The-Leader_1988-06-09

              CHiciat
Nempaper
Village ot
Freeport
•
Freeport
School District
Baldwin
School Distrlcl
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FREfPORT
BALDWIH mmmMm MmSn
54th YEAR, NO. 23 FREEPORT, NEW YORK JUNE 9,1988 PRICE 25* PER COPY
Maritime Festival offers fun and foiklore
The Arts Council at Freeport is
welcoming a vtyt event this Sat­urday.
The Maritiine Festival will
be held from 12 noon to 6 p.m. at
the Freeport Recreation Center.
Organized by staff folklorist
Nancy Solomon, the festival
explores various aspects of mari­time
traditions, including bay
houses, eel smokers, and duck
hunters. Baymen and dragger
fishermen will demonstrate how
they make tools essential to their
profession, such as traps, nets,
and decoys.
Panel discussions will focus on
women in the bay, fishecmen and
the environment, their work
experiences, and duck hunting.
The maritime festival cele­brate*
the history of the south
shore flshermeo. White other fes­tival*
take place on the water­front,
thia is the ftrtt fettivai
which actively involves the
rishennen.
Those attending should feel
free to ask participants questions
about their family background,
siitce many come from families
which settled Long Island in the
17th and 18th centuries. The tools
being made are designed accord­ing
to an aesthetic system, which
• has been passed down from gen­eration
to generation. The
fishennen are excellent story­tellers,
eager to tell interested per­sons
about their work experien­ces,
and the problems they
encounter today.
One of the unique highlights
will be bay house tours on board
"The Littk King," a dragger fish­ing
boat. The bay houses are
•aaaU dwellings built by'fisher­men
for shelter while they
worked on the-water. Pasaeagers
win learn about the hoiiies' his­tory
from Merv Bedell, a bay
house owner, and learn more
about fiihemen^ experiences
from folklorist John Eilertsen.
Tourgoers will also have an
opportunity to talk to dragger
captains Lenny and Danny
Koch, and first mate Joan
Kennedy, about how the boat
operates and whata typical day
on the ocean is like.
. The Bay House Tours will
leave by bus from the ReaaaBon
Center at 2:30, 3:45 and 5 p.m.
Although the Maritime Festival
is free, there will be a charge of
$7.50 for adults and $J.25 for
cUldicn for the tour.
Hours for the panel discus­sions
are: "Women and the Bay,"
1 p.m.; "Fishennen and the
Environment," 3:15 p.m.;
"Delights and- Chuigtrs: Working
on the Water," 3.30 p.m.; and
"Dnek HuMins.''4:36 p.m.
Oenoattittlons will take place
CARMAN BAY HOUSE, «n
SMimtoy'a MaritinM FMttvai
tour, h«« a faaeinating hia-tory.
Originally • garaga at a
Fraeport houaa, Qaorga
Carman. • bayman and
dragger fiiherman. dia-n
w n ^ th* garag* on landi
brought th« RMtariala over In
aactiona on bargaa. and
raaaaambM it at thia loca­tion.
Altar tho garaga was
raeonatruetad aa a bay
houaa. Jaan and Oaorga
Cwman addad • aun p6rch,
whieh la uaad aa a family
room, Thar* ani badroomt
upataira and ttownataira, and
•n outhouaa which la atill
throughout the day, as will a
niunt«r of showings of maritime
folklore slides and a pound fish­ing
movie by Robert Doxsee, Sr.
The folksinoers "Stout," will pro­vide
muiie from 1-4 p.m.
- Seafood, hamburgert, hot
dogs, soft drinks and ice cream
wiU be available. Also onsale will
be tickets for the Saturday even­ing
performance of Folk Singer
Oscar Brand which will take
place at 7:30 p.m. at the Bayview
Avenue School
Ramon Santana: mixing nrierengue and economics
by Paula Rodenas
If his melUfluousvoice and dis­tinct
pronunciation make you
think of radio days, you're right
on target. Ramoii SSnCana of
Freeport was a radio announcer
in his native country, the Domin­ican
Republic, before coming to
the United States two-and-a-half
years ago to study economics.
Ramon is also a talented musi­cian.
He 'plays the guitar and
sings songs of his homeland and
other Latin American and
Caribbean cultures. Ramon will
be featured iaa folklife program
presented by the Arts Council at
Freeport on June 12, where he
'will introduce his music.
Ramon explained in a recent
interview that the merengue is
considered the "Yolk music" of the
Doinitucaa Republic. It surted
to be heard around 1920 and
soared to popularity with a tune
called "Compadre Juan," which
quickly became associated with
its country of origin. The words
-relate how Juan is coaxed by hu
friend to "come and dance the
beautiful merengue" before
someone takes his girlfriend away
to dance.
"Country muilc"
The merengue underwent
changes, and qther forms of
Latin American music rose to
prominence in the last few
decades ~ guaracha, salsa and
other rhythms. But the original
merengue was what Ramon calls
' "country music," played with an
accordian, guitar and tambor (a-
Idnd of drum). The tambor is
important, because it keeps the
tempo. Ramon explained that
there are different rhythms within
the merengue, inicluding a varia­tion
known as the mangolina,
which wa4 played is the south of
his country as a result of Haitian
influence (Haiti and the Domini­can
Republic share' an Island).
Ramon, grew up with music,
since his father and grandfather
played the guitar. Love songs
were favorites of his father,
because, as Ramon laughingly
put it, "It is common that Latin
American men are known to be
lovers." In many countries, ladies
are serenaded beneath their win­dows,
recalling scenes of the
Spanish past.
; But Ramon, who 'also likes to
write and interpret poetry, got off
-to a somewhat slow start in the
.romance department. At IS, he
recalled, be was very shy. He
went to parties and sat on the
sidelines as his oMer friends dated
and danced. "When I danced my
first merengue,. everyone
cheered," he said. Eventually, he
composed bis own songs,
although, in recent years, he has
not had time for ttw dedication
that composing requires.
BAMON SANTANA practicing Wamuric. photo (^P.utaRod«».
Latin Amwicuin music
North America has been satu­rated
with the music of its ncigh-
. bors. One caniiot f o lb a dance
(continued on pag< is)
J
The passing of Columbian Bronze
by Maurice Forge
Lothar Kuhno, an experimen­tal
machinist at Columbian
Bronze for thitty-Tive years and
four months, explained the
impending demise of the seventy-eight-
year old Freeport firm best
when he said "we produced
eqtupment for the roost modem
marine craft and sophisticated oil
rigs that depended- on-old-fashioned
craftsmen with trained
eyes, nimble hands, steady nervTS
and patience, lots of patience."
By this July 31 the sprawling'
shops of the maker of ship pro-pelten
and other fine-tooted
marine equipment wii! dose for
good and-the remaining man­agement,
office personnel and
production worken will leave 216
North Main Street for their
homn, new careers or retirement.
Mr. Kuhno, who lives on Wal­lace
Street,, is now occupied
mainly with Hnishing a few items
and in packing smalt tools, dies,'
parts'and various equipment to
be shipped to Ellis Propeller
Company of Jacksonville, Flor­ida
.who bought half a million
dollars^ worth of Columbian
Brome Company stock and
equipment and over a thousand
patents. Leroy Knight from Ellis,
himself a seasonoi craftsman,
shows ^eat admiration for the
(romlnued on paga 18)