Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

[CJDaley]

Since 1963 Old Bethpage Village Restoration (OBVR) has been a premier 19th Century living history museum. Encompassing over 209 acres, the out door museum was designed to be a safe haven in the growing urban sprawl on Long Island. All but one of the 52 buildings were moved to OBVR from other locations in an effort to save them from demolition.

For over 45 years, OBVR has opened the doors of the restored homes, farms and businesses to visitors and school children. OBVR hosts the Long Island Fair, a traditional county agricultural fair that draws tens of thousands of visitors, and through most of the year the village supports a steady series of family-friendly events and exhibits, including old-time "base ball" tournaments.

The buildings range in restored age from 1795 to 1876, and since the 1980s they have hosted scores of Civil War living history events.

Now there is a plan in place under Nassau County Executive Suozzi's recent deficit reduction plan to close OBVR this spring. All county museum staff have been unofficially been told that we will be laid off early this spring. This could possibly mark the end of one of the nation's living history landmarks and educational resource.

On behalf of the OBVR staff and the historic landmark, I implore you to write to those you feel would help us to stay open.

Here are some suggestions of people you should contact:

Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi
1550 Franklin Avenue, Mineola, NY 11501
(516) 571-3131
Email: http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agenci...ive/email.html

NY Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand
531 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4451

NY Senator Charles E. Schumer
313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6542
Web Form: schumer.senate.gov/new_website/contact.cfm

Representative Timothy H. Bishop 202-225-3826 202-225-3143 http://timbishop.house.gov/?sectionid=96§iontree=796

Representative Steve J. Israel 202-225-3335 202-225-4669 http://www.house.gov/formisrael/contact.html

Representative Peter T. King 202-225-7896 202-226-2279 pete.king@mail.house.gov

Representative Carolyn McCarthy 202-225-5516 202-225-5758 http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Representative Gary L. Ackerman 202-225-2601 202-225-1589 http://www.house.gov/ackerman/pages/contact.html

On a personal note: I've spent my entire adult life devoted to living history because of my tenure at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. I was an interpreter there in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I learned to sew there, I met amazing historians there and I was first exposed to Civil War reenacting while working there. Please help my former co-workers Save our History at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

[MBBursig]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

I have shot off emails to Congress, the County Executive, and County Legislature. New Yorkers and LI-ers unite!!

[bhutton]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

This would be a blow to Historical Preservation and education on long Island, I've taken my children there many times and participated in several events at OBRV, the public is very receptive, the children and young adults (mine included) will be deprived of this opportunity to learn about the past from knowledable living historians. There exists no other place like it in our area.My Emails and letters are going out to all the named legislators and I will advise all my family and friends to do the same

[KarinTimour]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Dear Chris:

Ok, letters will be heading out tomorrow.

Folks, also consider rather than sending emails, write the email, print it and then put it in an envelope with an old-fashioned stamp. Surprisingly enough, legislators pay more attention to the snail mail than they do to emails. And if you send a letter with a stamp, you speak with the power of ten. Legislators figure that anyone who sends a written letter -- well they were agitated enough that they sat down and put it in an envelope -- even if it's just the printed email. And they figure than 9 other people were just as upset as you, but didn't have the time to write. Postcards count for 5 additional people plus you. Emails are so easy legislators count them as one agitated voter.

So print out that email that you already sent, stick it in an envelope and put 42 cents on it to the legislator....

Sincerely,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Swag]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Letters are being written and will be sent promptly. Thank you for letting us know about these issues, this is an absolute outrage, considering the beauty and importance of Old Bethpage Village. And I will make sure to send it via snail mail, as Karin has mentioned.

[MBBursig]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Blanket those County legislators if you are a Nassau County resident!

Everyone should contact Mr. Suozzi though! The more letters he receives the better the chance we have! Maybe this is all political "saber rattling" to get his way, but I don't trust local Nassau County politics regardless of your party!

My students and fellow faculty, here in Nassau, found out today about the news and they were mad as well!

Don't Tread on Me,

[Beth Chamberlain]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Some more information to add to what Chris posted.

