming weeks.

"These art and wine dinners have been a success this season, showing off not just our fine cuisine, but also our fine local wines, and our many talented local artists," said Battaglia. "We hope to continue this tradition next year, and we invite everyone to come in 2009 to help us celebrate our big 80th Anniversary, when we will have an incredible lineup of events and gala parties at this historic club."

Anyone wishing to donate Montauk Yacht Club-related photographs and/or articles, can call Debbie Tuma, who will be doing archival research, at 631-338-5421- cell, or e-mail her at dstuma@yahoo.com. She will be happy to make copies if you want to keep the originals. All material is due the sooner the better, but no later than the end of January 2009.