Sunday I woke up feeling a bit under the weather. I was hobbled with an injured foot, a gift given to me when I thought I was young enough to run with Max. This, plus a digestive system still topped off with fine fair from the previous night. It took all my energy to relocate from the bed to the couch. The weather outside was a preview of a beautiful fall to come. Had it been rain, I might not have moved at all. Christina and I had planned to go to the Smithtown Heritage Country Fair. As she took Max for a walk, I conjured up enough energy to go. And I am glad I did.
Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, Ocean’s Bounty Fish Market,
Aji 53 Sushi, Three Guy’s Hobbies and the Smithtown LIRR train station. These are among our destinations that
take us past the Smithtown Historical Society’s sign. Passing it each time, we never really gave it much
thought…until one day. As we
passed, we saw one of those “Old Timey” baseball games going on in the fields
behind. We didn’t have time to
stop, as we were on our way to one of those aforementioned destinations. Unfortunately as quickly as we drove by, the
thought of it exited our minds. We
had plans, and there were no deviations. I recently saw a flyer in the paper, and Christina saw the
same one on the way to Croxley’s Ale House. Yes, I know it sounds like it should have been reversed. The Smithtown Historical Society was
having a Country Fair. We both
thought back to the baseball games we had seen played and realized this would
be a good opportunity to attend.
But wait, it was on a Sunday and it was from 11am to 5pm! Time to check the Steelers’ schedule…game
time 4:25. We were good to go.
I kept to the plan, even though I did not feel 100%...or 50%
for that matter. I will say
Smithtown did a good job of handling traffic, both car and pedestrian, for the
event. As we arrived at the
entrance we were handed a map. A
map? I had no idea sitting behind
the roadside sign was several acres owned by the Society. As I found where we were on the map,
Christina quietly inquired, “Where is the Brush Barn?” It was straight ahead. She had seen a sign stating, “Ukrainian
Folk Dancing at 11:00”. Well, it
was 11 and being of Ukrainian decent, she wanted to go. Figuring I would be a downer, I
surprised her with a “Let’s Go”. I
was interested, but it was mostly because I figured I could sit down in there. I must say, I was quite impressed. The energy and the coordination were
impressive, as where the costumes.
It took Christina back to her youth, when she would see similar recitals. I would compare it to what most of us
think of as “Russian” dancing from old television sitcoms. But don’t tell a Ukie that!
The next event we were treated to was from the Long Island
Riders. On their horses, they put on a "Cowboy" shooting demonstration. As
they rode through obstacles, they had to shoot and hit several
targets. I don’t think they
missed. We then headed towards the
Civil War encampments, but what caught Christina’s eye were the barnyard
animals. I had no idea of the
expanse of this place. As we
passed the soldiers, one turned to me and in a quiet voice, and like passing along
a secret, “You want to be at the end of the parking lot at 12:30.” I knew they were doing a
reenactment…now I had the time and the place. It also made Christina happy because we now had ample time
to feed the animals. We soon headed
towards the parking lot, and we came upon the baseball field. The “Old Timey” baseball players were practicing
and a Gent, handle bar mustache and all, manned a tent up front. He had old artifacts and rules,
baseballs and bats of all sizes and shapes. He regaled us of the game and how it used to be played. Unfortunately a match was not scheduled
for this day, but we did learn of ones to come.
It was approaching 12:30, so we worked our way over to the
designated spot I was informed of.
The Union soldiers went by us in formation..and we followed. As they turned past the high hedges to
an open area, you could see the Confederate soldiers already occupying the end
of the field. A battle ensued as
the Confederates charged forward.
The Union held their ground.
I believe they were inspired by the SUV parked near them. Apparently someone did not get the memo
“No Parking in this area”. Outside
of that one modern day blemish, it took you back to the 1860’s. The Union would attack and push the Confederate
back to the tree line. Despite
losses, they advanced on. They
were able to capture the rebel flag and win the day. This was only a 10 on 10 man battle. A friend, who I ran into at the fair, also participates in these historical civil war reenactments. He said their groups contain thousands of men. I can only imagine.
It was now after 1pm and the NFL was in full swing. We still had time, so I wanted to
peruse the antique car collection.
A blue grass band played alongside the grass lot to prove even more
ambiance. We strolled through the pristine
sedans. I enjoyed the history and
the excellent restoration of these automobiles. I am not as familiar with old cars as I am with old planes. And that is when the PA announcement
came. "We will have a fly-by of
historical planes in about 15 minutes."
Shortly we were treated to 7 or 8 vintage aircraft buzzing the field. A perfect way to end the day.
I am used to spending my time before games a little
differently. At home tailgating,
taking in every NFL pregame talk show with beer and perhaps some wings. Today was a little different, taking a
step back in time.
And it actually made me feel a little bit better.
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