Souzzi's plan includes laying off 1000 employees - that is what will shut the Village down. Souzzi has proposed to the union that members should take a pay cut and, according to some sources, pay some portion of their health insurance. So far the union president has refused to open negotiations. I don't want any of my friends to have their pay cut but I know if I had a choice between a pay cut or no job I would take the pay cut. Thousands of people across the country have already done just that to keep their businesses open. To not even open negotiations denies union members a voice in how this pans out. CSEA local 830 president Jerry Laricchiuta can be reached at Jerry@csea830.org

Some of Souzzi's other plans require aid and/or cooperation from NY State so please also contact Assembly and Senate members. The Village sits in Senator Kemp Hannon's district, his contact information can be found at http://www.senatorhannon.com/. A complete list of Assembly members can be found at http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senate...ators?OpenForm. The Neighborhood is represented by Assemblyman Charles Lavine, his contact information is at http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=013, a complete list of Assembly members is at http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/. The Village routinely welcomes school groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and adult organizations from Suffolk County and New York City. While your own legislators and those representing the Village's neighborhood are logical front-line contacts politicians from the rest of the region need to know that their constituents are about to loose a valuable and beloved education and recreation resource.

To those of you who do not call OBVR "home" but make your voice heard in support of the Village - Thank You. I don't rely on the Village to keep a roof over my head and food on my table but my friends there do.


Beth

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Ouch... this hurts.

The Gawdawful Mess has done a Picket Post with the 119th NY in years past. Attached are some pics of last year's event. Yep... It's actually Long Island... not too far from NYC.

This site is WONDERFUL and it would be a shame to lose this island in the middle of urban sprawl and cement. The buildings there are period, post/pre-period. This site preserves much of what urban New York needs to save ASAP.

I'll see what I can do to help!

Thanks for the word, Chris.

All the best- Johnny Lloyd:wink_smil

[DougCooper]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Gang, this is a lot like the plan to close Ft Snelling a few years ago. The letter writing and e-mailing (letters are in fact more impressive) saved the Fort's programs of education and living history. The huge outpouring of support from outside Minnesota was truly amazing. To hear it told, there was a complete ignorance of the Fort's place in the hearts of folks outside the state.

The same thing needs to happen here. As usual, there is likely a lack of understanding of just how vital this place is to historical education, for New Yorkers and everyone else. Just listening to Chris talk about this place over the years has been an education.

Write, type and Stamp at will.

[KarinTimour]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Beth:

Full disclosure note: I'm a CSEA member, though of a different local. Your note was the first that I'd heard that CSEA wasn't currently negotiating. I suspect that this is a strategic ploy, and would recommend at this point that people more usefully target Suozzi and the legislators. The state fiscal year starts April 1 (technically). The years that we've had a budget on time in the past century can be counted on the fingers of one hand, with fingers to spare. These are all proposed changes -- so these are the opening salvos of the mud wrestling to come.

Thanks to those of you who have already written.

Further Suggestion on mail and letters
To give you a further "bit" of How the Mystery called Representative Government works, they also count form letters. So what some of us should start doing is xeroxing our letter of outrage, and snail mail a copy once a week or even daily. Get this, in addition to reading our letters, they weigh (on a scales) the number of form letters or group letters they get. So it's useful to repeatedly send your printed out email. Just get in a routine of doing this every few days.

As Doug has noted, while letters from their constituents count for the most, letters from other states also carry a certain amount of impact. Those of you overseas can also write, and if you're a veteran or serving military, I think it would carry a lot of weight to mention that. The idea that someone would pick up a pencil or type on a computer from the sandbox because he or she is concerned about Old Bethpage Village would certainly carry weight with these guys. Suozzi clearly has ambitions for larger office, so hearing from voters in other parts of New York or outside the region will carry some weight with him.

Those of you who are within driving distance of Long Island, listen up. I've been thinking that there might be something a little creative that we can do in person. I'm in the scheming stage right now, and need to talk to those who are central to this battle (we don't want to be working at cross purposes with those who are front and center in this). I'm not going to post this here, since it's a public board and we don't want to lose the element of surprise.

If you're interested in some in-person activity, send me an email at Ktimour@aol.com. I need to do some research first, but I've got my Thinking Cap on.

In the meantime, keep those letters coming!
Save Old Bethpage Village!

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[CJDaley]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Just listening to Chris talk about this place over the years has been an education.

