While this winter is one of the more consistently frigid ones we’ve experienced here on the East End in recent years, the annual HarborFrost celebration set for this weekend is sure to bring some white-hot fun for all ages to Sag Harbor.
On Friday, Feb. 7, there’s a HarborFrost kickoff party in The Green Room as well as in the adjacent event space on the third floor of the Sag Harbor Cinema beginning at 5:30 p.m. The celebration will include a buffet of food from some of Sag Harbor’s most beloved chefs and restaurants, wine and beer from Kidd Squid Brewing Co., as well as a silent auction featuring items and gift cards from shops, boutiques and eateries across the village. Ticket holders will also get one complimentary drink from The Green Room bar as well as one ticket for the silent auction. Kickoff party tickets are $60 per person, $50 for Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce members.
Armed with a now-signature theme of blending fire and ice, the cold weather festival gives both residents and visitors of the old whaling village an equal opportunity to shake off those pesky wintertime blues with a plethora of music, food, shopping and live entertainment all day long. “I love it,” says Ellen Dioguardi, president of Sag Harbor’s Chamber of Commerce. “It’s always been one of my favorite events in Sag Harbor because it’s just so out of the ordinary.”
With temperatures looking to remain just around freezing, Saturday, Feb. 8, festivities kick off with a hike along Story Walk Trail led by Dai Dayton, of the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, certain to get the blood pumping. Slated to start at 10 a.m., participants of all ages can meet up at the bleachers at Mashashimuet Park (on the corner of Main Street and Jermain Avenue).
Don you best chef’s hat for a casual culinary tour, sponsored by the Sag Harbor Hysterical Society (sort of like a historical society, but just a little sillier), beginning at 11:30 a.m. at K Pasa and continuing along Main Street until around 5 p.m. Stops will include Sen, Page and Il Capuccino, with diners sampling specialty food and drink items along the way. $50 includes all stops, cash bar. There’ll be prizes awarded to the best decorated chef’s hat, so get crafty diners! Space for the tour is limited so contact Charlie Canavan (631-379-2169) in advance.
Long Island-based ice carving company Ice Memories, led by award-winning master carver Rich Daly, will be carving ice sculptures at two separate locations this year, allowing for a wider range of spectators to enjoy.
“I think the ice carving is going to be really exciting this year,” Dioguardi says. “This is the first time we’ve had two separate locations for ice carving in at least a decade,” she adds, noting Daly will begin at noon on the south end of Main Street (behind the Civil War Monument) potentially and, hopefully, Dioguardi says, adding more foot traffic for businesses located on that end. Daly will then move to Steinbeck Park for a larger demonstration around 2:30 p.m.
“Last year we had close to 30 ice sculptures and it looks like we’re going to be right about the same number of this year,” Dioguardi says.
Live music performances will include local open mic organizer Steve Skoldberg at Dragon Hemp Apothecary (12:30 p.m.), country crooner Woody Boley at Kidd Squid (2 p.m.) blues singer Jake Lear at Open Minded Organics Apothecary (3:45 p.m.) and George Howard at The Green Room (5:30 p.m.). Fire juggler Keith Leaf and his flaming fire dancing friends will perform on Long Wharf and Windmill Beach beginning at 5 p.m. “God bless them for being out there in leotards in the freezing cold,” Dioguardi laughs.
Fun for the kids will include frosty face bling at Stella & Ruby at 1 p.m., free glitter tattoos at the Wharf Shop from 2 to 4 p.m., and family fitness dance at Satori House. For the grown ups, Dragon Hemp hosts a ceremonial cacao event, Kidd Squid will offer raclette-centric snacks and tastings of spirits from Sagaponack Farm Distillery. “Come in from the Cold” soup benefit is at the Old Whalers’ Church from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For $10 a head, attendees can enjoy live music while slurping on homemade soup. Takeout will also be available.
Finally, at around 5:45 p.m., world-renowned fireworks by the Grucci family will light up the oncoming night sky with a brilliant display over the harbor. Immediately following is a performance from That Motown Band at Bay Street Theater, where there’ll also be a 50/50 raffle plus a table filled with merchandise and goodies for sale to benefit the Butterfly Effect Project, a nonprofit Riverhead-based organization desiged to empower young girls.
For a full schedule of Saturday’s events, click here.