I do talk about it alot because museums like Old Bethpage Village Restoration do more than education 2nd graders about 19th century life. They also take high school student and college interns and mold them into future historians.

The cast of people I worked with there included Shoemaker Chris Schreiber, Hatter Oliver Ogden, Blacksmith John Folk and scores of historians like Glenn Sitterly (TimeTravlers on ebay.com), Gary Hammond, Terry Hunt and of course Jim McKenna.

Those mentors gave me an appreciation for history, artifacts and eduction. Where will the next generation of historians come from if we don't have a 19th century 'incubator' to grow them?

Think about what you do for the new recruits in your reenactment unit, this is what these museums do for aspiring historians and craftsmen. Small museums like Pamplin Park, Conner Prairie, Sturbridge Village and Old Bethpage offer something you can never get from cracking a book.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Chris,

Thanks for posting this! Here in Indiana, we get a lot of value out of Conner Prairie and I would hate to see it close! The loss would extend beyond the decay of once-restored buildings and farm settings, but, as you say, the loss of venue for teaching 19th Century crafts and trades. You can't just haul-off and decide to do a little blacksmithing, shoemaking, or farming in the back yard or garage... and even if you could, you can't exactly share your experience with others. You need a venue in which to do the craft and for others to watch and learn, or perhaps even to apprentice.

Out east, recent state-level budget crunches have closed great sites like the Revolutionary Battlefield park at Monmouth, NJ. I would hate to see a site like OBVR suffer a similar fate!

I'll be working on letters this week!!!

Thanks, Chris!

[eric marten]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

I've been fiddling and lecturing at Old Bethpage for over 26 years, probably about 25 - 30 times per year, and can't imagine Long Island without it. I have brought several of my students (violin) there as apprentices over the years, and introduced them to period music and period instruments. In fact, that's why I have set up four 19th century violins for use there. These kids, (now adults) have put in countless hours providing authentic music for visitors.
I will do everything I can to prevent the closure; I've written the County Executive, etc.
Keep up the fight.

[MBBursig]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

I received this reply from one of the County Legislators:

"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write to the Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro regarding your concerns with possible funding cuts for Old Bethpage Village Restoration and other County Parks and Museums. The County Executive’s proposed cuts all hinge on not getting any state or federal funding from the stimulus program that the President has put up for vote. Every other option is exhausted before these cuts would come into play. "

[KarinTimour]

I received this reply from one of the County Legislators:

"Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write to the Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro regarding your concerns with possible funding cuts for Old Bethpage Village Restoration and other County Parks and Museums. The County Executive’s proposed cuts all hinge on not getting any state or federal funding from the stimulus program that the President has put up for vote. Every other option is exhausted before these cuts would come into play. "

LOVE IT!

Ok, the translation: for those of you not fluent in Double Speak:

<
I read your letter-- see, I even acknowlege what you wrote about, and your position on the issue that got you so upset. It's not me that is the problem. I'm just an innocent bystander in this.

THAT OTHER GUY (not me) proposed these cuts. And since he's a higher official in my party, I know he's only going to be forced at gunpoint to do these terrible, horrible things if THESE OTHER GUYS FROM THAT OTHER PARTY don't step up to the plate and do the right thing."

The whole idea here is to deflect the shitstorm from his/her office and point it at the highest target who is a MEMBER OF THE OTHER PARTY.

If your problem is local, they aim you at the state officials. If you're writing on the state level, they point you to Washington.

Extra credit points in Doublespeak are awarded if the writer can make a credible case that the real threat to Old Bethpage is either poor leadership at the UN or Osama Bin Laden.

Don't fall for it. All politics is local. The higher they redirect us, the more other people there are screaming on a broad range of issues and our screams just get lost. If you write Obama about this, well, there's a lot of people vying for his attention right now. Old Bethpage is far down the list.

The Nassau County Legislators, the Long Island Senators and Assembly people, on the other hand, have limited places to point the finger if we won't shift our eyes (and letters) off them. Remember when your older brother would say "OMIGOD, WHAT'S THAT LANDING IN THE BACKYARD????" You whipped around to look and he stole your slice of pie.

Keep your eye on that slice of pie, no matter what they say, and keep writing. You're having an effect.

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com